Tony Marano a.k.a. “Texas Daddy” has his propaganda busted

Last week, we posted a group photo representing “the faces of Japanese ‘comfort women’ denialism” with names and affiliations of the historical deniers.

Comfort Women Denialists

One of the “faces” featured, Tony Marano a.k.a. “Texas Daddy” a.k.a. “Propaganda Buster” commented on our blog, as well as on our facebook page, calling the caption “dishonarable and pathetic.” We responded to him, and here is the conversation that followed:

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Here’s the text of the exchange, in case the screen capture does not work for you:

Tony Marano The title to the photograph is a total lie. Please point out which one(s) in that photograph deny the existence of Comfort Women.
Your scandalous lie is dishonorable and pathetic.

Japan-U.S. Feminist Network for Decolonization Nobody is accusing you of denying the mere existence of “comfort women.” Historical denialism is the denial of historical crimes, such as the Holocaust or the genocide of Native Americans or the crime Japanese military perpetrated against Korean and other women known as “comfort women” during the WWII. You deny the existence of the system of military enforced prostitution by the Japanese military, which means you, sir, are a “comfort women” denier.

Tony Marano You sir or ma’am are the denier between the two of us. In 1944 the United States Army captured, not rescued some Comfort Women and reported they were well paid prostitutes. That report place doubt in the version offered by many. That report may not reflect all the Comfort Women during that period throughout Asia, however it places doubt in the version that all were forced. By you and your colleagues refusing to acknowledge that report, it makes you the denier here. Also in the photograph where all are accused as deniers, do you know that for a fact about each individual? Or is that just another blanket inaccurate accusation?

Japan-U.S. Feminist Network for Decolonization The U.S. military report says that the women were deceived by the offer of good job and held in debt bondage, which is considered a form of slavery under the United Nations definition. The report also makes it clear that Japanese military managed the system of military prostitution by implementing policies, prices, schedules, etc. Finally, the report is contradictory in terms of the economic reality of the women: in some part it states that they “lived in near luxury” and in another they struggled financially because they had to purchase food and other necessities from “house maters” at an excessive cost. Most likely, the “luxury” story reflects the interrogation of the Japanese “house masters,” and the rest of the stories came from the women themselves. Now, who is “refusing to acknowledge” the report?

Tony Marano See, once again you are proving you are a denier. You left out the part where those so-called sex-slaves were paid more than the average Japanese soldier and where they ladies enjoyed entertainment and sporting events with members of the Japanese Imperial Army. Do sex slaves do that?

Japan-U.S. Feminist Network for Decolonization As I’ve pointed out already, the report states that women were nominally paid well but their earnings were taken away by the “house masters” for debt repayment and necessities. I find that description believable because it is very similar to the economic exploitation that occurs in contemporary human trafficking. As for comfort women having access to entertainment, even slave owners in the pre-Civil War U.S. South sometimes held picnics for their slaves. So yes, slavery can co-exist with occasional “entertainment” for the enslaved.

Who is this Tony Marano anyway, and why is he, a white American, so obsessed about denying the historical crimes of the Japanese Empire?

Tony Marano is a conservative video blogger who had posted political commentaries under the pseudonym “Propaganda Buster” on YouTube for several years. One time, he posted a video criticizing environmentalist group Sea Shepherd’s anti-whaling campaign against Japanese fishers, and was embraced as a hero by the Japanese right-wing nationalists. One of the Japanese supporters, Shunichi Fujiki (also pictured), approached Marano and became his official Japanese representative, supplying him with more pro-Japan resources and coordinating his books and lectures in Japan.

Marano is behind the whitehouse.gov petition calling for the removal of the Glendale, California memorial dedicated to the victims of Japanese “comfort women” system. Fujiki brags about a “strategy” he devised in order to attract attention to the petition, which was to send Marano to Glendale to have him take photos showing him place a paper bag over the head of the statue representing a “comfort woman.”

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Pictures on the left show Marano and the statue with its head covered by a paper bag. The image on the right shows Marano visiting Mio Sugita, a far-right Japanese member of Parliament who is also protesting the memorial.

According to Fujiki, Marano was intentionally trying to provoke Korean outrage with his action, so that the media would cover the controversy, ultimately bringing more attention to the petition effort. Marano further explained that he placed the paper bag over the statue because he believed “comfort women” were ugly, citing a derisive description in the 1944 U.S. military report he mentioned in his facebook comment above.

