Enola Gay: Burnt flesh and other magnificent technological achievements

Peter Aitken wrote:

You and others are missing the point. If the B-29 is a "magnificent
technological achievement" fine, display one. But why does it have to be the
Enola Gay? That specific plane is unavoidable associated with dropping the
A-bomb on a civilian target with all the resulting horrors. You may support
the dropping of the bomb or you may be against it, but there's no denying
that displaying *this* B-29 rather than another one makes the exhibit seem
like a celebration of the bombing rather than the bomber. No matter how
necessary and justified you think the bombing was, it is nothing to
celebrate.

Well there aren't lots of B-29s floating around these days. It's not
so easy to just "grab one" for a display.

Most importantly, the Enola Gay is an historic aircraft, and the
Smithsonian "Air and Space *Museum*" is a *museum*! It's a very
good example of a B-29 to be displayed!

If you want to think of the display as a "celebration" of nuclear
murder of innocents, feel free to think so. If someone else wants
to think of the aircraft as a pristine example of the height of
propeller driven bomber technology *ever*, then let them.

Despite what you may possibly think, the government is not monitoring
your thoughts while you peruse the Udvar-Hazy facility displays...

Well...actually it is supposed to be state of the art. Maybe those
sneaky CIA/NSA types snuck someone into the construction crews and...


SMH

"Stephen Harding" wrote in message
...
Peter Aitken wrote:

You and others are missing the point. If the B-29 is a "magnificent
technological achievement" fine, display one. But why does it have to be
the
Enola Gay? That specific plane is unavoidable associated with dropping
the
A-bomb on a civilian target with all the resulting horrors. You may
support
the dropping of the bomb or you may be against it, but there's no
denying
that displaying *this* B-29 rather than another one makes the exhibit
seem
like a celebration of the bombing rather than the bomber. No matter how
necessary and justified you think the bombing was, it is nothing to
celebrate.

Well there aren't lots of B-29s floating around these days. It's not
so easy to just "grab one" for a display.

Most importantly, the Enola Gay is an historic aircraft, and the
Smithsonian "Air and Space *Museum*" is a *museum*! It's a very
good example of a B-29 to be displayed!

If you want to think of the display as a "celebration" of nuclear
murder of innocents, feel free to think so. If someone else wants
to think of the aircraft as a pristine example of the height of
propeller driven bomber technology *ever*, then let them.

Despite what you may possibly think, the government is not monitoring
your thoughts while you peruse the Udvar-Hazy facility displays...

Well...actually it is supposed to be state of the art. Maybe those
sneaky CIA/NSA types snuck someone into the construction crews and...

I think the story could be told, with the final sentence containing, "and it
was a very bad thing". I think we can all agree that the millions killed in
WWII was all a bad thing.

"Tarver Engineering" wrote:


I think the story could be told, with the final sentence containing, "and it
was a very bad thing". I think we can all agree that the millions killed in
WWII was all a bad thing.


Jesus no John...can you just imagine...everything used in warfare
with that stupid tagline on it? "So folks here's an example of a
musket used in ancient wars. It was much more lethal than the
clubs and spears used up till then. It could actually kill a man
at 100 feet every 1.5 minutes!, and it was a very bad
thing"...good God.

Just put the Enola Gay in there with a sign indicating that it
was a technological leap both in aircraft and armament design. It
was used to drop the first of two atomic bombs which ended WW2

-Gord.

"I'm trying to get as old as I can,
and it must be working 'cause I'm
the oldest now that I've ever been"

"Gord Beaman" wrote in message
...
"Tarver Engineering" wrote:


I think the story could be told, with the final sentence containing, "and
it
was a very bad thing". I think we can all agree that the millions killed
in
WWII was all a bad thing.


Jesus no John...can you just imagine...everything used in warfare
with that stupid tagline on it? "So folks here's an example of a
musket used in ancient wars. It was much more lethal than the
clubs and spears used up till then. It could actually kill a man
at 100 feet every 1.5 minutes!, and it was a very bad
thing"...good God.

The musket has other uses that are a good thing. The nuke only does things
we would as soon not do.

Just put the Enola Gay in there with a sign indicating that it
was a technological leap both in aircraft and armament design. It
was used to drop the first of two atomic bombs which ended WW2

Havn't we already tried that?