Text 37490, 79 rader
Skriven 2006-08-25 13:55:00 av LEE LOFASO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av ROY WITT
Ärende: CELEBRATION!
====================
Hello Roy,

>LL>Face it, Bob.  Harry S Truman was a mass murderer.  The
>LL>Japanese high command had offered to surrender a full month
>LL>*before* the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  Now

>BK>As I recall, it was an offer of a condition filled surrender.

>LL>Of course it was.  After all, none of the Japanese high
>LL>command wanted to put on trial and sentenced to death.

>BK>Since the Japanese high command were guilty of more murders than
>BK>died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, they had no right to expect
>BK>anything else.

>LL>What exactly was the Japanese high command guilty of?  Fighting
>LL>a war is not exactly a war crime, now is it?

RW>War crimes against humanity of course...most of the 'high command' did the
RW>right thing (in true Japanese tradition) and commited suicide...the rest
RW>were tried and hanged.

Funny that several of the "greatest" war criminals given life sentences
received early paroles.  Why is that?  Gen. Sadao Araki was paroled in
1955.  Col. Kingoro Hashimoto was paroled in 1954.  Field Marshal
Shunroku Hata was paroled in 1954.  Naoki Hoshino was paroled in 1955.
Okinori Kaya was paroled in 1955.  Marquis Koichi Kido was paroled in
1955.  Adm. Takasumi Oka was paroled in 1954.  Gen. Hiroshi Oshima was
paroled in 1955.  Adm. Shigetaro Shimada was paroled in 1955.  Gen.
Kenryo Sato was paroled in 1956.  Gen. Teiichi Suzuki was paroled in
1956.  As you can see, life sentences never seemed to last a real
lifetime.  In fact, many other war criminals received even lesser
sentences.  Some of them received no sentences at all.

Not all war crimes were crimes against humanity.  The Tokyo War
Crimes Trials (1946-1948) were dismissed by many as phony and nothing
more than a case of "Japan Bashing", especially given some of the
comments made by Chief Prosecutor Joseph B. Keenan, who said of the
defendants, "They are plain, ordinary murderers."  Not only were
Japanese officers put on trial, but also Japanese Imperial Army
privates, and even former prime ministers.  Rather than charging them
with beheadings, unethical medical experiments, or cannibalism on POWs,
most were found guilty of the more easily prosecutable charge of murder.
In any event, since those trials were held, many people around the world
have claimed the proceedings were tainted by racism, vengeance, and
guilt.

Furthermore, since none of the defendants represented a government in
which genocide was a policy, the prosecution had a very difficult time
to convict them, unlike the prosecutors of Nazi war criminals.

Where was our sense of American justice and fair play in the Nuremburg
trials?  Where was our sense of American justice and fair play in the
Tokyo War Crimes Trials?  Did it exist?  What about our sense of
American justice and fair play in the trial of Saddam Hussein?  Oh,
it may be true that Saddam is being tried in Iraqi courts.  But who
wrote the rules?

In any event, the Japanese prime minister makes an annual trip
to the Yasakuni Shrine, to honor all the Japanese dead, including
the 14 Japanese who were executed as a result of the Tokyo War
Crimes Trials.  You see, to the Japanese, they are heroes.

RW>Since they spoke for the Emporer, he was spared the humility,
RW>but was demoted to just Emperor, rather than Emperor God. Not to
RW>mention that his 'government' ties were severed under their new
RW>post war constitution.

The fate of the Emperor was decided long before anybody was put on
trial, the product of a "secret deal" personally arranged by President
Harry S Truman.  As for Japan's new constitution, we wrote it.  And
forced it upon the Japanese people.

--Lee


 * SLMR 2.1a * Nothing is so smiple that it can't get screwed up.
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
 * Origin: Try Our Web Based QWK: DOCSPLACE.ORG (1:123/140)