We suspect that perhaps Morano had not engaged directly with critics of his historical revisionism, because most English speakers have never heard of him or do not know enough about historical documents about “comfort women” that he (selectively) cites, and he cannot read or understand Japanese criticisms. In addition, his messaging for the Japanese audience is carefully scripted and orchestrated by Fujiki, insulating Marano from direct confrontation. But once he exchanged opinions and facts with us on facebook, the “propaganda buster” had his propaganda busted and could not respond any further.

24 thoughts on “Tony Marano a.k.a. “Texas Daddy” has his propaganda busted”

  1. Historical revisionism — this term needs to be used with caution. I sense that you want to mislead the general public.

    Many historians in Japan have been studying the subject and unearthed many new facts. History needs to be revisited and reviewed in the light of them. This is one meaning — valid and necessary approach.

    There is another meaning — those that Chinese Communist Party always engage with — to ignore the past scholarship and offer a new theory based on fabricate evidence. Their invasion of Tibet is good example. The same can be said on the Rape of Nanking.

    I see what Japan is doing is the first meaning of historical revisionism. Nothing to fear — it is based on true scholarship.

  2. You wrote that I said I placed the paper bag over the statue. Please prove I said it. You wrote a lie and that lie needs to be removed. You are hereby put on notice to either prove what you wrote or remove that lie.

    1. Sure, Mr. Marano. Numerous media outlets have reported that you placed the paper bag over the statue, but are you now claiming that they were all false?

      But you did say so yourself, in a published dialogue with a conservative Japanese novelist published in Will, September 2014. Here’s the direct quote:

      私は、ワシントンの国立公文書館から一九四四年八月に、アメリカ軍がビルマ(現ミャンマー)のミートキーナ陥落後の掃討作戦で捕らえた朝鮮人慰安婦二十人に対する尋問報告書を取り寄せました。私がここで「救出」ではなく「捕らえた」といったのは、彼女たちが日本軍とともに逃げていたからです。細かいようですが、この点は重要です。
      報告書には「この高給取りの慰安婦は『売春婦』だった」とか、「日本や西欧の基準に照らしても彼女たちは綺麗じゃない」とまで書かれていました。大日本帝国軍は、軍の支給品として彼女たちに紙袋を支給してあげるべきでしたね。そこで私はカリフォルニア州グレンデール市の慰安婦像にも実際、紙袋をかぶせてやりました(笑)。その時の写真をフェイスブックで公開したところ、大変な反響でした。
      Source: http://www.zassi.net/detail.cgi?gouno=37209

      Besides, you (through your Japanese representative) even sell novelty paper bags at your events in Japan. How do you explain that if you aren’t the one who placed the paper bag over the statue?

      Speaking of lies, I was wondering about something. I saw that you recently attended the Glendale city council meeting, and suggested that the city also memorialize Korean women forced into prostitution by the Korean government between 1950 to 1992.

      In your recent column, you claim that you argued that the plaque accompanying the Glendale statue contains “lies” such as the phrase “sex slaves,” and urged the city to build a “metal drum statue” next to the existing statue to represent Korean women who were shipped by the Korean government in metal drums to serve American troops.

      http://www.asagei.com/27833

      But when I listen to the video of your appearance in Glendale, you said none of those things. You didn’t say that comfort women weren’t “sex slaves,” or Korean women were shipped by Korean government in “metal drums,” or even that they were serving the American troops.

      Did you write the column yourself? And did you lie about what you actually said in Glendale?

      And while we are at it, do you really believe that Korean government shipped women in metal drums? Since you believe that you are so logical, wouldn’t you think that it is just illogical, even if we were to assume that Korean government was extremely inhumane as you depict it as? When you ship women in metal drums, they take up more space, and cannot walk so someone else must carry the drums. And you can’t even move about to get food or go to bathroom, so someone has to take care of them while they are being transported. That makes no sense at all.

      Propaganda buster, bust your own propaganda!

  3. You still have not proven where I said or where I wrote I placed that bag on the statue. All you have done is used what other people said I supposedly said. I am not responsible for what other people write. However I will act when you write a lie about that I said. Now how about showing where I said it or wrote it. You cannot do that so that is slander on your part.

    1. No, you said that in a published dialogue in the September 2014 issue of Will. In that exchange, you said: “U.S. military report says that comfort women were unattractive according to Western or Japanese standards. Perhaps Japanese military should have issued paper bags to cover their heads. That is why I placed a paper bag over the statue.” Is that not true? Also, answer this one question: did you place the paper bag?

