Today, we are all Hibakusha

Today is the 60th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. There's a great article up over on hamdems.org from the man who blessed the bomb before it was dropped. Also, salon.com talks with Historian Richard Rhodes (author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb) about the global arms race. And Hiroshima remembers.

Update: some Chattanoogans who spent the day up in Oak Ridge have posted a report:

August 07, 2005
Hiroshima Day Recap

We had about 30 people get on the bus to go to the Y-12 plant in Oak Ridge from Chattanooga. Although other science experiments take place at the Y-12 plant, this protest was designed to send a message that we want the U.S. to begin seriously dismantling its thousands of nuclear bombs. The bus ride itself was one of the highlights of the trip. It was full of interesting folks and groups including Friends (a local Quaker group), a Catholic Social Justice group from UTC, Food Not Bombs, a member of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship, United for Democracy and Justice, and some miscellaneous people.

At the rally itself, the organizers claimed there were one thousand people, though I believe that not quite that many were there. I personally estimate closer to 800. It was an interesting assortment of people. The religious community was the primary presence, as nuns, priests, ministers, monks and other people of faith made up the majority of citizens involved in the protest and memorial.

A group of monks walked all the way to Oak Ridge from Atlanta. Another group ran from Ohio to Oak Ridge, and a third group rode bicycles from Asheville. These were some dedicated people. About one-hundred people rode on buses to Oak Ridge from Michigan.

We marched down some major roads in Oak Ridge. The occasional car horn was most frequently accompanied by a show of support, though the occasional angry shout or middle finger was displayed.

The rally was a little dull, although there were some interesting moments. The most poignant was a speech by a Japanese survivor of Hiroshima. He hoped that no one would have to experience what he did. He was 3 years old when the bomb was dropped on his city. He always wondered when he was going to die of some radiation exposure. The first love of his life would not marry him for fear that their children would be deformed. He finally married someone else. When he counted his newborn's fingers and toes (10 fingers and 10 toes) it was the happiest moment of his life.

After the rally, there was a ceremonial direct action. The participants formed a line at the fence at the gates of Y12. The fence was lined with No Trespassing signs and backed up by many police officers, security guards, and people in plainclothes with video cameras. Several people crossed the line and were arrested (I don't know how many).

On the bus ride home, one Chattanooga shared his experience with the bomb in 1946. It was extremely interesting to hear his story of watching a nuclear explosion near Bikini Island in Japan. This was a test bomb by the U.S. to monitor the effects of the bomb on animals in the area. Several sailors suffered from the radiation exposure they suffered on the island.

As a cynic, I trust that our protest will have little or no impact on our stockpile of nuclear weapons. The weapons industry has much lobbying power in Washington despite the fact that many Americans believe we should begin nuclear disarmament. What use could we possibly have for thousands of these bombs? Wouldn't a couple of hundred be safer and just as useful for a deterrent? My wife tells me that the true tragedy would be if no one were there protesting these weapons. For me, the most important part of the protest was the people that I met.

We may be able to make a difference in stopping the production of a "Bunker Buster" nuke that would dwarf the current nuclear weapons we possess. One speaker at the rally estimated that a million people could be killed by this weapon. The production of this weapon is currently being considered in Washington.

By Joe2 | 01:04 PM