Clock Teacher

RIP Kim Dae Jung

For those of you who didn't know, and might still be checking this blog, former South Korean president Kim Dae Jung just passed away after a fight with pneumonia.

You can read more here. My feelings about Kim Dae Jung as a president have changed dramatically in the last decade but it is undeniable that he has been an important and vital leader for South Korea and instrumental in their transformation to a democracy.  He fought the fight for a long time, I hope he can rest well now.

A very sad day for me personally- Michael Crichton dead

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D948VP086&show_article=1

Cancer. I didn't know he was sick.  Michael Chrichton is my favorite author.  Every time you read one of his books you just feel smarter with an amazing blend of education and entertainment. I'm going to expand this post later when I have a chance but for now, I just express my sadness and sympathies to his friends and family.

I call B.S. (Bulgogi Spit)

Back at the beginning of summer, during the anti-US beef protests, one of the mantras of the protesters was that this movement was NOT anti-US but was pro-food safety.  It was all for the children.  Mothers brought their infants in strollers to protest the dangers of US beef and the weak president that was going to allow the US to kill their children for money.  I had a mother tell me that if there is even ONE sick cow, then that is too much of a chance to take.  I call most of them...liars.  

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/09/113_31783.html

Well, I am sure most of you have heard about food contamination in China, this case specifically centered on malmine.  Children are getting sick with a few of them dying.  A HUGE proportion (I have heard upwards of 80%) of processed packaged food in Korea comes from China.  So, with clear evidence of an issue, thousands and thousands of children getting sick, and a nation so clearly self proclaimed as willing to protect their children no matter what, where are the protests?  Where are the calls for stopping Chinese food imports?  Where are the mothers with their children marching down the streets with homemade signs showing evil Chinese packaged food attacking Korean children?

Ohhh, so mad cow is much more serious because you could die from it...oh wait... 

Again, my problem is not with Korea not wanting US beef, that's their prerogative.  But to hide behind "food safety" as the cause citing that if there is ANY chance of danger they should not allow any beef in(US beef is STILL not sold in any major department store here, but it is selling out at local beef shops)  while ccontinuing to allow plenty of Chinese made foodstuffs to be sold and consumed by the very children you are so adamantly protecting(while allowing them to play in the streets and have one of the highest child/auto fatality rates in the world) is just ludicrous.  

There is a lot more to this issue, I am just too tired to write it all out now.  Maybe I'll get to it later. Just needed to vent.

ABSOLUTELY must read post: One of the best I have ever read

http://askakorean.blogspot.com/2008/09/why-do-koreans-complain-about-us.html

This was a post written in response to the question "Why do Koreans Complain about U.S. Military in Korea?"

It is in a way a follow up to this post "Why do G.I.'s complain about Korea" http://rokdrop.com/2008/09/24/why-do-gis-complain-about-korea/

Quick background "The Korean" is a Korean guy who has his own blog and writes very well, often talking about issues that affect the US and Korea together. 

GI Korea is an ex-military guy who still lives in Korea and writes mostly about issues with US troops.  I have read both of them quite a lot and respect their opinions and research methods.  Both of these guys do their homework, big time.  Of course I don't agree with them all the time, but these two posts are just outstanding.  I have to draw attention to this highlight from The Korean's post(yes, he talks about himself in the third person, it's just a stylistic thing).

An addendum to this point: The Korean does not intend to validate those Koreans who subscribe to virulent anti-Americanism. However, the Korean has to note the appalling incompetence of the U.S. military and the Department of State with respect to handling this type of occurrences. The Korean would not comment on the War in Iraq, except only to say that it generally soured the world’s opinion on the U.S., including Korean people’s opinion. But even without going into America’s grand scheme of foreign relations, time and again the decision-makers of American foreign policy (including the State Department and the military) display a complete neglect towards effort to capture the hearts and minds of their actual and potential allies.

It frustrates the Korean to see so many Koreans believe in lies and distortions about America. But it frustrates the Korean more that many Americans, even the most intelligent and powerful among them, seem to be completely oblivious as to why these lies and distortions work. American foreign policy – military policy included – appears to march to its own drumbeat, regardless of how things may look. Instead of trying to understand the nationalistic fervor that grips most of the world, too many Americans simply fret when they encounter anti-Americanism fueled by lies and distortion, resorting to such idiotic statements like “they hate America because they hate freedom.”

In the meantime, gross falsehood about America gains increasing currency in the rest of the world. New York Times reported that in Egypt, the idea that American government is behind the attacks of 9/11 passes as a conventional wisdom. Why would they believe the crazy notion that American government would kill 3,000 of its own people? Because they hate freedom? Give the Korean a break.

