crap the other day from some hippie type. I think I made his head explode.
They were going on and on and on about the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the deaths it cost the Japanese.
I asked him if he could count and he looked confused.
When I pointed out that the total deaths of both cities ran about 129,000 and that the Allies estimated that about five to ten million Japanese would die had they invaded. I also mentioned that the Japanese military had estimated twice that, figuring between ten and twenty million Japanese deaths would be the result of a ground invasion.
Never mind that the firebombing of Tokyo in March 1945 in one single night cost 100,000 Japanese their lives in the resulting firestorm.
I looked up at the whiney little student and said, "That doesn't include the life of one single US GI. Now how many Japanese lives were saved because of the bombing? Do the math."
He stood there agape and didn't know what to say.
"You DO know that Harry Truman DID consider how many Japanese would be saved as well as how many GI, don't you?"
"Truman wanted the war to end as quickly as possible with the least amount of blood letting on either side," I finished.
He looked stunned.
Just another sample of what our colleges are producing these days.
To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this:
http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY
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An invasion of Japan would have been tragic for both sides. I remember reading an adult Japanese recalling his time in grade school when an invasion seemed eminent. He was told by his teacher that they were to fight the Americans with what ever they could find to fight with. If they didn't have a weapon they were to hit the Americans. If they lost their arms they were to kick the Americans. If they lost their legs they were to spit on the Americans as they passed by. It would have been a blood bath. Also the POWS were dying daily. The bomb saved the lives of many prisoners.
ReplyDeleteTruman just wanted the whole mess over and done with. He said he never lost a minute of sleep over the decision. Like it or not, he saved lives. Incidentally they would have likely executed the PWs the minute the first GI boot hit the beach.
ReplyDeleteI wonder why Truman allowed the emperor to live? Knowing what our intel was telling him, and the simple fact that you always cut off the head of the beasty you want dead, then add the deathcult he inspired, there must have been some pretty strong reason to not eliminate him.
ReplyDeleteAs for feeling bad about nuking the same nation responsible for Pearl Harbor and the nistreatment of POWs - none felthere. Does make me sad that we didn't fukk them up a whole lotmore though.
The Emperor offered to face trial but MacArthur rejected it. It was actually a wise decision as having him as somewhat of a puppet got MacArthur total obedience from the Japanese people during reconstruction.
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