Truman’s legacy included nuking Japanese families during WWII
The Democratic Party of Orange County is hosting their annual Harry Truman Awards Dinner on August 28. Rancho Santiago Community College District Trustee John Hanna, who is running for reelection this November, but faces no challenger, is receiving the Truman award.
I am not sure what this award signifies as there is no descriptive information on the DPOC website. I decided to have a look online to see what Truman was all about.
Truman was a Democrat, naturally, who succeeded FDR. In one of his first presidential decisions, he opted to nuke Japan. That is not a move I admire. Killing innocent women and children doesn’t strike me as being very sporting. Obliterating them seems even less so.
Truman was a free-mason, which according to some is no bueno as this mysterious organization has a long history of racism. Truman was also a descendant of Confederate soldiers, which he was proud of. Ironically he was a supporter of civil rights, which seems odd given his lineage and his activities.
When railway workers went on strike, Truman took over the railways and threatened to draft the workers. They gave up, but Truman lost labor’s support. In fact his party lost the White House after Truman moved on. He also took over the steel industry, only to have a court overturn that decision, and he threatened to draft coal miners too, when they also went on strike.
Truman also used an executive order to create mandatory loyalty oaths which forced thousands of communist supporters from office.
Apparently Truman had a hand in the creation of the United Nations and in the creation of the State of Israel. He also was quick to recognize the new state of Pakistan. He was also a strong supporter of NATO.
Truman’s administration was also known for heavy corruption. That also was a factor in his party’s loss of the White House, after he left office.
I am going to guess, based on reading all of this information about Truman, that the Truman award has something to do with civil rights, but I could be wrong. Perhaps some of our friends from the DPOC can clarify this for us.
Truman deserves credit for his support for civil rights, but he murdered a lot of Japanese civilians, and he manhandled labor. Not exactly what one expects from Democrats.
As for why Hanna is being honored, I can only say that he is a very nice guy and a good family man. He did err by getting involved in the ill-fated Friends of John Urell, but no one is perfect.
I am disappointed that the RSCCD Board that Hanna serves on lacks diversity. We can’t pin that on Hanna, but I wish he would support reforms, such as going to area-specific elections instead of at-large elections. That would surely increase minority representation on the RSCCD Board of Trustees.
Click here to register for the Truman Awards Dinner. The cost appears to be $150 per person.
The event venue is the U.F.C.W. Local 324 Banquet Hall, located at 8530 Stanton Avenue, in Buena Park. Others being honored include David Sanchez, the President of the CTA; Wylie Aitken; Benny Diaz; and U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer. The keynote speaker will be Congressman Barney Frank. Nice to see two Latinos being honored!
I usually skip this thing, but I’m not gonna miss Barney Frank!
Truman started his political career as a great fighter on the floor of Congress against War Profiteers during WWII. We sure could have used someone like that during these recent Wars. He would have ripped Halliburton and Blackwater new ones. Back then folks said “Give ’em Hell Harry!” And he replied “I just tell the truth, and they think it’s hell.”
As President he liked to say “The buck stops here!” Not many Presidents or politicians accept responsibility like that. He was also the first to try to get Americans universal health care like all other ciivllized nations have, but the Republcans of that day stopped him.
He got us involved in the Korean War, and left office with record low approval ratings mainly because of that. I’m not sure exactly why the DPOC chose him. He wasn’t the best or the worse, but he was an unusually honest and blunt President.
Art —
“Truman deserves credit for his support for civil rights, but he murdered a lot of Japanese civilians, and he manhandled labor. Not exactly what one expects from Democrats.”
Only if one maintain illusions about the Democratic Party! Good critical summary of his presidency! I never understood why Truman of all Democrats would be the namesake of these awards. A friend texted me from them last year complaining to which I replied, “Well, Truman did nuke Japan…”
One extra thing to note: Truman campaigned to repeal to notorious Taft-Hartley act. The AFL and CIO conventions applauded his presidential victory. Then, he proceeded to invoke the Taft-Hartley act 12 times! No presidential candidate save for Ralph Nader even bothers mentioning this anti-labor legislation (certainly no Democrat!). And, here the Truman awards are…taking place at the U.F.C.W. Banquet Hall in Buena Park!
gabriel,
How ironic! Giving out an award named after a union-buster, at a union hall no less! Aye Dios!
It would be ironic if the Democratic Party didn’t have a history of heavily favoring corporations over labor. Out of the Great Depression the labor movement wasn’t able to emulate other countries by transforming into its own political party. It was, instead, co-opted by the Democratic Party and its useful tools in the upper echelons of trade-unions.
Truman was a true “McCarthy” type when it came to raiding “radicals” out of unions and the labor movement through red baiting and loyalty oaths. He had a lot of help in that regard.
I’m offended by the namesake of the awards above all for the human atrocities in Nagasaki and Hiroshima — not to mention the devastating firebombing of Tokyo which most Americans have amnesia about. I’d like to email the DPOC too and ask for clarification.
gabriel,
Here is the DPOC’s email address: info@ocdemocrats.org.
Maybe we should see if it can be the FDR Dinner & Awards starting next year.
Vern,
Um, FDR put Japanese Americans in prison camps and he illegally deported 400,000 Mexicans, including some that were citizens. No bueno…
yeah but the great things FDR did outweigh the bad; with Truman it’s more a wash.
Vern,
Hard for me to agree with that notion.
