Obama: First reigning president visits Hiroshima – No apology for dropping nuc on Japan?
dr.james kottoor
Obama made history to become the first reigning US president to visit Hiroshima where the first nuclear bomb was dropped. It was also described as the triumph of brute Inhumanity over civilized humanity, brotherhood and fellow feeling which should bind and hold together nations and peoples by the bonds of brothers and sisters in a close knit family.
"Death fell from the sky and the world was changed," Obama said, after laying a wreath at Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park. He should rather have said, I think, death was dropped deliberately from the sky and 1400, 000 precious human lives were mercilessly extinguished on August 6, 1945. A second atomic bomb, dropped on Nagasaki three days later Hiroshima, killed 70,000 more. Were they not the facts? “Doctor heal yourself first” has no meaning for a sick doctor who does not admit he is sick.
Here I feel very sorry for Obama and at once feel very happy for Pope John Paul II, who apologized publically for so many failures on the part of the Catholic Church, and whom I criticized for several other things. Is it wrong or uncivilized to apologize for a wrong done by oneself or one’s predecessors? Cadinal Alancherry said in another context, on May 15 (see CCV): “Politicians don’t Apologize.” Do Churchmen apologize in India? Did the CBCI chairman Cardinal Cleemis, any other Indian cardinals including Alancherry or any of the 180 Indian bishops, apologize for the epoch making bizarre incident, the Caste-craze-driven crime and kidnap of Cuddappah bishop by three members of the priestly class? This is just an example of the axiom: “When you point an accusing finger at another four other fingers are pointed at you.”
That is not a reason that you should give up accusing or apologizing. To err is human, we all are humans, and so we all will err and so should apologize, repent of our past failures and correct ourselves, starting from Obama, Presidents and Popes down to this Mundasiromani (“Pearl among idiots”) the first penname this scribe took for his first article “Splendor of Darkness” ever published, some 50 years ago.
About the US it is said, it is the land of the free, home of the brave and a city seated on a mountain top attracting all from around the world. This is true in many respects. That is why people from all over the world try to get into US by hook or crook, even when they hurl the worst epithets against it. As for epithets, I myself did it describing former US president George Bush, Biggest Terrorist alive, during the Afghan war, although it was he who was most friendly to Manmohan Singh’s India who(Singh) told him “People in India Love you”. I also remember also Obama given Peace Price even while he was sending more US troops to Afghanistan.
History is full of contradictory words and deeds in conflict, hard to fathom. So are all humans — bright and brittle, sinners and saints almost at the same time? Think of a saintly Pope Francis calling himself a Sinner!
Yes Obama the head of the “City seated on a mountain top” (Biblical image for a model nation” did not apologize. “Judge not and you shall not be judged.” So I don’t judge him either. US is also called the land of the free. “Elimination of all nuclear weapons from the face of the earth is a must” says peace and freedom loving nations in the whole world starting with US presidents. Yet that nation continues to possess the biggest arsenal of them. Is that the kind of freedom, not supported by action that the world needs?
That is one of the reasons why India always refused to sign the nuclear proliferation treaty, although she said she would never be the first one to use it. If US is to be believed, why is India’s words given not believed? Where then is equality between nations? Or are we to give more value and weight to the words of a nation which has more money power and military power? So tomorrow if the US says: “All are free to breathe the air, but we reserve the right to control its oxygen content,” would the whole world agree to that?
What dominates and rules the world today are not principles of truth, justice, freedom, equality and fair play but the brute force of money power and military power, which proves another philosophical truism: “Man is a rational animal, animal always, rational, sometimes” (Homo, animal ratrionale, animal semper, rationale aliquando.) One thing we can all take comfort in is that, in spite of all draw backs, the human race is far better than what it was when it lived in the jungles, in wild forest or bush (People used to make fun or pun on President Bush by referring to him simply as: “Bush or Bush-man) where “Might is right” rules roost. That rule still prevails to a great extend even today.
That could have been the reason which prompted Obama to say that he would not apologize, neither for Vietnam war nor for dropping the nuclear bomb on Japanese people. Just as Voltaire said, I will go to the extend of dying to defend Obama’s right to say his opinion as President of US even when I may not agree one bit with what he says. I hold and maintain, that dropping the nuclear bomb by a nation that claims to be most civilized, “City seated on a mountain top” was barbaric, detestable and therefore deserving an apology at least by the posterity of the perpetrators.
Equally so was the war on Vietnam and many other wars the US waged. No civilized nation will ever go for war to settle issues. It was precisely for that purpose that a UN (United Nations) was created: “ to shout at each other sitting round a table, not to shoot at each other.” Dialogue, Dialogue and Dialogue alone is the way forward for civilized nations. Against all odds, I for one wish to believe that US is or will eventually become, a “Civilized nation, a City seated on a mountain top.” May no other nation on earth become as civilized and as strong as to do another dare-devil act of dropping again a nuclear bomb on God’s children living here on earth.
Contact at: jameskottoor@gmail.com, Mob: 9446219203
