ViennaSausage2 comments

Am I living in bizarro land? How is that the rest of the people participating this thread don't stop for a second and cite how moronic this Yabit's posts are? He has not produced one credible argument and he continues to inundate this and other threads with unintelligent observations and gross speculation. Does anybody else feel that Trayvon Martin was racially profiled? The rest of the questions are irrelevant....

Just for the record, I believe that both parties had made poor choices...And I certainly believe that the ridiculous gun laws in Florida played a major role here. What I believe with all my heart is that race did not play a role in the death of Trayvon Martin.

Yabits And yes, you are correct, I am "way out of my element".

Yabits Everything you state is sheer speculation and counter to what the authorities (including black officers ) and the jurors concluded. To wildly state state things without concrete evidence and product your own reality on an important issue such as this is extremely irresponsible.

Yabits All of those have been following this topic on JT closely have undoubtedly run across your posts painting Zimmerman as basically a racist thug gunning down a helpless teen. Which is fine; it's your view. But the problem here is that your reasoning is just, well, awful. And I don't mean one example..I mean all of it. In fact, it is so bad that it has even crossed my mind that perhaps you are some overzealous Zimmerman supporter trying to make make the trayvon Martin case look less credible. If you are indeed a Trayvon Martin, I honestly suggest that you learn to properly research facts, improve your debating skills, and understand that the truth behind an event lies in fact...not in conjecture, not in idealistic whims, not in unfortunate incidents crowbarred to support a misguided agenda...We are living in a world with real problems, and to solve them we need to focus on the real truths and root causes or these these issues will continue to perpetuate themselves, expanding bridge the gulf between the haves and have-nots and not the reverse.

Instead of pointing fingers and blaming the plight of the black community on perceived racism, perhaps it would be best to direct the energy on strengthening the black community from within. The real culprit behind the American black community's continued inability to rise in the social social strata is the lack of a proper family unit, poor education, poor role modals, and the continued idea that their troubles are the result of other communities (white, Jewish, Korean, Italian, etc) taking advantage of them. Uttering the truth is tantamount to being a racist., a word that can now destroy careers (especially in the media) and lives. The silent majority (in this case those that agree with the jurors finding that Zimmerman is innocent) basically have no choice but to sit back while the shameful media creates a frenzy and builds ratings, the black leaders shift the responsibility of their communities' plight to others, and America loses yet another chance to learn a lesson and create proper gun control laws...

Instead of pointing fingers and blaming the plight of the black community on perceived racism, perhaps it would be best to direct the energy on strengthening the black community from within. The real culprit behind the American black community's continued inability to rise in the social social strata is the lack of a proper family unit, poor education, poor role modals, and the continued idea that their troubles are the result of other communities (white, Jewish, Korean, Italian, etc) taking advantage of them. Uttering the truth is tantamount to being a racist., a word that can now destroy careers (especially in the media) and lives. The silent majority (in this case those that agree with the jurors finding that Zimmerman is innocent) basically have no choice but to sit back while the shameful media creates a frenzy and builds ratings, the black leaders shift the responsibility of their communities' plight to others, and America loses yet another chance to learn a lesson and create proper gun control laws...

Not on the current set list.

Unfriggin'' believably bad poor taste.

So Zimmerman should take the stand to prove he is a man? Listen, your arguments are completely ridiculous and an insult to any rationally thinking person and are a spdissefivice to anybody who truly cares about race relations in the US. Nice grammar by the way...

I find Japan (including Tokyo) to be a very polite city. Sure you'll get the odd incident where somebody is rude, pushes or shoves you, but that is certainly not the norm. Whether it is genuine or not is irrelevant.

Reminds me of the incident with Taco Bell in the States in which the employee too a picture of himself licking Taco shells and uploaded it onto Facebook.

We are waiting for your responses Yabits and Jpn-guy

So the stand-your-ground law isn't relevant to the case? And, again, do you believe that the jury was racist or was it just a simple case of man hating?

Yabits The jury made a decision based on the facts and evidence. Do you believe the jurors were racist? I'm honestly cery curious.to understand your thought process. And if a white (or in this case Hispanic) man were attached in a black neighborhood, is this racism? Should this be deemed a hate crime? Please expand on your views.

And to those of you who believe that (the Hispanic) Zimmerman pursued Martin because Martin was black. Really? So if the man in the "hoodie" would have been white or Hispanic, Zimmerman would have let it go? How is that race has been dragged into this argument? I personally can't believe people are allowed to carry around firearms...But to say that this is a race issue is completely ridiculous.

With all the inequality in America and social/legal injustice (whites against blacks) it 's perplexing to me that the black community chooses such cases as Rodney King, OJ Simpson, and now Trayvon Martinto to champion. These were cases that had no basis in racism but were distorted and manipulated to create emotional reactions rather than logical ones. Should Zimmerman have followed Trayvon Martin? In my opinion...No. But to say that the reason he this all (including murder) went down because of race is an insult to the real situations and issues facing black communities.

