dimensionsintime:

annespage:

the only reason america dropped the atomic bomb was because we were at WAR idiots, if we hadn’t dropped the bomb the war would’ve lasted at lot longer. 9/11 was an act of terrorism, why don’t you go watch a video of the twin towers as they burn after the planes crash into them and later collapse in on themselves burying not only the people that worked there inside, but also the police officers and firefighters who were trying to rescue any survivors, and before they collapsed, when people were forced to choose to burn or jump out to their deaths. so yeah, the atomic bomb killed more people, but one was during WWII and the other was a direct attack of terrorism on America. And the only reason we were at war with Japan was because they attacked us at pearl harbor, if they hadn’t done that the war would’ve stayed in Europe and the atomic bomb wouldn’t have been dropped.

Not even remotely true, but thanks for playing. This misconception largely occurs because of the famous Stimson article that was featured in Harpers’ magazine.

Of course, he didn’t actually WRITE the thing and, though it presents itself as a fireside chat between two people it was actually a heavily engineered document, and almost every fact cited was knowingly wrong by the government at the time (declassified documents - read ‘em). But hey! What better source for info!

That’s neither here nor there though since Japan tried to surrender before we dropped the bomb.

Several Times.

Yes, Japan tried to surrender. Once through Russia, once through Switzerland, once through the Vatican of all places, and many times appealing directly to Truman. We turned them down because of the stipulation that we were not allowed to touch their emperor, a concession the US was not willing to make at the time.

“Foreign Minister Shigemitsu has instructed Ambassador Sato [in Moscow] to find out whether Russia is willing to assist in bringing about a negotiated peace. Shigemitsu’s instructions, although cautiously worded, clearly imply that he has in mind a move by Russia to initiate peace discussions between Japan and the Anglo-Americans… [I]t seems hardly likely that he would have taken such a step without having consulted at least some of the more important members of the new Japanese cabinet… This is the first time that the Japanese have been willing to suggest to Russia directly that they are ready for peace.”

-“Japanese Consider Peace Possibilities” War Department MAGIC reports of intercepted messages: EYES ONLY for President and closest advisers

“I learn from a very reliable source that in important civilian circles in Japan the peace problem is being discussed with increasing anxiety. A speedy German collapse is expected and it is not believed that Japan can then continue the war. It is therefore considered necessary to get peace as soon as possible before the country and towns are destroyed… If any willingness appeared to exist in London the Japanese would be ready for preliminary discussions through Swedish channels. Behind the man who gave me this message stands one of the best known statesment in Japan and there is no doubt that this attempt must be considered as a serious one.”

-Telegram from Swedish minister in Tokyo given from the British Ambassador to the United States

“…It seems probably that very far-reaching conditions would be accepted by the Japanese by way of negotiation… Exchange of the Japanese constitution must also be considered as excluded. The Emperor must not be touched. However, the Imperial power could be somewhat democratized as is that of the English King”

-Report from Swedish minister in Tokyo sent to US State Department

AND EVEN LATER THEY GAVE THOSE CONDITIONS UP

“…Stated that he had been asked by Masutaro Inoue, Counsellor for the Japanese Legation in Portugal, to contact United States representatives. Source quoted Inoue as saying that the Japanese are ready to cease hostilities, provided they are allowed to retain possession of their home islands… On 19 May [1945], the OSS representative reported Inoue again had repeated to source his desire to talk with an American representative. On this occasion Inoue declared that actual peace terms were unimportant so long as the term ‘unconditional surrender’ was not employed.”

-OSS Representative report directly to Truman

Of course, we did anyway. But that’s not important.

Because the bomb wasn’t about Japan.

In Derry and Ramsey’s Memo to Groves (May 12, 1945) when picking a target for the atomic bomb, one of the primary listed reasons for picking a target was:

“making the initial use sufficiently spectacular for the importance of the weapon to be internationally recognized when publicity on it is released.”

In fact, they ranked targets - AA to B. Know what got the lowest ratings? Military targets. The ones that got the highest ratings were civilian ones.

Japan was currently researching wooden planes. WOODEN PLANES. They had attempted to give up, we said no. They had already lost the war when we dropped the bomb. They knew this - hell, they tried to surrender twice.

