Obama calls for 'a world without' nuclear arms

[superbeets]

[h=1]Obama calls for 'a world without' nuclear arms as he becomes the first US president to visit the city where 140,000 people died - but there is no apology for atomic bomb attack[/h]

• A US B-29 bomber dropped 'Little Boy' on Hiroshima at 8.15am on August 6, 1945 devastating the coastal city
• President Obama said he would not apologize for the attack but wanted to honor all those who died in the war
• He said the attack in August 1945 'demonstrated that mankind possessed the means to destroy itself'
• Washington and Tokyo want today's historic gesture to restart the effort on international nuclear disarmament

By DARREN BOYLE FOR MAILONLINE and FRANCESCA CHAMBERS FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 08:18, 27 May 2016 | UPDATED: 10:27, 27 May 2016

 

[superbeets]

US President Barack Obama has arrived at the site of the first nuclear attack in Hiroshima alongside Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and said he wanted to see a world without nuclear weapons.
Obama is the first serving US President to visit the site where 140,000 people died following the dropping of the 'Little Boy' bomb on August 6, 1945.
He said: '71 years ago, death fell from the sky and the world was changed,' as he honored all of the victims of the Second World War after laying a wreath at the site.
The bomb 'demonstrated that mankind possessed the means to destroy itself'.

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Barack Obama has become the first sitting US President to visit Hiroshima, site of the world's first nuclear attack on August 6, 1945

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Standing beside Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, Obama said the bomb demonstrated 'mankind had the power to destroy itself'

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Prime Minister Abe said President Obama's visit to Hiroshima today marks a new chapter of reconciliation between Japan and the US

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After making his speech at the memorial park, President Obama embraced an elderly survivor of the attack on August 6, 1945

'Why did we come to this place, to Hiroshima? We come to ponder a terrible force unleashed in the not so distant past. We come to mourn the dead.
'Their souls speak to us, they ask us to look inward, take stock of who we are.
'Technological progress without equivalent progress in human institutions can doom us. The scientific revolution that led to the splitting of the atom requires a moral revolution as well.
'This is why we come to this place, we stand here, in the middle of this city and force ourselves to imagine the moment the bomb fell.
'We force ourselves to feel the dread of children confused by what they see. We listen to a silent cry.'

 

[superbeets]

Obama stressed the events of August 6, 1945 should never be allowed to fade from public consciousness.
Abe said Obama's visit to Hiroshima opened a new chapter of reconciliation for US and Japan.
After his speech, Obama was greeted by some of the survivors of the devastating attack which destroyed 95 per cent of the coastal city.
He then signed the guestbook inside the memorial park and wrote: 'We have known the agony of war. Let us now find the courage, together, to spread peace, and pursue a world without nuclear weapons.'

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President Obama, left, shook hands with Sunao Tsuboi, who survived the attack who expressed gratitude for the historic visit

Speaking earlier at Iwakuni Marine Corps Air Station just south of the port city, he addressed some of the 3,000 personnel at the base as well as their Japanese counterparts.
He laid a wreath to commemorate all of the victims of the Second World War. He said today's events show the rest of the world that it has a shared responsibility to prevent such suffering from happening again.
He also called for the reduction in the number of nuclear weapons held by countries across the globe. He said he wanted a 'world without nuclear arms' but admitted it was unlikely to happen within his lifetime.
Obama said: 'It's a chance to reaffirm our commitment to pursuing the peace and security of a war where nuclear weapons would no longer be necessary.'
He then travelled by helicopter to the site where he will lay a wreath to those who died in the attack on August 6, 1945 and the second strike on Nagasaki three days later.

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President Obama, center, steps from Marine Force One has he arrives in Hiroshima, site of the first atomic attack in August 1945

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President Obama, left, greeted US troops and their families at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, south of Hiroshima before making the historic visit to the site of the first atomic attack on August 6, 1945 where 140,000 died when a B-29 dropped the uranium bomb on the city

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Addressing some of the 3,000 Marines and their families at the base, President Obama said today's events were an example as to how Japan and the United States, who were former adversaries, 'can not just become partners, but become the best of friends and allies'

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Obama spoke of the close friendship which has developed between the two countries in front of an audience of US Marines and members of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence force where he described both nations as 'the best of friends, and the strongest of allies'

 

[superbeets]

Addressing the historic nature of today's events, he said they were 'a testament to how even the most painful divides can be bridged, how our two nations, former adversaries, can not just become partners, but become the best of friends, and the strongest of allies.
‘We see the strength of our alliance on display right here,’ he said. ‘This base is a powerful example of the trust and the cooperation and the friendship between the United states and Japan.'
Speaking to US Marines and members of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence force, he added: 'Your service right here is rooted in the shared values of today's Japan and today's United States.'
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe welcomed Obama's visit claiming it would provide a 'big boost' to efforts to achieve a nuclear-free world.
Among those commemorated were 12 US prisoners of war who were being held in the city at the time of the attack. The victims are believed to have been mostly airmen.

