The speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi has laid flowers at a Japanese memorial to atom bomb victums.

Pelosi is the highest ranking offical to visit the site, the first city to ever suffer a nuclear attack.

More than 140,000 people were killed by the American bomb towards the end of WW2.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7593298.stm

I wonder if any high ranking Japanese official or warlord ever placed a wreath of flowers at the USS Arizona.

Just curious.

I have often gotten the notion from extreme liberals and foreigners that American military action is mostly wrong but military action on Americans is very justified.

Not that America has never deserved anything.. but I'm not so sure that the context is balanced.

I have often gotten the notion from extreme liberals and foreigners that American military action is mostly wrong but military action on Americans is very justified.

Extreme liberals and foreigners, well I fall into at least one of those categories.
Anyway. This notion of yours is based on what ?

personal experience...

Fuck me Decka, spit it out.

Spit what out mr. P?

I wonder if any high ranking Japanese official or warlord ever placed a wreath of flowers at the USS Arizona.

Interesting question. I will say, when I was there, at least a 1/3 of the people visiting were Japanese tourists.

Spit what out mr. P?

These personal experiences.

Pelosi is a national disgrace. She should stay in Hiroshima.

Pelosi is a national disgrace. She should stay in Hiroshima.

Why is that ?

This may have been a not-good thing to do at this time, IMO.

There are many american war vets of that war still alive--that is, survivors of the Bataan Death March, etc.

Perhaps this wreath-laying could've waited a bit--say, 2 or 3 hundred years.

I think she was surprised by what she saw.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/queun/060508_Pol_PelosiTN1.jpg

This may have been a not-good thing to do at this time, IMO.

There are many american war vets of that war still alive--that is, survivors of the Bataan Death March, etc.

Perhaps this wreath-laying could've waited a bit--say, 2 or 3 hundred years.
I really wish we could differentiate between civilians and the military in war. It'd be even better to differentiate the military from the leaders.

I think she was surprised by what she saw.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/queun/060508_Pol_PelosiTN1.jpg
Yeah, like the casualty figure.

I'm already expecting some flack for asking this but i would really like an answer please.

What is she even doing there? I looked and can see nothing in the job description of the speaker of the house that includes foreign visits and functions such as this? Isn't she supposed to be presiding over the house of representatives?

Yeah, like the casualty figure.
She didn't know that ahead of time?

Boy, you do think she's dumb.

She didn't know that ahead of time?

Boy, you do think she's dumb.

Nice try Brooksy, but if ya like I'll say ''sure all Democrats are dumb''. There happy.

Pelosi is in Japan for a nuclear disarmament conference, part of a G8 shindig.

Maybe you guys are gonna decommission.

MAybe she is ther to gather more radiation to put in her face.

please not more???!!!

Pelosi is in Japan for a nuclear disarmament conference, part of a G8 shindig.

Maybe you guys are gonna decommission.
She's only there because the US doesn't care about disarmament. You'd have to pry those nukes from our cold dead hands. Those damn Ruskies could bomb us any day of the week.

She's only there because the US doesn't care about disarmament. You'd have to pry those nukes from our cold dead hands. Those damn Ruskies could bomb us any day of the week.

They're looking for guys who talk like that in St Paul, if your not busy :D

ya, lets give up our nukes while Russia is on the move, Pakistan still hangs in the balance, N Korea may be restarting it's program and Iran is giving the bird to the UN about halting it's own program. Good plan.

Yeah, like the casualty figure.

The Tokyo fire bombs killed more. People tend to ignore this event. Not dramatic enough.

How many chinese did the japs kill? A hell of a lot.

How many chinese did the japs kill? A hell of a lot.

Oh yes. Like in the Rape of Nanking.
That's something you'll NEVER see--the Chinese laying a wreath on a Japanese shrine.
Or the Irish laying a wreath on Cromwell's grave--not that he HAS a grave.

I'm already expecting some flack for asking this but i would really like an answer please.

What is she even doing there? I looked and can see nothing in the job description of the speaker of the house that includes foreign visits and functions such as this? Isn't she supposed to be presiding over the house of representatives?

It's kinda a nice gesture, but IMO, an insult to our vets. Call me rabid...my Dad was in the War. He wouldn't be happy about this.

