Wednesday, November 22, 2023

GIVE THANKS FOR TRUE WILDERNESS

 

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November 22. 2023


Give Thanks for True Wilderness


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THE CYCLOPS MOUNTAINS OF NEW GUINEA

(All direct quotes from the NY Times are in blue)


I was filled with wonder yesterday, reading the NY Times' weekly Science section, and finding out about an Oxford expedition into the isolated Cyclops Mountains on the island of New Guinea.


But first a "Wait a minute!" arose in my mind. It was the specter of the horrible history of colonial "exploration" and expeditions. Were these obviously privileged (because from Oxford) Westerners exploiting the local people for their own scientific glory? But in fact, they made a real effort to show their appreciation and gratitude. To quote from the article:

Local residents from the village of Yongsu Separi, including two guides, Zacharias and Samuel Sorondanya, were crucial to finding species and properly placing cameras. Local students also received biodiversity survey training from the researchers during the trek. The team plans to name the new species for the local students and collaborators.


Iain Kobak, co-founder of Yappenda, a conservation and research foundation based in Papua that helped organize the expedition, said that such explorations would help protect the flora and fauna of the area. "I really hope and believe this will become a catalyst for strong conservation of the Cyclops Mountain Range," he said.

I think we can say that these scientists have made a sincere and significant effort to honor the actual people who live in the Cyclops Mountains. Just imagine being a student and having a newly discovered species named for you. This expedition was a good thing.


And, this being the holiday of gratitude, I damn well want to give thanks for THAT!

This is what comes from facing the evils

that your country has done in the past:

It motivates you to change your behavior!


Now let us return to the amazing discoveries that this wilderness had to offer.


The photo below confirms the survival of a bizarre egg-laying mammal, Attenborough's long-beaked echidna, which was thought to be extinct.


The photo below (from Google images) must be from the last time the echidna was seen, in 1961. This mammal is about the size of a house cat. Very little is known about it other than that it eats insects and worms.

Please note this wonderfully strange being was named for David Attenborough, a very famous British scientist and broadcaster, who needed the honor like a hole in the head.

  • This species is one of five living monotremes, a strange group of primitive mammals that includes the platypus and three other echidna species. Monotremes diverged from the common ancestors of other mammals around 200 million years ago. The five species lay eggs and nurse their young with milk through pores in their skin, as they lack nipples, and possess snouts that sense movements and electrical currentsin prey.


And then there's the new species of hopping shrimp, about as big as a grain of rice, which lives nowhere near the ocean:

  • These crustaceans were all over the place, including in trees, moss, rotting longs and even under rocks, said the expedition's lead entomologist. "It's a very weird creature," Dr. Davranoglou said, adding that it's able to leap three or four feet in the air to escape predators. "We were quite awe-struck, really."


" Quite awe-struck, really." I love how the British talk about being awe-struck in the most calm and civilized way.


And as if that weren't enough for one expedition, there's the moss-covered hole:


  • During one climb, a researcher fell into a moss-covered hole that turned out to be an unknown cave system Within it, the team found blind spiders and crickets and a large whip scorpiion, all new to science, Dr. Davranoglou said. The team also found at least three new species of amphibians in the surrounding forest.


Just imagine falling into a hole, which must have been at least a little scary, and discovering a world of unknown creatures! It's like a dream, like a moment from Alice in Wonderland come to life.


This year I give thanks for the jumping shrimp and the blind spiders, the wildness that still exists in this world, the secrets that still abound. I give thanks for the scientists who now name new species after the people who helped them in their work. And especially I give thanks and offer prayers for the survival of Attenborough's long-beaked echidna and, while we're at it, the other four monotreme species. And I give thanks for the New York Times, for bringing me the news of the expedition and the cave discovered through a scientist's slip and fall. May the Times, threatened with extinction like all newspapers, survive along with the little long-beaked echidna into the far off future.



Dear Bloggellinnis: Long time no blog! What can I say? I've been stuck. I've started blogs many times but could never finish one. Have you ever been stuck? I never have been before. I think it's because my collaborator/soul sister/upstairs neighbor Carolyn moved away. But that was more than two years ago. That's a long time to be stuck! I think I secretly wanted to ruin my life to punish Carolyn for moving away. That'll show her, I thought deep down somewhere in my twisty mind! I'll stop doing the work that gives me the most joy. Ha ha! Take that, Carolyn!


