02-27-2004, 11:32 PM
That's sad, but that's life, Rhiannon. If we fought gentlemen's wars, there wouldnt be war to begin with. That same motivations that drive people to either start or defend against war are the same ones that leave them ignorant of innocent people's lives.
Picture yourself in a soldier's shoes. Around you, people are trying to kill you. If you hesitate, you could and probably will die. So if a car runs past a check point or a soldier fires on you while standing near civilians, it's either you die or they die. Humans are self-serving, they won't die for a stranger.
As far as the bombs go, there was radiation, though more torturous, was not quite as devastating as the fires that ravaged the cities after the explosion. Nonflammable was not exactly the theme of Japenese architecture at the time, and people on the outskirts of the city had to deal with not only radiation but fires as well. Like in most earthquakes, the fires caused by the disaster can be much more horrifying than the disaster itself. This is why the incindiary carpet bombings of London, Dresden and Tokyo are even bigger atrocities in my mind than Hiroshima, because these we targeted, blind killings of civilians with complete and total knowledge of the aftermath.
Picture yourself in a soldier's shoes. Around you, people are trying to kill you. If you hesitate, you could and probably will die. So if a car runs past a check point or a soldier fires on you while standing near civilians, it's either you die or they die. Humans are self-serving, they won't die for a stranger.
As far as the bombs go, there was radiation, though more torturous, was not quite as devastating as the fires that ravaged the cities after the explosion. Nonflammable was not exactly the theme of Japenese architecture at the time, and people on the outskirts of the city had to deal with not only radiation but fires as well. Like in most earthquakes, the fires caused by the disaster can be much more horrifying than the disaster itself. This is why the incindiary carpet bombings of London, Dresden and Tokyo are even bigger atrocities in my mind than Hiroshima, because these we targeted, blind killings of civilians with complete and total knowledge of the aftermath.
i]"I know what you're thinking. Did he fire six shots or only five? Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I've kinda lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum ... you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya punk?"[/i] - Dirty Harry