The Shadows of Hiroshimа
In his novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four” (1949) George Orwell wrote:
Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - for ever.
Not only does the above quote conjure up a picture of unrestricted power, control and oppression, but it is also reminiscent of one of the most momentous events that have changed the course of the World history: the atomic bombing of the civilians of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. That said, one may only wonder if WW2 would have ended any differently, hadn’t Vice-President, Harry S. Truman taken over the reins of power from his predecessor, Franklin D. Roosevelt. Most likely, it would, but who knows?
Putting aside the moral implications of the act of atrocity against the innocent population of the aforementioned Japanese cities involving the use of nuclear weapons, the bombing was, in theory or in fact, of no strategic significance. As noted by General Dwight D. Eisenhower: “It wasn’t necessary to hit them with those awful things.” Ironically enough, on August 8, 1945, right between the dropping of the two bombs, the US, along with France, the UK and the USSR signed the Charter of the Nuremberg Tribunal agreeing to hold Nazi leaders accountable for crimes against the humanity.
The upcoming vice presidential debate scheduled for October 1, 2024 will offer the candidates, Democrat Tim Walz and Republican James David Vance, an opportunity to convince the World of their unwillingness to follow in Truman’s footsteps. Reflecting on the Hiroshima and Nagasaki case in one of his poems, David Krieger, Founder of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, posed the following tough question:
"Shall we call it
The Beginning of the End or
The End of the Beginning?”
Given the current state of affairs, where the US can no longer preserve its monopoly on nuclear weapons without paying any price, the poet’s former assumption sounds more plausible. Should these be used, a response won’t take long to arrive, leading to the outbreak of a disastrous nuclear war; a war that will go down in history as WW3; a war, which more likely than not, may never be judged by the generations to come, for there may be none. Which of the candidates, T. Walz vs J.Vance and K. Harris vs D. Trump, will ultimately win the trust of the Americans is a matter of weeks, for the countdown to the “Big Day”, November 5, is already on. After all, it wasn’t without reason that Pope Francis urged voters to “choose the lesser” of the two evils.
“There are no innocent civilians. It is their government and you are fighting a people, you are not trying to fight an armed force anymore.” -Gen. Curtis LeMay
President John F. Kennedy secretly recorded all his Oval Office meetings...General Curtis LeMay was one of those who insisted on immediate attack and war and attempted to bully Kennedy--- he was not the only one, but rather one of a core grouping. LeMay had the view that nuclear weapons should be used.
Here, LeMay and Kennedy Argue Over Cuban Missile Crisis https://www.history.com/speeches/lemay-and-kennedy-argue-over-cuban-missile-crisis
* any similarity to comments made by members of the IDF are purely coincidental.
1. Is it a coincidence that both those cities had large Christian populations?
2. And does Ephesians 6:12 hold true all the time, in all ages, everywhere?
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places"
If 2 is true then surely 1 cannot be.