On Thu, 10 Jun 2021 16:09:13 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:

On Thursday, June 10, 2021 at 5:28:02 PM UTC-5, AMuzi wrote:
On 6/10/2021 5:23 PM, wrote:
On Wednesday, June 9, 2021 at 10:48:00 AM UTC-5, wrote:
This was a terrorism campaign of the highest order.

I understand as a Trumper and Republican, you consider history to be irrelevant. But during WW2, the USA was legally, officially at war with Japan. The US Congress declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941. September 2, 1945 is officially V-J day. Victory over Japan. Surrender signed by Japan on that day. Not sure if or when Congress officially signed a war is over document. I looked up the definition of terrorism on Google and it says "the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims." Since the USA was lawfully at war with Japan, Congress passed a law, its not terrorism.

+1
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Andrew Muzi

Let me give Tom a little slack or sympathy. Calling the fire bombing of Tokyo and other civilians during WW2 bad, awful, evil, mean, terrible, etc. can be argued today. Right or wrong, up or down, left or right, black or white. Answer is....... The US fire bombed Dresden Germany in 1945 was terrible. Justified? The head brass said yes because it demoralized the enemy and hindered their ability to make war implements. I suspect they used the same rationale for Tokyo and Japan too. In hindsight we can debate it. Whether the use of warfare against civilians, non combatants, is correct and right. Is war only supposed to be against the enemies warriors?

Of course all nations demonize their enemies but the Japanese, prior
to 1945 were rather spectacularly bad, partially because they applied
their own standards and traditions to "the enemy". But in the U.S.
they were regarded as evil back stabbers who deserved everything that
might happen to them.

Example from newspapers at the time:

Los Angeles Times editorial dated February 19, 1942, stated that:

Since Dec. 7 there has existed an obvious menace to the safety of
this region in the presence of potential saboteurs and fifth
columnists close to oil refineries and storage tanks, airplane
factories, Army posts, Navy facilities, ports and communications
systems. Under normal sensible procedure not one day would have
elapsed after Pearl Harbor before the government had proceeded to
round up and send to interior points all Japanese aliens and their
immediate descendants for classification and possible internment.

Atlanta Constitution editorial dated February 20, 1942, stated that:

The time to stop taking chances with Japanese aliens and
Japanese-Americans has come. . . . While Americans have an inate [sic]
distaste for stringent measures, every one must realize this is a
total war, that there are no Americans running loose in Japan or
Germany or Italy and there is absolutely no sense in this country
running even the slightest risk of a major disaster from enemy groups
within the nation.

Los Angeles Times editorial dated February 28, 1942, stated that:

As to a considerable number of Japanese, no matter where born,
there is unfortunately no doubt whatever. They are for Japan; they
will aid Japan in every way possible by espionage, sabotage and other
activity; and they need to be restrained for the safety of California
and the United States. And since there is no sure test for loyalty to
the United States, all must be restrained. Those truly loyal will
understand and make no objection.

Los Angeles Times editorial dated April 22, 1943, stated that:

As a race, the Japanese have made for themselves a record for
conscienceless treachery unsurpassed in history. Whatever small
theoretical advantages there might be in releasing those under
restraint in this country would be enormously outweighed by the risks
involved.[

While today, some 70 years after the fact, people may declare the
Tokyo bombing as cruel and terrible, terrible, but in the U.S., in
1945, it was considered as "the right thing to do".

I might add that in 1945 I was 13 years old and an avid reader of war
news and I can remember no instance where a news agency descried the
Tokyo bombing. Even the Nuclear bombing of two Japanese cities was
acceptable as the alternate was seen as, possibly, years of fighting
on the Japanese home islands and the loss of many American lives.

A month after the occupation of Japan General MacArthur was reported
as stating that even then, if the Japanese government lost control
over its people and the millions of former Japanese soldiers took to
guerrilla warfare in the mountains, it could take a million American
troops ten years to master the situation.
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Cheers,

John B.