Greatest Generation

Scott Simon talks about Iva Toguri D'Aquino, who died this week and who was convicted and later pardoned of being "Tokyo Rose," a World War II propagandist. Simon was doing okay describing how the government went after Toguri falsifying evidence to have her jailed and convicted. But then Simon fell into cliche, schmaltz and sappy patriotism. Mentioning that a veterans' organization recently gave Toguri an award, he states, "…as newsman Bill Curtis said yesterday, in this great admiration we have for 'the Greatest Generation' Iva Taguri should be included in those patriots loyal to America."

This seemed a really strange thing to say. First, I am really sick of hearing about "the Greatest Generation." I always wonder are we talking about the Jim Crow loving bigots who also fought in WWII -- or people like George H. Bush and Bob Dole who never met a Central American torture regime they didn't like. Howard Zinn, a WWII veteran, also has problems with "the Greatest Generation" apellation. And then ending his report with his sensitive, serious "patriots loyal to America." Sounds like a warning to those who are disgusted with the direction our current US government is taking.