But I just had to tell you about these wonderful creatures. And the moss-covered hole. I was quite awe-struck myself, really! I had to share it.


I certainly never ran out of things to say to you. But I'd lost the will to say them. I think I might not be stuck any longer. I know Carolyn will be very relieved if that is true. Terry





Monday, September 11, 2023

$25 Rush Tix B4 11:59pm Today -- SF Opera Il Tovatore -- Fantastic!

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September 11, 2023


$25 Rush Tix B4 1l:59 Today

SF Opera Il Trovatore

Tomorrow -- Fantastic!


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HOW TO PURCHASE RUSH TICKETS FOR OPENING NIGHT (TOMORROW) FOR IL TROVATORE:

  1. Visit us at sfopera.com during the sales period.
  2. Click on the Buy Tickets button.
  3. Choose the September 12 performance of Il Trovatore.
  4. Enter the promo code: SEERUSH.
  5. Select seats and checkout—your discount* will be reflected on the checkout page. Limit 2 tickets.

If you need assistance, call the Box Office at (415) 864-3330.

(I wasn't able to test the links. I think their computer got suspicious of my computer after I tested it once. So do phone if you have problems. Terry)


I have the great fortune to have a good friend who works as a dresser for Broadway shows, the Ballet -- and the San Francisco Opera. She gets two free tickets to the dress rehearsals of the Opera, and she called me in great excitement about Il Trovatore by Verdi, which opens tomorrow Sept.12 at the Opera House. My friend had been hearing the music while she was working backstage, and the singers sounded extraordinary to her.


So I betook myself and a friend who was an opera virgin on Saturday night. My dresser friend was right! It was absolutely wonderful.


Of particular wonder was Angel Blue, below, (I want that name!) as Leonora, which is considered one of the great female opera roles. She sings for 22 consecutive minutes and then at the end has to sing lying down, while she dies. Both of these are considered real feats in the operatic world. But those are just impressive facts. Her ability to communicate deep emotions, and especially her voice -- these are difficult to describe. I really don't know anything about opera, but Blue's voice... again, I am at a loss for words.



Ekaterina Semenchuk was deeply moving as Azucena, the gypsy woman who seeks to avenge the death of her mother, who was burned at the stake as a witch.

In the scene above, Azucena is joined by her beloved son, the Troubador who gives the opera its title. Well, actually, he's NOT her son. He's the son of the old Count and the brother of the young Count, who is his sworn enemy and his rival for the beauteous Leonora. You see, after her mom was murdered, Azucena stole the baby in revenge, but she got him confused with her OWN baby and....


Well, this is opera, folks. I can only say that the storry was thrilling, compelling and worthy of suspending your disbelief.


Verdi's music is just plain gorgeous -- lovely or gripping melodies, duets, trios, arias -- all that great stuff that you don't get in most modern operas, which have scores that could have written by ME, they're so bland. The orchestra was dynamic and never too loud, under the expert leadership of Eun Sun Kim, the new musical director.

IF YOU'VE NEVER BEEN TO AN OPERA...

Why not start out at the top?!


IF YOU HATE OPERA...

Well, if you hate this production, you really DO hate opera!


IF YOU'RE FED UP WITH THE BLAND MUSIC OF MOST MODERN OPERAS...

Try the lush, emotional, varied music of Verdi, the greatest of opera composers.


IF YOU'RE AN AFICIONADO....

You MUST experience Angel Blue as Leonora!



DO IT! GO!


All for now, Bloggellinis. Terry

Saturday, August 19, 2023

Ya Gotta Laugh!

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August 21, 2023


Ya Gotta Laugh


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IT'S ARRAIGNING ON TRUMP'S CHARADE!

This delightful observation was sent to me by Bloggellini Roy after my column on Trump's indictment by Special Prosecutor Jack Smith.


And also in response to that blog, Bloggellini Mary sent me a link to this wonderful parody song performed by Emma's Revolution:

"RE-INDICTED"!!

Please click the photo below to see and hear this fabulous video.

