Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site decwrl.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!gatech! From: @gatech.UUCP Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: The Bomb Message-ID: <3697@decwrl.UUCP> Date: Fri, 16-Aug-85 11:25:37 EDT Article-I.D.: decwrl.3697 Posted: Fri Aug 16 11:25:37 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 19-Aug-85 08:13:37 EDT Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP Organization: Digital Equipment Corp., Palo Alto, CA Lines: 32 The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had nothing to do with the Japanese. The Japanese were ready to surrender almost unconditionally. They only asked to be able to retain their emperor. We said no we wanted complete surrender we dropped the bombs and killed 200,000 people and got their unconditional surrender. They then got to keep their emperor (thanks to General MacArthur who saw it as a way of keeping peace) why then did we kill 200,000 people. It was to show the Soviet Union just what kind of power we had. Whatever the Japanese did during the war does not excuse this. Two wrongs never create a right. I though do not feel the real question is wether we should have dropped the bomb or not. The question is how do we prevent it from every happening agian. MAny may say it can't but we have come close before. A few examples MacArthur in Korea wanted to drop them on China. John Kennedy during the Cuban Missle Crisis. Richard Nixon during the Vietnam Conflict (remeber it wasn't a war). This is the bigger of the problems. We can argue all we want about something that all ready happened but that won't change it. Hopefully though we can work towards stopping it from ever happening again. How we can change it I am not sure I do not believe in unilaterial disarmament or anything like that but we should try to bring pressure upon governments to effect a change. If we don't maybe next time when they get close to pushing that little red button they actually will. Brian Mahoney "these opinions are right but it doesn't make them true"