On Monday, August 6, 1945, after six months of intense firebombing of 67 other Japanese cities, the United States  dropped a nuclear weapon nicknamed "Little Boy" on the city of Hiroshima , Japan.  This attack was followed on August 9 by the detonation of the "Fat Man" nuclear bomb over the Japanese city of Nagasaki. To date, these are the only attacks with nuclear weapons in the history of warfare.

In Remembrance of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

When the bombs were dropped I was very happy. The war would be over now, they said, and I was very happy. The boys would be coming home very soon they said, and I was very happy. We showed ‘em, they said, and I was very happy. They told us that the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had been destroyed, and I was very happy. But in August of 1945 I was only ten years old, and I was very, very happy.

The crew of the B-29 was so young and heroic, and in the photo they also looked very happy.  For some reason, I clearly remember the name of the pilot, Paul Tibbets. Of course I remember the name of the plane, the Enola Gay.  And oh yes, I remember the name of the bomb.  It was called Little Boy. That made me smile.

I was so proud to be an American that day because we had done something so remarkable. They said we were the first. We were Americans. We were powerful.  But they didn’t say that Little Boy had killed 66,000 people with its huge fireball that fateful day in August. They didn’t say that Hiroshima was not a military target, but a city filled with men and women and children and animals who had no idea they were about to die so horribly.  When you’re ten, they don’t always tell you everything.

Here we go again.  After eight horrific years of lies and deceit and war and death, the American public once again has fallen into the abyss of self delusion.  Tragically, just as we near the brink of reversal, we are about to abdicate any claim whatsoever to respect or honor anywhere.  

America consistently proclaims itself a nation of laws where justice is blind to privilege or class. And yet, as the world watches in disbelief, this country has become inextricably mired in non-stop debates that defy reason.  It is absolutely insane to discuss the possibility that a crime has some Machiavellian validity simply because it ‘works.’ And it is equally incredulous to engage in discussions about the propriety of prosecuting those who have openly admitted their heinous actions.

Something is terribly wrong with this picture.

Here the facts.  Check them out.  They’re clear; they’re relatively simple to follow. Do the math.

Former Sec'y of State Condoleezza Rice made it to ABC's The View this morning, so naturally, Barbara Walters showed up as well.  Wow, another big name interview for the wannabe political forum, - right after some quasi-relentless sparring with Ron. Blagojevich just a few days before.  It was the perfect time for Babs to bring 'er on, and finally ask the tough questions about war and torture and eight years of Bush hell.  Yeah, right.

On Friday, as he rallied his bigoted, small-minded followers in a suburb of Minneapolis, John McCain made a most bizarre attempt to reverse the fear mongering and bigoted tone of his faltering campaign

The incident involved a brief exchange between a pathetic McCain supporter and her increasingly desperate candidate. What happened was this: during a rally at Lakeville South High School, McCain handed his microphone to a woman who expressed her concerns about Barack Obama "I don't trust Obama,” she said. “I have read about him. He's an Arab."

Just then, for just one unrealistic nanosecond, I naively hoped that John McCain would take the high road and reject such a bigoted attack from someone in his painfully ignorant audience.  Instead, my heart sank in disbelief as I heard the response to this ethnic slur from a man who would be our national leader.

“No, ma’am” offered John {our hero) McCain, “He’s a decent, family man, [a] citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues and that's what this campaign is all about."  

Implicit, of course, in that response was another message: Don’t worry, ma’am, Barack Obama is NOT an Arab.  Unlike Arabs, he’s a decent, family man.