The answer is simple
An editorial by the Chicago Tribune in Sunday’s West Hawaii Today asked the “lingering question,” “What must the world’s leaders do to make sure the bombings of Japan will be the only instances ever of using atomic energy as a tool of war?”
There is no question that the A-bomb is an awesome, devastating tool of war. But the alternative was to use the thousands of Allied ships and planes and troops poised just off the shore of Japan, ready to invade the island nation in order to gain its surrender (IOW, stop the killings of World War II). This invasion would have cost thousands more lives and continued the war for an indefinite time. The bottom line is that the bombs dropped upon Hiroshima and Nagasaki were able to stop the war!
The editorial asks what the world’s leaders should do. The answer is simple: Stop acting selfishly, thinking that what you do is correct for the good of mankind. If the Germans would have used their energies constructively, we wouldn’t have had that awful conflict that was the war in Europe. If the Japanese had used their skills toward industrialism instead of war, there wouldn’t have been a war in the Pacific.
Friends, our world leaders need to cooperate with each other with an extreme effort to understand other nations than their own. Only after this understanding and the common need for international cooperation can the world avoid the devastating wars caused by greed or hate.
Barry Willis
Kona
Harry, you were a great civil servant to Hawaii County
The people have spoken. This is what happens when our elected officials do not listen to the people. Mayor Harry Kim got less than 16% of the vote for one reason: TMT. He tried to cut deals with unpopular protesters who disrespected his effort and it came back to bite him. He wanted to satisfy everyone and it never works in politics.
Harry, you were a fantastic Civil Defense leader back in the day and people should never forget that. You were a great civil servant to Hawaii County. We know you did what you thought was right for all.
Tombo Lono
Milolii
More needed to keep public informed on closures
I wish that someone in the government would devise a simple map showing which parks and beaches are closed and to what extent. It could be a simple color coding overlaying a Big Island map. One color dot for completely closed and you have to stay out. Another color dot where you can go but there are limitations as to numbers that can gather. Another color dot where you can go for exercise, etc., but not gather. Another where you have to be wearing masks and social distance. Just giving obscure local names for places is confusing and just isn’t good enough. It has to be visual, especially for tourists.
It isn’t that hard. You see these kinds of maps everywhere especially in tourist magazines. The big problem I see is that nobody knows what you can do where. Are you going to get arrested? Fined? This is no joke. I see people going around without masks, going to bars and restaurants hanging out in big numbers at the beach. No consistency. The health implications for all of us are serious. There are plenty of state technical employees that can easily make these maps that are not doing much else these days. Life and death situations and I don’t see the state living up to its responsibilities. I like what I see about travel limitations, etc., but the day-to-day situation with the citizens and tourists is confusing and not informed and leads to people just giving up and doing what the hell ever they want.
Dale Sarver
Holualoa
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