What about Carter? He was not an effective President but he was a nice guy and has done a lot for Habitat for Humanity, since he left politics.
Not much to pick from really.
see the problems we run into? how about the ‘fannie lou hamer’ awards? word, respect for the REAL democrats and not DINOS!
gracias art for the email!
He was a Mason! Scary!
He refused to promote his Confederate lineage’s attitudes! How fair!
He wasn’t afraid to speak up for Democratic ideals, even when opposed by powerful, connected political influences! How refreshing!
He’ll always be associated with the responsibility of using nuclear weapons. A horrible decision to make and carry the burden for all eternity. He was not a cultivated politician, groomed by Washington, and dedicated to furthering his career and lining his pockets with questionable gains, either. He stood for the American concept of a citizen who wanted to lead his country. He did the best he could under incredibly tough circumstances. He used the tools he had.
He was a Democrat–isn’t that the thrust of your veiled criticism?
It’s OK, I’m going to award you the PEDROZA
Paula Was Here,
Um, no. I have no issue with REAL Democrats – but if they act like Republicans, and Truman certainly did, then they are useless.
Ideals are meaningless. Actions define. Are you of the camp that believes Truman had to nuke those two cities? What of the betrayal of labor ( i.e. the real workers) by the invocation of Taft-Hartley?
Had I lived at that time, I probably would have voted for Henry Wallace of the Progressive Party
I’ve got a Japanese great-great uncle, Hachi Yuasa, an architect, who spent WWII in Manzanar, part of which ironically he designed.
For his whole life, each Presidential election, he wrote in Eugene V. Debbs, the early – 20th Century Socialist candidate who spent time in jail for opposing WW one.
Debs was a great American.
Just remembered something else important about Truman as I was walking around – something else on the positive side of the ledger.
The popular easygoing general who replaced him in the Presidency – Ike – was much more eager than he to engage in the Cold War – much more susceptible to his advisors’ dire warnings of a Soviet takeover of the world.
In specific and disastrous terms: British oil companies and American troublemakers tried to convince Truman to overthrow Iran’s democratically elected leader Mossadegh (really because he nationalized Iran’s oil, for the Iranian people.) Truman told them to take a hike.
But when Ike came in he listened to them. They told him – outrageously – that Mossadegh was a Communist Soviet puppet, and he okayed the coup that overthrew him. To the benefit of British and American oil companies. And ruined Iran well until the present day, as they’ve suffered under one kind of tyranny after another. AND ushered in the era of Muslim and Arab resentment of American foreign policy. It seems to me it ALL started with our unpardonable overthrow of Mossadegh. As part of the Cold War. Something Truman refused to do.
ON THE OTHER HAND, I’ve also been thinking…
Maybe the DPOC is just thinking about the Jim Carrey character from that great movie “The Truman Show.” After all, a fake, sunny, protected world with everything controlled by a benevolent dictator sort of reminds me of a certain Blue Blog in this County. Well… we’ll just have to wait till we get an explanation from Dem Central. (sorry, I realize I should know, being the Dem Volunteer of the Year for ’08)
Vern,
Good insight. As you know, I emailed the DPOC to request a clarification as to why this award is named after Truman. So far no answer…
I am sure that the only satisfactory reply wold be……. We have changed the name to Trumanoza.
“After all, a fake, sunny, protected world with everything controlled by a benevolent dictator sort of reminds me of a certain Blue Blog in this County.”
Well, that certain individual who runs that certain blog that you speak of does live in a pretty swank area of North Irvine. Some of the areas of Northwood can be considered as a fake, sunny, protected world and a lot of these same neighborhoods have zero tolerance for middle aged male stalkers. Let’s say, I have a 20+ year familiarity with that area of Irvine.
Art:
I’ve got to challenge you on one point. My father along with thousand of other soldiers, was stationed in Okinawa waiting the invasion of the main Japanese islands when the bomb was dropped and the war ended. It was projected that more than a million U.S. soldiers would be causalities of this invasion. You won’t find many soldiers facing this option who criticized Truman.
But just as important, as evidenced by the civilian deaths and suicides on Okinawa, millions of Japanese civilians would also have died as a result of the invasion. While it’s tragic that anyone had to die, use of the bomb actually saved millions.
David,
The Japanese were cut off. We were already bombing them with conventional bombs. Russia declared war on them. They were trapped. You ever heard of a siege? They are a small land with limited resources.
Truman nuked them because his people wanted to test the bomb and at the time the Japanese were considered sub-human by many Americans, despite their ancient culture.
It was wrong, period. It was terrorism and murder, of civilians. I cannot in any way condone it.
Starve them to death. Firebomb them to death. Nuke them to death.
Speaking of morality here is nonsense.
David,
Are you referring to the Democrats or the WWII Japanese? Sort of lost me there amigo!
Pedroza is right. The bomb saving lives argument is a myth.
As evidenced by their civilian actions on Okinawa, (mothers tossing their children off cliffs) the Japanese were prepared to flight to the last person. Only the radio broadcast by the Emperor allowed the surrender to take place. And the Emperor said without the bomb he never would have made the broadcast.
It’s true that there was a great deal of political pressure to end the war quickly. And Truman said he did not want to face the mother or widow of a soldier who was killed in action in 1946 if word got out he could have ended the war in 1945.
There was no political will for a siege. But even with a siege millions would have starved to death.
I’m glad it’s a decision that I didn’t need to make.