To the "NEW" Generation.

[Twig]

Today I woke up one year older. As I usually do,I read the paper to see what the world was doing and found out... it forgot. It forgot that it is Hiroshoma Day. [At least the media has].

Iwas fully prepared to see once again that I share the day that man "unleashed the horror of the Gods upon the Earth." and renew my pledge for Peace to the next year. BUT THERE WAS NOTHING THERE!!!!! Nothing on page 1......page2.....3....4..5.6,7.

Oooops, Iwas WRONG! There is 5 paragraphs under the heading "Briefly" on page 4. Here is my encapsulated and editorialized version.

On this day in 1945, humans made the Gods themselves shudder.Over 140,000 Souls were extinguished. Many before you could blink your eye. Those who weren't lucky enough to vaporise, died agonizing deaths from radiation poisioning. Deformed children were born for decades afterwards. Inthe following years, this menace got so bad that the USA was 45 min. from starting TOTAL NUCLEAR WAR ON RUSSIA. [Ballocks, some of you don't remember Russia!!]

To the Youth here:
Unbeknownest to a LOT of you, we were 45 minutes from total extinction and YOU never being born. This was the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis. But apparently, that was a millinium ago, not worthy of front page news anymore.

My point is, events such as this should be front page every anniversary year so that you may remember the TRUTH. Or as a famous quote goes:

Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it."

Peace!
Twig
:Elf:

In leiu of the Happy Birthdays, please send a prayer to the Gods that man won't forget what started this day and that we never get that stupid again.

[EasternPriest]

...and the fact that each and every ballistic missile submarine carries more firepower than all the weapons man has ever fired in warfare in the past 3,000 years....

[the herbwitch]

Happy birthday, though.
I wasn't born until 1960, but I am old enough to remember one of the worst wars for our country. I remember the pow braclets the kids wore.

I think the Gods/Goddesses are definately looking out for our Mother earth, and her inhabitants too.

Keep the faith,
the
herbwitch

[Kaylara]

I'm not old enough to have witnessed these things myself, or to have lived through them. But I pay homage to these anniversaries. I had two uncles who escaped WWI by coming here from Hungary, they loved this country so much that they joined in the fight during WWII. They were both Medics on the Western Front where some of the bloodiest battles took place, and were both killed there.


Kaylara

[slvr_phoenix]

Hmm. Yes, it is kind of sad. But then just as, "Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.", one could also say, "Those who refuse to forget the past will forever cast it's shadow."

**shrug** Some things are best left in the past.

That aside though, I always find it interesting how many people don't realise just how many lives were saved by dropping the two bombs and instead look at it as though it was quite possibly one of the greatest injustices mankind has ever seen.

[Mooncrow]

Thanks Twig, this year I'd forgotten, lighting a candle for those who have died in the past in the name of "Peace"


BB

Mooncrow

[story]

"Hmm. Yes, it is kind of sad. But then just as, "Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.", one could also say, "Those who refuse to forget the past will forever cast it's shadow."

History casts its own shadow. Considering the past century, its a wonder we can see the sun at all.
for years i was an agnostic/athiest. when some one close to me died, i would console myself and the people around me by saying that the lost loved one is still quite intimatly present with us, in our memories. As long as we remember them, they still exist in a very real way.
I've gone through a lot of changes in my worldview since then, but the importance i attatch to memory has not dwindled.
If we forget hiroshima, nanking, the holocaust, the armenian genocide, or the victims of stalin, we are annihilating them all over again.

[ladyrowan]

Originally posted by Twig
My point is, events such as this should be front page every anniversary year so that you may remember the TRUTH. Or as a famous quote goes:

Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it."

Peace!
Twig
:Elf:

In leiu of the Happy Birthdays, please send a prayer to the Gods that man won't forget what started this day and that we never get that stupid again.

I totally agree with you Twig.
The papers here only seem to remember Armistace Day.

I am pleased to report that our schools teach children about the 2 World Wars from 5 years-old on. My 2 sons, who are 20 and 16, have grown up hearing about them at school, and from my stories that i heard from my Dad, a Desert Rat in WW2.

They both agree that it is very important to remember.

I have sent a Prayer to the Gods, but i'd like to send you Birthday wishes too:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TWIG

BB

[Illuminatus]

Originally posted by Twig
Today I woke up one year older. As I usually do,I read the paper to see what the world was doing and found out... it forgot. It forgot that it is Hiroshoma Day. [At least the media has].

How can you talk about some stupid thing like nuclear war when THAT INTERN GIRL IS STILL MISSING!!! .. now THAT'S NEWS.... (not!)

