NEVER AGAIN

On this day 1945, the first atomic bomb ever was dropped on Hiroshima. Three days later, on Nagasaki.

Japan surrendered. World War II was over.

Since then, no atomic/nuclear weapon has been dropped on any peoples.

Today is the 75th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing.

A B-29 fortress named Enola Gay dropped the bomb at 8:16 am. There was a “blinding flesh-melting blast.” A 500 foot fireball heated the air to 500,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Three hundred thousand injured, 200,000 died.

Setsuko Thurlow was 13 at the time. Fortunately, survived. She is 88 today.

She was one mile from ground zero when the bomb went off. Her recollection is probably why no nation has since dropped such a bomb.

“I could see some dark moving approaching to me. They happened to be human beings. They just did not look like human beings. I called them ghosts.”

“They were covered with blood and burned and blackened and swollen, and the flesh was hanging from the bones. Parts of their bodies were missing, and some were carrying their own eyeballs in their hands. And as they collapsed, their stomach burst open.”

Interesting how things occur. Yesterday, I wrote re Wisteria Island. This morning’s Key West Citizen has a follow up article on what is occurring at Wisteria.

Sheriff Rick Ramsey is upset about the decision. Specifically as how it will impact care of the island. He is concerned which government agency will manage the island.

Ramsey says Wisteria is a haven for violence and “lawlessness.” Recent incidents include a stabbing, assault with a baseball bat, and rape.

Several years ago, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management lay legal claim to Wisteria. A federal court recently ruled the U.S. owned the island.

Ramsey basically says the Bureau of Management has done nothing to mange the island over the years. He refers to the Bureau as the “Bureau of No Land Management.”

Ramsey reiterated the “island is a dangerous place.” He wants to see it made useful again so people can visit to picnic and bring their children.

The Wisteria Island story is not over.

The PGA begins today. Due to coronavirus, it will be the lone major remaining. Soon after, the Fed-Ex Cup Playoffs will begin.

Tiger Woods is playing. He believes he can win the PGA this year. It is going to be exciting golf!

It was announced yesterday that Deutsche Bank gave Donald Trump’s financial records to the Manhattan prosecutors some time ago in response to a subpoena.

Ho, ho, ho!

Someone in a comment to yesterday’s blog got involved with “stupid”. Something that can’t be fixed.

I opted to do some research re “stupid.”

Urban Dictionary defines “you can’t fix stupid” as the response to seeing some moron doing something incredibly asinine.

“You can’t fix stupid” is a relatively recent term. American comedian Ron White titled an album with the phrase in 2007. The album peaked at #1 on the Billboard Top Comedy Album chart.

Forrest Gump gave us “stupid is as stupid does.”

I came across a “stupid” joke re Mitch McConnell. Printed underneath a photo he is featured in the words: “You can’t fix stupid but your vote can send stupid home.”

Ronald Reagan was one tough President. Fair, but his way. If a person screwed up, he told the person to his face what was wrong and advised it be fixed immediately. Not to listen to Reagan was a mistake. If a person rejected Reagan’s advise, that person was rejected with rapid speed.

An example the Air Traffic Controllers Union.

The Union struck. Reagan said go back to work or I will fire you. The Union did not believe him.

On August 5, 1981 Reagan true to his word fired 11,359 air traffic controllers. With the firing went a lifetime ban on being rehired.

There were 13,000 controllers at the time Reagan said go back to work or else. A little more than 1,600 heeded his warning and did return,. The other 11,359 had to find new occupations.

This morning’s Citizens’ Voice had an interesting comment. It concerned Key West and coronavirus. The numbers are a bit difficult to compute. I leave that to you.

“OK. Let’s do the math together. According to the New York Times, COVID-19 cases have gone up 12 fold since the roadblock came down (6/1/20), now at 576. If the rate stays the same, that means that in a little more than 2 months, all 25,000 residents will be infected. I know of no other city in this country that expects its entire population to be infected before mid-October.”

Enjoy your day!

 

 

30 comments on “NEVER AGAIN

  1. In America, we are quickly approaching (some experts say already there) the number of deaths from Covid 19 that died in the 1945 Atomic bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We should easily reach that number before year’s end and that’s just from the depressed numbers we are admitting to.