This is a point I have talked about for a while, it is stunning to me how inept our state department is about getting the US side of things out.  It's my opinion that after decades of being "the good guys" our state department has been content to allow other people to do their job for them.  We cannot afford to just assume that there will be other people and countries that will come to our defense.  The generation that remembers America from WWII and the Marshal Plan are dying, and we have done nothing to replace that good will.  For those stuck in modern day politics, this issue goes WAY deeper than Bush.  It has been building for decades.  If you truly believe that our image abroad is all due to Bush and Iraq you have very short and selective memories. That being said there is no question that it has gotten even worse in the last 8 years because of those two things.  The US Military and Bush Administrations ability to get their side of information out is abysmal(often because as their critics rightfully point out they don't put out ANY information).  Back to Korea, here is the sad part.  What is America's best weapon for fighting the negative image they have...me.  I and the other American's living here that try to show a different side of America than the one painted in the press.  But that's just not enough.  Now, Obama is right that it is a priority to improve America's image abroad, but it will take much more than just saying "see, I'm not Bush".  Sure there will be a honeymoon, but then countries will start asking for things and he will have to sometimes say no, and they will go back and talk about how America hasn't really changed at all.  Seriously, if you have just read my post so far, go back and read The Korean's post.  His analogy of the race of nations is spot on. 

Go get 'em Dave

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjkCrfylq-E

While I'm sure this will not be the most popular thing to say, I have never been much of a fan of Dave Letterman.  Of course he has his moments but his feigned ignorance act gets a little annoying to me.  And it is clear that he is not ignorant, especially after watching him dish out one of the best political skewerings I have ever seen.  In my opinion, John McCain deserves every barb thrown at him here.  It is also important to note how Dave opens it up, he loves and respects the guy, but here's where he has the problems.  First off, really really bad move to cancel on a show(especially one so popular with youth voters that you can't afford to lose any of the ones you have) because of an emergency, then go on another show instead.  Very bad form.  Then there is the political point that Dave makes about suspending the campaign, and I think he is right.  When I first read that McCain wanted to suspend the debate, my first thought was "of course, he doesn't want to debate about the economy right now" but then to suspend the whole campaign seems a little, dare I say it "cut and run".  Here is the important point that Dave makes, it's totally fine for McCain to go back to Washington and do his job as a Senator, especially during this crisis, but yes, you should have people that can continue on without you.  This would be a chance for Palin to shine, show what she has, and so the question is going to be raised, does she have anything right now.  Of course for me, what's even scarier that of course Dave doesn't mention, what experience does Obama have with a crisis?  It still gets me that people can claim Palin has no experience but somehow Obama is perfectly qualified, that just doesn't add up.  However, this was a bad move by McCain, and he should be called out for it.  Good job Dave.  Paul annoys me only slightly less than mosquitoes.

Quick bites

Since I don't have as much time to post these days, but there are still things I want to talk about and draw attention too, I am starting "quick bite" posts, where I just talk a little bit about a lot of things instead of a separate post about each of them.

-I hate mosquitoes.

-Monday was Car-Free Day in Korea,  some of the major streets were closed down and the buses and subways were supposedly free. I didn't know anything about it and wondered why the buses were so crowded.  So crowded in fact that I had to wait in line for three buses until I finally squeezed into one, but I couldn't reach the card reader to pay my fare and felt guilty about it all morning(though it turns out that it was supposed to be free) In fact I didn't know about the day until later that night when I met Mijoung for our language exchange.  Then I read about it in the papers the next day as they showed pictures of President Lee biking to work and such.  This broughtt up a frustrating point for me.  Why did I not know about the day?   I asked my Korean friends how they knew about the day and they said they read it on the Internet news sites.  I had seen nothing, and I brought up how more often then not, I read about festivals and special occasions the day AFTER they happen.  However, in this case I have to give credit where credit is due, I just didn't read the Korea Times on the right day as I found this http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2008/09/177_31171.html which was posted last week.  I must strive to be more diligent in my newspaper reading.

-This is a sad story http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/09/113_31470.html Korean-American Sues US Homeland Chief for Miscarriage .  Basically a Korean-American woman is saying the delay in granting her husband residency caused her miscarriage.  Our immigration system needs soooooooo much more resources and organization it's pathetic, but I am sure there is more to this story than just the few paragraphs printed here. If his application was rejected six times, I get the feeling that there is something  going on.  Of course a real reporter might look into that, but since the purpose of this article is to elicit sympathy for a Korean, no more info was required.  I have tried to find out more information through google, but it appears that the Korea times is the only place writing about this for now.

