Hiroshima - 65 years

[Rum]

It is 65 years since the first of only two atomic bombs ever used in anger was dropped on Hiroshima.

That one bomb killed 140,000 people on the day and over a period following it.

The bomb that fell on Hiroshima had the explosive power equivalent to 12.5 thousand tons of TNT (12.5 kilotons).

The largest nuclear device ever tested, the Soviet Unions 'Tzar' yielded the equivalent energy of 50,000 * 1000 tons of TNT (i.e 50000000 tons) though most existing ones are in the order of 500 kilotons.

Let's hope everyone keeps them in their boxes.

[The Dawktor]

Let's hope everyone keeps them in their boxes.

You have to keep the boxes in order to get the best price at auction or on Ebay!

Truly a harrowing episode in human history

[FBM]

I've been to Nagasaki twice. That anniversary is in a couple of days. Wish I could make it back for that, now that I have a good camera. Mankind can't afford to forget that shit.

[Pappa]

I'd like to see some renegade scientists develop a genetically modified organism that eats into nuclear materials, hastens their radioactive decay (currently thought to be impossible, I know) and preferably leaves something edible that looks like green goop (mostly for the news coverage). The renegades would be part of an international network of operatives, working in cells, infiltrating the world's stockpiles of nucular weapons. With them all gone in a matter of days, making more to maintain MAD would be highly controvercial.

But Superman would probably appear to save America's ass like he did in those 1940s propaganda films (blowing up Japanese ships).

[sandinista]

It's a real shame that 65 years later, the US continues right where it left off.

Dramatic increases in infant mortality, cancer and leukaemia in the Iraqi city of Fallujah, which was bombarded by US Marines in 2004, exceed those reported by survivors of the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, according to a new study.

Iraqi doctors in Fallujah have complained since 2005 of being overwhelmed by the number of babies with serious birth defects, ranging from a girl born with two heads to paralysis of the lower limbs. They said they were also seeing far more cancers than they did before the battle for Fallujah between US troops and insurgents.

Their claims have been supported by a survey showing a four-fold increase in all cancers and a 12-fold increase in childhood cancer in under-14s. Infant mortality in the city is more than four times higher than in neighbouring Jordan and eight times higher than in Kuwait.

http://www.zcommunications.org/toxic-le ... k-cockburn

[tattuchu]

[Feck]

mmm cluster bombs and land mines ......who has not signed up to never use then again ?

[mistermack]

What really galls me is that after dropping those two bombs, and killing all those people, they didn't string the so-called emperor up when the Japs surrendered.
Not only that, the american generals ponced around him, calling him your highness, and socialising with him.
I'm against the death penalty, but he should have got the Saddam treatment, and dangled from the nearest beam.
The hypocrasy is just un beeeeeeeeelievable.

I could never understand how the cowardly runt got away without committing suicide anyway.
The 'honour code' of the samurai obviously didn't get as far as their royal family.
.

[Gawd]

The US will drop another atomic bomb. It's only a matter of time. Haven't you noticed that the US has constantly been at war for it's entire history?

[Ian]

The US will drop another atomic bomb. It's only a matter of time. Haven't you noticed that the US has constantly been at war for it's entire history?

I'm not telling where or when.

[Toontown]

The US will drop another atomic bomb. It's only a matter of time. Haven't you noticed that the US has constantly been at war for it's entire history?

Getting into character...

Jeezus frickin christ. Here we go again. Same time every stinkin year, same old bashie-boys, beatin on the same old wore-out wash tubs.

If yez don't like us bein at war, monkeys, then maybe youse should stop fuckin wit us. Ever think a dat, ya 7th-ee-mom-lickin, chuckie-doll-lookin, death-wishin bomb magnets?

It ain't been that much fun for yez so far, has it, ya little kidney-fucked, stroke-headed short-dicks.

If there hadna been no Pearl Harbor, there wouldna been no Hiroshima. So shut yer whiny yaps about that. And if there hadna been no rape of Nanking, and no Jap plan ta die fightin an kill a million Americans doin it, there still wouldna been no Hiroshima.

An if there ain't no fucked up monkey-brained notion ta kill a shitload of us in da future, we won't hafta drop it on yez again, will we.

But if yez still wanna play silly fuckin games, we remain equipped ta play yer silly fuckin games. But you ain't gunna like it.

Like my old Marine drill instructor said - "Our job iz ta take aaaalll the fun outta waw." Squeeze every last drop of fun out of it. An then see if yez still want ta play.

[Ian]

I gotta agree with toontown here.

First, I can't imagine a modern scenario where the US would use a nuclear weapon without being attacked with one first. Where, exactly, would this happen?

Second, revisionist historians love to point to the US as being trigger-happy with nukes, when the only ones dropped 1) happened right after they were invented, and 2) likely saved untold millions more lives by making Operations Olympic and Coronet unnecessary.

Third, isn't there a statute of limitations on this sort of horseshit? My father wasn't even born yet when Hiroshima happened. I'm an American who wasn't born until 1973. I don't feel obligated to feel guilt over Hiroshima any more than I would personally take credit for helping my country land on the moon. One might as well shake a finger at all the savage Brits on this forum for their country's barbaric and shameful behavior during the Boer War. It does the same amount of good.

[BrettA]

I gotta agree with toontown here...

From my perspective, the main "issue" isn't with Pearl/Hiroshima that much, because there is a link. (Though, nuclear? At multiple civie targets? I'd guess there could have been better judgement...)

But re Gawd's "the US has constantly been at war for it's entire history" and many US conflicts, the "maybe youse should stop fuckin wit us" bullshit just don't cut it. 'Nam? Iraq? Who's fuckin wit you about Iraq other than the liars claiming WMD? And there are long lists of lesser conflicts. You don't always support any side except the one that kowtows to you - for my money for instance, the Shah seemed about as bad as Hussein and supporting someone like the Shah just ain't/weren't right. Plus, the US wants everyone else nuclear-free (erm, sorry, Toon - nukular-free) but not themselves - enough to do it anyway. So I think Gawd has a point (did I say that?)...

[FBM]

I wouldn't get too bent out of shape about a teeny-tiny nuke on Pyongyang. *wink wink nudge nudge to Ian*

[Rum]

I gotta agree with toontown here.

First, I can't imagine a modern scenario where the US would use a nuclear weapon without being attacked with one first. Where, exactly, would this happen?

Second, revisionist historians love to point to the US as being trigger-happy with nukes, when the only ones dropped 1) happened right after they were invented, and 2) likely saved untold millions more lives by making Operations Olympic and Coronet unnecessary.

Third, isn't there a statute of limitations on this sort of horseshit? My father wasn't even born yet when Hiroshima happened. I'm an American who wasn't born until 1973. I don't feel obligated to feel guilt over Hiroshima any more than I would personally take credit for helping my country land on the moon. One might as well shake a finger at all the savage Brits on this forum for their country's barbaric and shameful behavior during the Boer War. It does the same amount of good.

The OP was not meant to be America bashing, just nuke bashing.