      1. You still have not found where I wrote it or where I said it. All you found is where someone else said I said it. That is just as worthless as when you wrote I said that. I am telling you, you are engaged in slander unless you can find where “I” said it or where “I” wrote it. Do not bother with what other people said I said because that is exactly what you did, you wrote what I said when I am asking you to prove it. But all you can do is reference what other people wrote. Face it you are engaged in slander.

        1. Mr. Marano, you said that you placed the paper bag on the statue in a published magazine article for which you are credited as an author. We are just quoting a published article you (supposedly) wrote. Are you saying that the magazine Will fabricated the whole article? Or that it’s editors inserted a fabricated paragraph? Either way, please take it up with the editors before suggesting that we “lied” because we are simply quoting from an article you are credited with.

          Also, did you place the paper bag or not? Did you lie to your Japanese readers that you called on the City Council of Glendale to enact a “metal drum” statue? Or that you told them on October 22nd that “comfort women” were not sex slaves? I’m starting to wonder if you are actually familiar with what are being published under your name in Japan… Are “Texas Daddy” books really written by you?

          1. Here is the paragraph where you wrote I said I placed the bag over the head of the statue:

            “According to Fujiki, Marano was intentionally trying to provoke Korean outrage with his action, so that the media would cover the controversy, ultimately bringing more attention to the petition effort. Marano further explained that he placed the paper bag over the statue because he believed “comfort women” were ugly, citing a derisive description in the 1944 U.S. military report he mentioned in his facebook comment above.”

            Now please point out to me where in that paragraph you state you were quoting that magazine article? It is not there. All you wrote is that I said what you said I said without referencing any article. In other words you engaged in slander. Please remove the slander and defamation line. By engaging in slander / defamation it only discredits your goals futher.

            1. It seems that Tony Marano is obsessed with Korean-Japanese issues. What you Mr. Marano is saying, is false, yet you insist it is true, but without any solid evidence to prove it. Also, right-wing parties in Japan glorifying you as a hero is outrageous. I can’t believe the current Japanese government doesn’t do anything to prevent this case. After all, insult or repetitive attacks on a group or race is considered a cyber-crime, and can be punished with heavy fining, or even worse, prosecution.

        2. It questions me why you care so much about denying that you have placed the paper bag over the statue while refusing to answer any other questions asked to you by fendnow. Also, why would you choose to comment about the legitimacy of the claim that you placed the paper bag, on a post talking about how you fantastically failed in a mini Facebook debate captured above? You are just a sore loser who chose to resort to nitpicking useless details to gain back your nonexistent ego and dignity. These comments just reveals how much of a false ‘scholar’ you actually are and that you choose strategic information and quote them out of context to prove your own point while distorting the truth. That is what propaganda is.

  4. Texas Daddy, you should be ashamed of yourself. I could not careless if you put this bag yourself on this statue. I find it already an offensive that you have the bag in your hands, and who made this bag and who came up with it.I am disgusted with you, 400 Dutch girls were taken from the concentration camps by force. Forced into prostitution, which they had no knowledge of. Young little girls, and if you had been a father during that horrible time where the former Japanese military did what they liked with the consent of their High Command, and they would have taken your little girl from their mother, I wonder if you would stand there with the ugly bag. Shame on you! My mother and her sister were raped by these former Japanese military monsters.

    1. Ruud Thea Bisenberger,

      Would you please provide the proof of your claim?
      I saw the documents issued by Dutch government in 1994 but the figure you stated is totally different from what was written on the document or Japanese issued document.

      What I know from PropagandaBuster’s videos, he was explaining that “Those Korean comfort women were not attractive” = ugly.
      He did not mention anything about Dutch women but just illustrated what is written on the US Army report No.49. which is all about Korean prostitutes.

      If there is a police officer violated their law and murdered a man, are you going to say entire police officers are murders?
      This is exactly what the case is. Your claim is totally bankrupted.

      These guys on the photo are saying “there was no “military” comfort women forced by Japanese army but not denying the existence of the comfort women.

      1. There are endless live footage, videos, photos, even Japanese soldier’s diaries, yet you claim they are all false and believe in fabricated lies made by these right-winged parties? It’s basically the world vs Japanese right-winged parties and it’s supporting citizens. I wonder how a person in their right mind can actually believe such baloney.

      2. Evidence of military comfort women are there in abundance. You just did not search enough. All Japanese soldiers raped these women. Given evidence by the soldiers themselves. So yes, all of them are guilty! It was’t just a few.
        If you have time to do any meaningful research, have a look at what they did in Nanjing. They do still deny it. 200,000 people died and 20,000 women and children raped, evidence of rotten corpse are there but still deny. Do you think the Japanese will ever admit even if they killed your family in your own face? BIG FAT NO!

