Quote:
Originally Posted by fabsroman
It is all in the eyes of the beholder. Ever stop to think that we dropped 2 atomic bombs on Japan and killed thousands of civilians? That sounds like a war crime to me. How about the fire bombing of Dresden? That one sounds like an atrocity to me too. People will argue that it was done to completely demoralize the Germans, but IMO the war was already over and it wasn't needed.
Didn't we round up Japanese civilians and put them behind fences. Granted, nothing like the German camps or the way the Japanese treated POWs.
Then, you have to keep in mind that the history of wars is usually written by the victors.
Got into it on another chatboard with a Canadian that felt Canada did more in WWII than the US. I guess that is how a Canadian would view it through Canadian eyes.
Finally, I do think the guy was a small cog in a really big machine. If a soldier is given an order to kill civilians, or even torture them, what is that soldier to do. Just look at the US and waterboarding. Let's not even get into the crap that happens at Guantanomo. Not that I completely disagree with it, but just because we might have to court martial a lot more Americans and send the President to prison too.
We happen to be the "good guys" in WWII because we won.
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Fabs you happen to be right about one or two things in all that stuff you posted.. But think of this.. Yep..the victors in a war write the history..or it used to be that way. It is no longer. We dropped bombs in Japan. We killed civilians. Didn't we kill civlilians with the normal bombs? Didn't the Japanese kill civilians? War my friend is not won by the "good guys". It is won by the nastiest SOBS. Seriously How many civilians and military men would have died had we invaded Japan. I submit it would have been more..much more..maybe as many as a million as the Japanese were ready to defend the homeland to the death...men women and children. We could have bombed Tokyo..cut the head off the snake but we didn't do that. It would have killed hundreds of thousands more..and I think you know it. We(meaning the US) did not make the decision to bomb Dresden..which was filled to overflowing with refugees. The Brits wanted that to be done and they got their way. The war was almost over...but many many more people would have died had we done less. Look at the Russians. We talk of the killing of 6 millions civilians in the death camps in Europe(contrary to popular belief they were not all Jews). The Russians killed 20 millions. BUT think of the Rape of Nanking..the Bataan Death march and many other atrocities at the hands of the japanese...especially in China. In Europe the Geneva Convention supposedly reigned...but not with the Japanese. They were not signatories. Now as to waterboarding..it seems it got Bin Hiding. I'm sorry the only way to win a war is to be meaner than the other guy. If that offends your sensibilities..so be it. I am not sorry for that. I'm just glad that you and I have the right to say what we think. That right was given to you and me by ...yep..the meanest SOBS on the block. For that I am happy and will not apologize...and I am sad to think that you will.