Dear People of the World (formerly Dear Americans)

Dear Bloggers,

Thanks for reading my posts!

I am flying to China for a few weeks. I might not be able to add any post until I come back home.

I might be able to add a post from China.

Anyway, I'll be reporting my trip to China to you. Please look forward to reading new stories.

The attached picture is Southern China's biggest city, Shanghai, where I went last time.

This time I am visiting Beijing and neighboring cities.

Do you know Robert S. McNamara?

This is the documentary film based on the interview recently conducted with of Robert McNamara who was Secretary of Defense during Kennedy and Johnson administration. He is now nearly 90 years old.

He is also important for Japanese history.

Exactly 60 years of today, the city I live, which is the capital of Japan, Tokyo was bombed by US air force. 100,000 civilians including children were killed by B-29 airplanes over one night. At that time, Mr. McNamara was under the command of Colonel LeMay, who directed the bombing of Tokyo on March 10, 1945. McNamara was part of this bombing project as a statistical analyst.

He seemed regretted what he did. He also mentioned his supervisor LeMay said if the US lost the war, he would have been convicted as war criminal.
Then, McNamara said “Can we get away with this immorality because we won the war?”

Again, I wouldn’t want to blame him for what the US army has done to our country. Yes, US has done too much for its objective. But Japan started the war by bombing Pearl Harbor and we’ve done as brutal things in China as Hiroshima and Tokyo.

There are many other important messages in this film. I recommend you to see it.

Mr. Colin Powell is one of my favorite politicians.

Although he was born in poor immigrant family, he worked hard and made brilliant accomplishments in his career, he became the first Black Secretary of State in US history. This is what the 60’s movie “Guess, who’s coming to dinner?” predicted.

Although, he was Republican, he was pro-choice of abortion issue, against forcible praying at public schools, against CA proposition 209 that bans affirmative action.

He was not only a great politician, but a cool war strategist, that is why he successfully led the Gulf war. That is why he was against the Iraq war.

The most memorable thing to me was the comment he made to 3 Japanese hostages captive in Iraq, April last year. They were kidnapped near Fallujah and the insurgents’ demand was pullout of Japanese forces dispatched in Iraq. One of them was human aid worker. The other 2 were journalists. The human-aid worker was helping street children in Baghdad. She was on her way to meet the children.

8 days later, they were released, but at the time they were released, they became the scapegoat of hysterica of Japanese politicians and society. The hostages’ travel to Iraq was very much criticized because the government released the warning of not to go there. Their respectable activities as human-aid worker and journalists were ignored.

The Prime Minister of Japan was so angry with the human aid worker’s comment that she wanted to continue her activity in Iraq although she had a hard time being kidnapped. He said “How dare she could say that, many people worked hard not sleeping and eating to rescue her.” The PM just gave up his duty as leader of Japanese government. Some politicians even ask them to pay the expense to rescue them.

Mr. Powell’s comment was totally opposite.
“I am pleased that Japanese citizens were willing to take risk to do better thing. Japanese people should be very proud that they have citizens who are willing to do this. Very proud of soldiers in Iraq. If nobody takes the risk you can’t move the world forward. You take the risk, you are captured, it is your fault. No. We still have obligation to do everything we can to recover them safely. They are the citizens and our neighbors.”

He knows the duty as politician unlike our PM.

He is in fact the great human asset of dynamic American society, isn't he.

I want to receive his message as given to me "If nobody takes the risk, you can't move the world forward."

Have you seen the movie "Guess who's coming to dinner?"

I saw it last week on TV. The story is one woman took her fiance to her home. Her family were rich and liberal. The problem was her fiance was Afro-American. Sidney Poitier acted as the fiance. Katherin Hepburn was mother of the woman.

Although her parents were liberal and not racist, they were shocked. They were not prejudiced against the fiance but they were worried about hardship the couple and their prospected grandchildren would face.

Finally, the parents approved their marriage. The father (acted by Spencer Tracy) said, "The worst thing is knowing what you are, knowing what you feel about each other, you didn't get married."

I liked the movie a lot. The story took place almost 40 years ago, but it seems interracial marriage is still difficult in US, especially between Black and white. When I was studying in US, 90's, it was very rare to see Black and white couple. Asian and white couples were seen so often.

I've heard prejudice against Afro-Americans does not come only from skin color difference but also historical and cultural aspects. But there are many Americans who are breaking such barriers to change the society better. I think that is one of the good things about America.

How would you react if your child or brother or sister introduces you his or her fiance who happens to have different skin color?