- Ill

[gunner]

i'll make you a deal twig, we'll put up hiroshima day as you ask but we'll do the same with 7 december too.

(slvr phoenix)
"I always find it interesting how many people don't realise just how many lives were saved by dropping the two bombs and instead look at it as though it was quite possibly one of the greatest injustices mankind has ever seen."

both american and japanese lives. the japanese military did not understand that they were beaten and were preparing a "defense" against invasion that would have forced us to commit a real genocide. they were ready to fight not to the last man but the last soul on those islands, with knives and spears if nothing else were left. even after the first bomb was dropped they didn't believe we could, or would do it again. nagasaki showed them the error in that belief. as for the horror of the atomic bomb, the real difference is that it took only milliseconds to destroy a city where with ordinary incendiary bombs it took a few days to get a proper firestorm going to the point where it would incinerate everything in its path and we'd have had to continue carpet bombing japanese cities with incendiary bombs that way for another couple of years if the war had kept on, burning every town and city in japan flat. how many millions would have died then, before we even began to land troops. war is never "glorious". the atomic bomb woke up a world to that fact and taught a gang of fools (the japanese generals) that "bushido" was not enough, they could not win against such overwhelming force. so now there is still a japan and japanese people and we do not have the killing of an entire nation on our consciences, make no mistake, that's what it would have taken for a "victory" and such a victory would have destroyed us too. first our souls then our nation.

[Semele]

Thank you for that Gunner!

I don't think I have ever heard it put that way before. Of course, I am not much of a history buff...in fact I hate it! But I do find this interesting and I agree Twig...we can be doomed to repeat the past mistakes if we don't remember them.

However, I kind of tend to agree somewht with slvr-phoenix as well about refusing to forget the past. I think that applies to a lot of the men who fought in these wars. After all the horrible things they have witnessed, I don't know how they can forget! My heartfelt thanks goes out to each and every one of them. I wish we could erase those bad scenes from their eyes.

[gunner]

"My heartfelt thanks goes out to each and every one of them."

and mine too semele, i enlisted in the marine corps in early 1955, if the war had gone on as i described i'd have been part of it and that's an experience i'm happy to have done without, as it was i just missed the korean war and i don't regret missing that one either.

[Semele]

I'm glad you missed out hun!

[gunner]

i heard all about the korean war from the guys that were there, first my drill instructors then my n.c.o.s, some of them fresh back from "frozen chosin", no, i'm not sorry i missed "harry's police action", not even a little bit, i was quite happy to keep my rifle clean and my boondockers polished and cheat uncle sam out of a paycheque for my 4 years.

[Swanspirit]

Was in the service for almost eight years.......
he was in the Gulf........ and then in Haiti, he flew in the copter that former President Jimmy Carter flew in to observe .....strapped him in to his seat and was his guard .....>
He has some kind of ancestral warrior connection to my father , who flew in WW2, as a turret gunner in a large bomber. He was even stationed in the same barracks that my father was in; in Hawaii for a while ...... very strong connect there , I think.
I am totally proud of him, even though I didnt agree with his path , and as a mother wish he had chosen a less nerve wracking one; I know it is HIS path , and it is HIS choice.
I agree with Twig, that those who forget are doomed to repeat it ......., I think you can remember the past without dwelling on it or repeating it, and that we must learn from it.
As a pagan I remember my ancestors and revere them ( and who know maybe we are them ? :> )
My deepest wish would be to find a way not to repeat any war, for any reason. And my heart goes out to those who are suffering thru any violent action, civilian or service.
Love and Light
Swannie

[MammaStar]

I honor those that fought, from my Grandfathers (both of them) and to my Dad & Uncles who fought in Vietnam. I was born in 1970, just over a year when my Dad came home from the war. He didn't do a full tour, because his group hit some land mines and died. My father's friend died right in front of him. To this DAY, I still don't know what happened only that waking up my father from a sound sleep, isn't the most healthy thing to do for us. He has nightmares still from his experience and he was only there a few MONTHS. I can't imagine what my 2 uncles go through. My Father has been diagnosed with the "highest level of Post Traumatic Syndrome" in our county. He's currently in therapy for it.

I agree with history repeating itself if we forget. I work for a Jewish owned firm and our founder & his wife are Holocaust survivors. To this day, even though she herself is German, she will never return. "Why should I go back, when they did so much to make me leave" is what she told me once.

I will light my candles for those who died for what they believe in and just for being a human who was "different".