Some Japanese not pleased with US presence after possible rape
Posted on February 21st, 2008 by bile Categories and Tags: Uncategorized, crime, island of Okinawa, Japan, politics, rape, United States, United States Army, USA, warfare state, WilsonianismJapanese officials are questioning a US army servicemen over an alleged sexual assault, adding to a series of recent accusations which have made locals more hostile to American troops.Japanese and US authorities said an unidentified servicemen was accused of attacking a Philippine woman at a hotel on the southern island of Okinawa.
Last week a US marine from the same area was arrested on suspicion of raping a 14-year old Japanese girl.
The incident compounded local anger at the heavy US military presence on the island.
A series of recent crimes such as drunk driving and trespassing have been blamed on American servicemen, and locals have for years complained of crowding and noise.
The latest case comes a day after American forces indefinitely banned 45,000 troops, civilian employees and their families from venturing off army bases, except to travel between work and off-base homes, in attempt to cut down on crime.
I thought our presence in other countries wasn’t a problem? We are their great protectors right? We’re the USA. How could we possibly upset anyone by having 45K troops in their homeland for 60+ years. Don’t these people understand we are there to help them. The Wilsonians told me they were fine with this. Perhaps these protesters are just confused.
12 Responses to “Some Japanese not pleased with US presence after possible rape”
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February 21st, 2008 at 8:05 am
It is possible that the Filipino people have experience more net good due to the American presence than bad.
February 21st, 2008 at 11:57 am
That’s quite possible… when are we getting to Sudan?
February 21st, 2008 at 12:00 pm
This story is about the Japanese… not the Philippines. Regardless, explain to me how you quantify net good experience? You honestly think asking the government lackeys gives you an unbias response? How about people from the other islands who don’t have any direct interaction with the military? All you can honestly and accurately gage is those who are in the area and it seems to me that enough of them don’t like whats going on to get international news coverage. Also looking back through history at such intervention I can do nothing but predict a similar resentment for the occupier and generally a similar outcome.
February 21st, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Yeah I realized I screwed up my country after the 10 minute post time out. That’s also when I realized I forgot to put the ‘d’ on the end of ‘experience’.
The reason I brought it up is because I don’t think you can gage it. I don’t think there is any way to accurately determine utility. Therefore the possibility exists that things are better and it exists that they are worse.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Sorry to be the spelling nazi, but it’s "gauge".
February 21st, 2008 at 3:36 pm
It’s both.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Sure… but I think historically meddling in other peoples business has turned out nothing but bad for both sides. Take a look at what’s going on in Belgrade right now. Why are we a target? Why are we involved in their civil strife? Why does anything think invading and occupying another people’s land won’t piss them off?
February 21st, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Man I’m batting a thousand today on grammatical errors. I usually use "gauge" and I intended to change it but forgot.
Anywho (also not a webster-approved word) I’d say I agree with bile. I was looking for an argument as to the futility of utility but I didn’t get it.
February 21st, 2008 at 4:31 pm
I’ve only seen gauge except for textbooks where they incorrectly use gage. Answers.com wants to perpetuate the incorrect gage spelling because it wants people to move away from gauge’s Anglo-French etymological roots. Fucking fascists.
February 21st, 2008 at 4:34 pm
That’s what I get for using dictionary.com (the ‘gage’ use was buried towards the bottom of the page.) I’ve never seen it written that way and it looked weird, sorry guys.
As for pissing people off w/occupation… In Japan’s case, I think that is, or at least was, the point. Part of their submission in their WWII defeat. Now I would think it’s all about strategic location. Their government outsources, willingly or not, defense in return for these bases. Same goes for Europe.
It’s an interesting business and I wonder what will happen once one of these ally countries formally ask us to leave. This story pops every time a soldier commits such a crime, but I never really hear much of a government response.
February 21st, 2008 at 7:34 pm
poor grammar and misspelling is a personal pet peeve of mine.
this blog, on many an occasion, has tightened my spinal cord with improper usage of there and their, then and than, your and you’re, etc.
here’s something to help everyone: learn english
February 21st, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Thoughts on the oxford comma? Also, I read this the other day.