There has been much made recently of the sufferings of the Japanese people, always referred to as 'innocent civilians,' when the two atom bombs were dropped in 1945. Now suffering such as this is indeed terrible and it is to be wished it had not occurred however I find my cynical nature rising at this as I contemplate the sufferings of the people in Korea, dominated by Japan since before the turn of the century. The Korean women used as prostitutes for the Jap army, the Phillipino, Indian, Burmese, South east Asian people who suffered brutality under the Japanese occupation also get mys sympathy. As does our own British troops and our allies, Indian, Australian American beaten to death, tortured and enslaved by cruel Japanese forces.
When the Japanese admit their 'rape of Nanking' their despicable treatment of the Chinese civilians, women raped to death and men tied up and used for living bayonet practice, then I might feel sympathy for their suffering. However being unwilling to 'lose face' the Japanese have never admitted their faults (the Germans of course have) nor have they faced up to their wrongs. Lets not forget that
had the allies invaded Japan every POW would have been shot, over
100,000 of them, but of course they don't count.
Two points here, one is the recent discovery that those who suffered under the bombs were more or else ignored and kept aside by the government of their own nation as they did not wish to remember their wartime actions! Another discovery was an email claiming (with photographic evidence apparently) that the Chinese did not suffer but happily welcomed the Japanese, this 'evidence' arrived the other day showing how some still refuse to accept their wrongs in Japan.
The 'A' bombs were devastating, however more died elsewhere from other bombings, including Japanese bombs. Those two bombs did however stop any nuclear war in the west as all were soon aware of the cost. We all know what even small nuclear devices can do and the nine nations that possess them require to maintain control over them and their neighbours (yes India and Pakistan I mean you!). While people feared nuclear war in the west some fifty million were dying in south east Asia, Africa and central America as the cold war was fought by proxy with everyday weapons. I never feared the US or USSR would use theirs, it is more likely a rouge state or one with an unbalanced mind in charge that would be tempted. We are back to India & Pakistan!
'Innocent civilians' those supporting their soldiers, sailors and airmen, making bombs, guns, weapons and encouraging and praising their men were all involved in war like the citizens in the west who suffered. War today as it always has doe includes civilians.
It appears that people in the outlying areas of Australia, I suspect this means Queensland, have been misusing Australia's staple diet. These people have not been eating 'Vegemite' but turning it into alcohol, getting drunk and beating one another up as if they lived in Glasgow. Now I realise that some folks canny stand this sort of edible but many of us have tried it and found it better than 'Marmite' (the spellchecker calls this 'Termite') the original substance that is difficult to describe. However few to my knowledge have ever attempted to turn that into alcohol but I suppose somewhere in Glasgow as we speak several shops are being broken into and the 'Marmite' removed.
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