The title of today’s blog has its origins in two berths in American culture.  It appears in the theme song for television’s “All in the Family,” as Archie and Edith reminisce about a time when life was not so ambiguous.  It is also the name of a 1968 Mary Hopkin song which celebrates the joys and simplicity of one’s youth.  Both recall previous times which were decades in the past.  But a significant span of time is not always necessary to see the difference between “those days” and the present.

I thought about the phrase while channel surfing and landing on the final scenes of Kathryn Bigelow’s chronicle of the hunt for Osama bin Laden Zero Dark Thirty.  Yet, it was not the outcome of the mission which caught my attention, but the approach and execution, in particular, when compared to the approach and execution of the current administration in response to asylum seekers on our southern border.  Even if you believe immigrants seeking safety or a better life in the United States is a threat equal to bin Laden (which I do not), there are two examples which distinguish then from now.

First, let’s look at the planning in response to each situation.  On the night of May 2, 2011, even as a team of Navy SEALs entered Pakistani airspace on route to the Al-Qaeda leader’s compound in Abbottabad, there were unanswered questions.  Was Osama bin Laden actually there?  How fortified was the residence?  What would be the response by Pakistani officials if the mission was exposed?  In the event there were any miscalculations, what was Plan B, C, etc?

As we now know, despite the fact bin Laden was taken down, the mission was not without its mishaps.  The worst case was the effect of a sudden down airflow which caused one of the Black Hawk helicopter to graze the compound wall and crash.  The chopper was blown up after the crew and equipment had been removed to ensure any classified information or technology would not fall into foreign hands.  Throughout the raid, several Chinook helicopters were on standby and were later needed to evacuate the troops which had arrived on the disabled Black Hawk.

Compare that to the advanced preparation by the Justice Department, Homeland Security and Health and Human Services to implement the “Zero Tolerance  Policy” announced on April 6, 2018.  As of today, there remains no integrated database to identify and locate either the parents or children of families impacted by the policy.  Just yesterday, the Navy announced it is PLANNING tent cities to house undocumented immigrants.  PLANNING, two months AFTER the policy went into effect.  There was no Plan A prior to the announcement, must less a Plan B or C.  Either the administration was naive or incompetent or more likely both.

Second, let’s look at the extent to which the two administrations considered human factors in the execution of these two events, starting with the raid in Abbottabad.  At the time of the mission, there were believed to be 24 people living in the compound including several women and children.  Despite the risk to members of SEAL Team Six,  every effort was made to protect the lives of the children.  Members of the team were assigned to locate and move the children to a safe area within the compound.  Of the 24 residents, only five were killed during the operation:  Osama bin Laden, one of his sons, his courier, a bodyguard and one woman.  None of the children were harmed.

In contrast, the Trump Administration took the opposite approach, choosing to inflict pain and suffering on children to get to the parents.  No more need be said.

Make no mistake.  Presidents and other public officials are often called upon to make difficult and unpleasant decisions.  Whether they deserve our support and confidence depends less on WHAT they do, but HOW they do it. Although these two events were only six years apart, I know which I would characterize as “the good old days.”

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP