North Carolina Congressman Howard Coble recently said on a radio program that Japanese Americans were interned for their own safety.
"We were at war. They [Japanese-Americans] were an endangered species," Coble said. "For many of these Japanese-Americans, it wasn't safe for them to be on the street.
"Some probably were intent on doing harm to us, just as some of these Arab-Americans are probably intent on doing harm to us."
More outrageous is that he's chairman of the House Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security subcommittee. Not only is Rep. Coble historically inaccurate, but his remarks are racist. As the article below mentions: records show there were no widespread incidents of violence against Japanese-Americans before their detention, and no Japanese-Americans in the United States were accused of espionage against America during World War II. However, some Germans were involved in espionage. It leads to the obvious question why weren't any German internment camps established? Or Italian? Reagan and Bush Sr. have both acknowledged the racist motivations of Japanese internment during World War II. It's silly that Coble doesn't have the same common sense.
To do something about this, go here.
The Sun News | 02/13/2003 | Asian-Americans want Rep. Coble to give up post
Comments (13)
Come on Teddy. Ill informed reps and american's that are unaware of the 'internment' camps that the Japanese were moved to? Most people hear about this things and think: "Oh my God, I can't believe we ever did things like that! It must have been understandable at the time."
What a crock of crap! My friend Ashley's grandmother was sent to Mexico during the 20th century because laws stated at some point that the influx of Mexican's into California were dangerous for the country. The government didn't care that her family was here even before California was a state in the United States! She was sent to Mexico, and SHE ONLY SPOKE ENGLISH! Try explaining that one?
Oh wait, I forgot that it's called 'racism.' Oh, but that doesn't exsist here, does it?
Posted by marc | February 14, 2003 3:10 AM
Posted on February 14, 2003 03:10
We can't put Germans, or Italians, or anyone who came from Europe in internment camps, that's un-American! Remember, the white man came to this country first, he "discovered" America. But the Japanese came after all this, so they didn't have the same rights. It's so hypocritical, we thought Hitler was a monster for putting all the Jewish people in concentration camps because he didn't like them and thought the world was better off without them... But at least we didn't execute the Japanese, right? So that makes us better than Hitler, even though the rights for a lot of people were taken away because they were different...
Posted by lisa | February 14, 2003 8:14 AM
Posted on February 14, 2003 08:14
Wow, I wrote that one completely smashed last night! It really lost all cohesion at some point, I think I lost it somewhere at the part about my friend Ashley! :)
Posted by marc | February 14, 2003 11:48 AM
Posted on February 14, 2003 11:48
there is some german and italians that were interned during world war II. Nobody really knows about it because it is not written in most of the history books. There is also an operation called "round up" where the government captured Germans and italians in Latin America and put them in internment camps without any trial. they were also used as an exchange of american prisoners in war.
Posted by Luz | February 28, 2003 3:35 PM
Posted on February 28, 2003 15:35
THERE WERE ITALIAN AND GERMAN INTERNMENT CAMPS YOU IDIOTS
Posted by Danielle | April 15, 2003 10:18 AM
Posted on April 15, 2003 10:18
The problem is of degree. There were internment camps for germans and japanese, but they weren't rounded up systematically just because of their country of origin - unlike the Japanese.
Posted by teddy | April 15, 2003 10:24 AM
Posted on April 15, 2003 10:24
Come on you guys-doesnt anyone learn anything in school anymoe. 33,000 Germans were placed in camps in Texas I have a friend who was born in a relocation camp. 15,000 Italians were in camps and they have a reparation movement.A higher percentage of germans in the camps were American citizens then the Japanese Racism, yes, we have racism in America as in just about everywhere else in the world, but just because one is true you can not say it caused the other especially when the facts do not support this conclusion. This was about war not racism This is the problem that arises when revisionist leave out huge portions of history that do not fit their theories. You people have learned about the Rape of Nanking and the Baatan Death March I hope!
Posted by pHearne | May 12, 2003 2:55 PM
Posted on May 12, 2003 14:55
There were 4000 German internees taken from Latin America and locked up in special camps in Texas during the war too. You can read about it in _Nazis and Good Neighbors_ by Max Friedman.
Posted by Josh | November 11, 2003 12:21 PM
Posted on November 11, 2003 12:21
this site helped me in reading bcuz we are doing information on r elocation!! lol thnxs
Posted by MEME | February 19, 2004 12:00 PM
Posted on February 19, 2004 12:00
Those who think that the mean white men were just rounding up Japanese need to check things out first.
I could post some URL's to sites describing German and Italian internment camps; but why bother. There is tons of information about this everywhere.
Posted by mike | February 23, 2004 12:52 PM
Posted on February 23, 2004 12:52
where are these sites?
Posted by sara | February 28, 2004 7:03 PM
Posted on February 28, 2004 19:03
hey! im doing a report on german -american internment durring ww2 and maybe in just really bad at research on the computer (deffinatly a HUGE possibility) but i can find as much info as it seems like there should be for such a big thing in history. it would be awsome if you guys could email me some url s or book titles i could look at to fing more info. thuperdduper23@aol.com. thanks a TON!
Posted by melissa | May 17, 2004 7:46 PM
Posted on May 17, 2004 19:46
im am a horrible speller. please excuse the misspellings.
Posted by melissa | May 17, 2004 7:47 PM
Posted on May 17, 2004 19:47