www.montereycountynow.com august 1-7, 2024 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 15 Let’s ignore, as propaganda taught us to, the immediate death of an estimated 129,000 to 226,000 Japanese people, most of them civilians, and let’s not bother with countless deaths that occurred in the following days, months and years. The question is: Was it worth dropping nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on the 6th and 9th of August 1945 and provoking an international nuclear race that remains, next to climate change, the most serious threat to humanity? What was perhaps even more shocking than the usage of the atomic weapon was the reaction of American and European people—no reaction at all. Fortunately, there were and are exceptions, people who care to get adequate knowledge of facts and refuse to forget, also in the context of the existing nuclear arsenal the world has now that could easily cause the extinction of the human race. For the 20th time, the Monterey County branch of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and Veterans for Peace Chapter 46 refuse to forget the anniversary of the events and host a commemorative ceremony with music, remarks and a peace lantern ceremony. “We are extremely critical of the U.S government, a country that has never not been at war and continues to flex its military might,” says Beverly Bean on behalf of the WILPF. “Even today you have [U.S. Senator] Lindsey Graham calling for dropping nuclear bombs on Gaza.” There is only one country in the world that has actually dropped an atomic bomb. While the U.S. let its allies possess the nuclear arsenal—the U.K., France and unofficially Israel—it is hypocritically condemning the countries that developed their arsenals as a deterrent, to not share the fate of Japan: the USSR (now Russia), North Korea or China. These countries may be extremely dangerous to their own citizens, but none has ever attacked the U.S. with bombs. The common American line is that while HiroshimaNagasaki events were unfortunate, it had to be done to save American lives by forcing Japan to surrender. Yet, documents from Japanese archives indicate that the reason the Japanese gave up was the Russian invasion of Japan on Aug. 8. Speaking of “unfortunate” and “necessary,” ultimate proof of the savagery of the U.S. military was the “grande finale” after the nuclear bombs dropped and American planes finished the job by bombing Japanese civilians again—just in case. “We in this country have a special responsibility for nuclear weapons because the U.S. is the only country in the world that ever used nuclear weapons,” says Sharat Lin, a physicist, economist and member of the San Jose Peace and Justice Center, who is the keynote speaker at the Aug. 3 commemoration. “There’s a mythology in this country that these atomic bombs helped to end war sooner. But Japan delivered a message to Stalin and Truman that Japan was ready to surrender already in June… The U.S was determined to test these weapons to see the bioeffects. It’s dark and sad that they decided to test on the civilian population.” Denuclearization was at some point not only a plan, but a self-embraced legal obligation of the U.S., with not only Bertrand Russell and Albert Einstein, but also right-wing hawks such as Henry Kissinger calling for its elimination, to no avail. WILPF advocates for ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), the first international agreement to make nuclear weapons illegal. It is an explicit international law that went into force on Jan. 22, 2021. As of January 2024, 70 members of the United Nations have ratified or acceded to the treaty. The U.S. has not yet signed the treaty, nor is it thinking about doing so. While President Barack Obama visited Hiroshima in 2016, the Japanese are still waiting for an apology. In the meantime, under Obama’s administration, the U.S. only modernized its nuclear arsenal. Honor those who perished in the atomic bombings, as well as those who survived, at the remembrance ceremony. On the treaty, visit treaties.unoda. org/t/tpnw to make your voice heard. Annual Hiroshima-Nagasaki Remembrance Ceremony takes place at 7-9pm Saturday, Aug. 3 at Lovers Point beach cove in Pacific Grove. Free. eventbrite.com. Agata Pop˛eda is a staff writer at the Weekly. Reach her at aga@montereycountynow.com. Bombs Away Seventy-nine years after the bomb, the U.S. still clings to nuclear weapons. By Agata Pop˛eda Deep Breath…One thing Squid appreciates about Squid’s undersea lair is that many amenities are free. While it costs a few sand-dollars to get shrimp-flavored popcorn, the shrimp cost nothing—it just requires your own hard predatory work to get them. Last Squid checked, the natural world above-water was also free to enjoy. Air, sunshine, listening to the sound of the wind—no charge, and besides, who would you pay? The folks at Alila Ventana Big Sur have figured out how to cash in on nature with a series of new offerings billed as “Alila Experiences.” These include sessions such as Tea & Tarot ($160), which naturally requires a trained tarot card reader— goods and services exchanged for U.S. dollars, Squid gets it. But offerings also include sessions like Cold Stream Bliss ($120), which invites participants to hike a half-mile to an exhilarating cold plunge. Squid just recently hiked from Alila to a cold stream and took a plunge—all at no charge. There’s also “Breathe with the Trees,” which invites people to surround themselves with the redwoods common in this part of Big Sur. “You’ll leave feeling grounded, refreshed and connected to yourself and the natural world,” the organizers promise, for a mere $40. Squid may start leading Squid’s own workshops, starting with how to plant your very own money tree. Scoring High…The first day of school is quickly approaching, giving parents some much-needed reprieve after being with their kids 24/7 over the summer break. Squid’s only experience with schools is of the traveling fish kind, so Squid can’t relate. Apparently, it’s not only the weather that heats up around this time. Squid’s colleagues received an email listing the 100 sexiest beaches in the world (Cable Beach in Australia is number one), with Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur coming in as the third sexiest in the United States. “Diving deep into the data to surface shores boasting solitude, sunshine, swoon-worthy sunsets and more, the ranking reveals the top destinations where couples can retreat to turn up the heat around the world,” it reads. The rankings, crafted by sexual wellness brand Lovehoney and vacation rental marketplace HomeToGo, were determined based on how secluded the beaches are, how hot they are (based on the temperature, not the number of people getting it on there—maybe they didn’t realize Pfeiffer Beach calls for a sweater much of the year) and how Instagramworthy their sunsets are, among other things. The email also included handy tips on how to travel with sex toys. Squid quickly realized that Lovehoney is implying that sex on the beach isn’t just the name of a cocktail. the local spin SQUID FRY THE MISSION OF MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY IS TO INSPIRE INDEPENDENT THINKING AND CONSCIOUS ACTION, ETC. “There’s a mythology that these bombs helped.” Send Squid a tip: squid@montereycountynow.com
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