When jokes bomb
After last night, some would say that Gravel's sanity tank is half empty. If you ask me, it's half full.
For those of you who missed it, in the first Democratic Primary debate he said (or kinda barked):
GRAVEL: I got to tell you, after standing up with [the other Democratic candidates], some of these people frighten me -- they frighten me. When you have mainline candidates that turn around and say that there's nothing off the table with respect to Iran, that's code for using nukes, nuclear devices...To my mind, it's immoral, and it's been immoral for the last 50 years as part of American foreign policy."
Then later...
And you know something? Who is the greatest violator of the non- proliferation treaty? The United States of America. We signed a pledge that we would begin to disarm, and we're not doing it. We're expanding our nukes. Who the hell are we going to nuke? Tell me, Barak. Barak, who do you want to nuke?
OBAMA: I'm not planning to nuke anybody right now, Mike, I promise.
(LAUGHTER)
In all seriousness, I think that Gravel's concern with loose Nukes / proliferation and U.S. Nuclear hypocrisy is entirely too rare on Capitol Hill. Or in America for that matter. In my eyes it really should be at the very forefront of the global War on Terror.
When fighting a stateless enemy, which will never run out of recruits as long as hopelessness and anti-Americanism in the region continues, I think securing and reducing nukes is one of the tactics that has the most promise in preventing a massive attack on US soil.
Along with the studio audience, Brian Williams and Obama, I too chuckled at the exchange though. Thinking back, it wasn't really a laughing matter. I think our reaction reflects our general disconnect on this issue. I'd bet a similar exchange regarding say...terrorism or genocide, would not have drawn such laughter from the crowd, no matter how comical the delivery.
The cover of John Hersey's book Hiroshima says "Everyone able to read should read it." I agree. The book records the real-life accounts of six Hiroshima residents going about their lives on the day the bomb was dropped. It outlines what each was doing on August 6th, 1945 and shortly thereafter. The accounts are heart-wrenching, nauseating and may leave you with a newfound perception of the bomb.
In most editions, the book has a final chapter in which the author follows up, 40 years later, to find out what became of the six survivors. Like Night by Elie Wiesel, this book should be required reading in our high schools.
Sometimes I think back to situations in my past when I jokingly used the phrase "dropped bombs like Hiroshima" for a laugh. And got one. Those jokes I would very much like to take back now.
For those of you who missed it, in the first Democratic Primary debate he said (or kinda barked):
GRAVEL: I got to tell you, after standing up with [the other Democratic candidates], some of these people frighten me -- they frighten me. When you have mainline candidates that turn around and say that there's nothing off the table with respect to Iran, that's code for using nukes, nuclear devices...To my mind, it's immoral, and it's been immoral for the last 50 years as part of American foreign policy."Then later...
And you know something? Who is the greatest violator of the non- proliferation treaty? The United States of America. We signed a pledge that we would begin to disarm, and we're not doing it. We're expanding our nukes. Who the hell are we going to nuke? Tell me, Barak. Barak, who do you want to nuke?
OBAMA: I'm not planning to nuke anybody right now, Mike, I promise.
(LAUGHTER)
In all seriousness, I think that Gravel's concern with loose Nukes / proliferation and U.S. Nuclear hypocrisy is entirely too rare on Capitol Hill. Or in America for that matter. In my eyes it really should be at the very forefront of the global War on Terror.
When fighting a stateless enemy, which will never run out of recruits as long as hopelessness and anti-Americanism in the region continues, I think securing and reducing nukes is one of the tactics that has the most promise in preventing a massive attack on US soil.Along with the studio audience, Brian Williams and Obama, I too chuckled at the exchange though. Thinking back, it wasn't really a laughing matter. I think our reaction reflects our general disconnect on this issue. I'd bet a similar exchange regarding say...terrorism or genocide, would not have drawn such laughter from the crowd, no matter how comical the delivery.
The cover of John Hersey's book Hiroshima says "Everyone able to read should read it." I agree. The book records the real-life accounts of six Hiroshima residents going about their lives on the day the bomb was dropped. It outlines what each was doing on August 6th, 1945 and shortly thereafter. The accounts are heart-wrenching, nauseating and may leave you with a newfound perception of the bomb.
In most editions, the book has a final chapter in which the author follows up, 40 years later, to find out what became of the six survivors. Like Night by Elie Wiesel, this book should be required reading in our high schools.
