Enola Gay Protest Set for Dec 15 (BARF ALERT)

Arlingtonians For Peace ^

[chambley1]

From: elder@chesapeake.net

Date: Wed Sep 24, 2003 2:58 pm

Subject: Enola Gay Protest Set for Dec 15 - Next Meeting at AU 10/2

A determined group of academics and activists drew up plans at American University last night to organize opposition to the public unveiling of the Enola Gay set for December 15 at the Air and Space Museum's new complex in Dulles, Virginia. The Enola Gay is the Boeing B-29 Superfortress that dropped the atomic bomb over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, incinerating the city and killing an estimated 140,000 Japanese. Representatives from Peace Action, Catholic Worker, DC Antiwar Network and other groups joined with AU professors, members of the clergy and representatives from Hidankyo, a Japanese confederation of A Bomb and H bomb survivors to draw up preliminary plans to protest the Museum's decision to display the massive, reassembled aircraft.

Attendees described a "disdainful attitude" by museum officials toward those in opposition to the exhibit. Episcopal minister Philip Wheaton called the exhibit "an abomination." Others compared it to the unlikely action of the current German government erecting a museum depicting gas chambers used during the holocaust. Discussion initially centered on quotes attributed to General John "Jack" Dailey in an August 19 Washington Post article. General Dailey is the Director of the new Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center, a part of the National Air and Space Museum that boasts of an aviation hangar 10 stories high and the length of three football fields. Dailey said he didn't anticipate any protests during the December 15 event. The director said,."We think that's in the past." Dailey added, "We are displaying the Enola Gay in all its glory as a magnificent technological achievement." His words galvanized those in attendance at last night's meeting.

Kevin Martin, Executive Director of Peace Action, figures Dailey has miscalculated public opposition to the Enola Gay exhibit. "This issue will never go away," said Martin. The peace activist continued, "There is escalating controversy about the decision to drop the bomb in the first place and deep concern here and abroad about the Bush administration's plans for new, more useable nuclear weapons."

The group agreed to organize a demonstration at the Dulles complex on Monday, December 15 and to coordinate efforts with visiting Hibakusha, who are the survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki blasts. Steps are also being taken to secure a place of worship, like the National Cathedral, to solemnly commemorate the victims of nuclear war. The group is also planning to enlist the support of national celebrities to awaken public consciousness. Other ideas were aired, including the formation of a giant funeral procession from downtown Washington to the Udvar-Hazy Center, 26 miles from the National Air and Space Museum on the mall.

The next meeting will be held Thursday, October 2, at 7 pm on the campus of American University. For more information, call Pat Elder 301-229-8317; 202-302-5548

[Tank-FL]

They should fins a North Korean Embasy somewhere and protest the real threat to peace.

[MNlurker]

I always wonder how many of those who protest the dropping of the Abomb wouldn't be around today because a granfather or father was killed or maimed attacking the Japanese mainland instead.

The has to be some mathematical means of finding out...

[Tank-FL]

I get so mad I can't type o

[MNlurker]

annoyed to forget the re

[AmericanInTokyo]

Unlease 'hordes' (sorry sounds racist but it aint) of Chinese and Korean-Americans by the thousands in the D.C. area (Virginia and Maryland) to pour out and counter demonstrate and drown out all of the liberals and that communist group coming in from Japan on 15 December. They can have flyers and posters of all kinds of Japanese Imperial Army war atrocities.

I would say, this plan for a revisionist demonstration in support of Imperal Japan/Prime Minister Tojo, to be carried out by leftists, would be a VERY intriguing article in the many ethnic Korean and Chinese newspapers in the D.C. area who all too remember the past and the roots of why Hiroshima was nuked in the first place.

[IGOTMINE]

I feel a major FREEP coming on...

[Welsh Rabbit]

Not to mention how many more Japanese who would have been killed in a prolonged war. Anyways, weren't more Germans killed in the carpet bombing of Dresden?

[Fighter@heart]

I guess they were not interested in protesting on December 7th!! That day indeed caused the Enola Gay to be dispatched. More "gum-beating" from the "America LAST" crowd!

[Marauder]

Framed and hanging on my wall is an 8X10 glossy B&W photo of the Enola Gay, signed by Tom Ferebee, Bombardier for the mission over Hiroshima.

When he signed it for me, I thanked him for risking his neck for the troops deployed in the Pacific as well as the rest of us civilians.

About two months after he signed the photo for me, I clipped out the notice in the newspaper of his passing and placed it in the frame with the picture.

When a liberal comes to my home, I make it a point to show him that framed photo and make it clear just how proud I am of it, just to watch the liberal stew in his own juices.

[Spruce]

Everyone knows that if we would have just tried to "understand" and have "dialog" with the Japs the whole war could have been avoided.

Sheesh! Don't these butt-pipes live on the same planet?

[Ready4Freddy]

Far more Japanese died in the US fire bombings of Tokyo, which went on for all of Spring, 1945.

[Tank-FL]

Freep these idiots

us-va-nova-peace@yahoogroups.com

[Semi Civil Servant]

The peace crowd is clueless. In all of the scenarios I've heard about, the Enola Gay's mission not only saved American lives, but Japanese lives as well -- lots of them.

[RoughDobermann]

Anyways, weren't more Germans killed in the carpet bombing of Dresden?

A lot of numbers get thrown around when it comes to the body count of H&N, but more people died in the firebombing of Tokyo than H&N combined. Dresden dead was around 100K.

[AmericanInTokyo]

"Butt pipes!"

LOL!

[TheBigB]

When a liberal comes to my home

Try those no-pest strips.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Considering a COUNTER FREEP of this travesty,

we might ping the DC and Virginia and Maryland chapters of FR and also tell them to work with the Chinese and Korean American community for a MASSIVE turnout to drown out the Tojo-ists on 15 December at the new Air/Space Museum near Dulles Airport.

I hear that there are 150,000 Korean Americans ALONE in the D.C. area. They mobilize quickly for these kinds of things if they have anything to do with protesting Japanese Imperial Atrocities or apologists for Imperial Japan who would sweep their actions under the rug.

Here is where some REALLLLLY interesting synergies and alliances could come into play to smack down those radical anti-American protestors, but good!

[AmericanInTokyo]

ping and bump and alert

[BlueNgold]

I liked Dennis Miller's take on big bad bombs ... throw a 'test' party, pop off one of the nice powerful ones so everyone can see exactly what the big stick looks like. Invite the press, make it a bit of an event. (Can we assign CNN the closeups?) Then remind them that there is not a spot on earth we can't touch.

Either that or we could to get some of the 'we never walked on the moon' crowd to put together a FOX tv special on how we never really dropped an A bomb since fusion is impossible.