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Letters, Feb. 20, 1995

9 minute read
TIME

When I saw photos of the Kobe earthquake [Jan. 30], it looked like a war had occurred. But this sudden devastation was done by nature, not by human beings. There have been complaints that the response of the authorities was too slow because of its bureaucracy. They are deserved. But this earthquake was much more destructive than the government ever imagined. It is easy to criticize, but everyone has to learn from this horrendous experience. Yoshiko Kawada Hachioji, Japan It happened all of a sudden in predawn darkness. My house was almost destroyed. It was a nightmare. Like a thunderbolt, violent movement ran through our street. After this tragic moment, deep silence came back in the darkness, and then I heard a voice crying for help. It was a horrible dream. After dawn, people in the street composed themselves and began to rescue those trapped under the crushed houses without considering their own lost property. My son started digging through the rubble with bare hands to help rescue a friend under a crushed apartment building. We accepted the reality. I was impressed by people’s will to live and their ability to help one another in the crisis. Masaaki Otani Hyogo, Japan

I am proud of the people in Kobe for their thoughtfulness and discipline. And I was pleased with the merchants who voluntarily helped supervise the prices, selling goods at cheaper than normal prices when they could have charged more. I am ashamed of the Japanese government, which treasures procedures and systems so much that it delayed in reacting to the calamity. I am disgusted with Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, who was heartless and malevolent in cursing the more than 5,000 people who were killed in the quake, saying, “This is certainly a divine punishment. We were expecting it, and we asked God to inflict it on Japan, which manipulated all its economic resources for the use of Satan.” Hiromi Okamura Kasukabe Saitama, Japan The kobe earthquake left my daughter and her family homeless; they had to be evacuated from the city. I was determined to get to them even if I had to walk. I was able to take one of the few remaining trains halfway to my destination. There I met a young man who for the next five hours led me to Kobe, clearing the road of broken glass, steering me away from danger and running ahead and searching for safer routes. He was constantly concerned about me, disregarding his own safety and comfort during our often perilous journey on foot. I was dazed and shocked by the destruction around me. My guide led me through the ravaged area to where I needed to go, whereupon he thanked me for the honor of escorting me and left. To my mind this man, Masaru Katagawa, epitomizes the noble spirit of Japan. Jeanette Hamber Osaka, Japan Seismologists didn’t expect such a devastating earthquake. Citizens of Kobe and Osaka were not well prepared, and many were crushed to death inside their old wooden homes. Despite the misery, the people of Kobe say “Shoganai” (It can’t be helped). However, we Japanese cannot say “Shoganai” to the slow response and disorganization of the government. Why did the authorities fail to cordon off main roads for official use? Why did it take four hours before troops were sent for the rescue operation? Many people could have been removed from the rubble if the authorities had responded quickly. In the future, similar quakes will hit other parts of the country, but the first upheaval should come in the Japanese bureaucratic way of thinking. Tsukasa Nishiki Teddington, England

I hope after the next inevitable “big one” we won’t be saying “Shoganai” but “Gambarimashita” (We did our best). Nik Hall Miyagi, Japan As a resident of Kobe, I thank God that my family is safe. But as time passes, my anger grows. The earthquake is not anyone’s fault, but the high number of deaths could have been avoided. Before 6 a.m. on the day of the quake, everything shook, and although my family was fine, I could see parts of Kobe were on fire. I was sure the city would be getting immediate help. But the Japanese defense force arrived many hours later, after dark, and in the meantime people were dying everywhere. I went to look for friends, but there was so much rubble everywhere, human hands were inadequate. If the government had responded more quickly, many lives could have been saved. Chandru Mahtani Kobe, Japan We Japanese have been obsessed with the idea of mighty technology for a long time, but finally, at the expense of thousands of lives, we now know the real name of the game is awareness. Hideaki Ukai Kyoto, Japan The true character of people is often most apparent when they are faced with adversity. In the aftermath of the Kobe quake there have been few reported cases of looting; we haven’t seen the police and military guarding the possessions of those whose homes were destroyed. Compare this with what Americans saw following Hurricane Andrew and the recent California disasters. It is a sad commentary that in the U.S. we have a “carrion class” that when disaster strikes, descends on the scene to feed on the misery of others. Robert D. Schoales Melbourne, Florida

