WIX Archives

Re: Smithsonian screws up display of the Enola Gay Again!!!!

Posted by Tony C on Mon Nov 03, 2003 06:52:42 AM

In reply top Smithsonian screws up display of the Enola Gay Again!!!!!!!! posted by John H on Mon Nov 03, 2003 03:30:35 AM

Whether we like it or not, Hiroshima happened..

Nagasaki happened
The 'Final Solution' happened
Dresden happened
Coventry happened
The Somme happened
Passchendale happened
Countless millions lost their lives during 1914-1918
Even more lost their lives during 1933-1945

All major events of the 20th Century and should not be forgotten.

Every 11 November, I remember but not to glorify but to remember the sacrifice made.

Admittedly, those at Hiroshima and Nagasaki had little or no choice but the fact is that the event happened and through its 'Remembrance' will hopefully not happen again.

Further, when put into the context of the 'Times', I would have (and still do) support the use of the bomb against Japan and had the US hadn't dropped the first offensive 'bomb' the likelihood is that Russia may have, which may have resulted in even greater consequencies and a very different world today.

But what bloody annoys me most, is that the objectors obviously feel that HISTORY is a commodity that can be altered to suit their requirements.

In these PC times is is any wonder that history has a habit of repeating itself?????????

Maybe we should start creating GM History which can be modified at will, to formed to a nice respectful view of our world

Bloody idiots.

Sorry, rant over

Tony

: Jeez, can't they ever get it right??????? After the botche
: d 1995 display of the Enola Gay, you would think the NASM
: would not screw around with history again. The protesters
: are partially right, I can't imagine displaying the Enola
: Gay without mentioning what she did.....Like it or not, sh
: e was the airplane to drop the atom bomb on Hiroshima. The
: re's no hiding from that!!!!!! In doing so, the Enola Gay
: and Bock's Car saved the lives of perhaps up to one millio
: n Americans and Japanese that would have been killed in an
: invasion of Japan. As for it "not being a good idea to to
: ut the Enola Gay" as our Irag and Afgahnistan efforts cont
: inue...the B-29 being displayed and WWII have nothing to d
: o with those operations.
:
: JH
:
: (From Aero News.Net:
:
: More Protests Over Smithsonian's Enola Gay Exhibit
: Mon, 03 Nov '03
:
: Anti-Nukes Want Display Revised...Again
: "You wouldn't display a slave ship solely as a model of te
: chnological advancement," says David Nasaw, a cultural his
: torian at CUNY Graduate Center. "It would be offensive not
: to put it in context."
:
: That's how protestors to the Enola Gay exhibit at the Smit
: hsonian see it, anyway. For that reason, more than 100 peo
: ple have signed a petition demanding changes to the B-29 e
: xhibit in Washington.
:
:
:
: The New York Times reports the exhibit touts the Enola Gay
: as "the largest and most technologically advanced airplan
: e for its time," without noting that the particular aircra
: ft on display is the one that dropped the first atomic bom
: b on Hiroshima in 1945.
:
: The aircraft piloted by Col. Paul Tibbets on the world's f
: irst nuclear strike is being shown at the Steven Udvar-Haz
: y Center near Dulles International Airport (VA). The placa
: rd in front of the display shows the B-29's dimensions, in
: formation on the aircraft's original purpose (to bomb Axis
: targets in Europe) and wording that the B-29 finally foun
: d its place in the war in the Pacific, not European theate
: r. It doesn't say anything about the August 6th mission ov
: er Japan.
:
:
:
: It's not the first time the Smithsonian has been beset by
: complaints over the B-29. In 1994, war veterans criticized
: the content of material presented along with the Enola Ga
: y, saying it could be seen as American aggression instead
: of an effort to avoid the invasion of Japan.
:
: Eventually, the Enola Gay, named for Tibbet's mother, was
: part of a smaller exhibit that went on display in 1995.
:
: This time, petitioners say it's not a very good idea to to
: ut the Enola Gay as the United States flexes its military
: muscle in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. The Smithsonia
: n says there won't be any official comment on the petition
: until after it's presented.
:
: FMI: www.nasm.si.edu/museum/udvarhazy
:

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