[Rick29940]

You’re not paying close enough attention. The U.S. policy not only specifies the targeting of civilians in its definition of terrorism, but also that it is committed by non-state organizations, in non-war situations. Unlike Israel and the Palestinians, Japan and the United States were two states actively at war. (The Palestininans have been unwilling to adopt the modern values necessary for them to have their own state and military, clinging instead to ineffective and backward ways like suicide bombings.) As the U.S. military began to defeat the Japanese in battle after battle, they found that the Japanese would not surrender (except when booby-trapping themselves with grenades like today’s suicide bombers), forcing the Americans to kill them. The best estimates that the United States had at the time showed that a full-scale land assault on Japan would cost more lives than using atomic weapons (not nuclear, as you inaccurately state). The decision was not made lightly. Remember, the Japanese could have avoided this fate by 1) not committing an unprovoked, atrocious attack on the United States, and 2) heeding the United States’ warnings about the new super weapon. Unfortunately, they did not choose either path. Instead, they kept fighting. Obviously, the United States would have preferred not to have been forced to kill civilians. The consensus was that it was an ugly, nasty, brutal job, but a job that had to be done, nevertheless. That was the thinking at the time, right or wrong. The result was horrible and should never be repeated. But even if Hiroshima and Nagasaki can be defined as terrorism, that would not excuse terrorism. Here’s an example: if a murderer makes the statement that murder is immoral and should never be committed, is he wrong? No. In that case the murderer would be absolutely correct.

User Detail :  

Name : Rick29940, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, City : Springfield, State : OH, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Author]

Posts