I quote Insty a lot, I know, but at the end of it all, Glenn Reynolds is a very smart and wise man. Frankly (and I know he’s not interested, more’s the pity), our country needs him, and more like him, to be in a position of power rather than being a respected law professor at some university*.
Here’s what caught my eye recently:
“There was a time when I doubted the morality of Hiroshima, Tokyo, and Dresden. Watching the world today, I’m glad that our forebears had the courage and moral clarity that too many parts of our contemporary society lack.”
Asking for “moral clarity” in our current amoral power elite is far too big an expectation.
*I know, I know — to Glenn, UTenn isn’t just “some university”, but in relation to his stature, intellect and character, I’m afraid that to the rest of us, and to me in particular, it is.
If GR were in a “position of power” he would not have the time to edit the blog and thus would not affect thoughts and actions to anywhere near the extent that he now does.
Who the hell is Miguel Cardona?
.
https://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=mcafee&type=E211US714G0&p=Miguel+Cardona
I too used to be ambivalent about the nuking of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. At least until I read “Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire” by Richard B. Frank. He explains what was happening to Japan even before Hiroshima. We firebombed Tokyo and other cities relentlessly. I believe there were even more civilian casualties than Hiroshima.
If Japan had not surrendered, we would have had to invade. The military casualties would have been catastrophic. The Japanese civilian casualties would have been worse. The Japanese were training civilians to attack Allied troops. Besides all this, the next step for the Allies would have been to bomb the railroad bridges that brought food to the cities. The result would have been mass starvation. Personally, I would rather be killed in an instant than starve to death.
I believe the estimates range from 5 to 25 million total deaths (military and civilian) if we’d been forced to invade the home islands of Japan. There wouldn’t have been much of Japan left, and I guarantee that we wouldn’t have been nearly as benevolent post-war if we’d invaded.
“Asking for “moral clarity” in our current amoral power elite is far too big an expectation.”
I don’t think he’s talking about the “power elite”.
“The people” are who need the “moral clarity” to take the intent of the Second Amendment and put it to use.
Considering “the people” I encounter, it’s still too big an expectation. :-\
From what I’ve read, an invasion was expected to result in at least
one million U.S. casualties !!! Probably a bit on the low side as numbers go.
One of the best statements I ever heard ( not sure where ) regarding the
decision to either invade or bomb – ‘The Japanese will eat rocks before they
give up that island !
I’ve seen some clips of some of the suicides. Mothers tossing babies off
of cliffs and then jumping themselves. Difficult to watch. The civilian
population had been totally brain washed regarding how the Americans would
treat them. It was past time to end that war, quickly and completely.
I have no problem with the decision that was made.
I suspect, even in the long run, it saved lives, both ours and theirs !
In preparation for the invasion of Japan, the War Department ordered half a million Purple Heart medals, and is *still* working through that inventory.