Letters to the Editor: Fossil-fuel polluters put money over the planet. Tax them into smithereens
Each one of us is having a life of previously unknown riches, all brought by the burning of fossil fuels. The relentless use of fossil fuels created the monster that is climate change, and now it will be our salvation.
Tax the fossil fuel industry and its financiers to smithereens. This dramatic action will fund the transition to sustainable economies run on renewables and help the families suffering losses from all extreme weather events. We can do this. We must do this.
We only need to stop listening to people who somehow imagine money is more important than the very planet that sustains us. As Thomas points out, climate change disasters are only growing in intensity, destruction and frequency, and these people need to realize they (and their children) will either die out in an increasingly damaged environment, or they will join us. Those are the only two choices.
One way or another, we will stop pouring carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Mother Earth will not let us destroy her.
JJ Flowers, Dana Point
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To the editor: Just 20,000 years ago, much of North America was buried under an ice sheet that reached Nebraska. Pacific Palisades now resembles cities firebombed in World War II. This is the power of the atmosphere, which exceeds that unleashed in any world war.
U.S. leaders, influenced by oil money, have consistently shirked their duty to protect us from polluters. We must marshal a national mindset appropriate to what we have known about climate change since the 1980s.
Don't be distracted or deflected by cynical nonsense. Become a political 'intensifier.' Demand that your congressional representatives ambitiously respond to climate change, regardless of how much the fossil fuel industry donates to their campaigns. Any lawmaker voting to weaken or dismantle the Inflation Reduction Act should lose their next election.
Gary Stewart, Laguna Beach
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Forbes
5 minutes ago
- Forbes
To Survive A China Fight, U.S. Navy Must Boost West Coast Shipbuilding
The Navy's dream of using small, autonomous ships to deter China's massive conventional naval force is inspiring. The only problem is these Navy strategies depend upon the operational status of the Panama Canal. Without the canal—a shortcut between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans—the Navy's high-tech dreams quickly become a logistical nightmare. If Navy battle plans depend on fielding lots and lots of expendable craft throughout the Pacific, then the Navy had better get serious about building small craft on the west coast, at scale. After years of drumming small craft from the fleet, it is good to see the Navy begin to change course. Dispatching lots of small, expendable ships into the Pacific is not a new concept. Take the tiny World War II-era Patrol Torpedo (PT) Boat. Between 77 and 80 feet long, fleets of these small, lightweight PT Boats fought all over the world. In the Pacific, by the end of World War II, at least 212 PT boats had gotten into the fight. To forward-deploy these vessels, the little ships had to wind their way from shipyards on the eastern side of America, transit the Panama Canal, and fan out into the Pacific. For small craft, America's game plan for the Pacific is the same today as it was 85 years ago. Virtually every surface combatant and Coast Guard Cutter counts on the Panama Canal to pivot between the Atlantic and the Pacific. As an always-reliable asset, few Navy operators alive today waste time mulling canal contingencies. As an unquestioned component of American battle plans since 1914, far too many of America's high-tech warfighters take this global choke point for granted. That is a mistake. Logistics and infrastructure defense specialists know that Panama's strategic short-cut between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean is under threat. The Navy must address the ugly fact that, despite all the security America can provide, a diverse array of enemies, rivals and criminals can shut the Panama Canal down at virtually any time. In modern 'hybrid' conflict, no complex piece of infrastructure is totally secure. The only way to fully mitigate the risk of a strategically significant Panama Canal closure is for the Navy to quickly mobilize America's few remaining shipbuilding-ready sites on the West Coast. If America's national security strategy is based upon a safe and secure Pacific, then America had better prepare to build lots of ships—particularly expendable ones—on the West Coast. U.S. Navy Must Boost West Coast Shipbuilding Real warfighters know that any fight in the Pacific is about managing distance. Without the Panama Canal, the 4,500 nautical mile transit from the Gulf Coast to the Navy's West Coast headquarters in San Diego gets a whole lot longer. Aside from adding 10,000 nautical miles to the trip, the detour south forces ships to travel around Cape Horn and through some of the roughest waters in the world. America's Navy is unready for this kind of grinding logistical endeavor. U.S. Southern Command logisticians know that supporting destroyers and