Sometimes I think back to situations in my past when I jokingly used the phrase "dropped bombs like Hiroshima" for a laugh. And got one. Those jokes I would very much like to take back now.
By Robert - 4/29/2007
12 Comments:
Oh crap! I just realize I had comments turned off on this post all weekend. Sorry to anyone who tried to leave one.
I had a very lenthy comment that has gone up in smoke as well as my rusty middle/age memory.....
Heres a synopsis:
1.) There in NOTHING about Hiroshima and Nagasaki that should be joked about, thank you for noting same.
2.) My father participated in the Manhattan Project on Tinian - I am considered a member of an minute and thought provoking group called "Children of the Manhattan Project" - google it for more
3.)Revisionism be damned, not using those weapons would have prolonged the war in which 100,000 +- lives were perishing per month and the Japanese Military Empire was prepared
to commit national suicide. WWII may have continued for an unimaginable time as US forces would have inevitably faced Russian forces somewhere in Japan.
(Ref: The Prisoner and the Bomb, Laurens Vander Post, 1971)
4.) Hirohito stated in his surrender message that these weapons were a main reason for surrender ( He thought the US had plenty of em)(Ref.
http://www.112thseabees.com/history/hirohito.htm
5.) Just as kids with fireworks, had these weapons NOT been use in 1945 - does anyone really believe that they would NOT have been tried out - say in Korea?
6.) NOBODY I have ever been associated with whose family member was responsible for the atomic weapons drops on Japan ever joked about it. All would be very happy to wake up tomorrow in a atomic weapon free universe.
7.)Had the war continued until the utter conventional destruction of Japan, the loss of viable young Americans would have been so damaging to the US that God only knows what would have become of the world.
Robert, for some reason HTML did not work....Now it works????
Hirohito's Surrender Address
Petey,
Thanks for the comments.
I think there is a bit of a generation gap here.
The younger one is, the greater the disconnect.
I'm adding a second picture to this post: it's literally where I first heard of the atomic bomb.
If dropping the bombs on Japan had any lasting positve effect, it was to show the world how bloody awful they were. That the world knew this may have kept the Cold War from escalating. Who knows?
BTW Petey, my uncle worked on the Manhattan Project under Soldier Field in Chicago. He's pushing 90 and still won't talk about it.
Menck, exactly...(bloody awful)
My dad was a member of the 6th Construction Brigade (Seabees),,,individual battalions were hand picked to build the facilities on Tinian not only for the 509th (Atomic" Bomb Group but for the 58th BW and the 313th BW.
As you know the project was shrouded in secrecy and the participants were true to that until lately when the "Tinian Atomic Papers" were declassified. An author & friend on Tinian, Don Farrell, is working on telling the story in conjunction with my past writings which include the "Effort at Tinian"
In 2003, the 112th Seabees were honored guests at Oak Ridge - thats where I found out that the Seabees are indeed "Children of the Manhattan Project"...& as a profound bonus --- I sat in Enrico Fermi's chair near a test reactor....I am aware that the first "reaction" was produced at U Chicago.
Salute to your Uncle.
You may agree with this:
The Manhattan Project astutely illustates what the USA can do if we truly wish to. Projects good or bad aside - we have so much potential for progress it just makes me very upset to witness mere political clowns running the whole show.
Energy problems, Global warming - I will believe nothing less than that WE HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO SOLVE THESE!!
Whats missing is this:
THE CAN-DO SPIRIT
Salute once again to your uncle & greeting to you as a Child of yoo- know -what
I see that garbage pail kids cartoon and wander what the creator had in mind?
Personally, that is painful for me or my father to view.
I wonder what kids get out of it....would a cartoon of napalmed & burning humans running away in agony amuse the same audience?
Gotta love it. Gravel is going to keep repeating himself. I think this does wonders for Obama. Hillary's war vote is going to be her downfall.
Latest headline at CNN...
Gravel: Anyone who voted for Iraq should not be president
(Whoops. I meant to put that last comment on the other Gravel post.)
This is begninning to sound like the hundred of thousnads that saw Lenny Barker's perfect game. My stepfather was also involved in the project and also viewed many of the tests after the war.
I would also suggest the book "The Rape of Nanking". if anyone forgets what liberators the Japanese Army was.
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