The Rape of Japanese Americans in World War II

World War II stands out as an example of man's inhumanity to man as no conflict in human history.  There are too many to describe here but here are a few examples that stand out:  The murder of over six million Jews by Adolf Hitler and the Nazis; The Rape of Nan king, China by the Japanese Army; the Soviet Dictator,  Josef Stalin's  murder of over 1.2 million of his own citizens during the "Great Purge" of 1936-38.  In the siege of Stalingrad, the German Sixth Army was destroyed by the Russian Army and Hitler's refusal to see the futility of the operation.  When his Field Marshal, Friedrich Paulus, relayed the hopelessness of his situation Hitler refused to let him withdraw, thus leaving over 500, 000 soldiers to die, either in battle, from the brutal winter weather (many froze to death) or capture.  The Soviets captured over 100,000 German soldiers, all but 6,000 lived to return home.

In the United States, one of the most tragic and appalling act was the forced internment of over 100,000 Japanese Americans who lived on the West Coast of the United Sates.  After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt ordered the arrest and deportation, to what can only be described as concentration camps, of all American citizens or resident aliens of Japanese ancestry.  What makes this a most despicable act is the fact that this was done with no proof of any threat by these innocent people. No due process, no trial.  Their only crime was to be of Japanese ancestry.

Just imagine, if you will, you're an African-American, for instance,  the U.S. is attacked by an African country and all African-Americans are arrested and driven to prisons surrounded by soldiers. Would you say that this was a rational thing to do?

Did any Americans who were not Japanese complain?  There is no record of any demonstrations in support of the Japanese Americans.  In fact, a hysteria of hate toward the "Japs" was unleashed on innocent and loyal Americans.  Today, we're attacked by radical Muslims and the President will not even call them what they are:  terrorists.  This was the insanity of what President Roosevelt did.

Now, you might ask, how did the courts react to this insane act by President Roosevelt?  Good question.  Read the U.S. Supreme court case of Korematsu vs. The United States:  The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling sided with President Roosevelt.  This heinous act was "constitutional." 

Now, you might think that this act by an American President would diminish his status in history.  You would be wrong.  Roosevelt is still revered to this day as the ideal Democrat.  Some survivors of this era still call themselves "Roosevelt Democrats." Some even regard Franklin D. Roosevelt as one of the greatest presidents of all time. No one ever mentions the rape of the Japanese Americans by FDR whenever they speak of him.  Historical amnesia is rampant; especially among the left. It was not until 1988 when President Ronald Reagan apologized for this most heinous act.

To add insult to injury the Japanese Americans lost most of their property, personal and real estate.  Some, very few, were successful in getting neighbors to look after their farm, for instance, but the majority, lost everything, farms, houses, personal belongings.  At the end of the war the U.S. Government made a feeble attempt to reimburse these people but very few got very much.

A few years ago, David Ono, a news anchor for the local news at KABC Channel 7 in Los Angeles presented a compelling documentary on one concentration camp, Heart Mountain, outside of Cody, Wyoming.  Click here to check it out.  This is great film-making.

Land Transfers that Defy Reason

Have you ever wondered what the Russians were thinking when they decided to sell Alaska to the United States for two cents an acre in 1867?  Or how about the Louisiana Purchase, 828,000 square miles for $11.2 million in 1803?  The Louisiana Purchase, equalled about 23% of the entire United States; a land area that stretched from present day Louisiana in the south to Canada to the north.  Suffice it to say that this exchange was practically a free land exchange.  These represent some of the largest land transfers of all time.

 In Europe there are also some mystifying transfers as well.  In 1860, at the time of the unification of Italy, the Italian government, based in Sardinia, with Torino as its capital, ceded an entire Italian province of Savoia (Savoy) to France in exchange for military support for a military campaign in Lombardy.  To put in in modern-day terms, let's say that the United States ceded San Diego County to Mexico in exchange for support in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.  What would you think of our leaders?  Exactly!  That is the same rage I feel for the incompetent leaders of the Italy of 1860, led by the inept Camillo Benso di Cavour.  In researching this I believe that one of the reasons the Italian government made this deal was due to the inner conflict between the Italian leaders of the time and the charismatic leader of his day, Giuseppe Garibaldi, one of the best military commander since Julius Caesar.  Garibaldi was from Nizza, present day Nice.  This was a way to stick it to Garibaldi, to give away his home town to the French.  This has to be one of the most pathetic action ever undertaken in history.  Garibaldi was, perhaps singly, responsible to the unification of Italy.  Rather than thank the great Garibaldi, they insulted him by giving up his home town, along with the entire province where it stood.

The other major land transfer also happened in Italy, the sale by the Genoese in 1764 of the Island of Corsica to France.  Can you imagine, in today's terms, if all of the sudden the United States said, hey we don't need Hawaii anymore, let's sell it to Japan.  Land deals such as these are bizarre in the least and criminal at the most.  This year Italy celebrates its 150th anniversary as a united country.  These land deals will haunt them forever.