Emma's Revolution wrote this classic after Der Toddler's SECOND indictment. But it gets more and more apt, with each indictment. Who could have imagined that the hits would just keep on coming?!?


Well, actually, we all did.


I've seen Emma's Revolution live several times, at performances and demonstrations. They've named themselves after Emma Goldman's famous quote, "If I can't dance, it's not my revolution." They bring a joyous and very political vision to their music.


To find out more about Emma's Revolution, go to their website, emmasrevolution.com.



All for now, Bloggellinis. Terry


"Fervent and heartfelt” ~ The New York Times

Known for fearless, truth-telling lyrics and melodies you can’t resist singing, Emma's Revolution is the dynamic, award-winning activist duo of Pat Humphries & Sandy O. The duo are in their 20th year performing together. Emma’s Revolution's songs have traveled around the world and have been sung for the Dalai Lama, praised by Pete Seeger and covered by Holly Near.


"Fervent and heartfelt” ~ The New York Times

Known for fearless, truth-telling lyrics and melodies you can’t resist singing, Emma's Revolution is the dynamic, award-winning activist duo of Pat Humphries & Sandy O. The duo are in their 20th year performing together. Emma’s Revolution's songs have traveled around the world and have been sung for the Dalai Lama, praised by Pete Seeger and covered by Holly Near.


"Fervent and heartfelt” ~ The New York Times

Known for fearless, truth-telling lyrics and melodies you can’t resist singing, Emma's Revolution is the dynamic, award-winning activist duo of Pat Humphries & Sandy O. The duo are in their 20th year performing together. Emma’s Revolution's songs have traveled around the world and have been sung for the Dalai Lama, praised by Pete Seeger and covered by Holly Near.


 

Monday, August 7, 2023

THOUGHTS ON THE TRUMP INDICTMENT

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August 4, 2023


Thoughts on

the Trump Indictment


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After reading a lot of news and commentary and watching a lot of videos of MSNBC commentators and analysis, I'm still trying to get my brain around this historic event. An ex-President will be prosecuted for attempting to overthrow the government.


What can I possibly say to my Bloggellinis about it?


ONE: YOU SHOULD READ THE INDICTMENT.

At this point, it's just business-a- usual for Trump to be indicted for SOMETHING. But I agree with columnist Charles Blow. THIS is the BIG ONE. You should read this 45-page indictment of Donald Trump. It is the first time Trump is being held accountable for the crimes he committed in his desperate attempts to overturn our democracy.

Prosecutor Jack Smith has intentionally created a document without any mysterious legal language.


THE INDICTMENT IS VERY EASY TO UNDERSTAND. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A PRINTABLE DOCUMENT.




TWO: THE EVIDENCE AGAINST TRUMP IS OVERWHELMING & IRREFUTABLE.

It is really amazing to read, in just a couple of hours, all the crimes Trump committed to overturn the results of a fair election. I always thought of Trump as lazy, incompetent and stupid. But he worked VERY HARD in so many different ways to try to remain in office despite haviing lost to Biden:

  • Pressuring election officials to manufacture ballots that didn't exist
  • Organizing slates of fake electors, who would vote for him, that would somehow replace the actual legal electors, who would vote for Biden
  • Accusing the makers of the voting machines of intentionally fixing them in favor of Biden
  • Accusing election workers of sneaking in illegal votes in suitcases and thumb drives
  • Fantasizing that there were dead people voting! There were non-citizens voting! There were people voting twice! Not just a few! Thousands and thousands!
  • Pressuring Vice President Pence to somehow turn his ceremonial act of certifying the election into a political act of overturning the election.
  • Pressuring the Justice Department into supporting these deluded ideas

And then, fomenting a terrifying but ultimately very lame insurrection.


I guess if you're a liar and a cheater yourself, it's really easy to think up ways to lie and cheat.


ALSO, THIS PROSECUTION COULDN'T POSSIBLY BE A POLITICAL VENDETTA BECAUSE IT'S BUILT ON THE TESTIMONY OF REPUBLICANS. THEY ALL WANTED TRUMP TO WIN. THEY WOULD HAVE BENEFITTED FROM HIS WINNING. THEY JUST WEREN'T WILLING TO DO ANYTHING ILLEGAL TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.