So why did we drop the bomb, then?

A close reading of the memo tells all. It was to make an impact on the international community.

Do you know how Truman was first informed about the Manhatten Project and the bomb? It was in a discussion with the Secretary of State in regards to negotiations with Russia after the war.

Truman kept delaying the “Big Three” discussions, the most important political talks in recorded history, until basically the day AFTER the Trinity Tests - he wanted to wait until he knew he had the bomb as a political piece. Stalin and Churchill were VERY angry at him pushing the date back with little to no reason given (they knew, of course, because of spies and intelligence).

Still don’t believe me?

The Secretary of War, and MOST of the army was against dropping the bomb. They wanted to give the option of doing a demonstration and giving Japan an option of total surrender (that we get to do whatever we want with the Emperor) or of giving Japan time to evacuate the civilian population before bombing a city.

Oh, and there’s this from Stimson’s Memo of Talk with Truman (June 6, 1945)

“I told [the President] that I was anxious about this feature of the war for two reasons: first, because I did not want to have the United States get the reputation of outdoing Hitler in atrocities; and second, I was a little fearful that before we could get ready the Air Force might have Japan so thoroughly bombed out that the new weapon would not have a fair background to show its strength. He laughed and said he understood.”

He laughed.

An estimated 500,000 people died between Nagasaki and Hiroshima if you count deaths by radiation poisoning and long-term cancer.

And Truman could only laugh because he was worried the bomb might not be noticeable amongst the wreckage of Japan.

The reason for dropping the bomb was to give America a better condition amongst the international population, particularly Stalin and Russia, in the coming years. It was to make Russia afraid to invade Japan (and from there, the fear was, the rest of Asia) when they knew America had interests in it. They dropped the bomb to give them an advantage when negotiating in the future and to give them a start when everyone began arming (a situation tons of scientists warned everyone about in The Franck Report).

But don’t pretend it was about Japan. And don’t you dare pretend it was about peace.

500,000 people died and all Truman could do was laugh.

(Source: pukepurge)

thefemaletyrant:

blackinasia:

petticoatruler:

skin-and-tonic-personal:

snorl4x:

portablemiah:

benskid:

portablemiah:

illegal immigrants? you mean white people

except that white people didn’t immigrate into the united states… they funded the united states. you can’t illegally immigrate into a society you created. 

did you actually just say white people created society in america

white people; always embarrassingly uneducated when it comes to history

Without white people, there would be no ‘united states of america’.

Why, yes, it would have been called something completely different and one third of the world’s population in the 1500s wouldn’t have been the subject of a systemic centuries-long campaign of racist genocide to make way for an economy based on the enslavement and continued disenfranchisement of millions of Africans and their descendents and there wouldn’t be a huge disparity in how the resources of the world were used leading to massive disruptions in the lives of billions due to war and climate change

Gee, what a loss

Everything in the above. The delusion of white supremacy and the way it has twisted our history so much that fuckery like that spouted by benskid is actually WAY more common than a lot of people think is… horrifying to say the least. How dare he say that white people were the creators of American society? That they are American society. Who does he think he is? What value and stock does he see in the blood of MILLIONS of POC that are in the soil of his beloved “white society”?

Oh yeah, none.

Fuck him and this bullshit. The American education system is a joke for perpetuating this type of fuckery.

Whiteness is still the most powerful drug

lightning1129:

brashblacknonbeliever:

You didn’t “win” a damn thing if someone refuses to engage you or blocks you. That person has simply realized that they are not obligated to spend their precious time and energy dealing with your shit.

AND, this being said, removing yourself from a conversation in order to preserve your own mental health or stability does not make you less of a person. In fact, it makes you a person who has a good sense of priority. You’re no good to anyone, especially yourself, if you destroy your mental health for the sake of arguing with people.

karnythia:

cumaeansibyl:

karnythia:

wrcsolace:

karnythia:

wrcsolace:

remember that time when buffy went to heaven then her selfish ass friends had the nerve to pull her back. and she didn’t just slaughter them all. and then like a year later they were like BITCH WHY YOU STILL GLOOMY. and kicked her out of her OWN DAMN HOUSE. and her own rat bastard of a sister co-signed that shit when the BROAD SHOULDN’T HAVE EVEN EXISTED AND BUFFY COULD HAVE DESTROYED HER TO TURN THE WORLD RIGHT BUT DIDN’T.

mayne listen i can’t. i just watch old seasons and think…you are all secretly bitchassed  mofos who will turn on a bitch when she down. except xander, because his bitchassedness was never a secret (even if he was one of my favs originally.)

