This is a horrible story of remembrance, but such stories are necessary to give us a constant reminder of what we're capable of doing. Such stories should transcend any debate over the strategic purposes and morality of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But they should also serve to close the distance by which we often give up our sympathies and responsibilities -- in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Nicaragua and El Salvador, Iraq and Darfur.... And by which we continue the cycle. This is why 9-11 and 7-7 hurt so much -- their proximity. But it's also why Fallujah is not a household name in the US -- its unseen distance.
See also the blog, Arms Control Wonk.
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