Sorry Ren. The Tokyo incendiaries killed at most 125,000.
Cromwell-who cares, the piece of shit.
Nanking is a good one, tho what it has to do with 'our Nancy' I just dont know.

Sorry Ren. The Tokyo incendiaries killed at most 125,000.
Cromwell-who cares, the piece of shit.
Nanking is a good one, tho what it has to do with 'our Nancy' I just dont know.

This is what I was thinking of, from wikipedia:

Changing their tactics to expand the coverage and increase the damage, 279 B-29s raided on the night of March 9–10, dropping around 1,700 tons of bombs. Approximately 16 square miles (41 km˛) of the city were destroyed and some 100,000 people are estimated to have died in the resulting firestorm, more than the immediate deaths of either Hiroshima or Nagasaki.

That's more immediate deaths, it's true there were more eventual deaths from the atom bomb.

As for Nancy......wonder if she was ever in the water after a Japanese sub sank her ship and then saw her shipmates machine-gunned in the water.
Probably not.
I'll be frank. The Japanese were barbarians.

This is what I was thinking of, from wikipedia:

Changing their tactics to expand the coverage and increase the damage, 279 B-29s raided on the night of March 9–10, dropping around 1,700 tons of bombs. Approximately 16 square miles (41 km˛) of the city were destroyed and some 100,000 people are estimated to have died in the resulting firestorm, more than the immediate deaths of either Hiroshima or Nagasaki.

That's more immediate deaths, it's true there were more eventual deaths from the atom bomb.

As for Nancy......wonder if she was ever in the water after a Japanese sub sank her ship and then saw her shipmates machine-gunned in the water.
Probably not.
I'll be frank. The Japanese were barbarians.

Of course they were, I agree.
Tho an interesting point about targeting civilians. Air Marshell Harris of the RAF gave the go ahead to firebomb Dresden also.

As I know you are aware, the USAAF were involved in both raids, along with the RAF over Dresden, can you honestly say, knowingly attacking civilians is right by any side ?

I don't like the idea, but this was all out total war. Kill or be killed, I guess you could say.

I read an interview with a Japanese fighter pilot many years ago. They were talking about the bomb--he said, he understood why the Americans did it. He said his government would have done the same thing if they had had such a weapon.

That is the kind of enemy we faced. As for the Germans--Dresden, I feel sorry for them , up to a point. It's kinda hard to feel a lot of sympathy after seeing pictures of Aushwitz or Dachau. And the civilians said they "never knew" about the camps, or, even more ludicrous, "didn't like" Adolf. A bunch of baloney.

Well the Pacific War had an edge to it that Europe didnt, true. After Pearl, your guys understandably took no prisoners so to speak, I would agree that there may have been no alternative to nuking Japan, sadly it opened a new era of horror for the world.

Dresden has been described as having no military objective, as it was a transit stop for refugees fleeing the Red Army, and was crammed with civilians, although the Nazi committed terrible crimes, I would say that the stranglehold they had on Germany was so great, the people turned to sheep, tho Germans are notorious for being led in general.

No matter what is said, the two episodes leave a bad taste in the mouth I think.

To get back to our Nancy. Do you think she would have to get approval from Washington to attend the memorial ?

To get back to our Nancy. Do you think she would have to get approval from Washington to attend the memorial ?

In all honesty, I don't know. She may have been acting in a private capacity, as a private citizen.

It's true the War was many years ago and the wreath-laying hardly got any press at all. The years are going by and the memories are fading. Maybe that's a good thing.

But to guys like my Dad, it was yesterday. I cannot fault them if they do feel insulted. We owe a tremendous debt to those men.

In all honesty, I don't know. She may have been acting in a private capacity, as a private citizen.

It's true the War was many years ago and the wreath-laying hardly got any press at all. The years are going by and the memories are fading. Maybe that's a good thing.

But to guys like my Dad, it was yesterday. I cannot fault them if they do feel insulted. We owe a tremendous debt to those men.

Fair enough, your old man, I can understand.
As for Pelosi, being at a G8 event, she would be representing the Gov, tho the memorial, I dont know.
Im surprised the US networks didnt run with this story.