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Remember Hiroshima

A vigil was held in Minneapolis in the Peace Garden to remember the victims of the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. These photos are from the vigils in 2003 & 2004. In 2005, part of a memorial was unveiled -- it has boulders with instructions on top of each one for folding cranes. One of those rocks is pictured in the gallery. In addition, I added a few photos that are part of the Shadow Project. Women Against Military Madness participated in Minneapolis by drawing chalk outlines of their bodies on the sidewalk.
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More peace songs 09.jpeg
More peace songs 09.jpeg		 Folded Crane one top of rock at sunrise
Folded Crane one top of rock at sunrise
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thechebb10-Feb-2007 05:28
n
It is quite easy to paint whatever picture you like. While true I am horrified about the bombings - I can see why they were used. Just some simple facts: The Nazis & Germans were developing atomics at the same time, leaflets were dropped well in advance asking the Japanese to surrender or suffer the consequences, Japan's military rulers were not going to give up, and you forget how hard the Japanese fought on the islands closer to Japan (Iwo Jima & Okinawa come to mind with the latter's toll on the civilans were of nightmarish porportions) imagine the invasion of a country ready to fight you every inch of the way, it would be catastrophic and may have led to millions more to die in a lost cause. Now while I'm of the mind why not choose a military target - I think it was used to send the message (as horrific as the results were) to force Japan to surrender...remember the Japanese were not on a "peace tour" of the Pacific during that time, and many today have no idea about WWII except that Hiroshima & Nagasaki were both attacked. I would hope that you would hold a vigil for all the victims of war not just the political flavor of the week - remember the holocaust, the blitz, massacres in China, the Battan death march, Iraq, among many others throughout history...who mourns for them?
Just my 2 yen's worth.
Guest 20-Oct-2005 03:13
I cannot take serious any rememberence of Hiroshima or Nagisaki today. At the time they were seen as not any more horrific than any other city bombed during the war. If these people were really remembering the civilians killed in WWII, then you might have chosen one of the fire bombing raids agains Tokyo when over 250,000 people died in one night. The reason you choose Hiroshima though is because it was a new kind of bomb and it allows a current political statement. The fact that there would be no Japan today if we had invaded means nothing to you.
n08-Aug-2005 14:28
I would like others to think about a US policy that targets civilian populations. Hiroshima was not a military target; it had not even been bombed as many other cities had. One reason it was targeted was because it was a "clean" city and the effects of the atomic bomb could be documented.

If the US deliberately targets and kills innocent women and children, how is it different than the terrorists who bombed the Twin Towers? Is it the "ends justify the means" consideration? Is the same thing true of all the women and children currently being killed because of a US war in Iraq?

To whom much is given, much is expected. I have high standards for the US.
sistersilverwolf 07-Aug-2005 11:44
This only tells half the story. The Japanese soldiers tortured captives. American soldiers would rather die then be captured by them. They committed harey karey against our Navy and we lost many men and ships because of this. Also they were aligned with Hitler and Mussolini. If the bombs hadn't been dropped we would have lost another million soldiers. It ended the war didn't it. What do you think life would have been like if they had of won?
n06-Aug-2005 23:48
I am an American, and I understand your anger, but when the facts are considered, the bomb didn't hasten Japan's surrender.

Hiroshima was not a military target, and thousands of women and children died. The issue is one of proportionality. I understand that the war in the Pacific was long and brutal, but evidence shows the bomb was dropped in part as a message to Russia about US dominance, because lots of money had been spent developing it, and against the advice of many senior military leaders, including Dwight Eisenhower.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1543754,00.html

The issue has relevance today. The US is the only country to have used atomic weapons on human populations and is still developing them. At the same time it is telling other countries not to develop them.
Guest 06-Aug-2005 20:42
There was a reason for Hiroshima. We were under attack. I dont know what country you are from, but if you are from America or Japan, your pictures only tell half the story.
A few photos from Pearl Harbor where my uncle was murdered by the Japanese would be approptiate.
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