In other words, when this case goes to trial, it will be a slam dunk. There is no question that he will be convicted.


It's horrible that this person is still afflicting us. But it's fortunate that, although he is not lazy when protecting himself, he is still stupid and incompetent. An intelligent future dictator would have snuggled up to the military. But Trump insulted the top military brass from the very beginning. I was always very happy about that.


But if Trump is so stupid and incompetent, you say, why is he so powerful?

The whole thing is totally absurd, which is why it is so difficult for me to grasp that it really happened and is still happening.


Of course, the MOST absurd thing is the millions and millions of people who still support him. But that's another blog, assuming I can think of anything to say besides "Oy vey!" and "Holy shit."



THREE: MOST IMPORTANT WORDS IN INDICTMENT: "YOU'RE TOO HONEST."

When the Jan. 6 Committee was doing its thing, former Vice-President Pence refused to cooperate with them in any way. And the Jan. 6 Committee chose not to subpoena him. But he has fully cooperated with Prosecutor Smith's Grand Jury. A Grand Jury organized by the Justice Department has a lot more authority than a Congressional committee.


AND it turns out that Pence wrote extensive notes when Trump was pressuring him to commit treason (essentially). AND Pence has given those notes to the Grand Jury. Apparently, at one point when Trump was exercising his well-developed skills at arm-twisting, Trump said to Pence, "You're too honest."


Pence wrote those words down in his notes. This is crucial evidence because: Although it is totally obvious to any reasonable human being that Trump understood that he had lost the election and was intentionally lying and committing fraud -- the only time he actually admitted that he was being dishonest was when he accused Pence of being TOO honest. Those three words make Trump's intent crystal-clear. And the fact that Pence wrote it down AT THAT TIME makes the evidence more powerful. (Message to self: When someone is pressuring you to commit treason, TAKE NOTES!) (and remember where you PUT them....)



FOUR: JACK SMITH WAS SMART TO NOT CHARGE TRUMP FOR INCITING AN INSURRECTION.

Many are disappointed that Smith did not charge Trump for inciting to riot.


All the charges that Smith DOES make are very easy to prove. But, the charge of inciting insurrection runs up against the right to free speech.

  • Does tweeting an invitation to come to the Capitol on January 6, along with the words "Will be wild," count as inciting insurrection?
  • Is Trump's speech at the Ellipse before the riot free speech or incitement?
  • While the riot was in progress, was Trump's tweet, "Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done" an act of incitement?

These are judgment calls.


Certainly the fact that Trump waited three hours and seven minutes, before urging his supporters to leave the Capitol, proves that he was thrilled and delighted with the insurrection. But is enjoying an insurrection a crime?


Smith's previous job was as Chief Prosecutor at the War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague. His job was to put vicious dictators in prison. He knows that the insurrection charges would make for a much more lengthy and complex trial. So he didn't make these charges because...



FIVE: TIMING IS EVERYTHING.

According to one of the MSNBC commentators, because the evidence against Trump is so overwhelming that he will obviously be convicted, the most consequential decision the Judge has to make is when the case goes to trial.


Trump's lawyers will try to put off the trial as long as possible, arguing that it would conflict with Trump's campaign. (Yeah, Baby!) On the other side, some say that the trial could reasonably start two months from Judge Chutkan's announcement. The Judge will announce her decision on timing on August 25.


Judge Tanya Chutkan was randomly chosen for this trial. She is an Obama appointee. In 2021, Judge Chutkan denied Trump's attempt to shield his White House records from the January 6 Committee, ruling the former president did not have the power to prevent the disclosure. "Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President," she wrote of Trump.


Chutkan's decision may appear to be politically liberal. But in fact, it's very much mainstream. When Trump appealed it to the Trump-loaded Supreme Court, the Justices supported the Judge's decision 8-1.


According to Neal Kaytal, former acting Solicitor General of the United States:

  • "She has an enormous, enormous reputation in Washington, D.C., among lawyers. Whether you're a Republican lawyer or a Democratic lawyer, whether you're a prosecutor or a defense attorney, she's easily one of the most respected judges in this city."