OMG I have so many feels about Buffy & the way Joss wrote her ongoing punishments for existing and being strong and daring to want more than to be of service to everyone else. Whenever people start talking to me about his feminism I point out the awful messages he’s always sent while claiming to be here for women.

^^^^^^^^^^^ ALL OF DIS ^^^^^^

yea i always think of the faith season and like the absofuckinglutely shitacular the sexual politics of the seasons are. (i mean if a magical curse that makes you fucking your boyfriend ruin both of your lives isn’t enough)

Also can we talk about Faith & how we were supposed to ignore that no one loved her or cared for her while they demanded her loyalty? Can we talk about how much of the Mayor’s attentions were supposed to be creepy & yet came off as totally healthy compared to everyone else’s?

oh hey somebody talking about joss whedon’s fake feminism hooray

never could stand to watch his TV work, so I don’t even have a lot to go on, but it sure seems like he doesn’t know how to portray women as strong except by putting them through constant abuse and danger and pain

also they kick real high

Every woman Joss ever wrote is summed up in the bold. Damn.

crankyduojar:

Because this can never be reblogged enough.

(Source: sonofbaldwin)

tranqualizer:

if your misandry is centered around penis, penis hating, penis as a symbol of misogyny then you really have to get the hell out of here

think about it

Truer words, y’all. Truer damn words. 

[Image: Beautiful art on a wall with a drawn barbed wire fence that is broken and tatters of flags on the wires that reads: No human being is illegal. National security is used to foster inter ethnic tension.”]

(Source: anarchyagogo)

darziel:

1. Holding down a job is not a measure of value.
2. Attending school is not a measure of value.
3. Whether or not you can “contribute” to society is not a measure of whether or not your life is valuable and worth preserving.

These are standards held up by a society values money and production over everything else. If you think life has any less value or worth because of an inability to do any of the above you’re fucking wrong.

That’s all.

Thanks.

ALL OF THIS. ALLLLL OF IT. Bolded the important parts (which is ALLLLLLLLLL of it)!

banana-hamhock:

coldeyesthatburn:

I want to know if a dangerous racist/homophobe lives near my kids schools

PREACH

(Source: mariavontraphouse)

abaldwin360:

• Your opinion can make you an asshole.
• Your opinion can make you an asshole.
• Your opinion can make you an asshole.
• Your opinion can make you an asshole.
• Your opinion can make you an asshole.
• Your opinion can make you an asshole.
• Your opinion can make you an asshole.
• Your opinion can make you an asshole.
• Your opinion can make you an asshole.
• Your opinion can make you an asshole.
• Your opinion can make you an asshole.
• Your opinion can make you an asshole.
• Your opinion can make you an asshole.
• Your opinion can make you an asshole.
• Your opinion can make you an asshole.
• Your opinion can make you an asshole.
• Your opinion can make you an asshole.
• Your opinion can make you an asshole.
• Your opinion can make you an asshole.
• Your opinion can make you an asshole.

tranqualizer:

Arpaio’s patterns and behaviors when it comes to his treatment of prisoners is not rooted simply in some belief that “prison is where people go to get punished”

it is deeply, deeply, deeply rooted in the ways in which he is able to perpetuate racism, xenophobia, sexism, etc, etc, etc

y’all

biyuti:

Stop using this word white people. 

Just. Stop. 

blackamazon:

I don’t like her for a myriad of reasons but this may be the old biddy in me

But I have yet to play athing by her and not be able to find a better, funnier, more moving, bad asset, or talented version by:

• Kate Bush
• Fiona Apple
• Regina Spektor
• Pink
• Suzanna Vega

    *shrugs*

This is VERY VERY true. Thank you, blackamazon