Still kills people to this day though

The after effects of the bombs were genetic illnesses which still kill people prematurely TO THIS DAY. Carpet bombing would not have anywhere near this effect on people.

My wife's mother and family all saw the hiroshima mushroom cloud with their bare eyes; most of them got ill (cancer, organ failure, etc.) and died young. There was a great article in the Observer which described the effects of the bomb.

(A young boy, walking alongside a rice field a couple of kms away was blown into the field and when he sat up, the skin from his forearms and hands was torn away at the fingertips and hanging down from his elbows like old sleeves; people were walking around with organs hanging out, eyes exploded, etc. One guy looked at the flash and it melted his eyes away and he was miles away)

The biggest mistake is continuing to create these bombs, knowing what they can do to people.

The bottom line (from what I have read and what I have seen here in Japan) is that America were desperate to test the bombs' effects in a live test and this stopped them from acknowledging that there were other alternatives.

Before making a decision about whether it was right or wrong, go to Hiroshima, go to the museum there, see the people who remember...

This is not aimed at SCC26, this is just how I feel about it.

Here in Japan there is obviously a lot of discussion about it and a lot of Americans see one side and the Japanese see another.

The Japanese were fading faster than America thought anyway. They were well overstretched but they were stubborn and would have fought on most likely.

There is a very interesting book - Japan's Longest Day - which chronicles the last 24 hours of the war. I found it fascinating.

My wife's grandmother remambered vividly hearing the emperor's voice broadcast on the radio. I guess you would do when you are raised to believe he is actually a demi-god. It would surprise most of us if BBC Radio 1 said they had an announcement from God or Allah...

Posted By: Jester, Aug 8, 04:50:49