Dear People of the World (formerly Dear Americans)

Not all of Americans are bad. There are Americans who oppose planned construction of U.S. Marine base in Henoko bay, Okinawa, Japan.

They also oppose Japan's whaling and dolphin hunting. I oppose whaling but not dolphin hunting.

Please read the following news from Mr. Mark J. Palmer, Earth Island.

Kind of good news if it works.

 

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                 Copyright 2009 Inside Washington Publishers
                             All Rights Reserved
                          Defense Environment Alert
 
                               December 8, 2009
 
SECTION: Vol. 17 No. 25
 
LENGTH: 523  words
 
HEADLINE: Environmental Coalition Pressures Obama to Revoke Okinawa Airstrip Plan
 
BODY:
 
   A major coalition of environmental groups is pressuring the Obama administration to revoke a plan to build a U.S. military airstrip over an ecologically sensitive area in Okinawa that is home to several endangered species, sensing recent political developments may open the door to changes in a U.S.-Japanese agreement to build the facility.
 
   Led by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), a multitude of environmental groups representing over 10 million Americans, sent a letter to President Obama Dec. 3 calling on him to retract plans to expand a Marine Corps base in northeast Okinawa because it threatens to destroy habitat for coral reef ecosystems and critically endangered species like the Okinawa dugong, a sacred Japanese icon similar to a manatee. A 2006 bilateral agreement between the United States and Japan would relocate a contentious air station from an urban center in Okinawa to Camp Schwab, located in the northern part of the island.
The new facility is known as the Futenma Replacement Facility (FRF).
 
   But high-level talks between the United States and Japan that begun last month signaled the two governments are revisiting the FRF plan, with the new Japanese government, installed in September, having run an election campaign that in part opposed the FRF's siting on Okinawa. Environmentalists saw the changes as a possible opportunity to get the military project moved or scuttled (Defense Environment Alert, Nov. 24).
 
   The new Japanese government, led by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, "is a very promising development on this issue" and environmentalists hope "that between the two governments, that they will realize that the current plan would cause unacceptable environmental impacts and change course," says one environmentalist central to the coalition's effort.
 
   "The base plan would devastate dugong habitat in Henoko bay and nearby Oura Bay, and would be extremely harmful to turtles, fish, coral, and other marine life," the coalition of environmental groups say in their letter to Obama.
 
   "The recently elected Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and the Democratic Party of Japan have expressed the desire to renegotiate the 2006 agreement and cancel plans to relocate the base. You have the ability and duty to alter the course of this devastating plan, but time is of the essence.
 
   "We urge you to direct the U.S. secretaries of defense and state to cancel this project immediately." The letter is available on InsideEPA.com.
 
   In addition to CBD, other groups signing the letter include Natural Resources Defense Council, Earthjustice, Greenpeace and the Endangered Species Coalition, which represents more than 400 organizations.
 
   Environmentalists have long litigated against the Marine Corps' plan to create the FRF on Okinawa, citing concerns the facility would harm the habitat of the dugong. The proposed FRF would extend a 1.5-mile long airstrip over the sea, onto offshore seagrass beds that form the dugong's habitat. The FRF plan is part of a larger U.S. restructuring agreement with Japan that includes moving thousands of Marines and their dependents from Okinawa to be based on Guam (see related story).

US President Barak Obama announced the surge of troops in Afghanistan. It is expected 30 billion more money would be spent for the surge.

It is impossible. The war is failing just like Iraq. Everyone in the U.S. knows. The economy is in very bad shape.

Unemployment rate is over 10%. The public won't support that. No way the budget plan would pass.

That was why he proposed this surge plan. He is very smart man who graduated from very difficult university.

He knows the public answer would be "No. We Can't." What will happen is the budget plan is rejected.

More and more people would be aware of the cost of the war in Afghanistan considering what needs to be done to improve their daily lives.

Once the budget plan is rejected, Obama would announce immediate withdraw of the troops in Afghanistan.

Then the Congress and the public opinion would agree with the immediate pullout plan without hesitation after the shocking and unrealistic surge plan.

At this point, without any shocking hard way measure, Obama cannot persuade the Congress and the public to pull out the troops immediately.  There are still people who believe Obama is too liberal. He wants to pretend he is not.

 

I hope this trickey plan would succeed.

A story of Japanese woman who experienced Bauhaus art and love romance in Berlin, early 1930's when Nazis came to power.

 

Please read introduction first.

 

Auschwitz Museum in Oswiecim, Poland, November 2009

"Now let us read the will she left. It was also a letter to our museum."
The head of the museum said.

 
"It was 1991 when I came back to Berlin. A year after reunification of Germany. Berlin Wall was fallen down. People were pleased with new reunited Germany. After the war, I started a hotel management in Tokyo for foreigners because I spoke good English and German. Japan turned into democratic nation with new constitution. The first hotel I managed was very small one but as reconstruction and development of Japan underwent, my business expanded, I could own more and bigger hotels in Japan and later in other countries. Next thing I knew, I became a successful business woman. People call me "Hotel Queen." It seemed my life restarted after the war. I felt like I never had any life in pre-war era.

When I turned age of 80, I decided to retire. I've accomplished everything I thought I should. Last business trip for me was Berlin and Krakow. Chikano Hotel opened new franchises in reunited Berlin and the old capital, Krakow in Poland. About 60 years have passed since I left Berlin. The city experienced heavy bombing in second world war and division by the wall during the Cold War era.

The view and scenaries seemed to be drastically changed from my memories except Brandenburg Gate.

