Obama tried to apologize to Japan for Hiroshima

[crownjules]

Where are you getting this information?

It's mostly based off a book called "The Decision to use the Atomic Bomb and the Architecture of an American Myth" by Gar Alperovitz. It largely ignores a great many things that support using the bomb and overplays the importance of several things that suggest the bomb didn't need to be used.

 

[Anarchist420]

It's mostly based off a book called "The Decision to use the Atomic Bomb and the Architecture of an American Myth" by Gar Alperovitz. It largely ignores a great many things that support using the bomb and overplays the importance of several things that suggest the bomb didn't need to be used.

Then why did Truman change his story like 300 times?

They were allowed to keep their emperor also. I don't get how that fits in with what happened either.

 

[Jaepheth]

If the prophetic Antifederalists had had their way this country would never have been. in any wars.

ftfy

 

[JSt0rm]

Could you summarize a little?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/With_the_Old_Breed

 

[BoomerD]

The USA should apologize to Japan for Hiroshima and Nagasaki...apologize for not nuking Tokyo, Kyoto, Kobe, and the other major cities on the islands and basically turning all of Japan into Nuclear Glass.

 

[JSt0rm]

Well whatever we did or didnt do I think japan is a great example of how to pacify a population. We should be looking back on how we did that and possibly find things to use in the middle east.

 

[FerrelGeek]

Lets go with the people who can't seem to quite pin him to what he "is" - is he a socialist? Is he a Muslim? Is he the anti-christ? Is he a turtle? Is he a capitalist thug? Is he a murderer? Is he a terrorist killer? Is he a terrorist?

Pick one and stick with it guys. Throwing things out there and hoping they stick makes you look desperate.

He's a complete incompetent with no practical experience that qualifies him for the job. He's obsessed with his ideals of big government and can't bring himself to implement any kind of policy that goes against that mindset. His idea of leadership is community organizer / Chicago thug intimidation. He can't abide being challenged on anything.

There. That's my opinion of what Obama is.

 

[JSt0rm]

hes challenged on everything.

The republicans are going to vote no on everything, including things they would normally vote yes on.

 

[waggy]

hes challenged on everything.

The republicans are going to vote no on everything, including things they would normally vote yes on.

yes damn them! since before Obama the republicans and dems were buddies and nobody challanged the president..


ugh.


He shouldn't have apologized. it was not necessary and frankly rather insulting to those involved.

 

[FerrelGeek]

Well whatever we did or didnt do I think japan is a great example of how to pacify a population. We should be looking back on how we did that and possibly find things to use in the middle east.

As admirable as your desire is, and I truly mean that, I think we're talking apples and oranges. Even though the majority of Muslims are reasonable, the militant faction is very powerful and intimidating. I honestly don't think they want peace. Again, only speaking to that minority, not Muslims / Arabs as a whole.

 

[JSt0rm]

He shouldn't have apologized. it was not necessary and frankly rather insulting to those involved.

Were you there?

If not I find it offensive you would begin to think you know what they think on this subject.

 

[davmat787]

No sir, you are the fucking idiot for accepting and embracing a flawed justification that has been fed to the american public (sheep like you) over the years to make people feel better about the fact that their government murdered hundreds of thousands of civilians with the most heinous weapon known to mankind.

So what would you have done differently under the circumstances? It is August 5th, the day before the first bomb was dropped. Given the then current situation, what would you have done differently to end the war?

 

[Fern]

-snip-
Anyway, my point was that since this apology never happened, it isn't a terribly weighty issue.

I don't necessarily disagree. However, it does generate considerable curiosity on my behalf. What was Obama thinking? Why would he feel this was a good idea or needed to be done? It seems the Japanese at least thought about and/or understood the potential political ramification of it. Did Obama consider those?

I think that most of us like to understand the President and his thinking; his judgement etc. Even with politicians we don't agree with we can usually understand their thinking. E.g., I don't agree with loaning Solyndra over a half billion $'s but I can understand why they did it.

With all the things going on in 2009 where and how is his attention directed such that he can be motivated to focus on such a thing?

To simply say the answer is that bombing civilians is now considered immoral is far too facile IMO.

BTW: My questions are not directed to you (Woolfe) even though I quoted your post. I suppose I'm just thinking out loud here.

Fern

 

[JSt0rm]

As admirable as your desire is, and I truly mean that, I think we're talking apples and oranges. Even though the majority of Muslims are reasonable, the militant faction is very powerful and intimidating. I honestly don't think they want peace. Again, only speaking to that minority, not Muslims / Arabs as a whole.

The japanese were VERY militant. A bonzai charge was not meant to end with the japanese soldier being alive. A japanese soldier was expected to move at night in maggot and dead body filled mud with only a knife and then drop into a fox hole to do hand to hand combat with the 2 marines inside and then move on to the next foxhole until death.

I would say that the japanese soldier was more extreme then any of these middle easterners ever.

