Bedtime Stories

Wes Injerd ^ | Unknown | Various

[Rule of Law]

Lest we forget.

[isthisnickcool]

I knew someone that was in the Bataan Death March (may he R.I.P.). What the Japanese did was horrific.

[maro]

The Japanese were brutes, but so were the Germans. May I suggest that international politics sometimes requires us to ally with people who are not at all nice. We need the Japanese to re-arm and have nukes because we need an ally against the ChiComs, who are currently much more of a threat. Since WWII, the Japanese have at least outwardly acted as a friendly power. We cannot let Communist China dominate all of Asia. (In the best of all worlds, we would split up the behemoth into 4 or 5 nations.)

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I do understand the point you are trying to make and hold no love of the Japanese, but let me ask you a question.
Using the same logic you apply to the Japanese and these atrocities, do you suppose that you or I should be made to feel responsible for what was done to Native North Americans by members of the U.S Army back in the mid-1800s?
Do you feel that the current generation of Japanese are responsible for, are capable of or even know about what was done largely by their military 57 years ago?

[Rule of Law]

Using the same logic you apply to the Japanese and these atrocities, do you suppose that you or I should be made to feel responsible for what was done to Native North Americans by members of the U.S Army back in the mid-1800s?

What, you mean kept alive? If it hadn't been for the Army, most of the Indians would have starved to death.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

"What, you mean kept alive? "

No. That's not what I was refering to and I think you know it.
I am not trying to compare one historical situation to the other. As a whole, there is no comparison.
But there were unspeakable atrocities perpetrated on many tribes back then and I do not feel in any way responsible or culpable for any of it. Nor should the current generation of Japanese, for the actions of their miltary in the 40s.

I was only asking if you thought that was a reasonable position or an assinine statement.

[Rule of Law]

The Japanese were brutes, but so were the Germans.

"Brutes" doesn't even begin to describe the actions of these two barbaric nations and barbaric people. But for my money, the Japanese were worse than the Hun. Most of the millions the Hun murdered were killed in gas chambers. With the Nip, you got personal service. They cut your head off or pulled out your guts to see how long you could take the pain. They were both disgustingly evil -- and so were the Italians when they could be.

May I suggest that international politics sometimes requires us to ally with people who are not at all nice. We need the Japanese to re-arm and have nukes because we need an ally against the ChiComs, who are currently much more of a threat.

May I suggest that we already have enough nukes in our arsenal to fry the ChiComs about 6 times over. We don't need any "help" in that respect from the Nips.

During the 30's, Europe made the mistake of letting the Hun re-arm. The entire world paid for that mistake in blood. Let's not make the same mistake.

[pariah]

The Japanese were brutes, but so were the Germans.

They were Christians, what do you expect?

Ok, just trying to make the point that it is not nationality or race that breeds evil, and that the real fight, now as always, is against evil governments and evil ideas.

[Rule of Law]

They aren't Christians, what do you expect?

Not much. But I expect even the heathen to act with some humanity.

But you're right. That's probably expecting too much.

[CW_Conservative]

Maybe the rice rocket in the driveway and the big color TV means more to them than what our "friends" did in WWII.

Maybe they remember what "we" did to them during World War II. Maybe they remember our "terror-bombing" of civilians in Tokyo, where most died in the horrible fires we created.

And who could forget the greatest terrorist attack of all-time, the unleashing of two atomic bombs, so as to save our military from harm.

That's what happens when a government is run by communists, fellow-travelers and pompous-ass, former hat makers.

Maybe the Japanese are looking out for their own best interests, instead of relying on the USA.

[maro]

Factual correction--the Nazis were atheists or pagans, and not at all Christian. Christians in Germany, and especially the Lutheran Church, have much to answer because they did nothing in the face of evil. (Are you sure you would have stuck your neck out in those tumultuous times?) But Christians as such did not directly support the Nazis.

[Rule of Law]

What the Japanese did was horrific.

That's one word for it. But it doesn't even begin to describe the just pure, sadistic evil these people inflicted on anyone who they got their hands on.

The Nips used to have butchering contests where they would give a prize for the most "artistic" manner of killing a prisoner.

They would try to invent new ways to torture Americans to death -- the slower the better. One of their favorites was to stake POWs to the ground over a bamboo bed. The bamboo would then grow through a person's body. The sadistic scum could count on three to five days of "fun" as the victim died in agony.

And these barbarians are our friends?

It's just too damned bad we didn't have more than two A-bombs.

[Rule of Law]

And who could forget the greatest terrorist attack of all-time, the unleashing of two atomic bombs, so as to save our military from harm.

Just too bad we didn't have more A-bombs. And don't forget, the A-bombs saved a lot of Japanese lives too. If we had had to invade, we would have had to kill millions of them.

Terrorist attack my eye.

[CW_Conservative]

Just too bad we didn't have more A-bombs. And don't forget, the A-bombs saved a lot of Japanese lives too. If we had had to invade, we would have had to kill millions of them.

So the Japanese were willing to die by bullet or hand to hand, but not by bomb. It that your twisted logic?

Actually the Japanese were willing to surrender but wanted to retain their emperor, who they consider a deity. But no, unconditional surrender was our reply, no exceptions.

We then hit them with two bombs, then accepted their surrender allowing them to keep the emperor.

Terrorist attack my eye.

That is exactly what it was. We thought they might surrender if we caused enough grief, horror and hardship for their citizens.

[pariah]

I was being sarcastic, maro, to make a point -- but you make the same point when you say it was the pagan nature of the Nazi leaders that facilitated the evil, hence race or ethnicity played no part. Why do some people find it necessary to look beyond the obvious to explain evil? No race or nation is invulnerable against the ascendency of evil if their institutions and noble ideals are allowed to deteriorate. You should be well aware that it could happen here too, if the far-left socialist/fascist mindset were to gain control. I find these references to 'the Hun' juvenile and offensive, not least because of my own proud German ancestry. Or am I suspected of harboring Nazi tendencies, in you opinion, based on my racial heritage? Far-left types have leveled this sophomoric insult at me, but I expect a higher level of discourse from posters at FR!