I stood at Brandenburg Gate recalling my old memories. I still remembered some of the things. Yes, Bauhaus. School, friends, Meisters. But it was almost fading away as I became very old. However, Bauhaus has been part of my life even after I left. I tried to acquire Bauhaus furniture and design in my hotels. It was simply because I liked that. After I attended opening ceremony at Chikano Hotel, Berlin, I left for Krakow. Very last franchise I visit before retirement. It was my first visit to Krakow. I was pretty much impressed by the city's beauty. I was so glad that such a beautiful city became my last business deal. After the opening ceremony ended, my career as hotel woman ended. So I decided to have first trip in my retirement. The place was there in Krakow. Local tour guide recommended me to visit countryside of the city, which was also beautiful, too.

Then the tour guide asked if I knew Auschwitz. I told him I heard about it before. He told me I should visit there because it was world's historic place. I knew how historic it was because I heard about what Nazis did to so many innocent people in the war. I predicted thing like that would happen even before the war stared because I did witness what happened. That was the reason I had to leave Berlin a very long time ago. 

At first I entered Birkenau and looked around the concentration camp that had a railway station. The final desitination for the prisoners. They became prisoners not because of what they did but because of what they were like being Jew, Roma, or homosexuals. When they arrived, they were divided to go to gas chamber or cottage. Those who could work had to be survived for forced labor. They had to live in cottages like ones for livestocks. When they became useless, they were easily executed in gas chamber or shooting place or by any other brutal method.

I went to the museum exhibition in Auschwitz main building. I saw so many things such as hairs, trunks, prosthetic limbs, shoes taken from prisoners. Over one million were killed in this place. I was shocked and saddened. But I had to face most shocking thing in my life there. I walked on the corridor of the museum and saw the line-up of photo frames hanged on the wall. The guide told me they were all black and white prisoners face photos. Some of them had flowers on top of the photo frame. That was what the survival families left. I saw the photos passing by. All were shaved head and looked frightened. I had to stop by at one photo. I looked at it carefully and then fainted.

 

A few minutes later, I woke up and drunk a glass of water at the office room. I asked who he was. I was very sure but I wanted to confirm. Then the museum staff checked out and told me he was whom I knew. Meister Marcus Weiss. The record indicates he was arrested for treason in 1938 by Gestapo. After years of deportation to several camps, he was finally deported to Auschwitz and executed in 1943.

 

I recalled all my memories with him. From when I first met him at Bauhaus and aparted in my apartment. After I left Berlin, I desperately waited for him but I gave up and decided to live my life. I almost forgot him. But I finally saw him again. In such tragic way. I told my story regarding relationship with Marcus to the museum staff. They all understood how I felt. I decided to become a donor for preservation of this monumental place. The place no one should forget and anybody should know. Please know my story."

 

The head of the museum finished reading the letter. He seemed to be moved to tears because he knew Madame Chikano very well. He saw her several times before she passed away. He continued the speech.

"Madame Chikano indeed became major contributor for preserving the museum. She donated so much money to this museum while she was living. Because she had no relatives or family members, most of her fortune went into preservation of this museum. She will continue to be a major contributor of this museum."

The head of the museum smiled and pointed out a Wassily chair on the stage.

"Her experience symbolized paralell of Bauhaus and Auschwitz. Both German made. Germany-born Bauhaus was once banned by Nazis who built Auschwitz. It was revived in post war era in the U.S. by exiled Bauhaus Meisters. Bauhaus art concept became mainstream for modern design and architecture. Bauhaus school was gone but its concept and art survived and prevailed. Madame Chikano spent only for 5 months in Bauhaus but her life experience was like how Bauhaus went through. The chair was one of what she used in her office room. To commomerate her contribution, we would like to place this in this museum." He put bouquet flowers on it and said,

"Rest her soul in this place and Bauhaus."

 

THE END! 

 

This novel is copywrighted by this blog's manager, Masagata.

Next short novel would be "When East meets West" or "Fullbrightor" or anything else.       

Actually this is Japanese book written in Japanese and first published in Japan as "Aaron Shuyojo (Aaron Camp.)"

It was later translated into English. The book wasn't very popular in Britain. But in Japan it has become one of the most famous book of POW experience in the second world war. The writer Yuji Aida, who was drafted to the imperial army became captive in Burma by British military after Japan surrendered. He wrote the book after he came back home.

 

I learned about this book since former Air Force Chief, Mr. Tamogami, who was dismissed after releasing controversial essay in public quoted this in his speech to justify Japan's aggression in the war. To say it was the war to liberate Asians from white dominated nations.

The below is what I was impressed in the book including what Tamogami quoted.

 

1. When the prisoners complained about the treatment, British officers said "That was what exactly your military did to us."

2. When one of soldiers in his corp apologized to the British for the war, the British preached him not to apologize because he believed he fought against Samurais.

 

3. When the prisoners went to female officers' house to clean, they met naked women hanging around not being embarrassed by their presence.

 

4. British higher ranking officers were taller than their low ranking subordinates and spoke different English because the high ranking people were from elite class.

 

5. Burmese were friendly to Japanese because they had been oppressed by the British under colonization.

 

What Mr. Tamogami quoted was No.3. The writer's analysis of why they weren't embarrassed was that they did not see Asians including Japanse as same human race. Asians were regarded as livestocks or animals, they should have reacted differently if white men came into their house. White racism was more sophisticated than Japanese one because Europeans had raised livestock in order to make a living so they got used to treating other people inhumanely. White people's brutal act was systematic rather than emotional. That was how he viewed.

 

I don't agree with his opinion. Japanese did systematic slaughter in the past. Like 731 Unit in Manchuria, and mass-murder of POW in Nanjing, China, 1937.

Recently Japanese people have become hostile to westerners and more nationalistic, so such thing was brought up.

However, I wonder if you, white reader would agree with the writer's points of view?

Are white women react not embarrassed if Asian male stranger came into the locker room when they are naked? If a stranger was white man, they would be embarrassed? Or vice-versa?