The Truth About North Korea–Town Hall Today & a Bit of Keb Mo!

By paulgibson51 on September 16, 2017 • ( 0 )

Surprise, North Korea has never been the aggressor in this conflict, nor has it been the one to violate past agreements, nor has it refused to negotiate, despite assertions of impulsive aggression by Trump, Haley, and others in the military. And given that during the Korean War we killed 20% of the population of N. Korea–over 8 million people–in carpet bombing and napalming, they have may have earned their paranoia.

An “APAULOGY”: I was called out Thursday for using guilt to try to coax more consistent activism on the part of Retake supporters. I acknowledge that Roxanne had cautioned me on any kind of negative messaging in trying to encourage more involvement, and together we revised Thursday’s post a bit. But not enough. I should have listened to Roxanne, so I want to apologize for the guilt trip and will continue to try to use more inspiration than guilt to get folks involved. My bad. To lighten things up a bit, we close today’s post with Keb Mo’s rendition of For What It’s Worth, the theme music for Retake Our Democracy’s radio show on KSFR….listen in today at 11 a.m. as I interview Daniel Werwath and talk all things affordable housing. Hope to see you at today’s Town Hall at 1:30. Details below.

Events & Opportunities. We have added several new events that are coming in the next two weeks, including an evening with the founders of the Weather Underground and other activists at the James Little Theatre, and a science- and faith-based view on the Urgency of Now, sponsored by New Energy Economy at the Jemez Room at SFCC. Click here to check out all the events.

Could It Be that the US Has Been the Real Aggressor….Again?

In another brilliant edition from Truthout, Correcting History: Five Things No One Wants to Say About North Korea, Ted Snider analyzes the start of the Korean War, the US generated destruction of North Korea during that war, the history of broken agreements with North Korea since then, and the history of US aggression and threats. By the time you are done, you marvel at North Korea’s restraint. The report concludes: “Traumatized by the napalm and carpet bombing of the Korean War, the North Koreans have felt a relentless existential threat. From US nuclear missiles in South Korea, to the clandestine South Korean nuclear weapons program, to the “Axis of Evil,” to being named a country the US should be prepared to drop a nuclear bomb on, the perception of an existential threat has been almost continuous. The perception of threat has continued with US-South Korean military exercises on the North Korean border that include stealth bombers simulating nuclear bombing attacks on North Korea. Trump has threatened “fire and fury,” and lest you think that just rhetoric, has told Sen. Lindsey Graham that, “There is a military option to destroy North Korea’s program and North Korea itself.” Defense Secretary Mattis warned North Korea that its actions “would lead to the end of its regime and the destruction of its people.” It is one thing to lie about whether you think you won the most popular votes in the General Election, but to lie and irresponsibly threaten North Korea is beyond provocative, it is reckless. It is shameful that this president and his military aides can even consider “the destruction of its people” a 21st century solution to any kind of conflict. We are talking about millions of innocent people.T o read the full report, click here.

This post was ready to go on Thursday afternoon set to publish on Saturday, and then North Korea launched another missile over Japan, clearly a response to the UN sanctions that had just been announced. Click here for a story on that missile launch.

Retake Town Hall, Saturday Sept 16, 1:30pm-3:30pm. 1420 Cerrillos Rd. When you arrive you will find blank sheets of butcher paper with questions asking your views on local and national issues. What are your most important issues and opportunities at local and state levels? During the meeting, we will group your responses, list them on a separate set of butcher sheets, and toward the end of the meeting provide you with colored dots so you can prioritize the issues. We will also elicit your input on how we can best continue to build a community of informed, engaged advocates. What are we doing right? What could we do better? We want your ideas about how we continue to focus our energy and organize our community.

The bulk of the meeting will be spent in conversation with Mariel Nanasi, New Energy Economy, and Scott Davis, Showing Up for Racial Justice, who will share their views on the challenges and opportunities posed by threats to our climate and to our civil liberties and how those threats overlap. They will explore how communities of color and the poor have borne the brunt of climate change’s impacts and of policy decisions related to energy. They will also describe possible ways we can address the threats from climate change and racism. The panel will be highly interactive with opportunities for participants to ask questions and make comments. We will close the meeting with a brief discussion of how the issues were prioritized and your input into how Retake can better advance the development of a strong advocacy community. Click here to RSVP on Facebook or RSVP by writing to volunteer4retake@gmail.com.

Activist Research Team. Thursday, September 21, 6pm-8:00pm. Center for Progress & Justice, 1420 Cerrillos. We continue our research into alternative strategies for use of the Santa Fe University of Art and Design and have recruited experts in local community development to help inform that process. We also continue our review of Chainbreaker’s 10-point People’s Platform. For background info, click here to review Chainbreaker’s report, Equitable Development without Risk of Displacement. Click here to review the People’s Platform. Click here to RSVP on Facebook or simply write to volunteer4retake@gmail.com. We encourage you to bring friends and if you want to select one or more of the planks from the 10-point People’s Platform and do a bit of digging, we want to identify effective programs, policies, and initiatives that have been implemented in other communities that relate to the platform.

Retake Our Democracy on KSFR every Saturday at 11am. On September 9, I interviewed Eric Griego, director of the Working Families Party of New Mexico. On September 16, I will speak with Daniel Werwath, a local expert in the design, development, and operation of affordable housing. If you miss any of the shows, they are available on the KSFR website by podcast, so you can go back and binge listen to Retake Our Democracy by clicking here. It usually takes a few days for a new show to be posted, so be patient.

For What It’s Worth is the Theme Song for Retake’s KSFR Radio Show. Roxanne and I are going to see Keb Mo and Taj Mahal tomorrow night and so I thought I’d share Keb’s version of For What It’s Worth….still must admit to liking Jono, Brian, and John’s (One Night Band) local jammin’ version. Enjoy. And if you stay on this YouTube station there is a cool Bonnie Raitt duo with Keb Mo followed by more Bonnie Raitt (who’s performing tonight at the SF Opera.)