DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Hiroshima: 70 yrs. ago

Okay, I'm getting a little bit irked reading all the woe is me about Japans anniversary on the bombing of Hiroshima, with the Mayor calling Nukes "the absolute evil and ultimate inhumanity". My first thought is Who's Fault Is That? Then they show an older lady kneeling at a head stone. Maybe I'm taking this wrong, but it seems like the USA can't even turn around without being treated like some arch-villain. Japan was warned at least twice that if they did not surrender that something bad was going to happen. I suppose people would have been more pleased with sending 20k more people in harms way and fighting to the death than to just getting it over with. Bad things happen when you start a war, I get tired of being raked over the coals by these freaking media types. Yes, it was bad...Should we say were sorry? Never.

I think you're just looking at it wrong. Especially since Japan and the US are major allies.

There's really no need to get so defensive. tA few Japanese people mourning the lives of loved ones should send you into a tizzy. Especially when they said nothing wrong (at least in the part you quoted).

They vowed to fight to the last man, woman, and child. We had already pushed their military back to their main island, so the war was over with the exception of their surrender. We could have continued the fight over another year, or drop a couple bombs. In a sense, we saved them from themselves.

Your right. I'm probably looking at it wrong. But how else do you look at it? Every year they have a Hiroshima story and every year it seems slanted towards Japan. Like they are the poor sheep who got crushed, (well they are, but again who's faults that?). Now their going on and on about how "evil" nukes are, There's no "sorry about Pearl Harbor". Just makes it seem like we went in and nuked 'em, just because. My Dad fought in WWII and against the Japs. Just wish if they are going to report on it, then do it right. I'd be fine if they never brought it up again...but they do and each time it's seems to be aimed at our backs and how were the big bad boogey man.

Yeah I know. Just really got under my skin. I saw this in the USAtoday. My point is, how many American lives were mourned by Americans? Noooo....They show the Japs mouring their own. Sorry, just sick of being trashed, and not only that but being trashed by our own newspapers.

I don't know what site you're reading, so I can't really help you there, but I always read it as a loss of life and only that. I don't think that we were wrong in dropping the bomb, nor do I think we were in the right. It was a necessity that had to be done. That's how I always read it.

That I can agree with. Thanks for your input. Just needed to vent I guess. Just tired of being the red headed step child. ( no offense YTown)

Here's this: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/08/05/japan-hiroshima-anniversary/31192745/

dude that comes with the territory of being the greatest nation on earth.

when crap goes down, guess who's the first country they call?

remember, we we're trying to stay out of WW2 until the japanese bombed us. but i remember the stories from the old guys; the news during the initial start of the war was always "where are the americans? why aren't they helping against the nazi's?"

We're the only country to use a nuke. we used it twice. but guess what? it was needed. nobody was happy about it. nobody IS happy about it.

but the remembrance should be a huge hint at our politicians that we need to avoid at all cost being forced to bomb somebody again. we need to exhaust all diplomatic solutions before engaging in military conflict.

Man, I must be feeling my age. My Dad was always so proud of being an American. The way I was raised. Your right also, Were the first to be called and the first to be knocked. Guess I'll have to take a chill pill. Being an American is getting to be like being a Browns Fan, were getting out butt kicked everywhere.

I believe the mayor was right in his description of the atomic bomb. As such, nobody has ever used one since. The entire globe has come to the realization of just how devastating a nuclear war would be to the planet.

I agree with the sentiment that we really didn't have much of a choice with Japan. That in the end, those two atomic bombs most likely saved on the number of dead in the long run.

It's a choice that I hope no government ever has to resort to in the future.

That's how it is bro.

our country has been put into the damn if we do, damn if we don't.

i mean, mofo's can't even handle tsunami's without being like "zomg where are the americans!!!"

i remember just a few months ago with Boko Haram. now, i have my own opinion about that, but in the grand scheme of things, Nigeria is surrounded by other countries, yet they call asking for help from us first?

Greece tried to hint at the idea of asking America for a bailout.

we simply can't get any type of love in the Middle East.

and Europe.....GOD bro. They either love us or hate us.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with being proud to be American. I'm absolutely proud. every countries has their issues.

I think the biggest thing is not letting that get to our heads.

Happy Hiroshima Day!!

I try to look at it from an academic POV, while trying to keep emotion out of the mix. For me, it's the only way to keep ALL those events in the proper context.

As for the memorials every year, I see it no differently than I see us commemorating the attack on Pearl Harbor, 9/11, etc. Each is entitled to remember past events in the way they see fit for their citizens. As time progresses, each civilization has the option of continually reviewing history for the sake of their own clarity.

And for the record: I believe that nukes truly are evil. Apparently, so did Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the nuclear bomb:

Now I am become Death- the destroyer of worlds."


.02

I guess it's just all of the anti-American all of the time. It gets old. And yes I'll agree with Mr. Oppenheimer.

We were already involved with the war long before Japan attacked pearl harbor. Our country was war profiting at the highest level. We were selling weapons and supplies left and right. The Reason Japan attacked us was they could not afford to have us keep supplying
their enemies.

Just be glad Japan didn't invade American right then because we were wide open. The biggest sin is that we were involved in the war and were stupid enough to park all our ships in one freaking spot which by the way was in perfect striking range to attack Japan. I mean to have our ENTIRE navy in an almost perfect prelaunch attack location and then not have regular patrols to protect it was flat out criminal.