Wonder-Weapon Debate Your report questioning the price of and need for 20 additional B-2 Stealth bombers for the U.S. Air Force [Jan. 30] barely scratches the surface. The venerable B-52 will be flying long after both the B-1 and B-2 are retired. The B-52 is combat proven and requires no major modifications to carry popular weapons configurations. Why then are we rapidly modifying our new aircraft to match the capabilities of our old aircraft so that the older planes can be retired? All this when the old aircraft will outlast the new aircraft. Yes, I want a strong defense, but imagine how far the $20 billion being spent on unnecessary B-2s would go toward improving readiness. Ed Phillips Bossier City, Louisiana The $500 hammer is alive and well–except that now the price tag is far higher. No weapons to arm the B-2 with? No problem. Perhaps we can get Ollie North to work out a deal with Iraq for some superaccurate Scuds. Christopher D. Barrett Bath, Maine Your article, for which I was interviewed, misrepresents several key points regarding the discussion of the need for more B-2 bombers. You say that Northrop Grumman’s firm fixed-price offer for 20 additional B-2s is “dubious,” that these aircraft will be “stripped-down” versions with “scant strategic value.” Northrop Grumman’s firm fixed price offers new B- 2s for an average price of $570 million each. Those who question the validity of this price fail to understand the meaning of the term firm fixed price. It means just what it says. It’s true there are additional costs to owning any weapon system–including the B-2. These costs are controlled by the operating service. In this case, Air Force estimates for the total cost to acquire the aircraft, including airplane, spares, military construction and support equipment, are 40% less than the figures quoted in your article. And these aircraft are not stripped-down versions. All additional B-2s will be identical to the first 20, with full operational war-fighting capability. Ralph D. Crosby Jr., Corporate Vice President and General Manager B-2 Division Northrop Grumman Corp. Pico Rivera, California

Russia’s Territorial Integrity The civilian casualties in Chechnya have rightly incensed the world [Jan. 30]. The fact remains that if Russia wins, the event will become a minor footnote in history. History is kind to winners. President Boris Yeltsin is trying to preserve the Russian Federation. Americans need look no further than their own Civil War and similar sieges. The Union was preserved and suffering was forgotten. William N. Ellis Epsom, England For economic and political reasons, innocent children are dying because of hunger and cold. While Yeltsin is drinking his vodka in crystal glasses in the Kremlin, children in Chechnya are crying for a piece of bread. Russia is carrying out an operation for “ethnic cleansing” under the name of “peace in Chechnya.” It kills its own citizens, and everybody knows that all this is happening because of oil and money. Mehmet Eren Yuksel Ankara

The State of Spain As I read your article about charges made by members of the terrorist group G.A.L.–that officials in the Spanish government were fully informed of the group’s operations [Jan. 23]–I was surprised by the statement “The new allegations amount to nothing less than a charge of state complicity in terrorism.” The national state of Spain is formed by myself and 39 million other souls who do not condone or have any complicity whatsoever with G.A.L. or any form of terrorism. You should have said, “possible (not yet proved) governmental complicity in terrorism.” I hope you appreciate the difference, because we do. Susana Rodriguez-Tryhorn Malaga, Spain

Fighting for O.J. The only winners in the o.j. case will be defense attorneys Johnnie Cochran, Robert Shapiro and F. Lee Bailey [Jan. 30]. Whether they win or lose the case, they will take O.J. Simpson’s bank account to the cleaners and make even more money selling their stories after the trial. Why else would lawyers represent the “rich and famous”? Charles F. Reese Jacksonville, Alabama What cochran is doing is what all of us should be doing. We should fight a system of justice that has different rules for different people based on color, creed and socioeconomic status, until the world realizes that such a system will never be acceptable anywhere. Farzana Rastogi Gernsheim, Germany

Democracy Unwired Not so long ago, your magazine was bemoaning the fact that democracy in America was dying because of the apathy of the uninformed American voter. Now, after last November’s election, you are mewling about the American voter’s educated awakening, some of it via telephone, E-mail, computer connections and faxes [Jan. 23], as well as the resultant assault on Washington’s “we know better than you” mentality. Would that we here in Canada had a visionary commentator like Rush Limbaugh and an expediter like Newt Gingrich on our soil. G. William Gardner Campbell River, Canada After reading your report on “Wired Democracy,” I think it would be appropriate to change the order of some letters in the headline: Weird Democracy. Risto O. Majaniemi Kuhmo, Finland

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