George Takei Fears NSA Spying Will Lead to Something Much Worse

New York Magazine ^ | 6/11/2013 | Jamie Sharpe

[Buckeye McFrog]

You don’t have to dislike gay people or wish them ill in order to oppose such clearly problematic things as same-sex marriage and gay scoutmasters.

[familyop]

You properly corrected me. Whole families of Japanese-Americans with former or ongoing associations with Japanese officials were put in internment camps. My comment was not from experience, although I’ve slept in billets formerly used by Japanese-Americans.

The billets I slept in were in some of the more green and temperate areas in the Midwest. I am not of any Japanese descent that I know of. But my time in those camps was rather more harsh than theirs, though for easier training (schools) than being in the field (’round the clock drills).

My comment was from study. There are photos from western internment camps (desert areas) behind the following links.

http://www.publicintelligence.net/japanese-internment-camps-war-relocation-authority-photos

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/anseladams/aamsp.html

[Patriot Babe]

I really don’t care if he is gay or not. What is important to me is his message that we must NOT repeat history. He is seeing what I’m seeing and it is not good. At least when he was in an internment camp at least he was released. My concern is the next round up we may never be released.

[bgill]

George just kissed his Hollyweird career good-bye. Even icons can be black balled.

[Obadiah]

I completely concur.

[svcw]

Then post something about that, this thread is about a man who experienced intermittent fearing it will happen again.......has nothing to do with homosexuality.

[dfwgator]

Oh, my!

[Cyber Liberty]

I don’t follow him, but I go look at his page from time to time, and sometimes share the pics on my wall because he’s funnier than all get-out.

[boop]

I actually contacted George Takei via Facebook and asked him: "Mr. Takei, since you write extensively in your autobiography (To the Stars), not the recent one, about just how much you suffered in the internment camps, WHY do you support the very same party that did this to you and your family?"

His reply: "Well, you have to understand that political parties change. Look at the republicans. They used to be for small government. Now they aren't"

I appreciated the reply, but I think he dodged my question.

I asked about the DEMOCRAT party. FDR was not "conservative" in the 40's. Nor is he considered one today.

I like him personally, but his politics suck.

[ladyjane]

Actually I wasn’t correcting you. I was trying to get more information.

Thank you for those links. The pictures were fascinating!

It was a different time back then. Some of the camps may have been harsh but then Pearl Harbor was harsh.

[ladyjane]

Your links got me wondering about WWII and what life was like here in this country when we were at war. I found this stunning bit of information:

“World War 2 was split into two sides, the Allies (UK, USA) and Axis (Germany Italy and Japan) Of those killed, 61 million were on the Allied side and 11 million were on the Axis side, so the losses where massive.”

I’m not a historian so I don’t know how valid these numbers are. Perhaps a freeper could verify?

[Jim from C-Town]

I don’t dislike gay people. I don’t think much about it.

[Jim from C-Town]

The major losses where to the USSR. It is estimated that Russia lost around 26 million in ‘The Great Patriotic War’ as the Russian Communist Party called it. Poland lost close to 6 million.. Between them they lost 40% to 60% of the estimated 60 to 80 million dead.

[Jim from C-Town]

ABSOLUTELY TRUE! The Japanese where atrocious to those they interned. And they interned millions of Asians and tens of thousands of European and American ex patriots that where caught in The Philippines European protectorates and territories. They beat starved and used the civilians as slave laborers. They also murdered thousands and thousands of them .

They have never apologized, pay reparations, nor do they teach this to their children.

[ladyjane]

Yes, you’re right. I was shocked years ago when I first learned of the millions of Russians who were killed during WWII. What I didn’t know was the relative numbers of US and UK who died relative to Japan and Germany.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

As percentages of population, the Soviets lost about 13.5% military and civilian, the Germans somewhere about 10%, Japan about 4%, Britain a little less than 1% and the US about one-third of one percent.

[Ezekiel]

The FEMA camps have been transported from Kooktown straight over to Realityville.

[chrisinoc]

“You properly corrected me. Whole families of Japanese-Americans with former or ongoing associations with Japanese officials were put in internment camps.”

This was not absolutely true. Right after Pearl Harbor my grandfather, who was a school trustee, was taken by the FBI and held at Fort Abraham Lincoln in North Dakota for a year. The rest of my mother's family was sent to the Rohwer camp via Santa Anita racetrack in February 1942. They were reunited in 1943. Both my mother's brothers were with the famous 442nd Regimental Combat Team although neither saw combat.

[clearcarbon]

"They were stripped of their property both real and financial (never got it back) but more importantly they were stripped of their freedom."

The FDR version of obamacare.

[svcw]

That is really an interesting thought. I might work that up into a twitter - thanks