Littoral Combat Ships in the southern hemisphere is hard enough. Managing fleets of America's next-generation autonomous ships, and getting them fuel and maintenance support during a forced months-long detour around South America is a far harder task. Given America's withered afloat support capabilities, shepherding fleets of small craft around Cape Horn is an almost insurmountable logistical challenge. To limit logistical burdens and reduce wear and tear on transiting small craft, the Navy could take a page from World War II-era tactics, and put their small autonomous ships aboard larger shuttle vessels. In World War II, freighters and tankers often ferried PT boats into action, but still, even with a functional Panama Canal, the Navy needed to allocate a month and a half for larger ships to shuttle PT boats from Panama to the contested waters off Guadalcanal. And, even then, the transit wasn't entirely risk free. Cranes would drop boats, or the sea would damage vessels sitting topside. The ferrying cargo ships became high-value targets themselves. In 1943, a submarine sank the SS Stanvac Manila as it was ferrying six PT boats to Noumea, at the South Pacific island of New Caledonia. Modern Naval planners forget that, for small ships, the transit to the World War II battle line was usually an awkward and often grinding mix of travel. Aleutian-bound PT boats, sailing on their own bottoms, needed about twenty days to get from New Orleans to the Panama Canal. After that, they'd be loaded aboard ships for a month-long transit to Seattle, and then, traveling on their own again, they took another month to travel to Adak, Alaska, where they were needed for battle. The strain of the journey took a toll, and, of the first PT Boats in the region, only 75% arrived on time, ready for battle. America's Navy is not ready for this. Put bluntly, the Navy has no plan to manage a long-term closure of the Panama Canal, nor does it have a plan to manage the logistics of getting small ships into the fight. All the tankers, maintainers and escorts needed to support a large-scale autonomous small-ship transit around Cape Horn, are absent. Few heavy lift ships are available to ferry autonomous craft into battle. And nobody in the Navy is anticipating the need to build upwards of 125% of the minimum small ship 'requirement' just to mitigate transit-related losses. The only real solution is to build the smaller craft we will need for a Pacific fight on the West Coast—and prepare to build them at scale. The math works. In the months it would take to get small autonomous ships from East and Gulf Coast shipyards and into a Pacific fight, a modern West Coast shipyard could simply build several of them. Rather than wonder how to manage a three month transit, the Navy must follow Henry Kaiser's example and focus on managing all the new ships a modern West Coast shipyard could build in three months. The Navy may forget, but, in the toughest days of World War II, west coast shipyards could produce a Liberty Ship in ten days. The logistics of pushing autonomous vessels out into the deep Pacific is tough. Helping deter China from preying on Taiwan, the Philippines and beyond is even harder. If the Navy fails to move quickly and boost ship production capabilities along the West Coast, Pacific security will be tied to the operational status of the Panama Canal--and that is simply no longer an acceptable Navy strategy.
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
King and Queen to honour veterans on 80th anniversary of VJ Day
The King and Queen will honour Second World War veterans on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day. Royal British Legion (RBL) guests of honour at a service of remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum on Friday include 33 veterans aged from 96 to 105 who served in the Far East and Pacific. Charles, patron of the RBL, Camilla, and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will attend the event which honours British, Commonwealth and Allied veterans who served in the Far East theatres of war including Myanmar and the Pacific and Indian Ocean territories. Ahead of the service, the King, in an pre-recorded audio address to the nation, will vow that the sacrifice of heroes who fought and died in the campaigns 'shall never be forgotten'. He will reflect on the horrors experienced by prisoners of war and innocent civilians of occupied lands in the region 'whose suffering reminds us that war's true cost extends beyond battlefields, touching every aspect of life'. Charles will describe how the collaboration of countries demonstrated 'in times of war and in times of peace, the greatest weapons of all are not the arms you bear but the arms you link'. Around 1,500 guests at the national commemoration will hear first-hand testimony from veterans who experienced conflict in the Far East before the war ended when atomic bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to Japan's surrender and VJ Day on August 15 1945. The service will begin with a national two-minute silence and include flypasts by the Red Arrows and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight's Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster – with military bagpipers playing at dawn in the Far East section of the Arboretum. The Prime Minister held a special reception at Downing Street for veterans on Thursday, at which he described the Government as one of 'service'. He added: 'I sat on this terrace this very morning with President Zelensky, who is fighting for the same values as we were fighting for. 'And so when we say never forget, we must pass on the stories of those who have gone before us.' During Thursday's garden party, veteran Stanley Elliss, aged 103, and his daughter, could be seen showing the Prime Minister pictures he had taken during the war. Sir Keir said: 'Eighty years since our victory in the Second World War, we pay our respects to the many who fought, were captured, and made the ultimate sacrifice in the Far East. 'Our country owes a great debt to those who fought for a better future, so we could have the freedoms and the life we enjoy today. We must honour that sacrifice with every new generation.' Many of the veterans at the Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire, have never told their story before registering with the RBL to be part of commemorations to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory Over Japan. Veterans attending the event on Friday served in the British Army, the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force, with roles ranging from those deployed on submarines, minesweepers and destroyers, to a Spitfire pilot and a combat cameraman. The oldest veterans are Yavar Abbas and Owen Filer, aged 105, and other attendees include two of the last surviving Chindits – Charlie Richards, 104, and Sid Machin, 101 – who served in the elite Special Forces unit known for their deep jungle warfare tactics as part of Operation Thursday. Mr Richards, from Northamptonshire – who served in the 7th Battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment, spent months behind enemy lines ambushing Japanese supplies and communications, all while pulling along reluctant mules and heavy equipment. The 104-year-old said: 'I am so proud to attend the RBL's national event, and I think it will be a really poignant moment for those of us left. 'I want to represent all those who saw action in the Far East and remember those who never made it home, including my best friend and comrade, Son Johnson, who was killed in action in Burma. It will be such a special day for me and my family.' Joseph Hammond, 100, whose testimony will be shared during the service, will be watching the live broadcast from his home in Ghana 3,000 miles away. Mr Hammond fought in Burma in the 82nd Division in brutal conditions near the Irrawaddy River and suffered a serious eye injury and remained in hospital until the war ended. In 2020, he walked 14 miles over seven days to raise £500,000 for frontline workers and veterans during the Covid pandemic. Mr Hammond said: 'Why should such a thing happen? Man killing his fellow man. Humanity, destroying humanity. Never allow your country to go that way. It's no good. I know how it feels, so I have to advise everybody to keep away from war. Let us continue to enjoy our peace.' The service will be broadcast live on BBC One from 11.30am and will be hosted by actress and author Celia Imrie. Ms Imrie said: 'It is an honour to be hosting this momentous occasion with The Royal British Legion, to pay tribute to these courageous and inspiring veterans who are able to join us at the National Memorial Arboretum on VJ Day, and to remember those who never made it home.' Mark Atkinson, Director General of the Royal British Legion, said: 'It is an enormous privilege for the RBL to be leading the nation on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day with our service of remembrance at National Memorial Arboretum broadcast live on BBC One. 'Victory over Japan would not have been possible without the diverse contribution of Allied Forces from Britain, the Commonwealth and beyond, and this is one of our last chances to thank veterans who fought in the Far East and Pacific for their service and sacrifice. 'Their contribution brought an end to the Second World War and this is a moment for the country to come together and commemorate this momentous anniversary and pay tribute to their courage and bravery.' Around five million men and women served in the British Armed Forces during the Second World War, with millions more mobilised from countries including pre-partition India, Australia, Canada, and across the Commonwealth including African and Caribbean nations. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: 'We must never forget this vital part of our national story. By coming together to hear the stories of our brave VJ Day veterans first-hand, we can ensure that the legacy of our British Armed Forces and those from across the Commonwealth is passed on to future generations.' From 9pm on Friday evening, hundreds of buildings across the country will be lit up to mark VJ 80, including Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street, the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London, Tower42, The Shard, Blackpool Tower, Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Durham Cathedral, Cardiff Castle, the Cenotaph, the Kranji War Memorial in Singapore and the White Cliffs of Dover.
