Hiroshima bombed today

[nikimcbee]

http://www.cfo.doe.gov/me70/manhattan/hiroshima.htm




The beginning of the end happened today. I have seen very little news on it today. They did have the standard peacenik group holding a peace vigil today on the radio. I think I turned the interview off when they wanted us to apologize for nuking Japan. Whatever. I'd say dropping those 2 bombs was the best thing that ever happened to humanity.

1. We saved thousands of US and Japanese lives by ending the war w/o an invasion of the mainland.

2. Mankind has never used this weapon again, we know better.

[joegrundman]

Nikimcbee,

your reactionary attitude seems to be in overdrive lately

Whatever. I'd say dropping those 2 bombs was the best thing that ever happened to humanity.

you would, would you?

Better even than the discovery of penicillin and the modern medical revolution. Better even than the invention of spectacles, or fire, or the agricultural or industrial or internet revolutions, or the discovery of electricity...we have the celebration of the instant incineration of tens of thousands.

You are getting confused between the lesser of two evils and greatest benefit to humanity

and finally here's a well-written academic article for you all to enjoy

http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/...hiroshima.html

[August]

I see McBees point. If the first use of nuclear weapons had occurred later, say during the 1950s or 60's, when the technology had been improved perhaps the death toll from it would have been a couple hundred million instead of a couple hundred thousand.

[nikimcbee]

Originally Posted by August

I see McBees point. If the first use of nuclear weapons had occurred later, say during the 1950s or 60's, when the technology had been improved perhaps the death toll from it would have been a couple hundred million instead of a couple hundred thousand.

You have the right answer. We came this close {............} to starting a nuclear war over the Cuban missle crisis. The weapons used in this battle would have been H-bombs, not the inefficant a-bombs dropped on Japan. Mankind now knows how horrible these weapons are, and we haven't used them since.

But it sounds like you like to learn the hard way.

And that academic professor obviously wasn't slated for invasion, was he. I've interviewed vetrans who were next in line to die for our country. And they were all for the dropping of the bombs.:hmm: I respect their opinion much more than some armchair professor.

"Better even than the discovery of penicillin and the modern medical revolution. Better even than the invention of spectacles, or fire, or the agricultural or industrial or internet revolutions, or the discovery of electricity...we have the celebration of the instant incineration of tens of thousands."


And none of this matters much if the whole world is radioactive. I am thankful for all of the vetrans who gave their lives so we could be free today.

[nikimcbee]

Plus we'll never know what Japan would have done. The basis for my decision, was the Battle of Okinawa, where Japanese were fighting to the death (what else is new) families throwing themselves of cliffs to avoid capture. That war needed to end now, and those weapons help expidite that. I think a lot of lives were saved by not invading Japan by force.

[bookworm_020]

Looking at the plans for the invasion of Japan, I would have to agreee with dropingthe bombs. The deaths would have been massive on both sides if it had gone ahead.

The bombing of tokyo, which caused a firestorm, cost more lives and distruction than droping the bomb ( dicounting the longer lasting effects of radiation)

[JHuschke]

Originally Posted by nikimcbee

http://www.cfo.doe.gov/me70/manhattan/hiroshima.htm




The beginning of the end happened today. I have seen very little news on it today. They did have the standard peacenik group holding a peace vigil today on the radio. I think I turned the interview off when they wanted us to apologize for nuking Japan. Whatever. I'd say dropping those 2 bombs was the best thing that ever happened to humanity.

1. We saved thousands of US and Japanese lives by ending the war w/o an invasion of the mainland.

2. Mankind has never used this weapon again, we know better.

We may have saved many, but we also killed many including civilians.

[STEED]

This has been debated many times here.

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...ight=Hiroshima

[Skybird]

Hiroshima bombed today

What - again...?

I'll be a rotten pig and say I can't feel myself into an event that happened without me being aware of it, even less if it happened before my birth. That's sentimentality, and some people find that heart-warming. Am I sad for Peking being conquered by the Mongoles? No. But that we are moving closer to using nukes again and that I see little argument how that can be prevented - this affects and troubles me much more.

[nikimcbee]

Originally Posted by Skybird

What - again...?

I'll be a rotten pig and say I can't feel myself into an event that happened without me being aware of it, even less if it happened before my birth. That's sentimentality, and some people find that heart-warming. Am I sad for Peking being conquered by the Mongoles? No. But that we are moving closer to using nukes again and that I see little argument how that can be prevented - this affects and troubles me much more.

I just don't want anybody to forget.

[FIREWALL]

Since most if not all weren't even born yet when WWII was going on and the BOMB was used it's easy to say how it should have been done differently.

There was a different mind set then.

And when the Politics card is played as posted above I see the Racism card not brought up.

The Japanese at that time were thought to be subhuman just like the negro in the fortys.

Hindsight is always 20\20

[nikimcbee]

Originally Posted by FIREWALL

Since most if not all weren't even born yet when WWII was going on and the BOMB was used it's easy to say how it should have been done differently.

There was a different mind set then.

And when the Politics card is played as posted above I see the Racism card not brought up.

The Japanese at that time were thought to be subhuman just like the negro in the fortys.

Hindsight is always 20\20

You have a good point firewall, I didn't really think of the race side of it. I wanted to avoid the "the Japanese got what they deserved" debate.

You are also right on the money with the hindsight point. Every veteran I've ever interviewed or seen interviewed were all for dropping the bomb, as they were spared the Mainland invasion meat grinder.

[nikimcbee]

Originally Posted by G00BER

We may have saved many, but we also killed many including civilians.

Not to be callous, but too bad. I intentionally avoided the revenge factor of the bomb. We all know war is nasty, and ever since the evolution of "total war," civilians will be targets. There will always be war, I just hope we never use these nasty weapons again, mainly because when the war is over, you don't just clean up after them and re-build. I had a military history class, back during the first Gulf War. There were a bunch of "blowhards" that were serious about using tacticle nukes in Iraq.

[Dowly]

Originally Posted by nikimcbee

Not to be callous, but too bad. I intentionally avoided the revenge factor of the bomb. We all know war is nasty, and ever since the evolution of "total war," civilians will be targets. There will always be war, I just hope we never use these nasty weapons again, mainly because when the war is over, you don't just clean up after them and re-build. I had a military history class, back during the first Gulf War. There were a bunch of "blowhards" that were serious about using tacticle nukes in Iraq.

Yup, right you are. Civilians will always suffer in the time of war. In most cases, they are caught in the crossfire, catch a bomb missing it's original target etc. etc.

Hiroshima & Nagasaki were 2 civilian targets and the bombs were dropped on purpose. It's just an expensive way to kill civilians, instead of the traditional bullet to the back of the head execution. Being on the "good" side doesnt make it any different nor the method on which the civilians are killed.