August 6th, 1945 - 8:15am

I went to Hiroshima yesterday and it was overwhelming. After getting off the train, we found the tram to the A-Bomb Dome. All but a few sturdy structures were wiped out by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima - the dome was the closest remaining building to the hypocentre of the explosion and has been preserved as a reminder of nuclear devastation. As we walked around the dome, the skies were clear and there was the sound of a plane flying over head...it was extremely unnerving.

After the dome we headed over to the Peace Memorial Museum which was incredible, albeit completely exhausting emotionally. I wish I could hook up my camera to this computer to show you some of the photos I took...I will make a real effort to upload them in the near future. Basically, its easy to think of a nuclear explosion on the macro scale but the museum brought it down to the micro scale. The lucky victims were vapourized instantly (I have a picture of an exhibit in the museum which was transported from the steps outside of a bank...there was no person left, just the shadow of where they were sitting). The unlucky ones had to watch as their melted skin dripped from their bodies while they wandered around, desperately in search of some water (the irony is that any water they found was, of course, highly contaminated with extreme amounts of radiation).

It is at this point that I would like to make a comparison between the events of August 6th, 1945 and September 11th, 2001. But let me write a few disclaimers first:
1.) I dont believe that anyone deserves to die, ever. The loss of all human life should be mourned.
2.) I dont believe that the wrongs of previous generations can be blamed on current populations or governments.

With those out of the way, let us then consider the act of dropping a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima. An estimated 80,000 people died as a directed result, with another 60,000 dying (slowly and painfully) over the course of the next year due to the effects of radiation. They didnt drop this bomb on a military complex, they dropped it IN THE MIDDLE OF A FUCKING CITY. Granted, military activities were taking place, but that was the case in most cities during World War II. In addition to military activities, there were also kids on their way to school, old ladies grocery shopping, etc. etc.

So like I said, this isnt to diminish the pain or suffering caused by September 11th, but put into perspective, less than 3,000 people died in that event - over 140,000 died in Hiroshima (and thats not taking into consideration the bombing of Nagasaki a few days later). So while the United States has every right to condemn the killing of their innocent people, it strikes me as a bit of a double-standard...like somehow American lives are worth more than the lives of 'others.' I believe this sentiment is echoed in the recent Gulf conflicts as well. (Interestingly, one of the reasons that Hiroshima was chosen as a target was due to the fact that it was the only city on the short-list which didnt have a POW camp...another reason was to justify the enormous expense of the research & construction of the a-bomb to the American people). Now, I am also not saying that there is any sort of direct link between Sept. 11 and Hiroshima - clearly the terrorist acts of Sept. 11 were carried out by Islamic militants. I guess its just in some sort of cosmic karma thing that you cant be the only country in the history of humanity to drop a nuclear bomb on people and not expect it to come back and bite you in the ass. To reiterate: not that the victims of Sept. 11 deserved to die, but rather, the American foreign policy has been slowly building upon a foundation which devalues and is hostile to the outsider.

Anyhow, after the museum I wanted to sit down and cry for about an hour, but resisted the urge. Instead I started thinking about nuclear weapons today. And seriously, if Stephen Harper (or any other Canadian prime minister) allows the American government to put nukes over Canadian airspace as part of their crazy 'Star Wars' missle defence system, I will see to it that I personally kick his ass. Its absolutely ludicrous. I have enough problem with killing, let alone on a massive scale. The last thing we need is one of those puppies malfuctioning, flying astray and hitting the ground somewhere.

Finally, just in case anyone has anything positive to say about the use of nuclear weapons, like how it 'ended the war' or some other nonsense, I seriously urge you to visit the Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima. In the case that you are unable to make that trip, I ask you to conjure up in your mind an image of the person you most love walking around with their melted skin dripping off of their body, and then re-consider your position on nuclear weapons.

I will try to write a happier, more expository entry in the near future.