Would readers like to see a new series called “this date in history” or perhaps “this week in history?”
i.e. This day in history.
On August 6, 1945 the B-29 Enola Gay, piloted by colonel Paul Tibbets, dropped the first (of two) atomic bomb(s) on the Japanese City of Hiroshima. The bomb was named “Little Boy.” The estimated death toll ranged from 70,000 to 140,000 citizens. Three days later another bomber crew dropped the “Fat Man” on the city of Nagasaki with a similar loss of lives.
While the debate continues as to using nuclear bombs the impact was the surrender by Japan on August 15th, less than one week after the second bomb was dropped, saving an unverifiable number of lives from all sides in this conflict. Japanese General Korechhika reluctantly signed the surrender agreement with the allies under pressure from Japanese Emperor Hirohito.
August 6, 1945. Not everyone in the U.S. supported the use of a nuclear weapons. Activists from the Committee for Nonviolent Action were arrested as they tried to enter an atomic testing ground on the same day in which the “Little Boy” was dropped.
August 6th is another key date for this nation based on another major event. On August 6,1965 President Lindon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act granting the right to vote to blacks who until the passage of that Act were prohibited from voting. This was prevalent in seven of our southern states.
This Act met stiff resistance in the Senate from southern state senators especially from South Carolina Sen James “Strom” Thurmond who filibustered for 24 hours and 18 minutes to block passage (which he failed to accomplish).
I guess we could create a thread from these two events.
i.e. Working backwards. While blacks have won the right to vote, are they appreciative of the fight to secure that long delayed freedom and casting votes in comparable numbers to white voters?
2. While we are the only Super Power today, what are your feelings about the use of our nuclear arsenal?
3. Granted that many of our readers were not alive in Aug of 1945 but what is your opinion on the decision to drop both bombs on Japanese cities?
4. Are you concerned that Iran is developing their own nuclear capability that would include nuclear weapons?
5. If so, do we wait for them to use them or should we support President Bush’s Strike First Policy, to halt the spread of nuclear weapons in the name of National Security?
*We loved “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo” but that one was about our B-25’s that took off from a carrier….and was lead by Jimmy Doolittle when we were able to
strike back after Pearl Harbor.
The greatest decision of Harry S
Truman proved to save 1 million
American lives by bombing Nagasaki
and Hiroshima! No matter which
way you argue the proposition….
the Japanese immediately surrendered – Unconditionally!
A glance at Iraq will confirm that nuclear weapons only protect us from a repeat of WWII. We struck first in Iraq and national security has worsened. N Korea actually has nuclear weapons so Bush makes an exception to this so called policy – big hat, no cattle.
Iran should develop whatever they think makes them secure – we’ve done it and we’re not secure – so good luck to them!
Also on this day in 2001, President George W. Bush recieved a briefing which warned of Osama Bin Laden’s desire to attack America.
FWIW, The Winships are wrong, they did’nt imediately surrender, it took two bombs and the Russians to convince Tokyo to give up.
DJ
August 2-4, 1964, the “alleged” attacks on the USS Maddox took place. August 7, 1964, the U.S. Congress passed the “Gulf of Tonkin” Resolution authorizing the bombing of North Vietnam thus escalating our involvement in America’s longest war.
First strike policy is always a bad idea. And actually, I think Bush’s plan is “preemptive” strike.
Here’s something about real WMD and what the lessons learned are.
PEACE DECLARATION
That fateful summer, 8:15. The roar of a B-29 breaks the morning calm. A parachute opens in the blue sky. Then suddenly, a flash, an enormous blast － silence － hell on Earth.
The eyes of young girls watching the parachute were melted. Their faces became giant charred blisters. The skin of people seeking help dangled from their fingernails. Their hair stood on end. Their clothes were ripped to shreds. People trapped in houses toppled by the blast were burned alive. Others died when their eyeballs and internal organs burst from their bodies－Hiroshima was a hell where those who somehow survived envied the dead.
Within the year, 140,000 had died. Many who escaped death initially are still suffering from leukemia, thyroid cancer, and a vast array of other afflictions.