 

[Ausm]

The japanese were VERY militant. A bonzai charge was not meant to end with the japanese soldier being alive. A japanese soldier was expected to move at night in maggot and dead body filled mud with only a knife and then drop into a fox hole to do hand to hand combat with the 2 marines inside and then move on to the next foxhole until death.

I would say that the japanese soldier was more extreme then any of these middle easterners ever.

QFT

Japanese soldiers pledged an oath to take out a dozen Americans before they got killed themselves.

 

[FerrelGeek]

The japanese were VERY militant. A bonzai charge was not meant to end with the japanese soldier being alive. A japanese soldier was expected to move at night in maggot and dead body filled mud with only a knife and then drop into a fox hole to do hand to hand combat with the 2 marines inside and then move on to the next foxhole until death.

I would say that the japanese soldier was more extreme then any of these middle easterners ever.

I understand that. My dad faught in the Pacific theatre, btw, so I completely get that. I'm talking about the general populace. My dad was in Nagasaki about 3 months after the bomb was dropped. He said that the general populace was very glad that the war was over.

The Japanese turned their culture into a business culture. They were able to transform into a modern society and turn that marshal philosophy towards enterprise. From what I see, the militent faction of Islam isn't interested in doing that.

And for the ones claiming the bomb wasn't necessary, it's really hard to say. An invasion of Japan would have been beyond brutal and would have been very costly in civilian and military lives. The only other alternative that I could have seen would have been a total blockade on the islands and starving them into submission. That's a horrible way to die too.

 

[JSt0rm]

I understand that. My dad faught in the Pacific theatre, btw, so I completely get that. I'm talking about the general populace. My dad was in Nagasaki about 3 months after the bomb was dropped. He said that the general populace was very glad that the war was over.

The Japanese turned their culture into a business culture. They were able to transform into a modern society and turn that marshal philosophy towards enterprise. From what I see, the militent faction of Islam isn't interested in doing that.

And for the ones claiming the bomb wasn't necessary, it's really hard to say. An invasion of Japan would have been beyond brutal and would have been very costly in civilian and military lives. The only other alternative that I could have seen would have been a total blockade on the islands and starving them into submission. That's a horrible way to die too.

Of course they were happy the war was over. WE KICKED THE SHIT OUT OF THEM. The general population was apart of the fight. From grade school children making balloons to carry disease across the pacific to the entire population preparing to ALL (as in every human in japan) jump on the ground at the exact moment to create a tidal wave to hit the usa (lol?).

We dont fight like that anymore. Of course countries dont fight on equal footing anymore. We wage war against 3rd world countries and then call them savages for not fighting the correct way. But whatever thats a different thread.

If japan was what it was in 1940 without the ability to fight us one on one they would take the tactics we see in the middle east. You can bet on that.

 

[momeNt]

Pretty sure an "I'm Sorry" ribbon was attached to both nukes that were dropped. Judging from the looks of it, they definitely accepted the apology back then.

 

[JSt0rm]

Pretty sure an "I'm Sorry" ribbon was attached to both nukes that were dropped. Judging from the looks of it, they definitely accepted the apology back then.

See this is what I hate about these forums. We have people that side so strongly with one side of a issue that is SO complex and has SO many different facets its hard to believe that these are free thinking people (I dont think they are). Moment you arent the first in this thread to voice your strong uneducated opinion and I'm sure you wont be the last.

 

[momeNt]

See this is what I hate about these forums. We have people that side so strongly with one side of a issue that is SO complex and has SO many different facets its hard to believe that these are free thinking people (I dont think they are). Moment you arent the first in this thread to voice your strong uneducated opinion and I'm sure you wont be the last.

I'm not voicing any opinion I'm just dropping a line in a Spidey thread. The more support he gets the more likely I can see more of his threads.

 

[JSt0rm]

I'm not voicing any opinion I'm just dropping a line in a Spidey thread. The more support he gets the more likely I can see more of his threads.

I have no idea what you are talking about but we can leave it at that.

 

[Doppel]

Apologizing for something somebody else did, wow that takes guts.

 

[Moonbeam]

You sir, are a fucking idiot. A million lives or more were possibly saved by the atomic bombings of Japan. It prevented a ground invasion of the Japanese islands to end the war. Invading those island would have killed many times more people.

And yet your brain doesn't even have a pulse. 😉 You fail to note that bombing Japan or invading weren't the only alternatives.

 

[K1052]

And yet your brain doesn't even have a pulse. 😉 You fail to note that bombing Japan or invading weren't the only alternatives.

Starving them all to death was actually option #3.

Since nothing else during the course of the war had compelled Hirohito to make the Army surrender (which they clearly were not going to do) there was no other actionable alternative on the table.

 

[JSt0rm]

Starving them all to death was actually option #3.

Since nothing else during the course of the war had compelled Hirohito to make the Army surrender (which they clearly were not going to do) there was no other actionable alternative on the table.

They would of surrendered to more firebombing eventually. We did more damage with that anyhow.