The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
Japan marks end of WWII as survivors remember wartime emperor's surrender speech 80 years ago
TOKYO (AP) — Friday is the 80th anniversary of then-Emperor Hirohito's announcement of Japan's World War II surrender, but as living witnesses die and memories fade, questions remain in Japan about how the war should be taught to younger generations. A national ceremony will begin at Tokyo's Budokan hall at noon, the same time then-Emperor Hirohito's 4½-minute prerecorded speech began on Aug. 15, 1945, on national radio. Hirohito's responsibility for the war remains controversial today, and Japan has struggled to come to terms with its wartime past, both at home and in the Asian countries it brutally invaded. In 1995, then-Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama apologized over Japan's aggression in Asia. It was welcomed abroad but there has since been continual pushback against it by revisionists and those who deny responsibility. Here's a look at the speech and the memories of some of the people who heard the announcement. Japan's military saw violence, suicides and chaos right up until the official surrender Even after the atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, there was dispute within the military government over if or how the war should be ended. The day before the announcement, Hirohito, dressed in a formal military uniform, met with top government officials in a bunker at the Imperial Palace to approve Japan's surrender. Staff members for NHK, the national broadcaster, were secretly called in, and Hirohito recorded the speech twice, finishing late that night. Palace officials hid the recordings to protect them from sabotage attempts by a group of army officers, who at one point seized the broadcast facility. Despite the chaos, palace officials safely delivered the recordings to NHK for radio transmission at noon on Aug. 15, 1945. Up until the moment of the surrender announcement, there were suicides, coup attempts and fighting among army officers. The action-filled drama of the days before Hirohito's radio address was made into a film, 'Japan's Longest Day,' as well as a graphic novel. Hirohito's voice, which most Japanese were hearing for the first time because he was considered a living god, was not easy to understand because of poor sound quality and the arcane language he used. The message was clear, though: Japan had lost the war. Fumiko Doi heard the emperor's address at home in Nagasaki just 6 days after surviving the atomic bombing She remembers that her neighbors gathered at her home to listen to a radio placed on top of a cabinet. She did not understand what exactly was said, but later learned it was the announcement of Japan's surrender. It was not a surprise, because she had heard her mother say that Japan would lose. 'I only wish the emperor had issued an order to end the war sooner,' Doi says. The Nagasaki bombing and an attack on Hiroshima three days earlier together killed more than 210,000 people and left many survivors with radiation-induced illnesses. On Aug. 9, 1945, at 11:02 a.m., Doi was on a train 5 kilometers (3 miles) away from the location a U.S. B-29 dropped the atomic bomb. Her mother and two of her three brothers died of cancer, and two sisters have struggled with their health. Relief and tears as the emperor's speech reached a hospital filled with wounded Reiko Muto, who survived the massive Tokyo firebombing just five months earlier as a 17-year-old nursing student, was at her hospital on Aug. 15. Everyone gathered in an auditorium for 'an important broadcast.' People cried when the emperor's muffled voice came on the radio. 'The first thing that came to my mind was that now I could leave the lights on at night,' Muto said. 'I was so relieved that the war was over.' The March 10, 1945, U.S. firebombing of Tokyo killed more than 100,000 people. Truckloads of people with serious burns cried in pain and begged for water, but because of a shortage of medical supplies, the best she could do was to comfort them. But the end of the war didn't immediately end the hardship. Her hospital and nursing school were occupied by the allied powers, though she managed to graduate two years later and pursued a career in pediatric nursing. 'What we went through should never be repeated,' she says. For Tamiko Sora, a Hiroshima survivor, the surrender speech is a bittersweet memory Sora, her two sisters and their parents barely survived the atomic bombing on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, when the blast destroyed her home just 1.4 kilometers (0.9 mile) from the hypocenter, and Sora's face was burned. Her grandmother suffered severe burns, and her uncle and aunt were never found. While taking shelter at a relatives' home, her parents listened to the radio broadcast, but sound quality was particularly bad in Hiroshima because the atomic bombing destroyed key infrastructure. Her grandmother, who died later that day, sounded disappointed about the announcement, Sora said. Her grandmother's generation venerated the emperor, and his acknowledgment of Japan's defeat must have discouraged her far more than the rest of the family imagined, Sora said. Despite the sadness of her grandmother's death, the surrender speech gave Sora peace of mind. 'War brings horror and intimidation even to little children,' she said. The emperor and prime minister speak on Aug. 15 Hirohito's son and grandson have repeatedly expressed deep remorse over the war, but prime ministers since 2013 have not apologized to Asian victims of Japan's aggression amid a government lean toward revisionism. Hirohito's grandson, current Emperor Naruhito, has repeatedly stressed the importance of telling the war's tragic history to younger generations. He has traveled to Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Hiroshima, and is expected to visit Nagasaki with his daughter, Princess Aiko, in September. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who has signaled a more neutral view of Japan's wartime history, has said he is determined to keep passing on the tragedy of the war.