  5. No need to be angry with him. He doesn’t know he is used by Japanese. If he doesn’t say what he says he is of no use by the Japanese and thrown away just like they shot and dumped comfort women in Philippines to hide their crimes.

    Obviously, he is happy to be a lap dog of Japanese. That’s his life.

    Also, his intellect is on par with dog that he wishes to become.
    All he says is ‘Prove it prove it prove it “.
    Has he even considered talking and listening to the victims? To see if what he believes are true?
    No, he is happy because the so called his Japanese representative get him TV interviews, feed him nice Japanese cuisine, calls him a hero. That’s all his limited intellect requires to be happy with himself.

    So folks, no need to waste your energies arguing with him. Not worth your precious time.
    Do you argue with your dog because he ate your cake and don’t know what the problem is? No you don’t.

  6. Also, I’ll give you some cultural context of the time. Korean society in late 1800s to early 1900s, even a divorce was a crime. Scarlet Letter all over your body if you as a woman get divorced.
    So, do you think it possible that all these young girls in teens volunteered to become sex slave to earn some penny?
    Get real!

    1. The imperial japanese government also burned millions of pages of documents over a two week period after surrendering to the united states.

    2. Tony the women who bravely shouldered that terrible ordeal had, and always will have more dignity and honor in their small finger than you could ever hope to have, you slimy twerp. I AM a US veteran, and would be honored to have a monument dedicated to these brave souls share my final resting place. After all, their lives were forever shifted by the same awful conflict as our service members. A conflict ultimately brought to fruition by a brutal culture of militants and tyrants, whom you now try to defend. Well for every kook like you, there are 20 individuals who embrace the truth. You will never succeed in your objective, and will go down as a meddlesome, inconsiderate, tool.

  7. The imperial japanese government also burned millions of pages of documents over a two week period after surrendering to the united states.

    >>> This is also not true. All you guys are dreaming ? It seems you guys just enjoying blaming that American man. Please see what Korean people’s behavior. They always cheat people in Asia and not trusted at all. This is their nature till now. Love to hate, love to lie, love to cheat others. They basically love Casino, Drinking, Woman business. Well, maybe you haven’t seen that in your country yet. So lucky you guys.

    1. “This is also not true.”

      It most certainly is true. Immediately following Hirohito’s surrender on August 15th, 1945, the Japanese military set up hundreds of bonfires all over the country, in the outer courtyard of every government building. Those fires were blazing non-stop, 24/7, for 2 weeks straight, before General Douglas MacArthur and an advance contingent of U.S. troops arrived at Atsugi Air Force Base on August 28th, 1945.

      Witnesses (both Japanese and foreign) have confirmed that, as did General MacArthur and the U.S. army. There is also declassified information on it in the Department of Military Archives in washington, D.C. (available on request under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act). The U.S. conservatively estimated that at least 73 percent of all Japanese WW2 documents were thusly destroyed (the actual number may have been much higher, as many of the documents were likely made of rice paper due to wartime wood shortages, and rice paper burns much more quickly than regular wood pulp paper).

      They weren’t burning shop receipts or orders for new pencils; those documents were obviously incriminating. So, what do you say to someone who destroys a mountain of evidence, and then cynically challenges you to find that which they themselves have already destroyed? There should be many thousands of surviving Imperial Japanese documents on the treatment of comfort women (and also on the treatment of Allied POWs, among other things), but only a few anodyne ones remain. That’s because the Japanese Imperial government was directly involved in sexually enslaving women from China, Korea, Southeast Asia and the Netherlands, and also in killing and slave-laboring Allied POWs in the Philippines and Myanmar, which is why the evidence was obliterated.

      And no, I am not Korean, so your “tu quoque” anti-Korean rants are nonsensical as far as I am concerned. I don’t excuse crimes by Koreans, Russians, Americans,Germans, Brits, French or anyone else for that matter. Please read the well-written article “Comfort Women and Japan’s War on Truth” by Mindy Kotler.

  8. I commented yesterday however already deleted. Why you deleted? This site must purposely select the comment that you like to show to public. This is not acceptable site!

    1. All new comments (or rather, all comments from new participants) must be manually approved by an administrator before they are posted on our website. Your earlier comment was not “deleted,” but was pending while one of us had the chance to take a look.

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