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Protesters have gathered near the site where President Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will lay their wreaths later today

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A cenotaph, pictured, marks the spot where the atomic bomb exploded on August 6, 1945 killing 140,000 people in Hiroshima

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President Obama will lay a wreath at the site where the Little Boy bomb was dropped by a US B-29 on August 6, 1945 to honour the dead

 

[superbeets]

Japan surrendered six days after the second attack, which has been credited at bringing the war to an end. However, some historians question this theory.
Speaking before his arrival, Obama said: 'I'm coming, first and foremost, to remember and honour the tens of millions of lives lost during the Second World War. Hiroshima reminds us that war, no matter the cause or countries involved, results in tremendous suffering and loss, especially for innocent civilians.'
The White House debated whether the time was right for Obama to break a decades-old taboo on presidential visits to Hiroshima, especially in an election year.
But Obama's aides defused most negative reaction from military veterans' groups by insisting he would not second-guess the decision to drop the bombs.
He added: 'I will not revisit the decision to use atomic weapons in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but I will point out that Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe and I coming to Hiroshima together shows the world the possibility of reconciliation - that even former adversaries can become the strongest of allies.'
Bomb survivor Kinuyo Ikegami, 82, paid her own respects at the cenotaph on Friday morning, well before Obama arrived, lighting incense and chanting a prayer.
Tears ran down her face as she described the immediate aftermath of the bomb.
She said: 'I could hear schoolchildren screaming: "Help me! Help me!"
'It was too pitiful, too horrible. Even now it fills me with emotion.'
Attack survivor Sunao Tsuboi said he does not believe Obama should apologize for the bombing, instead he wanted to express his 'gratitude' for the historic visit.
Tsuboi is Chairman of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organization.
Retiree Tsuguo Yoshikawa took a walk in the park, and said it's time for the U.S. and Japanese people to move forward without grudges.
Tokyo actor Kanji Shimizu says he wishes a U.S. president could have come earlier. But he's glad that the time has come. He's hoping Obama's visit will help promote world peace.
Obama touched down in Hiroshima after completing talks with world leaders at the international G7 summit in Shima, Japan.
Han Jeong-soon, the 58-year-old daughter of a Korean survivor, was also at the park on Friday.
'The suffering, such as illness, gets carried on over the generations - that is what I want President Obama to know. I want him to understand our sufferings.'
Obama's visit is a moment 71 years in the making. Other American presidents considered it, but the politics were still too sensitive, the emotions too raw. Jimmy Carter visited as a former president in 1984.
Even now, when polls find 70 per cent of Japanese people supported Obama's decision to visit to Hiroshima.

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Bomb survivor Kinuyo Ikegami, left, prays in advance of President Obama's historic arrival later this morning to Hiroshima

[h=3]CHINA DOWNPLAYS PRESIDENT OBAMA'S HISTORIC VISIT INSISTING JAPAN GOT WHAT IT DESERVED IN 1945 [/h]The Chinese government today attacked President Obama's historic government claiming Japanese war crimes in Nanjing in 1937 were more worthy of mention than those who died in Hiroshima.
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said that the massacre of civilians by Japanese troops in the city of Nanjing deserved greater reflection.
He said: 'Hiroshima is worthy of attention. But even more so Nanjing should not be forgotten.
'Victims deserve sympathy, but perpetrators should never shirk their responsibility.'
China says 300,000 people died in a six-week spree of killing, rape and destruction after the Japanese military entered Nanjing in 1937, although some respected academics put the number lower.
China historian Jonathan Spence, for example, estimates that 42,000 soldiers and citizens were killed and 20,000 women raped, many of whom later died.
The state-run China Daily newspaper declared in an editorial on Thursday that the 'atomic bombings of Japan were of its own making'.
It accused present-day Japanese officials of 'trying to portray Japan as the victim of World War II rather than one of its major perpetrators'.

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Today's visit to the attack site is planned to help reinvigorate attempts to encourage international nuclear disarmament

[h=3]HOW AUGUST 6, 1945 CHANGED THE WORLD AFTER ENOLA GAY DROPPED 'LITTLE BOY' ON HIROSHIMA[/h]With a blinding flash of light and an ear-splitting roar, the age of nuclear conflict arrived with terrifying and awe-inspiring force on August 6, 1945, changing the course of history, and killing 140,000 people.
The morning was a run-of-the-mill one for most Hiroshima residents. Housewives made breakfast for their families, children played in the sticky summer heat, and men hurried to get ready for work.
Few could have known the dangers above them as a US B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay pierced the sky, loaded with deadly cargo in its belly, the single most fearsome weapon the world had ever seen.

