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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (March 8, 1995)
EDITORIAL r Hiroshima blast lesson for future Fifty years ago, the United .States wiped out 60 percent of the Japanese city Hiroshima with a single atomic bomb. When President Truman decided to use a bomb that has more power than 20,000 tons of TNT, he put an end to » devastating war and introduced the world to the atomic age, "When that missile strut k the earth, it blew up in the greatest man-made explosion in the history of the world," wrote Newsweek magazine in 1045. Since then, the United Status has been both criticized and praised for its decision to fight the Japanese with atomic weapons. Some sav the bomb was needed to save American lives. Others claim it was Inhumane, killing too many innocent people. In a recent poll of Americans, only 44 percent support Truman's decision to drop the bomb. Hut in a similar poll 50 years ago. an overwhelming number of Ameri cans said they approved of the bomb Regardless of how Americans view the atomic bomb, what happened at Hiroshima during World War II must never be forgotten. All Americans should be educated on how America wiped out two Japanese cities with the most deadly weapon over known. People need to know the si iontific ami hislorit a! signifu am e of tin* atomi< bomb, hifforts to remember the bomb are steering in the wrong direction. Recently people lobbied for u United States stamp commemorating the 50th anniversary of the bomb. The proposed stamp featured a mushroom cloud design, resembling what the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki looked like after the two bombs were dropped. Stamps are meant to glorify events in U.S. history, and there's no reason to celebrate the loss of 210.000 Japanese men, woman and children. Printing a "mush room cloud" stamp would Ihj offensive to people whose ancestors died from the bomb. How would Americans feel if the Japanese printed a stamp of Pearl Harbor? We « an lx* thankful the U.S. Postal Service canceled plans to print the stamp. Museum displays about the bomb also have Ixven can celed recently because thoyare too sensitive for those who remember what happened. Instead of celebrating our victory over the Japanese, Americans of all generations need to lx* educated on the events of World War II and the effects of the atomic bomb In a recent poll. 60 percent of Americans didn’t know which president ordered the bomb to lx» dropped. That's a sad statistic. For the millions of people born after 1945. it's impos sible to imagine the suffering caused by the atomic bomb. It s important to educ ate the ignorant to make sure everyone realizes the serious consequences of Truman's decision. It would be far too tragic for historv to repeat itself. 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EedhC l%aAoc*> ^ Buiuneti. * i**') f.,vlK 'rt $k/£**■+*.•*.# Jud> CpnnpKy Production Or•*•-•■• 4 Mt Co*'<> Csxv^.'ij^v Atmte TarftO*^t%i#y |Ved -.•■ *,l M • V , :,■ ■<?. ft . ., ,;J V .V,4 • V*n Newsroom 0«*ptay Advert ing 340 371? Bu*in«*4 Office 3*0 551? Oeetrfled Advertising 340*3*3 2 THE NEW U S -CHINA TRADE POLICY... .wanna. Wf*P W NtW \\A£>c»snA ct>? --NOW THfur* human Rights ViOtAT»ON.. ■ OPINION Presidential hopefuls looking for votes Primp A. J. Font \n v Since Hi ftntli week, I decided that 1 would rover dial favorite topic of every columnist's heart, presidential handit upping. It may he early, but if they've started running, then 1 had hotter start covering So. in alphalietical order, to he fair, here's a list of people who are already or are prolwbly going to be in the race Lamar Alexander. Tins former governor of Tennessee and Sei • rotary of Education is running on the "Washington Outsider" angle Mo already has a catchy slogan “Cut their pay and send them home." which is what he intends to do with Congress Although he is well-respected hv moderates of both parties and some far-right conservatives, he may lai k the charisma and sta mina fur the long haul A poten tial vice president Pot Buchanan That’s right, the COP's Brutus uf 1992 is at it again look for this militant, iso lationist conservative to make light ol the great rift between Republican moderates and right wingers He doesn't have a replacement player’s chance against Crv*g Maddux. rs|ns tolly after the disastrous GOP Con vention of 1993. Bill Clinton As far as I've heard. Clinton still is the presi dent Things may look bleak for Bubba now. but he’s been here before. If his staff um succeed in painting the Republicans as ruthless and cold, which shouldn't be that hard, he just may squeeze out yet another term. Boh Dole Newt and his foam mg-at-the-mouth cohorts in the Mouse have (teen the best thing to happen to Senate Majority Leader Dole Me is playing the elder statesman, attd has had the luxury of loosening up on The Cite Slum and in other informal settings. Me has boon bitter and callous during presidential bids in ihe past, but if he can keep his attitude chipper, he can't In beat. It's Dole's race to lose at this point He r an get the mon ey. the moderates and enough conservatives to make the Chris tum Coalition happy. Hob Dornan Hep Roman, K Calif . the loosest of the loose cannon* in the House, is run ning at this point apparently just to make Clinton look bad Dor nan's < hanros are slim He is so conservative that he makes Kush Limbangh look like Ralph Nad er. lbs influence will, like Buchanan's, perhaps widen the gap between the GOP'* moder ate and conservative factions. Phil Gramm Senator Gramm's biggest lead at this point is in dollars He had a large surplus after his last cam paign for the Senate, and he is very well connected in the high er echelons of Republican fund raising Ethical questions have arisen right and left regarding Gramm, quite notably in the most recent issue of The Nation, and his negative charm may make Dole look like a cuddly old grandpa He is second to Dole in the GOP rankings now, hut new competitors from the moderate sector of the (.()P may soon take his place if he can’t gain at least a little charm /in hard Ttigar, Sen. Lugar. R Ind . officially entered the race last week His name re< ogtlitlOtl is low, hut he is very well respected as a Senate moderate Lugar's un»r may be stellar, hut he may not have an angle or the charisma necessary to differenti ate him from the field. Alien Speiter: I must admit, that of the people truly running, Sen. Specter, R-Penn.. is my jier sonal favorite He has already handed out pamphlets in New Hampshire that sav "Join Him In the Effort to Restore Ameri can Greatness Through Tradi tional Republican Values " He is strongly pro-choice, and believes that a moderate such as himself must In* elected presi dent in order to ameliorate what he i.ulls “a party divided by intolerant e and bigotry He has already stood up strongly against the conserve There may he smart ones, and fine politicians at that, hut Mr should still he eon eerned at the lack of true innovation. lives of the GOP in the Christian Coalition When their leader. Ralph Reed, announced that abortion would be a litmus test in 1996. Specter said. “If Ralph Reed says I’m unfit to be presi dent because I'm pro-choice. I’m prepared to stand up and look him in the eye and tell him he’s wrong — and raise hell about it.” If Specter can paint himself as fiscally conservative and social ly liberal in the mold of the hot GOP governors such as Hill Weld of Massac husetts or Chris tine Whitman of New Jersey, he has a real shot. At the very least. In- may open the doors of the l Republic an Party to the 20th century on six ial issues Pete Mihail Wilson's racist and unconstitutional Proposi tion 187 has caught on like wild fire in the new "angry white male" electorate, and this could take him to the top However, if this issue backfires in the courts, ns the smart money say s it will, he c ould lose his popularity Also, during his victorious reelect ion campaign for the gov ernorship of California he pledged that he would not run for president in 1996. So there you have it folks, my field of nine. There may he smart ones, and fine politicians a! that, but we should still be conc erned at the lac k of true innovation Although Specter may he a hit progressive, none have shown a propensity for the type of lead ership which this country has seen in its finest presidents, such ns Jefferson. Madison and Franklin !) Roosevelt Hopefully a leader will arise, for 1996 or the near future, who can truly lead this nation for ward Pritno A I Fontana is a colum nist for the Emerald