    Not bad for what Trump called a Hoax and most of his blind and obedient followers still believe is all just an overblown crisis

  2. Regarding yesterday’s comment about stupidity. Ignorance is not the same as stupidity. Ignorance is simply a lack of knowledge about a particular subject. All of us suffer from some degree of ignorance, because we can’t possibly know everything about everything. Fortunately, ignorance can be overcome by education. Stupidity, on the other hand, cannot be cured. And it’s very difficult to hide, especially in blog posts.

  3. Republicans, yes perhaps we took them for someone who gives a damn!

    And we are now paying dearly for that mistake!

  4. When I was a child, just eleven years old, my family lived in Japan. In 1954 my parents took me to see the city of Hiroshima, which was only partially rebuilt and partially inhabited. It was a shocking sight for a youngster not yet aware of the terrible things that humans do to one another. The skeletal remains of The Prefectural Exhibition Hall stood in the middle of sheer devastation that seemed to stretch for miles in every direction. The remains of the exhibition hall still stand as a peace memorial, still a skeletal ruin, just as it was when I saw it. I have seen a lot of human-caused misery since that day in Hiroshima, but I will never forget that first glimpse of hellish destruction at the hands of man.

  5. Hiroshima was a terrible event. I wonder if they would have dropped one on Pearl Harbor if they had it at the time?

    • Pearl Harbor was a military target, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were NOT military targets, but rather civilian cities with ordinary humans and unlike a military base such as Pearl Harbor, no particular military purpose.

      Think of that when we try and tout America’s “greatness.”

      • It’s a horible thing that civilians die in war… most of those soldiers who died were also civilians before the war. If we had invaded Japan, over 1,000,000 of those citizens of the Unitd States would probably have died. Even more Japaneese would have died.

        So while use of nuclear weapons is a horrible thing… at least 1,000,000 American soldiers came home instead of dying on Japaneese soil.

        I am the son of one of those who came home. He was on a troop ship on the way to be part of the force to invade Japan. He was a “dogface” soldier and survived the the 3rd Army’s push across Germany to the Rhine. Instead fighting it out across another foreign land, my dad was once again a civilian in November of that year.

        As you might suspect, he was not the least bit sorry we dropped the bomb. Neither am I.

        Kokomo Man

        • Hey Kokomoman – I too think that using the bomb saved many lives and that it was probably the right thing to do, especially for the time. But I too wonder if dropping it on a civilian population, actually two different civilian locations, was correct and right. I think the bomb would have been just as effective at demonstrating our might and resolve and have been more humane if we had hit a more military target, or even obliterated an unoccupied island and would have equally had similar results?

          I am also not sure you aren’t over stating things by suggesting it saved 1,000,000 American soldiers lives that alternate targets might not have.

          To be clear, I am not saying I don’t think we should not have used an atomic weapon, just that targeting civilians as we did was and should open to criticism and regrets.

        • Kokomo Man, aren’t you the guy who back in May was aggressively commenting here on Lou’s blog about how Florida should reopen immediately and basically without any rules or restrictions? Didn’t you say that:

          It’s time to allow adult Americans to make decisions for themselves. If they choose to be stupid, then they do so at their own peril.

          1. Every adult in America has learned of COVID-19 and knows its dangers.
          2. Every adult should decide for themselves what risks they are willing to take.
          3. All businesses, beaches, etc should be allowed to reopen… at their own peril.
          4. All adults should be allowed to go about their business as they wish… at their own peril.

          Your argument was that people are smart enough to choose for themselves, even though there was already ample evidence to the contrary in Jacksonville and in Miami.

          Since that time Florida has become a disaster with the Covid outbreak, setting new records daily for the number of outbreaks and deaths, despite not officially keeping track of ALL those numbers.

          Florida has since your push for unbridled opening, become worse (at least per capita) then the then state of New Yrk ever was.

          Don’t you feel some remorse for having been so wrong and helped put so many people unnecessarily into danger. Don’t you think you could have been more realistic and responsible with your recommendations on the subject?

          • “Florida has since your push for unbridled opening, become worse (at least per capita) then the then state of New York ever was”.