-I can't believe I am about to say this, but thank goodness for Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats.  Giving a "blank check" to wall street is just wrong, and stupid. http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/23/news/economy/bailout_hearing/index.htm?cnn=yes

I am glad that there are some Republicans not happy with the plan too, but not enough from what I have read.  The place where I agree with Pelosi is that there has to be some oversight to make sure that these CEOs don't walk away with millions in tax payers money due.  If a private company wants to give CEOs and executive millions that's their business, we all know the system is set up to reward anyone at the top once they get there( which is why it won't be reformed, because all the people not there yet want it to be there if and when they make it to the "top").  However, we are talking about Federal money on a scale that is hard to comprehend.  Let's put it this way, this is more money than all the money spent on Iraq and Afghanistan.  I think this sums up the situation for me:

Sen. Sherrod Brown, a liberal Democrat from Ohio, said calls from his constituents about the plan have been universally negative. He told the story of one constituent who drove to Washington.

"He quite rightly asked why we were rushing to bailout companies whose leaders got rich gambling with other people's money," Brown said.

Brown asked if Wall Street owed the rest of America an apology. Paulson, who served as CEO of Wall Street firm Goldman Sachs for seven years before becoming Treasury Secretary in 2006, pointed at both Wall Street and others for the nation's current crisis.

"There is a lot of blame to go around," Paulson said. "A lot of blame [belongs] with big financial institutions that engaged in this irresponsible lending."

But Paulson also said some blame rests with regulators, rating agencies and others - "people who made loans they shouldn't have made, people who took out loans they shouldn't have taken out."

This situation is different from Enron and Worldcom and such because it was not directly based on criminal activity(so far as we know now) but on greed and stupidity (both of which are still not illegal).  I pretty much have zero sympathy for the execs at these companies and while I agree that Wall Street needs help and fast, we have to think about this a little, and I hope that our 2 party system will work to make a reasonable plan and not just break down into partisan squabbling.

-I really really hate mosquitoes.

-With regard to the Wasallia police chief that charged women for their own rape kits http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/21/palin.rape.exams/index.html

I don't care how tight your budget is, that's ridiculous and shamefull.  If Palin knew about it, she either supported it or didn't do enough against it(since nobody remembers her fighting against the police chief); or if she didn't know about it, as this was an ongoing budget issue, a womens issue, and I find it highly unlikely that throughout the whole process nobody complained to the mayor about it(hello, the town has only 7,000 people), she should have known and this does speak to her ability to be aware of her own subordinates.  I would like a response and answer about this.  I will not be holding my breath.

-This is a link to a naver story talking about how some Korean advertisements rip off western material. http://news.naver.com/hotissue/ranking_read.php?section_id=103&ranking_type=popular_day&office_id=023&article_id=0001990806&date=20080924&seq=1

This happens in movie posters, cd covers, music.  I actually see it a lot and I only really get annoyed when a Korean tries to argue with me that Korea did it first (I promise you, the song "Ghostbusters" did not come from Korea, thank you Ray Parker Junior, your song will live with me forever).

-Mosquitoes suck (well the female ones do)(pun intended)

A note on the US elections

Usually when I talk politics here it is about Korea, both because I am very interested in Korean politics and I would like to share some of my views and insights with my family and friends back home who more likely than not are unaware but curious about them.  However I have been reading some things recently that have bothered me, and while it is not the first time these things have bothered me, it is the first time I have my own soapbox to speak from.  Therefore be warned, the following is my opinion and observations.

First off, this is NOT about the candidates themselves but about us, the people, and the media.  Let me get a quick one off my chest first before I dive into the meaty ones.  I am reading once again that this "Is the most important election EVAR!!!" and so we need to be sure to vote.  Well we do need to vote, that is very true, but I heard the same exact thing about 2000, and 2004, and now 2008, and I am sure I will likely hear it about 2012.  Please, tone down the dramatic hyperbole just a little.  Yes, these elections have been and are very important, and I'm sure they are more important to the rest of the world than when James K. Polk rode his dark horse into the white-house past James Buchanan, and Lewis Cass, and ultimately Henry Clay.  By the way, that was a very close election according to the popular vote but the Whigs got creamed in the Electoral College.  However, if you are going to say that every election is the most important ever, it looses some of it's bite, just saying.

