Remembering Hiroshima – Nagasaki!

Atomic bomb mushroom clouds over Hiroshima (left) and Nagasaki (right). (Photo: Charles Levy/Public Domain)

      This week marks the 70^th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of two Japanese cities – Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9^th in 1945. In two blinding flashes of light, heat and radiation, these cities were leveled and more than 200,000 people died. Many more people suffered and died in the years following the blasts from radiation poisoning, cancers and genetic damage.

     Dr. Joseph Gerson, Director of Programs of the American Friends Service Committee, says “the myths that the A-bombings were necessary to end the war against Japan and that they saved the lives of half a million US troops remain widely believed. The myths serve as the ideological foundation for continuing U.S. preparations for nuclear war…”

     Dr. Gerson says “recent scientific studies demonstrate that even a “small” exchange of 50-100 nuclear weapons targeted against cities would result in fires, smoke that would cause global cooling,  and up to two billion deaths from famine.

      “All of which lead to a series of existential questions: As we race against time to save our civilizations from the impending ravages of climate change, why are our governments preparing to inflict nuclear annihilation?  Why do we tolerate the continued deployment and stockpiling of nearly 16,000 nuclear weapons, 90% of them in U.S. and Russian arsenals?” (It should be noted that Hawaii is one of the most militarized places on earth including forces equipped with nuclear weapons and a nuclear weapon storage depot at West Loch of Pearl Harbor.)

     Perhaps one of the most important questions is why is the U.S. now planning to spend one trillion dollars to “modernize” its nuclear arsenal and delivery systems which other powers will likely try to follow? Isn’t it time for the U.S. to be leading the effort toward nuclear disarmament?

See the complete article by Dr. Joseph Gerson here http://commondreams.org/views/2015/07/31/our-70th-anniversary-homework-confronting-myths-and-learning-lessons-hiroshima-and

No More Hiroshimas! No More Nagasakis!

No More War! War Never Again!

1. Mourn all victims of violence. 2. Reject war as a solution. 3. Defend civil liberties.
   4. Oppose all discrimination, anti-Islamic, anti-Semitic, anti-Hawaiian, etc.
   5. Seek peace through justice in Hawai`i and around the world. Contact:
   Malu `Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action P.O. Box 489 Kurtistown, Hawai`i 96760.
   Phone (808) 966-7622. Email:ja@malu-aina.org http://www.malu-aina.org/

Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet (Aug. 7, 2015 – 724th week) – Friday 3:30-5PM downtown Post Office