BS: How the rest of the world voted

Subject: RE: BS: How the rest of the world voted
From: *daylia*
Date: 07 Nov 04 - 06:25 AM

Re Then with our left hand we whipped the Japs at the same time. (Pogo)

In the course of WWII, the Japanese suffered 1,300,000 military casualties plus almost 700,000 civilian casualties. In Hiroshima (pop 255,000) 80,000 were killed instantly when the bombs fell on August 6, 1945. Approx the same number died in Nagasaki.

Here's a few intimate details about how those "Japs" were "whipped".

The atomic bomb was considered a "quick" and even economical way to win the war; however, it was a cruel and unusual form of punishment for the Japanese citizens.

The weapon that we refer to as "quick" was just the opposite.
On one hand, it meant a quick end to the war for the United States, and on the other hand, a slow and painful death to many innocent Japanese. According to a book called Hiroshima Plus 20 the effects of radiation poisoning are horrific, ranging from purple spots on the skin, hair loss, nausea, vomiting, bleeding from the mouth, gums, and throat, weakened immune systems, to massive internal hemorrhaging, not to mention the disfiguring radiation burns.

The effects of the radiation poisoning continued to show up until about a month after the bombing. In fact the bomb also killed or permanently damaged fetuses in the womb. Death and destruction are always a reality of war; however, a quick death is always more humanitarian.

When this powerful nation called the United States dropped the bomb, we sent out the official "go ahead" for the rest of the world that nuclear weapons were a viable means of warfare. We unofficially announced that it was O.K. to bomb women, children, and elderly citizens...


What a giant leap forward for mankind! And we can thank those trusty Americans for showing us the way. Think I'm gonna write home to Mama about it right now   ;-)

daylia

Subject: RE: BS: How the rest of the world voted
From: GUEST,Pogo
Date: 07 Nov 04 - 08:27 AM

Daylilly:

What would the Japs have done with a nuke if they had one?

Pogo Possum

Subject: RE: BS: How the rest of the world voted
From: *daylia*
Date: 07 Nov 04 - 08:40 AM

Dunno, Pogo. All I know is what I WOULDN'T have done, if it had been my finger on that button.

I suspect I'd have considered the godawful global precedent I was setting AND the lives / environment of 160,000 people much more important than my immediate economic concerns.

Even if the people standing in my economic way were only the lowly "Japs".

daylia


PS - Just so you know, the only people who call me "Daylilly" are the ones who dream of eating me! ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: How the rest of the world voted
From: GUEST,Pogo
Date: 07 Nov 04 - 09:12 AM

Ooooooh! now you are sparkin' up my day.

Pogo Possum

PS:

You know I have actually said to others that the dropping of the bombs on Japan was wrong and I was told that those civvies were supporting and producing stuff for the war.
I do think it was wrong but you have to remember that civilizations grow more intelligent over time. How can we hold ourselves responsible for what our ancestors did? We did not make their decisions for them.
There have been massive injustices carried out by almost every nation in the world like the Abos in Australia, The Indians in the US and Canada, The genocides in Africa, all examples of one faction overpowering another faction.
The only thing we can gain from looking back is to learn from them. Should Brittan be doing penance for all of the Beheading carried out by the government, or France for all of the people guillotined there? That was the way it was back then. The future starts now.

I don't think the US, knowing what we know now about nukes, is going to do anything like what we did to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We are more committed to keeping it from being done by us or anybody.

Subject: RE: BS: How the rest of the world voted
From: *daylia*
Date: 07 Nov 04 - 09:25 AM

I'm glad to see we're not so different after all, Pogo. You're right - no-one is responsible for what their ancestors did or didn't do. But we are still burdened with cleaning up the messes they left behind, unfortunately.

I don't think the US, knowing what we know now about nukes, is going to do anything like what we did to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We are more committed to keeping it from being done by us or anybody.

Well ... all the more power to you then, if that's the case. And may this commitment be extended to include ALL forms of warfare and weaponry, someday.

daylia

Subject: RE: BS: How the rest of the world voted
From: GUEST,Pogo
Date: 07 Nov 04 - 09:46 AM

Unfortunately trying to clean up a mess creates another bigger mess. That is what is happening in Iraq

Some day we must push a giant reset button and declare all past messes irrelevant and work toward improving the current quality of life for mankind and quit going back in time.

In the Balkans people are still killing each other over injustices they think happened 1000 years ago. Enough is enough.

For example Israel should pull back to the borders originally defined by the UN, build a big ass wall to protect themselves and let the Palestinians have at it on the their side of the wall.

Pogo Possum

Subject: RE: BS: How the rest of the world voted
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 07 Nov 04 - 10:16 AM

"...America joined the war..."

America never "joined the war" - Japan attacked, and then Germnay declared war. The USA didn't really have much say in the matter.

But the heavy lifting really was done by the USSR ...

Subject: RE: BS: How the rest of the world voted
From: GUEST,Stalin
Date: 07 Nov 04 - 10:46 AM

Addendum:

The stupid Americans never joined the war, they imagined that they did.

They mistakenly think they were in charge of D day.

Russia did the heavy lifting.

Comrade Stalin

Subject: RE: BS: How the rest of the world voted
From: *daylia*
Date: 07 Nov 04 - 12:12 PM

Unfortunately trying to clean up a mess creates another bigger mess

Hmmm ... maybe it's because you're still using "Mr War".

How about trying a new, different, more powerful and effective, non-toxic - hey, maybe even environmentally friendly brand of "cleaner"!?