Wednesday, August 06, 2003

PAUSE

In case you missed it, today is the 58th anniversary of the beginning of the atomic age. On a sunny morning in the port city of Hiroshima, previously hardly touched by the war, around 50 thousand people (the actual number will never be known) were incinerated in the flash. Tens of thousands who survived the initial blast went on to suffer painful after effects of radiation sickness and other maladies.

Of course, another way to look at Hiroshima is to say that it ended the war earlier than would otherwise have happened. The invasion of Japan would have cost maybe 1/2 milion lives (significantly American, as well as Japanese). The debate still rages and I don't propose to harp on it here. (Just to say that I'm glad I was not in the shoes of Truman, the aircrew that fly that mission or a "survivor" of the attack.)

I think now is just the time to reflect upon the stage that man has got to that he (how many women have waged war apart from Thatcher?) can unleash such terrible power and destruction.

:: Posted by pete @ 13:14