http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080316/....g79hWX.qs0NUE

Boo Hoo.

"If you must hurt a man, then do it so brutally that you need not fear his retaliation."

And hope to God no one finds out, else retaliation comes tenfold against yourself or those associated with you.

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"We've been blowin up, we're the issue, we're ammunition" Switchfoot

The massacre was messed up and just wrong. And I think it is important for Americans to acknowledge that.

The atomic bomb however probably saved more lives than it lost. But I think it's good people remember nukes are nasty things.

No...the Japanese were already in the process of negotiating a surrender. It was very important for the Japanese to keep their Emperor. Also the US wanted more control of Asia. Nothing to do with saving more lives.
http://www.doug-long.com/byrnes.htm


Why the bomb was not needed, or unjustified:

* Japan was ready to call it quits anyway. More than 60 of its cities had been destroyed by conventional bombing, the home islands were being blockaded by the American Navy, and the Soviet Union entered the war by attacking Japanese troops in Manchuria.

* American refusal to modify its "unconditional surrender" demand to allow the Japanese to keep their emperor needlessly prolonged Japan's resistance.

* A demonstration explosion over Tokyo harbor would have convinced Japan's leaders to quit without killing many people.

* Even if Hiroshima was necessary, the U.S. did not give enough time for word to filter out of its devastation before bombing Nagasaki.

* The bomb was used partly to justify the $2 billion spent on its development.

* The two cities were of limited military value. Civilians outnumbered troops in Hiroshima five or six to one.

* Japanese lives were sacrificed simply for power politics between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

* Conventional firebombing would have caused as much significant damage without making the U.S. the first nation to use nuclear weapons.

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America's Enemies Are Not Mine

All wars represent a failure of diplomacy

“I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.” - Stephen Roberts.

There is many a boy here today who looks on war as all glory, but boys, it is all hell. You can bear this warning voice to generations yet to come. I look upon war with horror.
--William Tecumseh Sherman

On the bomb issue. I don't know about the being willing to surrender thing. But I think the whole world is better off having the Japan it does now instead of another country to have a cold war with. And I wonder what else they would have insisted on keeping.

We could possibly have gotten a surrender by exploding a bomb over some stretch of water. However we don't know for sure what they would have thought about that given how fanatical the Japanese had been and how much of a nuclear weapons effects are from heat radiation and other secondary effects compared to its actual blast. Especially since they were already suffering pretty bad under operation starvation and the firebombings, but were unwilling to offer unconditional surrender.

Also we knew we only had two bombs to end this with. After that much war I can see why they didn't want to screw around.

Hopefully we never see war on that scale again. (So it's a good thing to have stuff like in the OP).

No mention of Pol Pot's killing fields in Cambodia?

2,000,000 murdered?

I see, the United States are the bad guys.

I understand. *sarcasm*

There was already a surrender in place. They just wanted the right to retain their Emperor. Something the US let them do anyways. The Japanese people at Hiroshima and Nagasaki paid with their lives so that the US could flex it's military muscle towards the Soviet Union. If it helps you sleep better to feel the loss of those lives is justified the I can't help you.

__________________
America's Enemies Are Not Mine

All wars represent a failure of diplomacy

“I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.” - Stephen Roberts.

The US supported those killings and the whole mess in Cambodia wouldn't have started if the US didn't start a bombing campaign against Cambodia. Yes the US are the bad guys. Is it a hard pill for you to swallow?

__________________
America's Enemies Are Not Mine

All wars represent a failure of diplomacy

“I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.” - Stephen Roberts.

Your location indicates you're from Cuba.

I'll take that as where you are from.

You are fed lies from your totalitarian government. Your leader, since retired, Castro, controls every aspect of your life. Your own countrymen, fellow Cubans want to leave your Nation and go to America and live free.

Cuba is the enemy of the United States.

Understand that.