But there was more. Sneered at for their keloid scars, discriminated against in employment and marriage, unable to find understanding for profound emotional wounds, survivors suffered and struggled day after day, questioning the meaning of life.
And yet, the message born of that agony is a beam of light now shining the way for the human family. To ensure that “no one else ever suffers as we did,” the hibakusha have continuously spoken of experiences they would rather forget, and we must never forget their accomplishments in preventing a third use of nuclear weapons.
Despite their best efforts, vast arsenals of nuclear weapons remain in high states of readiness－deployed or easily available. Proliferation is gaining momentum, and the human family still faces the peril of extinction. This is because a handful of old-fashioned leaders, clinging to an early 20th century worldview in thrall to the rule of brute strength, are rejecting global democracy, turning their backs on the reality of the atomic bombings and the message of the hibakusha.
However, here in the 21st century the time has come when these problems can actually be solved through the power of the people. Former colonies have become independent. Democratic governments have taken root. Learning the lessons of history, people have created international rules prohibiting attacks on non-combatants and the use of inhumane weapons. They have worked hard to make the United Nations an instrument for the resolution of international disputes. And now city governments, entities that have always walked with and shared in the tragedy and pain of their citizens, are rising up. In the light of human wisdom, they are leveraging the voices of their citizens to lift international politics.
Because “Cities suffer most from war,” Mayors for Peace, with 1,698 city members around the world, is actively campaigning to eliminate all nuclear weapons by 2020.
In Hiroshima, we are continuing our effort to communicate the A-bomb experience by holding A-bomb exhibitions in 101 cities in the US and facilitating establishment of Hiroshima-Nagasaki Peace Study Courses in universities around the world. American mayors have taken the lead in our Cities Are Not Targets project. Mayors in the Czech Republic are opposing the deployment of a missile defense system. The mayor of Guernica-Lumo is calling for a resurgence of morality in international politics. The mayor of Ypres is providing an international secretariat for Mayors for Peace, while other Belgian mayors are contributing funds, and many more mayors around the world are working with their citizens on pioneering initiatives. In October this year, at the World Congress of United Cities and Local Governments, which represents the majority of our planet’s population, cities will express the will of humanity as we call for the elimination of nuclear weapons.
The government of Japan, the world’s only A-bombed nation, is duty-bound to humbly learn the philosophy of the hibakusha along with the facts of the atomic bombings and to spread this knowledge through the world. At the same time, to abide by international law and fulfill its good-faith obligation to press for nuclear weapons abolition, the Japanese government should take pride in and protect, as is, the Peace Constitution, while clearly saying “No,” to obsolete and mistaken US policies. We further demand, on behalf of the hibakusha whose average age now exceeds 74, improved and appropriate assistance, to be extended also to those living overseas or exposed in “black rain areas.”
Sixty-two years after the atomic bombing, we offer today our heartfelt prayers for the peaceful repose of all its victims and of Iccho Itoh, the mayor of Nagasaki shot down on his way toward nuclear weapons abolition. Let us pledge here and now to take all actions required to bequeath to future generations a nuclear-weapon-free world.
August 6, 2007
Tadatoshi Akiba
Mayor
The City of Hiroshima
Good morning quang.
Question . Was the U.S. Destroyer Maddox engaged in gathering intelligence agaisnt North Vietnam when it was attacked?
Perhaps the freedom of Information Act will open the books in the year 2064, 100 years later, when all of those involved are no longer here to talk about it.
As you well know we lost over 50,000 American troops in that war. We have visited the Vietnam Memorial during our last trip to DC
Newsho.
Thank you for posting the letter from Mr Tadaoshi Akiba, Mayor of the city of Hiroshimo, regarding our dropping of an atomic bomb on his city 62 years ago. His letter reads in part as follows:
“The eyes of young girls watching the parachute were melted. Their faces became giant charred blisters. The skin of people seeking help dangled from their fingernails. Their hair stood on end. Their clothes were ripped to shreds. People trapped in houses toppled by the blast were burned alive. Others died when their eyeballs and internal organs burst from their bodies-Hiroshima was a hell where those who somehow survived envied the dead.
