Douglas Robb, in his Aug. 10 letter, "Japan has a responsibility," presents the credentials of one who, at first glance, appears to have come to terms with the evils of nuclear weapons. He speaks sympathetically of the residents of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and in admiration of their denunciation of these weapons. He thanks God that nuclear weapons have not been used since 1945. Then, declaring that he is a "citizen of the world," he hopes and prays that nuclear weapons are never used again.
Hope and gratitude invested in God is a mechanism that relieves people from the burden of responsibility. In reality, mankind bears the full weight of responsibility for its actions and the circumstances deriving from them. That includes responsibility not only to keep the unthinkable on our minds, but to work in bringing about the elimination of nukes.
Thanking the Almighty eliminates any doubt of Robb's antipathy for future use of nuclear weapons. Why then does he mock critics of Hiroshima and Nagasaki's nuclear annihilation by saying, "They claim there was another solution (for ending the war) as if the U.S. made the decision lightly and never questioned whether it did the right thing."
If I understand Robb's point, we should all pray that there will be no more Hiroshimas and Nagasakis yet appreciate the U.S. military for not making light of the decision to incinerate all those souls -- before it did the right thing.
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