Monday, September 18, 2017

Korean Misgovernment

South Korea has a long history of Corruption, surging in the very recent past.

We now know more details of systematic illegal oppression of dissent by Pres. Lee Myung-bak and his successor, Pres. Park Geun-hye. Their governments secretly used Korea's National Intelligence Service (대한민국국가정보원, 국정원 or NIS) as a hammer against those who resisted their right-wing agenda. They expanded the anti-Communist efforts of decades past to include widespread abuse of people because of personal vendetta and party politics.

We now hear of an "enemies list" of about 10,000 artists and cultural people whose livelihoods were disrupted by systematic government suppression. (link), (link)

Actions to "counter and marginalize influential figures and groups in the fields of art and culture" included designating 82 higher-profile people as targets.

"The NIS not only arranged tax audits of the entertainment companies to which these celebrities belonged but also engineered the reassignment of broadcasting staff who produced programs that featured them, blocked them from becoming candidates for the chairs of international film festival committees and even meddled in the selection of the winners of the broadcasting awards by asking for these figures to be dropped from the competition" (Hankyoreh, 12 Sept 2017).

And meanwhile, the government was supporting cronies and rightist groups through hidden funding sources and cutouts such as the Federation of Korean Industries. Surely the public sector officials who implemented these secretly destructive policies should be pressed to explain their acts.

All illegal - Korea's crooked government deliberately sought to ruin people's lives, and succeeded doing so for many years. The USA monitors Korean domestic politics (and may in fact be more active). Certainly & sadly, Yankee did nothing public or positive to intervene.

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Ethnic Cleansing Continues...

Ten years ago today, 13 Sept 2007, the United Nations adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Against 144 nations in favor, standing apart were Australia, Canada, New Zealand & the USA. Each now supports the non-binding Declaration, but hasn't ratified the stronger ILO Treaty 169, the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention (nor have others such as Japan, Finland & Sweden).

Please recognize ethnic cleansing & genocide are aimed to suppress Native inheritance; Land ownership write-off & reset are unacceptable. Don't validate trespass & theft. Do not continue to reward ethnic cleansing. Let's truly seek peaceful reconciliation.

Thanks to States Ratifying ILO Treaty 169  (link)  Thank You!

Sunday, September 10, 2017

Pop-Up Tornado !

The arrival of Hurricane Irma in the USA has been much anticipated. CNN staff seem on the verge of ecstasy when describing the potential horrors & dangers of the storm.

They've fixated on a few favorite phrases:

"Hide from Wind -- Run from Water!"  
Repeating & intoning this phrase for the past two days as if learned from Great-Grandpappy instead of first hearing it themselves a day ago. [Seems the phrase is known to Floridians...]

Danger of Popup Tornado !
Does the Trendy & hip "popup" tornado differ from any tornado?

Wag that Dog!

As the USA gets whacked, why do we have potential relief forces still stationed in Italy, Germany, Spain & Japan?
These organized resources could be directly helping our own people, who are now suffering distress & great danger.  Trump® promised to bring our military home.
 
RankCountry / TerritoryU.S. Troops
#1Japan39,345
#2Germany34,805
#3South Korea23,468
#4Italy12,102
#5Afghanistan9,294
#6United Kingdom8,479
#7Kuwait6,296
#8Iraq5,540
#9Bahrain5,504
#10Guam3,831
#11Spain3,256
#12Qatar2,976
#13Turkey2,234
#14Djibouti1,961
#15Jordan1,759
#16United Arab Emirates1,079
#17Belgium842
#18Cuba806
#19Romania667
#20Greece407

Other / Unknown34,834  ? ?

Total199,485



Saturday, September 09, 2017

America Bare

Occupied Hawai'i is one of many places aggressive intruders have stolen the inheritance of native communities.

We Hawaiians remain peaceful as violence has been unleashed around us for many decades. We keep ALOHA alive around us.

But let's face truth: unconcerned tourists and uncontrolled waves of nonresident investors fail to notice our suffering. They overlook Hawaiian children becoming homeless street kids, as the lands many generations have farmed & protected are stolen. The USA ignores its treaties and international laws on indigenous people.

A continent of Native Americans are still besmirched & vilified as savages and "redskins" ... Outsiders occupy native lands, systematically humiliating American Indian, Aleut and Hawaiian communities. Pre-existing cultures are deliberately oppressed.

America Bare -- Ugly, violent, and they claim our inheritance.




Tuesday, September 05, 2017

RIP: Kriss Alexander Lambert



Kriss Alexander Lambert died unexpectedly at home in Puyallup, Washington this week. He was 57. 

Kriss was born on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and lived & worked in Lake Placid NY, Florida & the Carribean, Oklahoma, Japan, Maui, the Kona coast, the Pacific Northwest, etc. He was a serial entrepreneur with many licenses & professional qualifications. He worked many years as a ship's captain, and held a US Coast Guard 100 Ton Master license w/ 100 ton Sailing & Towing endorsements. Kriss was an accomplished musician, with many other hobbies & skills (such as woodworking), but is best remembered as outstandingly open-hearted. Friends recall "He gave good hugs!" 

Kriss worked for the International Olympic Committee as the Official Mascot of the 1980 Winter Olympics (XIII Olympic Winter Games) at Lake Placid, New York, USA. He did many months of prior promotional work at venues such as the Tournament of Roses Parade, the Orange Bowl, etc. in character as Roni Raccoon, and was rinkside for the historic "Miracle on Ice" hockey game when the USA team beat the USSR (actively directing assorted cheers while officially neutral). His photo and uniform hang in the Lake Placid Olympic Museum.
  
Kriss leaves behind his beloved & gracious wife Pam, many friends around the world, and close family in Puyallup & Washington state, in Hawai'i, on Cape Cod, in Sweden, and elsewhere. He was proud of family, and his comforting, lively home was always inviting. We each share shock & great sadness, but Kriss wanted us all to Celebrate Life. 

Friends of Kriss Lambert, thank you for your prayers. Please Share in coming weeks or years if you recall stories involving Kriss or Kriss-themed anecdotes: inspiring, funny, loving, goofy or otherwise. Welcome!