With all the inequality in America and social/legal injustice (whites against blacks) it 's perplexing to me that the black community chooses such cases as Rodney King, OJ Simpson, and now Trayvon Martinto to champion. These were cases that had no basis in racism but were distorted and manipulated to create emotional reactions rather than logical ones. Should Zimmerman have followed Trayvon Martin? In my opinion...No. But to say that the reason he this all (including murder) went down because of race is an insult to the real situations and issues facing black communities.

If you are a man, try never put yourself in a situations where it could be a he/said, she/said situation... Whether the doctor is guilty or not, his reputation and life have been irreparably damaged.

Yabits Okay, I understand you feel strongly and passionately about this case and you make your points...I stand by my points though... One thing I would like to mention...How could our conclusion that I do not have left wing leanings be based on my (supposed) ignorance of the effects of pot? That's just ridiculous. And for FYI, yes marijuana does mellow some people out; however, "paranoia is one of the most unpleasant 'side effects' of it." This is a quote from Time magazine. Signed, a regular pot smoker (In Canada)

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/04/06/why-pot-smokers-are-paranoid/#ixzz2Z83Wwjpn

Toshiko You're right about the fact that Japanese products are everywhere in America. This is what happens when a country doesn't make a converted effort to protect its own market and prevent foreign goods from entering to own market. . It's called a free market and does wonders for the economy by encouraging competition, increasing product quality, and benefitting the consumer with better pricing and quality. A novel idea! I do have heartbreaking news for you though...The a japanese economy is not doing as we'll as you might hope. Sometimes having excellent access to friendly and receptive markets isn't enough to counter outdated national/management tactics, corruption, and an inability to adapt to an evolving competition.

Unfortunately the prosecution did not prove that this was a racially motivated/ unprovoked attack. Did Zimmerman initiate the confrontation? Yes. but this was not illegal, and then Trayvon Martin attacked Zimmerman, bashed his head into the ground and broke his nose. According to Florida law, Zimmerman was within his rights to protect himself with the handgun. From the very first weeks of this case, the media has distorted this case into something it is not by making it a symbol of racial profiling, racial injustice, and the haves over the have-nots. Remember, the only pictures of Trayvon Martin we saw for the first few months after this case was first reported was of him as a child and a junior high school student? This was all manipulation. Remember the repeated mention of "skittles"? Later it was learned that Trayvon Martin was a well built, 6ft 17 year old, with pot in his bloodstream. There has always been lots of anger and frustration within the black communities of America ..Unfortunately this is the wrong battle for them and they should champion other examples of racial injustice. There are certainly better, more suitable ones out there. It is very easy for people to jump on the band wagon and support this cause. If you support the case for Trayvon Martin you are "evolved" but if you defend Zimmerman you are somehow narrow minded and cold hearted. I even feel weird writing this because, generally speaking, I am very left wing.... If these people who are running around screaming about legal injustice, where were the demonstrations when OJ was found innocent of butchering two white people? No this anger and demand for retribution is a visceral response by a community that feels both despondent and repeatedly let down by the justice system. Again, this is not the case they should champion.

Pearl Harbor was a "sneak" attack; this is the main difference...America (as did most of the world) found such an act cowardly, underhanded (weasely). That's what brought about the ire the American people.

Ask any Japanese person under 50 years old when World War 2 began and see if they answer it correctly. For them to not to know such a basic fact of an event that completely reshaped Japan is telling. The "level" of the schools in this country have no relationship in the students' understanding of Japan's modern history.

Anyway....

And getting back to the original article... Simply, how would Japan feel if America denied that the atom bombs were dropped or that the fire bombing of Tokyo never happened ...or perhaps that these "activities" did occur but that that the number of victims have been inflated? Would Japan have been able to be so forgiving?

Toshiko Japan "winning economically"? What decade are you living in?

Truth Lives

I think it would best for all those involved in this lively debate to lay off the name calling and threats. The majority of readers (on this forum) have a good understanding of history and the current geopolitical situation and climate and can come to their conclusions without having to resort to such therapeutic exercises. Truth lives....and those trying to whitewash history or distort the truth are not only doing a disservice to their own country, but compromise their own dignity in the process.

As horrific as the the atomic bombings were, I've never understood how people regard the bombs as somehow more inhumane than the fire bombings of Tokyo or the carpet bombings of Dresodon. And regarding why the Japanese do not generally hold a grudge against Amerca: America completely defeated Japan in the Second World War, and instead of exploiting and and abusing Japan , American invested a fortune into rebuilding It , gave Japan basically free reign in the American market to to rebuild and bolster its businesses and iexonomy, protected Japan militarily, and provided Japan with a template ( the Japanese constitution) to conduct itself in the New Workd order. I would guess most Japanese believe that if Japan had been in America's shoes (and been the victor) it wouldn't have been so magnanimous.

Have I read this article right? The boy was pressured in front of others (including the teacher) to kill himself? What a nightmare. I can't imagine the psychological stress and depression this boy must have had to endure. RIP.

Obviously the opposing sides have their own view on the many issues. Debating the issues with the same arguments is almost meaningless now. What's important is that all sides come together and dialogue toward a solution. Concessions must be given and new approaches devised. Asia is too small a neigbhocorhood to have its powerhouses at each other's throats.