Ok, on to the meat.  The following is not meant to endorse Palin or Obama, but to talk about some of the things I see written about them that just bother me.  Palin first. In her recent ABC news interview, she was asked by Charlie Gibson about the "Bush Doctrine".  This is not about here answer directly, but about the analysis I have read about it.  This is from Dan Froomkin of the Washington Post: (found here http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2008/09/12/BL2008091201471.html?nav=hcmoduletmv&sub=new but you have to register, it's free)

Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's evident cluelessness when asked in an interview yesterday if she agreed with the Bush Doctrine is appropriately being seen as emblematic of her ignorance of foreign policy.

But as it happens, I'm not sure anyone is entirely clear on what the Bush Doctrine is at this particular moment. ... And to be completely accurate, there have been several Bush Doctrines over the years.

Ok, so in the first paragraph he states that Palin not knowing exactly what the "Bush Doctrine" is, is an appropriate example of how she is clueless about foreign policy, and then in THE VERY NEXT SENTENCE he states that pretty much nobody knows for sure.  So, if there is not a clear definition of the term (Incidentally, the only two clear presidential doctrines are the "Monroe doctrine" about manifest destiny and the "Truman doctrine" about containment of communism), then how is not knowing exactly what the host was talking about an appropriate measure of judging.  The Washington Post columnist who actually coined the term "Bush Doctrine" talks about it here. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/12/AR2008091202457_pf.html

Another thing that read recently is about the story that Palin tried to ban books in Alaska. (see here http://www.snopes.com/politics/palin/bannedbooks.asp.  Now, I don't agree with banning books from public libraries, especially many of the books on this list, so yes, it bothers me that she asked.  However, I don't know which books she actually wanted to ban nor how far her actions went, but I consider this a mark against her.  However, the thing that really bothers me are the comments made on a blog I like to read.  He posted this article before he noted it's source, then posted a correction, but in his correction he stated "What I will say is that Palin's general politics are no different from the right-wingers who HAVE banned or attempted to ban books, so a more appropriate post might be "Here's the kind of books people like Palin have fought to be banned" or something of that nature. " and that's were I have the problem.  I don't like, statements that say "well, this person didn't do this, but her kind of people do, so it's fair to say it about her"  I think he has plenty of grounds to disagree with Palin and not like her as a VP, but I find a statement like that far more telling about his own views. This type of logic can of course be applied to any political candidate and often is.  However there are just too many variables in it.

This leads on to my next bothersome trend, Obama as a secret Muslim.  Barak Obama didn't choose his name, he didn't choose to be an American, he was born with them, and is rightfully proud of them.  He has decided to follow Christianity and has done so for years. So when he slips up with Stephanopolus and says "they keep talking about my Muslim faith" come on.  Of course a Muslim running for office would have even more trouble than a Christian fundamentalist as they both have members of their faith that give a bad name to everyone.  But please newspeople and talk radio folks of the world, leave this one alone, again, it says more about you than it does about him.

Now, on to Matt Damon.  Matt Damon illustrates to be perfectly why Palin was such a brilliant political move.  I am going to focus on his comments about her experience.  He talked about how she has only been mayor of a small town and Governor of Alaska for two years, and how it is ridiculous that she would be considered qualified to potentially be president.  By bringing in a young, energetic, minority(in politics) and having Democrats (yes I know Damon does not speak for the Obama campaign, but there are plenty of Democratic spokespersons who do that have brought up the same issue) jump on that as proof she isn't qualified, makes those in the middle look at another young, energetic minority who if elected would BE president.  I don't care how you try to spin it, there is NO WAY that Palin and Obama are the "most qualified" to be President, and drawing attention to that will end up hurting Obama more.  Now let me be clear, I do not feel that being the "most qualified" is the end all factor in choosing a president.  There are clearly many more factors that are just as important. Honestly, I agree with Damon that if somebody does really believe that the dinosaurs were here 5000 years ago I have a major problem with that.  I don't know if Palin actually does believe that so if anyone can link me to her stating that I would appreciate it.  What I won't accept is that "oh, she's a fundamentalist Christian and that's what they believe" is valid proof. Last year, I predicted that McCain would win and it would come down to his experience.  From what I have seen so far, I stand by that prediction.