I have more beef against the Japanese committing brutal torture as a normal way of holding prisnoers and their mass rape of civilian girls and women in any city they took than the bombing of pearl harbor.

Meh, the way I see WWII Japan is hey, "You screw the bull you get the horn." Sneak attack this.

I won't get into the nuclear bomb talk and the this-n-thats, but I do want to give a major and huge amount of respect for the head honchos there at Mitsubishi.

They may not have even been born or more likely, extremely young in age when their predecessors put POWs, including many American POWs, to work and in very harsh environments as bone cheap slave labor - but they personally and in person apologized.

My understanding is they bowed for a lengthy time, which also to my limited understanding of Japanese culture, is one of the highest displays of showing respect.

Kudos to them, although being as long awaited as it may have been.

Sorry not to derail/take off course the thread but we're chatting Japan, WWII - I had to throw it in there.

JMHO, you can't have it both ways...we were either right using the bomb or wrong...which is it in YOUR book. We dropped the bomb to save American lives...pure and simple...and since we had it and the Japs and Nazis, who worked on it, but didn't have it...they would have used it....Japan has issues with its history, their saving face BS is wrong...they say nothing about slave labor, comfort girls, biological experiments on US POWs, rape of Nanking(SP)....we at least talk about our tragic past-civil war attrocities, civil right issues...we don't hide our crap...they do. I'm not happy we used nukes, hell, our fire bombings killed more people, but I'm all in favor of using what you got IF you're in an all out, no holes barred war and that war was one. JMHO.

I'll lead off by saying I do love my southern neighbours BUT the US kinda put itself into that spot with the Marshall Plan post WW2. In an attempt to "contain" communism, the US poked its nose into damn near everything and kinda created its role as the world police and the champion of democracy. When the USSR dissolved, the US expanded its influence even farther to fill the vacuum.

While the US should be commended for often being the first to stand up and fight against injustice, it may do the country good to scale back its international commitments and take care of whats going on in its own backyard first.

And our neighbors to the North should be careful when they talk of the U.S. so we don't become angry and arm our illegals to finally conquer the North and screw it up too.

1812 sweetheart

Yes, in all reality, if the US went nuts and decided to invade, it would be game over. We couldn't match numbers or tech.

Man would THAT ever mess up global politics....

I posted it and read it to the wife, she said "Great, you just
caused an international incident!"

Congrats anyway on that little 1812 spat.

HAHAHAHAHA....stellar.

Assure your wife that no international conflict is imminent. If the US ever does invade, we'll just likely apologize for causing a hassle.

Just offer up beer summit II, everyone will be happy.

And then we can discuss the truce over coffee or tea at that
coffee house you talked about many threads ago.

hell i barely look as canada as a separate country since we are such firm allies. Canada benefits a great deal by being the cute little brother to the big mean american war machine.

I thought you guys might find this interesting:

https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/3fvjs1/how_is_the_hiroshima_atomic_bomb_taught_in_your/

The international consensus on dropping the bombs is nearly universally that America did nothing wrong and was put in a bad position.

There was an interesting theory I hadn't heard of yet in that thread that proposes dropping the bombs on Japan demonstrated their brutality. Which prevented the use of the weapons in the cold war and the nightmare that would have been. Also apparently they were almost used on Germany but they surrendered before it came to that.

I used to think as you do until I educated myself on this topic. Even the Generals on the ground advised the president no to drop the bomb, Japan was beaten and they knew it.

Spot on.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/natio...ng-dc/31164857/

I haven't heard of anyone ripping the US for it.

When countries align to implement the largest genocide in history, someone has to stop it. A five year old knows what's right, and it's not global domination.

On that note, I thoroughly suggest WWII from space, I believe it's on netflix. It provides a good tactical insight into the war

I'm not sure that is entirely correct, I think our only aircraft carrier was away, as well as a couple other important ships.

Last spitball on the subject tonight, I think estimates say that dropping the bombs saved a few million lives in the long run.

That may have been a gross overestimate, but there is no question that an invasion of Japan itself would have cost many, many lives, both Japanese and American. It also would have prolonged the war significantly without changing the outcome...

I'd suggest that the estimate of saving lives didn't just take into consideration the ongoing war ... it also takes into account the actions of countries through the cold war and beyond

In which case, you are probably correct.

Coincidentally enough, I was re-watching that on netflix just yesterday. GREAT suggestion.

I was really into WW2 and the decision to drop the bomb a few years back. I devoured most of what I could find on the subject. If I was Truman, I would have probably dropped it somewhere the Japanese could see the results without the massive loss of life, but it was his decision and not an easy one.

Not only did it save countless American lives, it probably saved thousands of Japanese lives too. The Americans would have had to launch a ground attack and possibly more firebombings, which famously caused 80k-100k lives in one night alone.

On the original subject of the thread, I think it's perfectly fine to have conflicted feelings, regret and justification.

To you as well Purp...........

Many people don't know that as far as one country committing atrocities against others, Japan came in 2nd place to none. Tossing babies into the air in front of families and catching them with bayonets to raping women on top of their just murdered husbands were some of the many "sports" they laughed at and cheered for. This and much more was the norm than they being isolated incidents.

All one has to do is search "Japanese atrocities" for quite a bit of info.

Feel sorry for them? Not in the least here.