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WPCNR WESTCHESTER COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From the Westchester County Democratic Caucus. August 7, 2017:

The Immigrant Protection Act, an Act introduced by Majority Leader Catherine Borgia & 7 Democratic Legislators in February, passed with a bi-partisan vote of 10-5.

“The intent of this bill is to create a policy of public safety for all in Westchester County,” said Majority Leader Catherine Borgia (D-Ossining). “In surveys all across the country, immigrants have reported that they are less likely to contact police officers if they have been the victim of a crime because of potential immigrant consequences. Westchester is too diverse a County for our residents to live in fear. Thank you to all of the advocates who put countless hours of hard work into helping craft this law for the people of Westchester. It is now time for the County Executive to do the right thing for all of those who call our community home.”

This legislation will protect the confidential information of all residents, regardless of immigration status, and ensure that limited county resources are not misappropriated.

“The Immigrant Protection Act improves public safety for all county residents,” added Legislator MaryJane Shimsky (D-Hastings-on-Hudson).  “Law enforcement agencies around the country agree that community trust and cooperation is critical to their work. When an immigrant mother in Westchester is the victim of a crime she needs to trust that she can seek the support of the police – this legislation aims to do exactly that.”

“We are deeply gratified to have the support of the majority of the Westchester Board of Legislators and for the leadership of Legislators Borgia and Maisano, who worked tirelessly alongside us to create the Immigrant Protection Act. We are also incredibly grateful to the collaborative effort by a stellar collection of advocates who worked to bring this bill forward,” added Carola Bracco, Executive Director of Neighbors Link. “We strongly encourage County Executive Astorino to uphold the will of the majority of legislators who support this vital piece of legislation.”

“The United States is a nation of immigrants. It has always been a strength of our democracy. Having first-hand experience of what it is like to be an immigrant in this country today, I am certain this will improve public safety for everyone and allow better cooperation between law enforcement & Westchester County residents,” said Legislator Virginia Perez (D-Yonkers).

“This legislation is not a sanctuary bill. It simply ensures county law enforcement focuses their attention and resources on protecting public safety in Westchester – while complying fully with federal law,” concluded Borgia.

WPCNR OBSERVATIONS. By John F. Bailey. Reprinted from the WPCNR Archives. August 6, 2017:

Seventy-two years ago in 1945, the Enola Gay, a single American bomber dropped an Atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan.

The terrible effects of that single bomb are a horror that has never been repeated

A second bomber, Bock’s Car on August 9, dropped another atomic bomb on Nagasaki.

Unknown thousands of Japanese citizens’ lives were vaporized, burned,  and maimed and two cities leveled to the ground in an instant in both bombings.

To grasp what one atomic bomb did to Nagasaki. Readers may see the photographs Japanese photographer Yosuki Yamato took of the aftermath of Nagasaki the day it happened at http://www.exploratorium.edu/nagasaki/photos.html#journey/63.jpg

The decision to drop the bombs was made after the United States, Great Britain and the Republic of China demanded Japan  surrender in the Potsdam Declaration on July 26 or face  “prompt and utter destruction”.

The Japanese government did not surrender.

The United States deployed two nuclear weapons  dropping one on Hiroshimi, 72 years ago today and one on Nagasaki on August 9.

Over four months the bombs resulted in the deaths of   90,000–166,000 people in Hiroshima and 60,000–80,000 in Nagasaki, half dying the day the bombs fell.

The Hiroshima prefecture health department estimated that, of the people who died on the day of the explosion, 60% died from flash or flame burns, 30% from falling debris and 10% from other causes. During the following months, large numbers died from the effect of burns, radiation sickness, and other injuries, compounded by illness.

In a US estimate of the total immediate and short term cause of death, 15–20% died from radiation sickness, 20–30% from burns, and 50–60% from other injuries, compounded by illness. In both cities, most of the dead were civilians, although Hiroshima had a sizeable garrison.

The horror of those two bombings and the aftermath, the injuries created have resulted in an effort and reluctance on the part of nuclear-armed powers to avoid any nuclear attacks since that date.

Within a few days of those bombings, Japan surrendered unconditionally, officially ending World War II.

The decision to use the bombs by the United States has long been debated. A dialogue on what the bombs did, why the decision was made was collected in 1995, the fiftieth year since the bombings. It is available at http://www.exploratorium.edu/nagasaki/commentary/decision.html

Today the missile rattling engaged in by the North Korean leadership makes it more and more possible that such unthinkable destruction is being contemplated as an option.

It shouldn’t.