            Florida Population – 22 million
            Total Florida Covid deaths – 7746 (as of today)

            New York Population – 19 million
            Total New York Covid deaths – 32,349 (as of today)

              • Confirmed cases just means more people are tested positive. Out of how many tested? What was the number last week?

                How many positive actually show any symptoms? How bad are the symptoms…worse than common cold? Flu? Typhoid?

                Deaths are what count. New York is so far past any other state.

                • A;ways with excuses, Florida does not have hospitals report deaths and is notorious for for misclazzifying deaths to pad the numbers. However even if these numbers were accurate, they are still horrifying beyond any pale.

              • OMG, constant denial and obfuscation with you people. No one is reporting tests with or without ‘symptoms.’ All tests are showing if Covid tracers are present, some tests more accurate than others. The truth is, anyway you want to spin it, Florida is off the charts with new positive tests, breaking new higher numbers every day, way surpazzing what New York is seeing. Spinning it ANY other way is just plain crazy. Minimizing all of this with trump like logic is nearly criminal. Florida screwed up, face it and stop making excuses, it’s not a HOAX and could have been avoided in direct relationship to having placed some serious methods and planning, as did some places. Florida knowingly blew it and you are just trying to cover that up, WHY?

              • That’s what Google Covid’s cases is reporting, same for Miami Herald.

                Frightening reality, isn’t it? Pay attention, it’s not a HOAX

          • Yeah… that was me… and yeah, I underestimated the intelligence of Floridians. As has been discussed, you can’t fix stupid.

            But, it was their choice. They have been allowed to be as smart or stupid as they chose to be.

            Besides, no one was going to stop them anyway. Look at the people refusing to wear masks. They go to parties and social events despite all the warnings. They gather at beaches & bars to share drinks and prove they “ain’t skeered.” So no, I feel no remorse for the stupid people who could have done what is necessary to keep themselves safe.

            I stand by my premise… people should be allowed to choose for themselves once they have sufficient information to make an intelligent decision. Once all those who aren’t wise enough to keep from getting sick have gotten sick, then we can get back to normal.

            I do thank you for the compliment that you think my words here on Lou’s blog had any effect on how many people did or didn’t get COVID-19.

            • Refreshingly candid and apparently honest of you. but I don’t know why you underestimated Floridians, there was plenty of evidence when you wrote your post that they were being careless, thoughtless, purposely defiant and stupid. Now it’s too late for some innocent people because of them.

              As far as your insistence that people should be free to choose for themselves, is needlessly naive and obviously dangerous. Many of the people who ended up getting Covid 19, some dying, were not those being careless themselves, but were put in harms way by the needless carelessness of others. Take first responders, many of whom got covid, suffered and some died, just so other idiots could be totally free themselves to infect others? Come on, take some responsibility, it’s wrong to azzume everyone should be free to do what ever they want, because it’s their “own” risk. Truth is their risk INCREASES our risk.

              I’m not suggesting that Florida not have opened up, I am saying they should have done it more responsibly, done a better job. By that I mean not so soon, sot so unrestrained and not so defiantly. Many other states did it later, like June not May, with many restrictions in place and with a staged release. Most of them are seeing increases with positive tests, but no where near the problem Florida is having. I see your attitude, then as now, as part of this problem. Here you have the perfect experiment (Florida) which is now a catastrophe, and you refuse to learn from it. The problem is people do NOT foo a good job of deciding for themselves and need help. Could be idiots, but more likely just ignorant and as such, dangerous to others. Come on, take some responsibility, it’s wrong to azzume everyone should be free to do what ever they want, because it’s their “own” risk. Truth is their risk INCREASES our risk.

              Your statement “Once all those who aren’t wise enough to keep from getting sick have gotten sick, then we can get back to normal” is scary, you just do’t seem to understand that you (or someone YOU care about) might just not live long enough, because of what you think, to see how wrong you are about this.

        • I find it curious that comments about using the atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki somehow turned into a COVID-19 discussion.

  6. Sheriff Ramsey loves to fear monger about Wisteria simply because as an authoritarian he hates not having more control over the land. All the crimes that occur over there also occur in the rest of the keys in a proportional relation. He should stick to doing his job and stay out of this land ownership dispute. Decreasing traffic fatalities on U.S. 1 would be better use of his taxpayer funded salary.

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