So. We don't have to worry about the Judge. She is seen by others as impartial and competent.


Isn't it nice to have something we don't have to worry about?



Bloggellinis: This indictment is all good news. Why am I not deliriously happy? Because I know Trump will use it as more evidence of the Deep State plotting against him. I still think it's the right thing to do. We have to keep going on this path of holding Trump accountable. After all, we can never know the repercussions of ANY action we take. Sometimes you just have to do the right thing, even though you're unsure of the results. Terry

BOMBING HIROSHIMA WAS NOT NECESSARY!

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August 7, 2023


Bombing Hiroshima

was Not Necessary!


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I'm thinking about the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki today. How could I not, considering the anniversary of the first bombing was yesterday and the anniversary of the second bombing is Wednesday?


How could I not when everyone is buzzing about the new movie, "Oppenheimer," about the Father of the Atomic Bomb.


I've seen a play about Oppenheimer. I've seen a documentary about Oppenheimer. I have felt very sorry for Oppenheimer. But if Oppenheimer was the Father of the Bomb, he never disowned or disavowed his offspring. I'm done with Oppenheimer.


I want to talk about moral and political issues around the bombing.

These are the questions that concern me:

WHY DID WE DROP THOSE ATOMIC BOMBS?

WAS IT NECESSARY TO END THE WAR?


My father was a soldier in the Pacific during World War II. He saw a lot of combat, taking one little island at a time from the Japanese army.I remember him saying many times:

"We did a terrible thing. But we had no choice.

If we hadn't done it, we would have had to invade Japan.

And who knows how many American soldiers would have been killed? Thousands and thousands and thousands.

And one of them might have been me.

We had to do it."

He said that many times, whenever the anniversary of the bombing rolled around, or when nuclear weapons were in the news. I knew that he wanted to assure me (and perhaps himself?) that dropping the bombs was a tragic act, but a necessary one.


That's what pretty much everyone says about the United States's decision to kill hundreds of thousands of civilians. "So terrible, so terrible. But it was the only way to end the war. Terrible but necessary." That's what we learned in school.


My father's repeated avowals over the years made me wonder if he was actually more troubled about Hiroshima than he would admit. And I also wondered if he was right that it was necessary to get Japan to surrender. I was driven to finally do some research of my own on the topic of why we dropped those bombs. I read several books on the subject. There seemed to be a pretty clear consensus among historians that...


IT'S A LIE!

There was no military need

to drop the atomic bombs!


The quotes from military leaders below are taken from a 2015 Nation Magazine article, on the 70th anniversary of the bombing in 2015.


Admiral William Leahy, Truman’s chief of staff, wrote in his 1950 memoir I Was There that:

The use of this barbarous weapon at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war against Japan. The Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender.… In being the first to use it, we…adopted an ethical standard common to the barbarians of the Dark Ages. I was not taught to make war in that fashion. Wars cannot be won by destroying women and children.”



I find that last sentence fascinating. Leahy is an old-fashioned TRADITIONAL admiral. He is saying: Not only is mass slaughtering of non-combatants barbaric -- IT DOESN'T WORK! You gotta kill soldiers! And there were very few soldiers or young men in the cities because they were all out fighting the war!


The commanding general of the US Army Air Forces, Henry “Hap” Arnold, said in an interview with the New York Times on August 17, when asked if the atomic bomb caused Japan to surrender: :

“The Japanese position was hopeless even before the first atomic bomb fell, because the Japanese had lost control of their own air.”

Admiral William "Bull" Halsey, the commander of the U.S. Third fleet said:

"The first atomic bomb was an unnecessary experiment. It was a mistake.... [the scientists] had this toy and they wanted to try it out, so they dropped it.”

Fleet Adm. Chester Nimitz, the commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet

said:

“The atomic bomb played no decisive part, from a purely military standpoint, in the defeat of Japan.”

Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe, stated in his memoirs that when notified by Secretary of War Henry Stimson of the decision to use atomic weapons:

“I voiced to him my grave misgivings, first on the basis of my belief that Japan was already defeated and that dropping the bomb was completely unnecessary, and secondly because I thought that our country should avoid shocking world opinion by the use of a weapon whose employment was, I thought, no longer mandatory as a measure to save American lives.”