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On August 6, 1945 a US B-29 bomber, Enola Gay, dropped Little Boy, a uranium bomb on Hiroshima killing an estimated 140,000 people

At 8:15 am, the pilot released Little Boy, a uranium bomb with a destructive force equivalent to 16 kilotons of TNT.
After the initial searing fireball, gusts of around one mile a second roared outwards, carrying with them shattered debris, and packing enough force to rip limbs from bodies.
The air pressure suddenly dropped, crushing those on the ground, and an ominous mushroom cloud rose, towering ten miles above the city.
The smell of burning flesh filled the air as scores of badly injured survivors tried to escape the inferno by diving into the rivers that criss-crossed Hiroshima.
Countless hundreds never emerged, pushed under the surface by the mass of desperate humanity; their charred bodies left bobbing in the brackish water.

 

[superbeets]

[h=3]HIROSHIMA: BY THE NUMBERS [/h]350,000: Population of Hiroshima before the bombing, of which 40,000 were military personnel.
140,000: Estimated death toll, including those who died from radiation-related injuries and illness through Dec. 31, 1945.
300,000: Total death toll to date, including those who have died from radiation-related cancers.
1.2 million: Population of Hiroshima today.
31,500: Height in feet from which the B-29 Enola Gay dropped the 'Little Boy' bomb.
2,000: Height in feet at which the bomb exploded 43 seconds after it was dropped.
3,000-4,000: The estimated temperature in Celsius at ground zero seconds after the detonation.
8,900: Approximate weight of the 'Little Boy' bomb in pounds.
1,600: Radius in feet from ground zero in which the entire population died that day.
90: Percent of Hiroshima that was destroyed.
45: Minutes after the 8:15 a.m. blast that a 'black rain' of highly radioactive particles started falling.
3-6: Weeks after the bombing during which most of the victims with severe radiation symptoms died.
10 million: Origami cranes that decorate the Children's Peace Monument in Hiroshima each year.

 

[superbeets]

Many died of their terrible injuries over the following hours and days; lying where they fell, desperate for help that would never come, or even just for a sip of water.
For those who survived, there was the terrifying unknown of radiation sickness still to come.
Gums bled, teeth fell out, hair came off in clumps; there were cancers, premature births, malformed babies and sudden deaths.
Seven decades later, some stone buildings that survived the supersonic blast still bear the shadows of anything -- or anyone -- that was incinerated in front of them.
The mangled skeleton of a domed exhibition hall -- the only structure left standing near the epicentre -- stands as a grim reminder of the power of the world's first atomic bombing, a sight that Barack Obama will see Friday when he becomes the first sitting US president to visit the city.
The Hiroshima attack was followed three days later by the Nagasaki bombing. In the wake of the overpowering twin bombs, Japan surrendered less than a week later, ending the Second World War.

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This file photo taken in 1945 shows the devastated city of Hiroshima in the days after the first atomic bomb was dropped by the US

 

[superbeets]

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Shigeaki Mori, a survivor, second right, who created a memorial for American prisoners of war who died at Hiroshima greeted the president

 

[superbeets]

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Former US President Jimmy Carter considered visiting Hiroshima while in office but found it politically impossible

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During his historic speech in Hiroshima today, President Obama addressed the issue of the use of 'barrel bombs' in the Syrian conflict

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Obama and Abe speak at the cenotaph for the memorial of victims of the world's first nuclear attack on August 6, 1945

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President Obama did not apologize for Harry Truman's decision to authorize the attack which claimed some 140,000 lives

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President Obama, center, steps from Marine Force One has he arrives in Hiroshima, site of the first atomic attack in August 1945

 

[busterhyman]

how long will it take the loony left - to convince the world - that the us started the world wars.

 

[Willie99]

7 years and 4 months later, he's done nothing about nuclear weapons except to enable Iran to obtain them

as usual, lip service to impress those impressed by lip service

 

[Willie99]

The president and I are polar opposites seemingly if life as well as the political arena.

He believes government is the solution, free enterprise is the problem. I believe government is the problem, free enterprise is the solution.

He believes you speak loudly butt do nothing, I believe you speak softly but mean what you say (carry a big stick)

He believes you lie first, you lie about everything, the end justifies the means. I believe you be open and honest, you'll be better off in life and in politics.

He believes you elevate yourself by demeaning others. I believe you elevate yourself when you're elevating others.

He believes the presidency is a monarchy and his subjects in the Congress must acquiesce. He takes his ball and goes home if he doesn't get his way. I believe you can always succeed when you build coalitions as opposed to tearing them down


You know this asswipe is not going to shut up when he leaves office either, he's going to act as if he knows something, as if every succeeding POTUS should embrace his failure

 

[GasMan]

Well said Willie...
Really, really spot fkin on.
Liberals are sick people...no integrity...no honesty...no backbone.

