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Planet X-1

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Posts posted by Planet X-1

    August 6, 1945

    in Rush

    Posted

    And I say to those saying A-bombs were the only choice: Consider the other side.

    Visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and the nearby museum. Visit the Atomic Bomb Museum in Nagasaki. ...

     

    I have visited both.

     

    I'm a retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel (now a pilot for a major airline), so my service afforded me the opportunity to spend a decent amount of time in Japan.

     

    I visited Hiroshima first, and I was a bit reticent because I was concerned how I might be viewed by the people who live there. Based upon my haircut and dress, there was no way to hide the fact that I was an American, and likely a service member.

     

    I never even detected a sideways glance from people there. And it was a very moving experience -- it would be wise for all policy makers to visit at least once to inform any decisions they might have to make in the future.

     

    1945 was a very different time. There was a 0.0% chance that Japan would respond against the US with nuclear weapons ... no one else had them. So the decision was: Is it worth taking the lives of a large number of civilians, not unlike the fire bombing campaign in Tokyo, to enhance the possibility that Japan might surrender and avoid another 1 - 1 1/2 years or more of fighting, resulting almost certainly in far more death and destruction?

     

    Let he or she who has been in a similar position [to make a decision where, no matter what you decide, hundreds of thousands of people will die] cast the first stone.

     

    The Japanese were planning to fight to the very end, all the while thinking if they could just inflict enough punishment on the US we might sue for peace.

     

    Finally, it is also useful to consider this: More often than not in the field of international geopolitics (and war is nothing more than politics by other means), the decisions at hand are not "right or wrong". The decisions presented are often, "Bad, worse, or catastrophic" ... choose wisely.

     

    You could choose not to murder women and kids by the 10s of thousands. The Russians did. The Nazis did. The Japanese did. They had their nationalistic justifications too.

     

    I appreciate your service to our country, but you’ve simply offered excuses. The US is supposed to value innocent human life.

    This is parody, right?

     

    The Holocaust never happened? The Rape of Nanking and other Japanese atrocities on civilian populations never happened? And the Russians just coincidentally happened to stop and resupply and so were unable to assist in the Warsaw Uprising? Probably just a coincidence since the Purges and Holomodor never happened, either.

     

    I acknowledged those atrocities above.

     

    Are you having trouble acknowledging Hiroshima and Nagasaki as atrocities?

    To the extent that all war is an atrocity, yes.

     

    Couldn’t we have picked military targets to nuke?

    Do you mean the military that was killing themselves by the thousands in suicide attacks? The military wasn't going to back down, no matter how much damage they suffered.

     

    The will of the Japanese people needed to be broken with the Emperor as the only person capable of issuing a surrender order....

     

     

    Btw, I don`t particularly care for the studio version of the song, A Show of Glands works much better... :)

    Is Rush the most talented band?

    in Rush

    Posted · Edited by Planet X-1

    A big old yes from me. World's best drummer and best bassist complimented by the world's most underrated guitarist, not to mention as a songwriting team they can best just about anyone who wasn't a Beatle. I'm sorry DT, KC, RTF.... close but no cigar.

     

    Who is RTF? I suppose KC is King Crimson?

     

    I have to disagree with your statement that Peart is the best drummer ever because they are/were a few jazz guys who could easily beat him anytime, Buddy Rich being the most notable of them. Also it's debatable whether Geddy is the best bassist, because The Ox (and Victor Wooten, Jaco Pastorius, Les Claypool, Chris Squire) exists.

    And how can you be sure Rush are superior/more talented musicians than e.g. Yes (such a strong quartet Howe + Wakeman + Bruford + Squire)?

     

    I didn't read the entire thread but RTF is probably Return to Forever who were a jazz fusion band from the 70's. They reappeared in the 2000's which is when I saw them live. Great band. Yeah, KC is probably King Crimson and were also great musicians. To this list I would add Mahavishnu Orchestra. I don't think there has ever been any better musicians than them(like RTF also jazz fusion)but that's just my opinion. I'm a huge Yes fan and for a long time they were my favorite band. Comparing them to Rush isn't really fair but if I had to choose I think at their peak Yes were slightly better musicians. When Bill Bruford left they became slightly less good because Alan White wasn't as good as Bill Bruford but they still made some great music. Gentle Giant were another band who had top notch musicians but I doubt many people on this page reading this have any idea who they were. They were another underrated prog rock band from the seventies. After King crimson they are the most well known(or one of them at least)of the lesser knowns.

     

    Gentle Giant are well known to my ears! :)

     

    Well, a lot of prog rock fans are Rush fans but not all Rush fans are big prog fans. ;)

     

    That's true.

    It's interesting there is a big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans. That's really surprising to me, because Rush and VH are vastly different styles of rock music.

    both have great musicianship

    There's that, but I always recall the debate in the 80s (thanks to Guitar Player Magazine's yearly polls), who was better Alex or Eddie?

     

    I used to listen to Eddie because of his tone, and monster riffs, but his finger tapping was wankery at best...Alex because of his overall ability in writing, unique solos and master riffing.

     

    And the answer is obvious ;)

    Is Rush the most talented band?

    in Rush

    Posted

    Depends what you mean by "talent"

     

    For example who is more talented?

     

    Bob Dylan or the session guitarist who can shred any style he hires for live performances?

     

    I think the answer is obvious myself.....

    How many others wrote lyrics and music like Dylan? How many guitarists can shred any style? Answer is very obvious.

     

    So obvious you didn't need to quote me ;)

    Who's the most talented fist fighter between you two?

     

    Fridge who writes lyrics about adventures on the cobbles or Mithrandir who can scrap in any style?

     

    I think the answer is obvious myself...

     

    And don't quote me ;)

     

    Ok

     

    But the answer to this poll is more obvious.

     

    :)

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