Posted on 08/10/2005 8:03:18 AM PDT by Cat loving Texan
March Calls For 'Nuclear-Free' Future By: Cliff Drought Wednesday August 10 2005
SYRACUSE, NY - Ken Howland reached into his pocket Tuesday and took a picture from his wallet. The black and white image was of a man with a shotgun showing his take from a bird-hunting trip.
It was taken in 1942 and the man was his father.
"He had become a pretty good shot," recalled Howland, pointing to the number of fowl in the picture.
The reason for the quick mastery of marksmanship was simple: "If we hadn't used the bomb, he would have had to go over" and fight in World War II, explained Howland, a veteran from Port Byron and longtime West Genesee High School history teacher.
The bomb was the atomic bomb used to force the Japanese into surrender. The first was dropped on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945 and the second fell on Nagasaki 60 years ago Tuesday, the last time a nuclear weapon was used during a war.
"At the time, (President Harry S.) Truman made the best decision he could," Rowland said.
The use of the weapon may have kept his father from war, but Howland marked the anniversary alongside dozens of others who were committed to ending the threat of nuclear weapons.
"The implications of nuclear war are just horrendous," Howland said as the reason he joined the "March for a Nuclear-Free Future."
The group started near Syracuse City Hall and would walk downtown for just over a half-hour until reaching the Federal Building. Some carried peace signs or signs marking the date of the anniversary. One duo carried large boards upon which flames had been painted, while others waived black banners to the beat of a solitary drum.
The march was hoped to serve two causes, according to Bill Griffen, a longtime member of the Syracuse Peace Council, one of the groups that organized the procession. Others organizations included Peace Action of CNY, Citizen's Awareness Network, American Friends Service Committee and Pax Christi.
"We want to recognize and honor the hundreds of thousands of deaths caused by the bombs and do what is in our power to make sure it never happens again," Griffen said shortly before the 20th annual march began.
Many of the marchers started this past Friday in the town of Scriba, home of two of three nuclear plants in Oswego County. The group also went through the cities of Oswego and Fulton before ending the march Tuesday.
This year's march followed a different path than previous marches. It ended with the group delivering Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll's "Statement to Ban Nuclear Weapons" to federal representatives Rep. Jim Walsh and Sens. Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer.
Griffen said delivering the statement may start as symbolic, but the reaction from the leaders was "encouraging."
"It's our belief they are sane people… (and) will join with us in the spirit of non-violence and peace to do what they can do in their jobs," Griffen explained.
As marchers gathered on Montgomery Street, another group came out to support the bombings that ended World War II. The handful of people included WFBL Radio talk show host Bill Colley and carried flags and different signs: "God Bless Harry Truman" was written on one.
The bombings "had to end the war," said Terry Dooher, of East Syracuse. "I understand they did a lot of aerial bombing around Hiroshima before and flattened it."
Shouts could occasionally be heard coming from the small group as it trailed around the larger contingent of marchers.
A member of the larger group, Brian Caufield, of Syracuse, walked with a 15-foot replica of a woman who he said represented an Earth goddess. He said he has been on the walk for nearly each of the past 20 years.
"This represents the hope for the future," he said, balancing the creation with two others. "We hope the tragedy of Hiroshima is one we never have to experience again."
You sir are a blithering dink and might not have been born at all had your dream of a nuclear free future come true.
So why not go march in Pyongyang? Tehran?
Thanks Harry, we remember how many US lives you saved. Please ignore the revisionist morons, they will always hate America.
And Happy Nagasaki Day!
Responsible use is absolutely necessary.
Yes I think we need to mothball our crude nuclear weapons and start developing more powerful antimatter weapons.
Funny how they never seem to want to march in the very
nations who will use these WMD against their own kids..
Just the ones who have them to protect their kids...
The dumb a$$ dupes
More Nukes, Less Kooks
anyone remember that bumper sticker?? :)
Hey Howland, while we're at it, let's disband the military, law enforcement and fire departments - why should anybody take chances?
Because if he tried to march in one of those places he would get that picture of his daddy shoved up his rear end, just before they blow his fool head off.
It is estimated that just about 60,000 died at Hiroshima and 40,000 died at Nagasaki.
About 150,000 died a few weeks earlier in a fire bomb attack on Tokyo. Today nobody gives a rat's patoot about them. There are no anniversary marches for them. Can we please abandon the pretense that it's the number of dead people that concerns the protestors?
No mention of the USSR....or China.Just Us!
Kinda says it all,IMHO.
I must ask the question, why do they march here in the USA? The USA is already (stupidly!) unilaterally disarming. There are countries out there planning on fighting future nuclear wars. Go march there!
In all seriousness, unless the IDEA of the bomb can be banned (calling all thought police!) then there is no nuclear free anything. There is only defenselessness and hoping that others do not nuke you.
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