Political Correctness Sucks Part VII

Memorial Day is here...the day that we all (in theory anyway) honor those who have fought and died in the service of our country.

I'm sure that there are very few people who object to such a holiday; at the very least, it's a day off from work. Not even the politically correct Bozos who tell us what's right and wrong would dare attempt to deprive those who made the ultimate sacrifice of a much deserved tribute.

Or would they?

Give them time...

I know it seems absurd, but hear me out.

Question; If we were to somehow bring the terrorists of the world to their knees and end the "war on terror," which seems destined to go on forever, wouldn't that be cause for celebration? Probably even a National Holiday?

I think so.

And if the people who live in this country who are of middle-eastern descent were to complain that we shouldn't celebrate such a day since so many of their countrymen were killed, what would we say?

Exactly - we'd say something that I shouldn't print here (it wouldn't be politically correct).

Continuing that rationale - doesn't it seem like a foregone conclusion that the end of hostilities in the bloodiest war ever fought on the planet be recognized as a National Holiday?

I think so.

Then why doesn't this country celebrate the day that World War II officially ended?

As a great General once said..."War is Hell" and anybody who has ever seen it first hand will tell you what an understatement that is - so celebrating the end of a war is a perfectly natural thing to do.

World War II was essentially two wars in one; the war in Europe, which ended on May 8^th, 1945 when Germany officially surrendered, and the war in the Pacific against Japan.

In July of 1945 Japan was given an ultimatum (The Potsdam Declaration) which they ignored despite six months of brutal fire bombings on Japanese cities.

Allied troops (as well as Japanese troops) were dying by the thousands each day. Some military experts believed that a direct land attack against Japan would cost a minimum of 500,000 allied lives and have no guarantee of success.

Faced with these circumstances the decision was made to employ the use of nuclear weapons.

On August 6, 1945 an atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima and on August 9 another was dropped on Nagasaki.

On August 15 the Japanese announced their surrender. On September 2 the Instrument of Surrender was signed on the battleship USS Missouri thus bringing World War II to an end.

It is estimated that between 62 and 78 million people died during World War II - making it the deadliest war in human history.

Certainly the end of such a brutal conflict is cause for celebration.

Actually there was a holiday for it; it was originally named Victory over Japan Day (or VJ Day). At one time it was observed on a national level but one-by-one states began choosing to ignore it.

The reason given in most cases was that the name VJ Day was politically incorrect.

Oddly enough, only one state in the country (Rhode Island) celebrates this day, and it is called Victory Day.

I wonder why...

The commonly accepted answer is that people are offended by it.

They are offended because a.) The holiday attaches a negative stigma to Japanese people and b.) It celebrates the annihilation of an estimated 200,000 civilians.

Once again - we see the effects of the politically correct mind set.

The purpose of the holiday is not to celebrate the use of nuclear weapons; it is to celebrate the end of a war.

This is a bad thing?

Are you kidding me?

As I said earlier, if we were to somehow find a way to end the war on terror, wouldn't we celebrate? You're damn right, we would. Not celebrating it would be an insult to every member of the armed forces who has laid down their life while fighting it and also to the 3000+ innocent civilians killed on September 11^th.

Yet we won't celebrate the end of WWII - because the term VJ Day is politically incorrect.

What a load of crap.

We're afraid to label our celebration in any way that will be derogatory toward the people who were fighting tooth and nail to beat us. The same people who launched an unprovoked attack on us at Pearl Harbor and the same people who executed hundreds of P.O.W.s after the Instrument of Surrender had been signed.

Those people?

As for the deaths of untold numbers of civilians, that is absolutely a shame, there is no question about that - but our leaders were faced with a decision the likes of which you and I will never be able to comprehend.

Sacrifice 200,000 civilians and end the war - OR - put millions of Allied servicemen in harms way and prolong the war indefinitely.

I seriously doubt that the decision was made lightly, the really tough decisions never are.

There is a glaring inconsistency here...every year on the Fourth of July we celebrate (rather lavishly) our victory over England in the American Revolution. Do you think it casts a negative light on English people?

I don't.

How about November 11^th, which is now called Veterans Day, but was originally called Armistice Day in celebration of the end of hostilities in World War I?

Nobody minds celebrating that one.

So maybe the solution is to change the name of the holiday - so that it does not directly associate the celebration with the Japanese people.

In Rhode Island, that idea was brought up by state Senator Rhoda Perry. She introduced bills in 1992, 1994 and 1995 to change the holiday to Rhode Island Veterans Day. A second 1995 bill would have changed it to Peace and Remembrance Day.

Perry said she received "vitriolic" mail from veterans.

"It was absolutely a no-winner," Perry said. "I did not have support, period."

In 1990 the RI General Assembly had to pass a resolution to remind people that "Victory Day is not a day to express satisfaction in the destruction and death caused by nuclear bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki."

That kills me. People really need to be reminded of that?

Were there people having barbecues and picnics in honor of the first use of nuclear weapons? Of course not.

People were getting together and marking the end of a vicious and brutal war that changed the course of human history unlike any before it (or since).

"People need the holiday to remember the sacrifices veterans made during the war," said James Brennan, a survivor of the 1942 Bataan Death March in which Japanese soldiers tortured and killed thousands of American and Filipino prisoners.

However, Brennan said he does not harbor ill feelings toward the Japanese and does not believe the holiday incites racism or hatred - and remember, he was there.

What right do the PC Bozos (most of whom were probably not even conceived while Brennan was being starved and tortured in Bataan) have to suggest that celebrating the end of a war is anything other than just that?

If you've missed any of the other installments in my Political Correctness Sucks series click on the appropriate link...

Part IPart IIPart IIIPart IVPart VPart VI

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