March 17, 2011 01:14 AM UTC

Dear Japan -

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• by: MADCO

Dear Japan –

First, my sincere condolences for your loss and present disaster.  I wish I could help , and if anyone needs a bed and wants to come to Denver, Colorado, USA, I’m glad to put you up.

I have been accused of being rude and classless in a way that could offend you.  That was never my intention.  And I apologize for saying anything that may have had that effect.  I’ll be more careful in the future.

I spent some time at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan many years ago.  I was confronted by Japanese Nationalists who made very clear that they did not want me nor the US military in Japan in any capacity.  

I understand protesters and support their right to protest, even if it means protesting me and the USA.  I also understand that those protesters did not and do not speak for most of Japan.  

That said, in the context of current US military assistance to Japan, a friend observed that now might be a good time for the Japanese Nationalists who have protested our presence so often and so loudly for so long to acknowledge that for now our presence and assistance is  a good thing.  I agreed with him. And in the process offended others who found it rude and classless to even bring it up now.  Due respect, and no disrespect intended to anyone in Japan, but if not now, when?

I consider the USA and Japan to have a special relationship that is valuable to both nations. In fact, valuable to the global community.  That relationship has involved and will continue to involve significant US military presence in Japan.    And I know that the Japanese Nationalists do not speak for most of the Japanese people.   I want the USA to help in whatever way we can.

I don’t know if you follow our political pop culture.  Perhaps you are familiar with Glenn Beck.  He’s a media personality and though I don’t agree with him on many things, I don’t care about that.  I do care that he sensationalizes and hypes the news for ratings and just makes stuff up.  There is also a local radio entertainer in Denver named Dan Caplis. I agree with him about as often but find him also to be full of sensationalizing  and hype.   Recently, they both separately observed that your citizens have not been rioting and looting in the current crisis.    Lest you think this is a compliment, it’s really a slam on those in America who have rioted or looted in disasters here.

It is a compliment to Japan, but not from those two.  It’s a compliment because it speaks to how Japanese people feel about the duties of citizenship.  I think it’s because your people are enmeshed with and bonded to Japan. They feel like they are part of the Japanese  country and community because they are.  Single payer national healthcare. Mass transit for everyone. Income and wealth disparity, sure, but progressive taxation and the average CEO salary as a multiple of the average worker at 11 is far less than the almost 500 x for USA CEOs.

I can see why the residents would feel a part of it.  Here, too many Americans are left out and left behind. Feeling left out and disenfranchised, they see CEO’s and politicians take whatever and whenever they can and they lose sight of how wrong that is and do the same when they can.

Japan, you are a world leader. An exemplary nation and one I admire greatly.  If anything I said offended anyone in Japan, I apologize.

Good luck in your current crisis and your future –

Sincerely

MADCO

PS

If you run across two liars called HMAN or GOPWarrior, do not believe a ward they say.  They ran out on their debts and obligations here and are not men of their word.