Can we secede already? Well take the Gulf region, Atlantic coast south of Virginia,Texas and the Dakotas.

 

[SheriffJoe]

Well said Willie...
Really, really spot fkin on.
Liberals are sick people...no integrity...no honesty...no backbone.

Can we secede already? Well take the Gulf region, Atlantic coast south of Virginia,Texas and the Dakotas.

No yearning for freedom, either.

Control, control, control - all modern "liberals" care about is controlling every aspect of people's lives.

 

[Michelangelo]

The president and I are polar opposites seemingly if life as well as the political arena.

He believes government is the solution, free enterprise is the problem. I believe government is the problem, free enterprise is the solution.

He believes you speak loudly butt do nothing, I believe you speak softly but mean what you say (carry a big stick)

He believes you lie first, you lie about everything, the end justifies the means. I believe you be open and honest, you'll be better off in life and in politics.

He believes you elevate yourself by demeaning others. I believe you elevate yourself when you're elevating others.

He believes the presidency is a monarchy and his subjects in the Congress must acquiesce. He takes his ball and goes home if he doesn't get his way. I believe you can always succeed when you build coalitions as opposed to tearing them down


You know this asswipe is not going to shut up when he leaves office either, he's going to act as if he knows something, as if every succeeding POTUS should embrace his failure

You're a great spokesman for we conservatives, Willy. It's often said around here that thoughts such as these fall on deaf ears. Not so. It is refreshing to me to know that there are still others in this upside down world who think like me. When there are more of us this will be a great country again.

For all of Trump's shortcomings I think that he is awakening and enlightening some Democrats. They will be voting with us, I am sure. Question is, will there be enough. And the more important question is will the conservatives who have ben turned off by either some of Trump's message or his style, rally with us to get him over the top. I sure hope so.

This country is teetering. As attested to by Bernie's popularity, capitalism is misunderstood and under assault. We need a proponent for OUR cause, the cause that built America and continues to be best for America going forward. Trump has warts. But I have faith that he will turn the listing ship back heading in the right direction. If not him, who?

 

[roadreeler57]

I agree but whos going to disarm first?.....Maybe we can draw straws on that one....

 

[Dave007inVegas]

You guys do realize that the only thing that keeps us safe from a nuclear attack is that we have an arsenal of nukes.


"Peace through strength"


There are 9 countries that have “the bomb” and I doubt that any of them are looking to use them and that includes N. Korea. To do so would guarantee total destruction of the country. Even the mental midget who runs the country knows that.


Now call me stupid but I can see Iran using one on Israel just because Allah tells them too. But then Israel would retaliate and there would be no more Iran. Having said that I am confident Israel will not allow that to happen.


The demise of the United States if it happens will come from within.

 

[texansfan]

Obama apologizing for the U.S. ending a war the Japanese started. Obama is almost as dumb as Dafinch, not quite, but close.

 

[Dave007inVegas]

HIROSHIMA: BY THE NUMBERS

350,000: Population of Hiroshima before the bombing, of which 40,000 were military personnel.
140,000: Estimated death toll, including those who died from radiation-related injuries and illness through Dec. 31, 1945.
300,000: Total death toll to date, including those who have died from radiation-related cancers.
1.2 million: Population of Hiroshima today.
31,500: Height in feet from which the B-29 Enola Gay dropped the 'Little Boy' bomb.
2,000: Height in feet at which the bomb exploded 43 seconds after it was dropped.
3,000-4,000: The estimated temperature in Celsius at ground zero seconds after the detonation.
8,900: Approximate weight of the 'Little Boy' bomb in pounds.
1,600: Radius in feet from ground zero in which the entire population died that day.
90: Percent of Hiroshima that was destroyed.
45: Minutes after the 8:15 a.m. blast that a 'black rain' of highly radioactive particles started falling.
3-6: Weeks after the bombing during which most of the victims with severe radiation symptoms died.
10 million: Origami cranes that decorate the Children's Peace Monument in Hiroshima each year.

At Hiroshima the atomic bomb killed about 80,000 people, pulverized about five square miles, and wrecked an additional ten square miles of the city, with decreasing damage out to seven or eight miles from the center. At Nagasaki the fatal casualties were 45,000 and the area wrecked was considerably smaller than at Hiroshima because of the configuration of the city.


Compare this with the results of two B-29 incendiary raids over Tokyo. One of these raids killed about 125,000 people, the other nearly 100,000.

 

[ScottL]

It happened. It sucks. But the alternative was to invade Japan and lose hundreds of thousands of our own soldiers.

Context, Obama. Context. (God is he stupid!)