[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
RE: Victims
John:
He did use it against the Iranians.
Edmond J. Baratta
Radiation Safety Officer
Tel. No. 781-729-5700, ext 728
FAX: 781-729-3593
-----Original Message-----
From: Jacobus, John (OD/ORS) [mailto:jacobusj@ors.od.nih.gov]
Sent: Friday, August 09, 2002 8:35 AM
To: 'RadSafe'
Subject: RE: Victims
Franz,
Obviously, you do not have a good sense of history. For one thing the
Nazi's did use poison gas. I am sure you remember hearing about Auschwitz
and the other camps. Of course, this is more analogous to Saddam Hussein
who used it against civilian populations. I am surprised he did not use it
against the Iranians he was fighting.
The reason poison gas has not been used in warfare since the WWI is that
each side had huge stock piles and had made it clear that they were going to
use it. It was the "Mutual Assured Destruction" of its day. During the
Gulf War, our first President Bush said that in the Iraqis used biological
or gas, we would respond "without restraint." This is a nice way of saying
"You'll be sorry," because we have nuclear capability and will use it. (As
an aside, before Desert Storm started, there was a report of transports
being diverted from their voyage to Johnston Island in the Pacific Ocean to
the Persian Gulf. Around this time, the US Army was removing stockpiles of
chemical weapons that were stored in Europe, to use against a Warsaw Pac
invasion, and taking them to Johnston Island where they would be
incinerated. If you have trouble figuring out the connection, let me know.)
It is important to remember that during WWII, civilian cities were
legitimate targets. The idea behind this type of strategic bombing is
destroy factories that produce war materiel, storage locations, and
transportation centers. Unfortunately, most of these are located in cities.
I am sure you saw the effects of strategic bombing. Hiroshima and Nagasaki
were just an extension of that program. It is more efficient with one bomb
in one plane rather that using waves of planes carrying high explosive bombs
and incendiary bombs to incinerate the cities and those who could not
escape.
If you served in the military as a leader, you learn several things about
combat. First, you must use all of your resources to complete the mission.
Second, you try to keep your troops alive so they can go home. (In the US,
most of our officers were average American, unlike Europe where the officer
corps were from the aristocracy.) During WWII in Europe, when Allied troops
approached a town, they would try to get the local leaders to surrender. If
they refused, they called in artillery of flatten the torn. You did not
waste your own troops. In present world, our own citizens would be appalled
by this idea. However, 50 years of relative peace (excluding Korea and
Vietnam Nam) puts a differ perspective on life. Remember is was only 20
years between the two world wars.
Again, it is very easy to criticize what was done in the past by
politicians. One can even ask why Austrian government and many of its
people voted to join Nazi Germany. But I do not blame you for that, but
have you ever considered it? What do you think they were doing?
-- John
-----Original Message-----
From: Franz Schoenhofer [mailto:franz.schoenhofer@chello.at]
Sent: Wednesday, August 07, 2002 3:30 PM
To: Jacobus, John (OD/ORS); 'RadSafe'
Subject: Re: Victims
. . .
So you openly declare, that the Allies (= the US troops) would have breached
against international law by using poisonous gases? Not even the Nazi-regime
has used them during WW II !!!! This is a slap into the face of your nation,
which critizises correctly the use of poisonous gases by Saddam Hussein
against Kurds. So you put the Allies on the same level as Saddam Hussein? Or
are you supporting his politics against the Kurds?
It is unbelievable, how far some people go to defend previous actions of
their politicians and military, if they are criticised.
Franz
************************************************************************
You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,
send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu Put the text "unsubscribe
radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.
You can view the Radsafe archives at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/
************************************************************************
You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,
send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu Put the text "unsubscribe
radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.
You can view the Radsafe archives at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/