[Tombstone]

I was reading an American Rifleman Magazine last night.
I thought this was an important tidbit. (August 2002 Issue.)


"It seems that in 1960, 15 years after the end of World War II, Robert Menard,
then a commander aboard the USS Constellation, took part in a meeting between U.S. Navy personnel and members of the Japanese Defense Forces. Most of the attendees at the meeting were World War II veterans.

One American took the opportunity to inquire why, after Pearl Harbor -- with the U.S. Pacific Fleet crippled and the mainland defenses in what must have been obvious disarray -- the Japanese had not simply invaded the U.S. West Coast.

Menard recalled the response of the Japanese commander: "You are right," he conceded. "We did indeed know much about your preparedness. We knew that probably every second home in your country contained firearms. We knew that your country actually had state championships for private citizens shooting military
rifles. We were not fools to set foot in such quicksand."