I've enjoyed this debate tremendously so far, but here's a suggestion to steer conversation in another direction:

If it is agreed that America has engaged in activities in the past that can be deemed acts of terrorism, is it unethical for America to be fighting a war on terror when we ourselves have been terrorist? If you argue no because it the acts happened so long ago, I would be interested in hearing how much time must pass before the act should no longer impact the image of the country?

Also, I do not think the personal justification behind the act should impact the discussion. As many people have stated before, personal justification is one sided. What may seem necessary to an American is most likely a great evil to whomever the act was enacted upon. I'm pretty sure the Japanese do not look at the bombing of their country with happiness and thank America for destroying their non-combat kin in an attempt to save the lives of Americans.

For China alone, depending upon what number one chooses for overall Chinese casualties, in each of the ninety-seven months between July 1937 and August 1945, somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000 persons perished, the vast majority of them noncombatants. For the other Asians alone, the average probably ranged in the tens of thousands per month, but the actual numbers were almost certainly greater in 1945, notably due to the mass death in a famine in Vietnam. Newman concluded that each month that the war continued in 1945 would have produced the deaths of "upwards of 250,000 people, mostly Asian but some Westerners."[14][15]

I would think that this shows that we should not believe in absolutes as far as are ethics are concerned, but instead be open minded that we may have it wrong when we think that it is ok to kill many to get at a few that we believe to be wrong. but it even goes deeper than this.

If you ever met any one who was a prisoner of the Japanese and asked him about the Japanese , he would request you killed ever last one of them. When you compare the cruelty and barbarism they inflicted on their enemy and prisoners , compassion for their suffering is hard to justify.

If you ever met any one who was a prisoner of the Japanese and asked him about the Japanese , he would request you killed ever last one of them. When you compare the cruelty and barbarism they inflicted on their enemy and prisoners , compassion for their suffering is hard to justify.

So this makes it excusable to enact an act of terrorism on their people?

So this makes it excusable to enact an act of terrorism on their people?

. I feel sorrow for the individuals suffering but its the nation of Japan that should be held responsible.

So its not opinions you require? its your view to be agreed on. I dont think it was a terrorist act, it was an act of war. Why should I feel sorrow for a nation that committed thousands of war crimes. I feel sorrow for the individuals suffering but its the nation of Japan that should be held responsible. Go to the Burmese railway built by prisoners of Japan, every railway sleeper laid represented a life lost. Thousands were dying daily by their hand , cutting short the war saved lives , even if they were not Japanese. I see this subjects brought up and the condemnation of America, every now and then, do you think it wont be defended.

In one sense I agree because as citizens of Japan, it should be the responsibility of the nation of Japan to do what is in their citizens best interest. To protect them. However, neither side is blameless of course.

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One problem with trying to assign condemnation and whatnot is that no nation is clean. As Jesus said let he who is without sin cast the first stone. No nation is without sin. So it's hard for one nation to listen to the criticism of another nation.

In an ideal world the individuals within the nation that needs criticism would take care of the problem. For example, the citizens of Germany would have rose up against Hitler vs. needing the rest of the world to do it. But alas, this seems rather wishful thinking on my part. Nations are selfish and individuals lack the courage to stand up against what they know is wrong.

You sure sound like a person who likes to "get even", and surely likes the term "it's time for pay back!".

The Japanese even now, knowing what horrors their sons committed, worship their names. They have no shame and they show no shame.

I dont want or expect vengeance but I do require justice. Those Bombs were an horrendous answer to a cruel war.

statements like this are completely unsubstantiated and biased and just come off, to me, as rhetoric. My grandmother was 100% Japanese and she was the nicest person I ever knew and she did have compassion for what those people went through, despite her people being rounded up into "camps" here in America

That doesn't sound like justice, but selfrighteousness.

Then go to japan and see the worship and have you ever heard them openly admit their horrors. An individual American of Japanese decent does not answer for a nation. I see the condemnation of Americans here , shall I not comment on Japans horrors or their lack of confession.

I hope I do get to go to Japan one day because I would love to learn more about my heritage on that side of my family.

I don't understand what your hoping to gain by drudging out all these horrors of Japans past. I don't think anyone is saying they didn't commit horrors, just as I hope you're not trying to claim America is without its horrors.

I can only assume you're doing so to de-humanize the Japanese people to lesson the burden on America which, despite being American and loving this country to death, I take personal offense to.

I dont think it was a terrorist act, it was an act of war. Why should I feel sorrow for a nation that committed thousands of war crimes. I feel sorrow for the individuals suffering but its the nation of Japan that should be held responsible.

I see the condemnation of Americans here , shall I not comment on Japans horrors or their lack of confession.

How is it self righteous, you need to explain? How is requesting Justice self righteous?:perplexed:

Amazingly, this is a major portion of the logic behind Al Qaeda and 9/11. They look at the United States uninvited involvement in the middle east and do not look at their act of terrorism as a terrorist attack but most likely an act of war as well. Based on your logic, why should they feel sorry for us when we ourselves have created acts of terrorism in the past? We are no better than they are yet everyday we try and prove we are far more righteous.

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So this makes it ok for Americans to keep their mouth shut and not admit a fault that we have created in our past? Just because Japan doesn't admit the atrocities they committed it's ok for us to keep them out of our mind as well? I am not trying to slander America, I am just trying to understand why it's ok for America to tell other countries what is ok and not ok to do while we can not admit our own mistakes. How can we be a leading nation when we only admit our glorifications and not our condemnations?

I never seen any justice in the wars waged by USA, too much colatteral damage only showing that USA is a greater badboy than those enemies they'r fighting.

Don't think you know much about Agent Orange in Vietnam.

Iraq 40k innocent casualties, for what? 9/11? Don't think you know what you are talking about.