Score 1/0, but we evened the score.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

My Dad was on the USS Hornet, have just previously departed Pearl Harbor for ops in the western Pacific. The Hornet, Enterprise, Yorktown, and Lexington were the secondary reasons that the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. At that time the world thought that the battleships were the critical source of naval power and aircraft carriers were viewed as an effective screen for the ships of the line.

The Japanese effectively destroyed our battleship fleet, all of them either of WWI design or treaty ships. They missed the carrier fleets. Both the Imperial Navy and the United States Navy would learn at Midway, the gravity of that mistake.

Bot

Yamamoto had it right,

I was talking to the wife last night. How stupid could you be? Japan vs. USA, Nazi Germany vs. Russia? Napoleon vs. Russia?

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

i liked going to the VFW and listening to the WWII vets tell their story.. they like it when i come because they can tell me the dirtiest stories or the most horrific... plus i get community service hours for it...

then i get the vets that come in to my grocery store and i help them out we talk and i tell them thanks for their service in that last world war..

lol....King George had the same reasoning. England vs. the Colonies?

Being that my kids are half Japanese, I wish you wouldn't use the racial epithet "Japs".

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

There were quite a few people here who piled on Hatt when he indicated offense at the use of the term '*******'.........

I have not used (and will not in the future) the term "Japs" on this site out of respect for you and a couple of others request not to use it, but I guess I have a hard time thinking about it in any other context than as an abbreviation and this is after spending a lot of time studying WWII, specifically with regard to the US media's use of the term contrasted with the very racist charicatures of the Japanese that appeared during the same time. Not trying to start a tiff here, but I am hard on the "its a Japanese thing, you wouldn't understand" explanation and it is the only one I have ever gotten as to why "Japs" is a racist term.

A variety of info:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=pearl+Harbour+FDR

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I do not consider it a racial term, to me it is simply an abbreviation, and was in common use during the war. Hence its use in this thread, which was intentional.

While I am not of Asian decent, my family is from Europe. I love Asian culture, especially Japanese and Chinese culture very much. I would never slam a country that I enjoy learning about, and enjoy the things they produce so much.

If you were offended then I am sorry, but in a historical context it is pertinent.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

The "historical context" is b.s., it's like so many other racial epithets are today.

At the PH ceremony today, none of the Japanese participants were referred to in any other manner than respectful. If it was good enough for the vets, it is probably good enough for a internet Mercedes forum,

Thank you. I had a feeling you'd understand.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

It most certainly is not BS. We can not and should not clean history to meet our 2006 standards. The best way to learn it is as it was. Really thats the only way to really understand it.

I talk to many WW2 vets that use that term, in addition some still will not buy cars from that area of the world.

I will refrain from using the term because it clearly upsets some of our friends here. But I stand by my position.

When I study history I want to learn it as it really happend, racial slures and all. Then after being learned one can have debates on such stuff if they wish.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I don't understand your position.

Basically you are saying that because Americans freely used a racial epithet in the past, then it is o.k. to use the term today?

Why is this different from using the "n" word today? You certainly wouldn't call blacks the "n" word because it was used historically.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

I think it was used because it was a 4 character word instead of 8

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow