People
take part in a lantern parade in prayer for peace around
the
illuminated Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima, on the eve of
the
66th anniversary of the world's first atomic bombing, Aug. 5
The Nation, Pakistan
Hiroshima and
Nagasaki: Humanity's 'Cruelest Acts'
"Since
then, the Washington war machine has continued to commit similar crimes in Vietnam,
Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan. … The atomic attacks are a blot on the name of
humanity. But the time may soon come when the United States will have to stand
in the dock to account for its barbarity."
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Jon Roos made history last year, becoming the first representative of the United States to attend ceremonies surrounding the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima, August 6. Tomorrow, U.S. Charge d'Affaires
James Zumwalt will be the first U.S. envoy to attend memorial ceremonies in Nagasaki.
History has no parallel to
the barbarity that today’s greatest exponent of human rights committed against ordinary,
innocent people of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. At the tail end of World War II,
America obliterated their city with the first ever atomic bomb attack. Unrepentant
over the deaths of no less than 160,000 people in Hiroshima, only three days
later, the U.S. bombed another Japanese city - Nagasaki. That resulted in the
deaths of another 80,000. Nagasaki was attacked by default, since the original
target of Kyushu couldn't be reached by the B-29 bomber carrying the deadly
device on account of bad weather.
The tragedy of those who died
in the flash of “Little Boy” and “Fat Man” - the names given to the two atomic
bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki - was more than matched by the agonizing
living deaths suffered by large numbers of people from the two ill-fated towns.
In many cases, with bodies riddled by blisters and sores, their painful lives came
to an end only decades later. In these blighted places and their environs, such
suffering remains, as the genetic impact of the cancer-causing radiation continue
to plague the generations that followed the attacks. This constitutes a standing
indictment of the brutal perpetrator of this, greatest crime against humanity.
The voices of critics have
been somewhat smothered due to America's overweening military might and overarching
economic strength, backed by its global diplomacy and propaganda. But since its
suicidal wars post-9/1, these have been in rapid decline. Up to now, the U.S.
has managed to escape trial at the International Court for crimes against
humanity it perpetrated against the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki - humanity's
cruelest ever acts.
Since then, the Washington
war machine has continued to commit similar crimes in Vietnam, Korea, Iraq and
Afghanistan. The list of charges is a long one. No one familiar with the
horrendous dimensions of such crimes can condone them. They are a blot on the
name of humanity. But the time may soon come when the United States will have
to stand in the dock to account for its barbarity.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
These crimes appear even greater
when seen in light of the motives behind them. It is an established fact that
Japan was retreating and couldn't escape defeat. At best, it might have resisted
a little longer. But President Harry Truman overruled the saner members of his
team because he didn't want to risk seeing the Russians, who had entered the
war against Japan, from forcing a Japanese surrender and assuming a dominant
role in the region.
[Editor's Note: It should be
pointed out that when the atomic bombs were dropped, it was by no means clear
that Japan was prepared to surrender. By most expert estimates, an invasion of
Japan would have cost up to a million U.S. lives and two million Japanese
lives.]
That such motives should have
been the cause of the Hiroshima-Nagasaki tragedy lays bare the hypocrisy of the
greatest democracy and human rights champion in the world. Imagine, the U.S.
has the temerity of calling states like Pakistan irresponsible and not worthy
of possessing the nuclear trust. If ever a country acted irresponsibly, it was
the United States of America.
