y or death out of a misplaced concern for the safety of enemy soldiers or civilians. President Truman's decision to deploy atomic power in Japan revealed a man who understood the moral issuesat stake and who had the courage to strike a decisive blow that quickly brought to an end the most destructivewar in human history. Squeamishness is not a moral principle, but making the best decisions at the time, giventhe circumstances, is clear evidence that the decision maker is guided by morality. The atomic bomb was considered a "quick" and even economical way to win the war; however, it was a crueland unusual form of punishment for the Japanese citizens. The weapon that we refer to as "quick" was just theopposite. On one hand, it meant a quick end to the war for the United States, and on the other hand, a slow andpainful death to many innocent Japanese. According to a book called Hiroshima Plus 20 the effects of radiationpoisoning are horrific, ranging from purple spots on the skin, hair loss, nausea, vomiting, bleeding from themouth, gums, and throat, weakened immune systems, to massive internal hemorrhaging, not to mention thedisfiguring radiation burns. The effects of the radiation poisoning continued to show up until about a month afterthe bombing. In fact the bomb also killed or permanently damaged fetuses in the womb. Death and destructionare always a reality of war; however, a quick death is always more humanitarian. When this powerful nation called the United States dropped the bomb, we sent out the official "go ahead" for therest of the world that nuclear weapons were a viable means of warfare. We unofficially announced that it wasO.K. to bomb women, children, and elderly citizens. The thought that atomic weapons are needed to keep thepeace is exactly the idea that fueled the cold war. Albert Einstein said in a speech, "The armament racebetween the U.S.A. and U.S.S.R., originally supposed to be a preventative measure, assumes hysteri...
