Sunday,
December 09, 2007
December 7: Remember
The
ANNOTICO Report
Japanese
Americans keep up the steady drumbeat of anguish over the WWII Internment , attempting to deflect from the Japanese
Militarism throughout Asia, and the countless Atrocities the Japanese
committed, including the infamous "Rape of Nanking", prior to the
Japanese "Sneak Attack" on Pearl Harbor, the
"unspeakable" treatment of US POWs, including such actions as
"the Bataan March", and then has the disingenuous audacity
to label the "Relocation Centers" as "Concentration
Camps"
While
these camps were surrounded by barbed-wire fences and guard towers with armed guards.The
barracks allowed families to families stay together. Meals were eaten
in mess halls. They were permitted to create a sense of normalcy with
school, sports, dances, newspaper, etc.
And
I am constantly irritated that the Japanese Americans completely ignore the
LIKE treatment of the the Italian Americans and German Americans.
There
wee 600,000 Italian Americans, 300,000 German Americans ,
and 120,000 Japanese Americans that were Required to Register as ENEMY ALIENS,
and all the Restrictions, including Internment, Jailings,
Relocations, Confiscations, Curfews,and all the rest.
Interestingly, although
there is MUCH made of the Japanese-American "fighting" 442nd,
while there were between 600-800,000 Italian Americans fighting for the US
Military, there were ONLY approximately 2,000 Japanese Americans
fighting for the US Military !!!
The
male Japanese Americans of Military age in the Internment Camps were given the
chance to join the US Military. Few Did.!!!!!
The
"comfort" of the camp, or become a "grunt", and fight for
your country. The camp sounded good. Don't even have to go to
Debate Continues Over WWII Japanese
internment
Orange
Letters
to the Editor
Saturday,
December 8, 2007
Honesty Prerequisite for Seat at
Table of Debate
Over the past
couple of weeks I've read with interest the numerous articles and letters
regarding the World War II internment of Japanese Americans at Manzanar. The Sunday, Dec. 2 edition of The Orange County
Register printed two more entries into the debate which offered opposing views.
The article by self-proclaimed history buff Howard Garber appeared well
researched and fact-based while indicating that Japanese Americans were not the
only ethnic group singled out for internment (or worse) during the war [Reader
rebuttal]. And letter writer James Nagamatsu
submitted an emotional piece laced with factual errors [Roosevelt
won 3rd term at citizens expense].
First of all, Nagamatsu referred to internment camps
as concentration camps. While I'm sure the camps did not offer the most
luxurious accommodations, I haven't heard any allegations of slave labor,
torture, starvation or use of gas chambers at the internment camps. The
inferring of equivalency between internment camps and concentration camps is
beneath honest debate.
Nagamatsu also stated that while the
In fact many German Americans were deported to Germany in exchange for other
Americans being held by the Nazis, left to fend for themselves in a war-ravaged
country or be thrown into "real" concentration camps accused of being
American spies.
There is no shortage of painful and unfair treatment of people during wartime
in this country or any other. But, when retrospectively analyzing a state of
true national security nearly seventy years ago, it is improper to apply
hindsight morality and selective indignation in order to claim unique victimhood in the eyes of history.
Finally, Nagamatsu claims that FDR interned
Japanese Americans to fan the flames of hatred against them in order to garner
votes for re-election to his third term as President of The United States. That
election took place in 1940, nearly a full year before the bombing of
A debate about the constitutionality, morality and fairness of WWII internment
is fair game. But honesty and openness to the facts are prerequisites for
a seat at the table.
Tim Streit of Coto de Caza
Remembering
James Nagamatsu, I read your article about WW II, the
Japanese Internment. If I could talk to Nagamatsu
personally I would ask him if he is still dwelling on how ruthlessly
I believe today that the American Japanese were treated horribly. The German
and Italian people were white. I didn't mistrust the Italians as much as the Germans.
My friend, it was the face and believe me, no matter how the Japanese felt
about
We have friends in
I was taken from a very good job, at 18, put on a ship for four years of my
life and I've suffered from injuries now and until the day I die.
I forgave the governments that started the war the day I
got out of the service.
Herbert Webster of
A Cruel War Experience
It is remarkable that there are still Japanese Americans during this day and
age who talk about the sentiments of the days after the dastardly attack by the
Japanese to our nation in
They steamrolled through China, Manchuria, Burma, Thailand, France-Indo China,
Malaysia Singapore, Philippines, Dutch East Indies to name a few.
Everywhere they went they committed atrocities.
How
do I know? By personal experience. My Dad,
who was a Dutch citizen in the Dutch East Indies
now known as
My message to all the James Nagamatsus out there is,
Get over it. Dont open any healed wounds of those of us who actually
experienced those atrocities.
Erwin Vysma
of
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