Sunday 8th August to remember all those who were killed or who
suffered as the result of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
in August 1945
George and, will keep silence for about five minutes . There are no
planned speeches but those who wish to share their thoughts might
like to do so after the silence. We may then keep silence for a
further five minutes before setting the floating lanterns on the
river.
Please bring candles and lanterns to the vigil.A few lanterns will be
set afloat. We are responsible for seeing that all floating lanterns
are removed from the river.
Campeace
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Comments
Hide the following 4 comments
Why ?
30.07.2004 09:46
@
Well meaning but silly
30.07.2004 16:43
1. The nuclear attacks brought the war to an end, an invasion of Japan would have killed millions and not thousands. They saved the lives of more people than they actually killed, however horrible the act of dropping them was, it did avert an even greater tragedy. It was meant to end war, it was not an act of genocide alongside say for instance Nanking or Auschwitz.
2. Japan is know a democracy because of the US.
Peacenik Quaker types fail to realise that however distasteful military action can be in some circumstances it has to be justified. Failing to do so will hand civilisation on a plate to the Hitler's, Hirohito's and Slobadan's of this world.
Arthur
Deconstruction Required!!
01.08.2004 14:15
"1. The nuclear attacks brought the war to an end..."
This is so untrue!
It is well documented that Japan was actually brokering a peace deal, even before the nukes were dropped, as they were economically and miltarily exhausted and knew that they couldn't 'win'.
Let's also not forget that by 1945 in Europe the Third Reich was very much on it's knees, defeated in no small part by the concerted military efforts of the UK and the US - and more covertly funded geurilla warfare in Nazi occupied territories.
In effect, the end was nigh for WW2 already, regardless of any country's Nuclear capability.
"2. Japan is know a democracy because of the US."
It depends on if you consider a country (with a what is effectively a fuedal economy) at the mercy of Corporate Market Forces a 'democracy' really, doesn't it?
Besides, how can you justify nuking to death so many hundred thousand people on the premise that it would be good for their country and economy!!??
That makes no sense at all - what use to the world is a radioactive wasteland??
"Peacenik Quaker types fail to realise that however distasteful military action can be in some circumstances it has to be justified. Failing to do so will hand civilisation on a plate to the Hitler's, Hirohito's and Slobadan's of this world."
Dear oh dear!
If you TRULY knew your history, you would know that all of the dictators you've just mentioned were clandestinely financially (and in many cases militarily) UNDERWRITTEN by so-called 'Western' powers, simply because there was money to be made from them - morals didn't come into the equation.
The only reasons these petty (and not so petty) dictators were later forcefully deposed is either because they'd outlived their economic or political purposes (see Saddam for details), or because they got too ambitious and started treading on toes that they 'shouldn't' have and going on landgrabbing jaunts (see also Saddam for details).
In practice, invading countries which 'Western' powers had a vested interest in.
To sum up, the U.S. dropped the H-Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki because they wanted to firstly to prove to the world that they could and they would should anyone else tryand call their bluff, and secondly to assert their military and economic superiority over other nations that were also developing Atom Bombs (those at the time being Germany, Russia and the UK), effectively proving that they had won this particular arms race and everyone else had better watch out.
In many respects, where they dropped those bombs wasn't the point - just the fact that they DID.
Such are the ways of the REAL world!
I have no problem with criticism, but, at least make sure it is based on real-world historical events, rather than ill-informed reactionary suppositions.
Ped Ant
History?
09.08.2004 19:11
The points you make about Japan not being a democracy are not worth commenting on. True the 'west' has waged war on former clients that have turned rogue such as Saddam and Noriega, but to say that the dictators I mentioned were all backed by the West is crassly ignorant. Hitler backed by the West? If anything it was the East as the USSR signed a non aggresion pact with him and invaded Poland in 1939. Slobadan backed by the West? The former Yugoslavian communist turned ultra serb nationalist. Hirohito emperor of Japan backed by the West? That's right he used planes supplied by the US to attack Pearl harbour in 1941! Not.
I learnt my history at University thanks not in a pub or wherever you learnt yours, we must agree to disagree.
Arthur