Within the year, 140,000 had died. Many who escaped death initially are still suffering from leukemia, thyroid cancer, and a vast array of other afflictions….”
From the Mayor of Hiroshima.
Not a pretty picture.
To begin with let’s turn the clock back to which country attacked Pearl Harbor and it’s neighbors such as China.
Does the Mayor comment about the atrocities committed by the Imperial Japanese Army against civilians known as the “rape of Nanking” which resulted in war crime trials? While the mayor speaks of 140,000 deaths in Hiroshima yet he fails to acknowledge that Nanking, China suffered in even greater numbers. It has been estimated that between 100,000 to 200,000 citizen/victims, including women and young girls were raped, sexually molested, bodies mutilated and eventually murdered.
Let’s shift to their crimes against American sailers and marines. Let me select one example better known as the “Bataan Death March” where 5,000 to 10,000 prisoners of war died with many being shot and bayoneted for falling behind in the long death march. why is that fact omitted from the background of the August 5th 1945 bombing?
Did he include any of that verifiable historic events as he recalled our dropping of one bomb?
Wars are fought and people die. It has been that way since time began.
VJ Day was August 15th, 1945…
according to history…7 days
after the Enola Gay…
“FWIW, The Winships are wrong, they did’nt imediately surrender, it took two bombs and the Russians to convince Tokyo to give up.
DJ”
Sorry DJ…..use your Google Button
more….is saves embarrassment.
rw
Never one to engage in a flame war, I would suggest my detractors visit the “Freedom Wall” at South Coast Plaza.
There they can review the instrument of surrender. Instead of relying on Google. My Dad, who was on deck of the Mighty Mo that day, always said “Beware of the power of the pen”.
JM
Well, these days, China is threatening the “nuclear option” of the dollar.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1877690/posts
By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
Last Updated: 6:00pm BST 07/08/2007
The Chinese government has begun a concerted campaign of economic threats against the United States, hinting that it may liquidate its vast holding of US treasuries if Washington imposes trade sanctions to force a yuan revaluation.
Two officials at leading Communist Party bodies have given interviews in recent days warning – for the first time – that Beijing may use its $1.33 trillion (£658bn) of foreign reserves as a political weapon to counter pressure from the US Congress. Shifts in Chinese policy are often announced through key think tanks and academies.
Described as China’s “nuclear option” in the state media, such action could trigger a dollar crash at a time when the US currency is already breaking down through historic support levels.
For more read above site.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
MSN and AFL/CIO held dem presidential debates. A repeated phrase is that China “owns” our homes because of the massive debt. This is really going to stick with the voters because of the credit crunch that will bring massive pain just about the time we are all voting in 2006. Things are changing when a nation can be threatened with distruction by currency manipulation.
duplojohn.
Your dad participated in a historic event for which I tip my hat.
Although I haven’t been to see the South Caost display, you should not be knocking searchengines such as Googel who have millions of bits of data that is beyond your scrutiny.
I only pointed out two of the blatant actions by the Japanese Imperial Army against innocent citizens and American POW’s.
Yes, they surrendered as indicated in the “short second paragraph (that)went straight to the heart of the matter: “We hereby proclaim the unconditional surrender to the Allied Powers of the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters and of all Japanese armed forces and all armed forces under Japanese control wherever situated.” Google.
Let me also point out that we helped rebuild that aggressor nation to the point where the quality of their automobile manufacturing exceeded our domestic production. Before China was perceived to be a threat we had similar concerns about the Japanese economy and it’s impact on jobs in America.
Larry, the USS Maddox was operating in international waters (not far off the coast of North Vietnam) when it was first attacked in August 1964. That area was called the Gulf of Tonkin aka Yankee Station where U.S. carrier-based aircraft launched for their strike missions against Hanoi.
Quang. You surely know the history of this military involvement better than anyone else reading or posting on this blog.
To Juice visitors.Let me suggest reading “A Sense of Honor.”
I wonder if the Orange County Sheriff posses the bomb.
Jack Still