Me too was in HS in the eighties.
I remember the threat of the Russians well.
As a generation Xer, and child of the 80's, I have to vehemently disagree with this statement.
As a child of the 50's growing up on air bases, hearing the alert klaxon sounding every couple of weeks and knowing everyone I knew and loved might be vaporized in the next 15 minutes; I have to say, you can get used to a lot of bad stuff. Life is still worth living.
There are still ICBMs pointed at us so the terrorists thinking they will back us down with death and destruction haven't really learned their lessons.
Perhaps what the editorialist feels is not fear, but the uncertainty of the randomness of terror. But that randomness is an unfortunate fact of life. Ask the families of those killed by that drunk driver on long Island last week.
The people who lived the Cold War faced the potential for the end of life, not just their life. The fear of death by terorist while harrowing cannot be measured against the fears the Cold War would turn hot. Yet we not only survived, we prospered, raised families, and triumphed. The Orlando Sentinel should take a lesson.
How would an 80's child that did not live through most of the cold war know?
Maybe we are next on the agenda.
I should have been more descriptive. I asked ho would an 80's child know. I did not mean that to be offending and I hope I didn't. I truly am curious. I refer all the time to World War 2, yet that was long before my time.