He later said publicly:

“It wasn’t necessary to hit them with that awful thing.

Maj. Gen. Curtis LeMay, the head of the Twenty-First Bomber Command and a known hawk said:

“The atomic bomb had nothing to do with the end of the war at all.”

So there is a consensus among the highest military leaders: Bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki with this new weapon was NOT NECESSARY.


The U.S. had broken the Japanese codes. They knew that Japan was already trying to negotiate surrender using the Soviet Union as an intermediary. In the end, Japan surrendered two days after the Soviet Union declared war on them. They feared being invaded by the Russians far more than they feared surrendering to the Americans and subsequent occupation by them.


People who believe the bombing was a just act often protest, "But we had a PLAN to invade Japan! That proves the bombing saved us from an invasion."


Well, no.


Of COURSE we had a plan. The military makes plans for all contingencies, far in advance. They don't say, "Hey guys, let's invade our enemy Japan next week. Oh, wait! First we have to make a plan!" They've already GOT a plan. We now know, for example. from Trump's cavalier flinging around of documents, that the Army has a plan for invading Iran. That does NOT mean that we are actually going to invade Iran in the near future. People are justifiably worried about a lot of things right now, but us invading Iran is not one of them.


SO WHY DID WE COMMIT THIS BARBARIC CRIME

OF DROPPING ATOMIC BOMBS

ON JAPANESE CIVILIANS?



Historians don't know for sure. But there are a lot of possible reasons:


President Truman longed for UNCONDITIONAL surrender, which would have included surrendering the Emperor to U.S. authorities. Perhaps Truman hoped -- even assumed --that the bombings would lead to unconditional surrender. But if so, he was wrong. Even after two bombings, the Japanese STILL refused to give the U.S. their Emperor. Truman had to settle for the Emperor declaring to his subjects that he was not divine.


There are three other possible reasons that historians ponder:


CURIOSITY: As Admiral Halsey said, the scientists dearly wanted to play with the toy they had so laboriously created. After all, if they never dropped the bomb on real people, they would never REALLY know whether it worked or not!


REVENGE: When Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Japan had the temerity to invade the sacred borders of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! No nation had done that. And, to this day, Japan remans the only country to have militarily attacked us. Defeating Japan was not enough. We had to PUNISH them!


And perhaps most important:


SHOWING THE SOVIET UNION WHAT WE HAD:

In terms of negotiating in the post-war world, instilling fear in the Soviet Union could be VERY useful. Manhattan Project scientist Leo Szilard met with Secretary of State James Byrnes on May 28, 1945. According to Szilard:

Byrnes was concerned about Russia’s postwar behavior…and thought that Russia might be more manageable if impressed by American military might, and that a demonstration of the bomb might impress Russia.”

Byrnes got his wish. The fact that he was a Southern racist probably had some bearing on his willingness to slaughter hundreds of thousands of Asian non-combatants, in order to win an advantage in diplomatic negotiations negotiations with the Russians..


********************************************************

I did my father with the fruits of burrowing into history books. He was an old man by the time I did the research. I didn't want to upset him. His belief in the morality of the decision to drop the bomb was important to him. It was comforting. He believed his country was good. I didn't see the point in destroying his innocence.


But maybe I made the wrong decision. My father, and probably most Americans want to believe that this country is good. After all, we were courageous and good when we fought for our freedom from England. We did the right thing when we fought a civil war to end slavery. We were good when we entered the war against Hitler and Germany.


But we committed an evil act when we dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.


If we had been honest about that, if we had faced that we had needlessly murdered hundreds of thousands of women, children and old people -- maybe we would have been humbled.


Maybe we would have understood that the United States is not inherently good. We would have understood that our country is capable of committing evil acts.


Maybe that humility would have made us hesitate before invading Vietnam..... Or Iraq.


I want to live in a humble country,

a country that is brave enough

to acknowledge the evil it has committed.




Bloggellinis: Please forward this email to people who might believe that bombing Hiroshima or Nagasaki was necessary to get Japan to surrender. And please consider getting involved in anti-nuclear weapons work. ICAN, the International Committee against Nuclear Weapons is a good place to start. The organization won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017. Terry