For all of these issues, you will find things not to like about all of the candidates.  You will find arguments about them that you can't win.  I think you should be free to say that there are things about the person you are voting for that you don't like, and there are things about the person that you aren't voting for that you do.  I hate that politics in the US have become so all or nothing.  You are either all democrat or all republican.  I hate the second Bush Doctrine "you are either with us or with the terrorists",  Red-state: Blue-state, Mac:PC, Coke:Pepsi etc.  Extremeism is nothing new.  If you think our current national divideis something new, remember North vs, South.  Lincoln said a house divided can not stand.  As bad as things are, we are not as divided as we have been in the past(as much as they disagree, democrats and republicans aren't shooting each other, or even throwing shoes at the podium like in SK).  But it should be more acceptable to jump the lines now and then. 

Now, let me throw myself out on a limb here.  I have honestly not decided who I will vote for.  A month ago I was leaning towards Obama because I am sick of business as usual in Washington(from both sides) and I think a shake up would be good.  I also would like the world to see that just because Obama is president, everything will not be wine and roses for them and they will never truly be satisfied.  The president of the United States, no matter who he or she is, cannot save the world, and even if Obama is elected, there will be people and countries who will hate him and us.  Yes, Clinton was clearly more popular around the world, but he was still burned in effigy plenty of times. Ido think Obama is lacking in the experience department to be president, but I think he is a fast learner.  However I am very cautious of the Noh Myu-hyun factor.  Korea elected a young inexperienced progressive president and he went on to prove how much of a disaster that can be(though it was great for North Korea).  However, Obama has lost me in the last few weeks and I am back now on the fence. I am stuck, there are things about the Republican party that really really bother me, there are things about the Democratic party that really really bother me.  I find it very telling that while Bush has had such low approval ratings, Congress has had lower.  I wish I had more hope.  For me, I think when it comes down to it, I don't think Obama is ready yet, nor do I think Palin is, but one is running for the job, the other is running for the backup. I am waiting for the debates.  McCain's immigration policy still really bothers me enough that it could be a deciding factor for me.  Clearly more research is in order.  Read many sources, be careful of the press.  Talk it over with people.  Writing this has helped me organize some thoughts.  Keep the discussions going.  We'll be ok.    

An interesting comparison

This is from the Hankyoreh:

http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/305729.html

Opposition to parade for Korean medalists grows

A parade and festival for the Korean Olympic team scheduled for August 25, when the team returns from Beijing, is running into controversy. Korean Olympic Committee President Lee Yeon-taek said August 19 that on the day of their return, the team plans to move from Incheon International Airport to Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, and, after a disbanding ceremony, parade on foot from there to Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall.

Some have accused the government of orchestrating the parade, and accuse the government of going back to the era of authoritarian rule. The government denies this.

That's right, having an organized government controlled parade for returning Olympians=authoritarian rule. One of the things that tires me out most about politics is how these days, every single thing that the other guy does must have some nefarious purpose.  Of course this is the same in the US (I was about to use some made up example to illustrate my point, but that's the straw-man practice and is another one of my peeves, so since I am too tire to actually find examples of this, though I am sure they are easy, just look for yourself). Anyways, the real tragedy is that I didn't know there was going to be a parade and I wish I would have gone and seen it, oh well.

Let the games begin.

As you know the Olympics have started in Beijing.  If you missed the opening ceremonies, I thought they were stunning.  They were directed by Zhang Yimou who directed the movies Hero and House of Flying Daggers.  This is the first time I want to buy the opening on DVD just so I can watch my favorite parts again.  The paper scroll was amazing.  Anyways, another interesting note, after the first day, China is in the lead past the US but look who is in third...South Korea. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/2008/medals/tracker/  Go SK, their goal is to get 10 gold medals, and they already have 3 of them.  Of course SBS was in the doghouse for airing footage of the opening ceremonies in Korea last week. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/feedarticle/7704702

On the brink, protecting the rest of the world one islet at a time.

Just how important is Japan's claim on Dokto?

According to the Korea Times:

It should be treated as nothing less than a declaration of war against the rest of the world. The choice of weapon in this war started by Japan is not guns, missiles or atomic bombs, but a collective sense of determination emulating that of Jewish hunters pursuing those responsible for the Holocaust.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2008/07/137_27619.html

For the rest of the world, it should be kept in mind that Korea is the first line of defense and offense, and that if it crumbles, it would soon be the turn of other countries.

Phew, I was worried, but Korea's on the job protecting me from Japanese imperialism, and not by curtailing Japanese economic and industrial power, but by making sure they don't get their hands on one tiny islet (they aren't islands because they are not capable of sustaining life, too small and craggy).  And what's the first thing to do?

For starters, let's try to derail Japan's bid for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council.

Again, I see where he is coming from, but come on. Hyperbole is the greatest thing ever, in the world, and the universe too.