The 63rd Remembrance Day of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombing

6th August is the remembrance day of the nuclear attack on Hiroshima. On this darkest day in human history, in 1945, at the end of World War II, Harry Truman, the thirty-third President of the United States (1945-1953), ordered the nuclear weapon ironically called "Little Boy" to be dropped on the city of Hiroshima, killing as many as 140,000 people. As if that was not enough, on 9th August, "Fat Man" was dropped on Nagasaki killing an estimated 80,000 people and injuring innumerable people. Thousands died later from related blast and burn injuries and hundreds more from radiation illnesses. To this date some deformed babies are born.

I visited both these "chilling" sites in April 1999 and silently prayed for sanity along with other solemn tourists gathered there. But instead of improving, USA and the world is becoming more and more insane because of the machinations of the few mentally retarded and spiritually degenerate individuals. The Armageddon is not far off if the masses do not raise a united voice against this madness.

"It's an important day to remember in a field committed to conflict resolution, civility, and public engagement in decision-making" opines Sandy Heierbacher, Director, National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation (NCDD), USA.

"The Atomic Bomb has been viewed as one of the most notorious act committed in history. The USA is the only nation that used this device twice and since then it amassed thousands to use them at any time at will. Other nations soon felt stimulated to amass this weapon of mass destruction" comments Prof. Charles Mercieca, President, International Association of Educators for World Peace, USA. Now India has joined this murderous gang of USA, France, the UK, China, Russia, Israel, etc. And the race to damnation is on.

Since the USA leads this nuclear club to the detriment of every nation on earth, all people of the world must unite to reverse this trend by putting pressure on elected representatives to develop a program of disarmament and arms control and the abolition of all nuclear weapons. USA can also be disciplined by boycotting American Arms by the whole world and passing a unanimous resolution in the UNO on total ban on production, stocking, sale and distribution of Nuclear Weapons.

Also, those nations, where there is still a semblance of democracy, in the sense that people do have a voice in the election of their representatives, should pass a referendum periodically to have those public officials who do not take drastic steps to abolish nuclear weapons and to develop a program of disarmament and arms control to be dismissed from office immediately. Without Right to Recall or the House of People not having power to undo International Agreements, makes a nonsense of democratic ideals.

Please read my following poem which I wrote on return from Japan in April 1999 and dedicate yourself to peace, sanity and safety of all. No religion, caste, colour, status, gender should divide us.

INCENSE-STICK OF HOPE If someone asks me: What is life? I’ll answer: From the ruins of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Japan was rebuilt. With one incense-stick of hope in the Shrine of the Heart. "We are the world, we are the people". Don't just sing, make it happen.

A Memorial Message by Dr. Leo Rebello World Peace Ambassador International Association of Educators for World Peace www.healthwisdom.org