Independence Day

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. . .

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

I sincerely hope you read those words.  I realized today that I'd never read the Declaration of Independence in its entirety.  (This isn't the entirety, either, by there way.)  It's such a passionate document.  It's empowering to read.  I'm incredibly proud of the history that comes with this document, and yet I am troubled.

The same blood that flowed through the veins of several great men and women in our nation's history flows through my own veins.  I feel it my duty, therefore, to follow in their footsteps, paying them honor by enhancing the legacy they left for me.  They fought for the ideals that have come to define what it means to be a part of American culture.  I am incredibly grateful to them, because I strongly agree that they were right: All of us were born equal.  ALL of us.

George Orwell astutely pointed out in his well known Animal Farm, that many of us operate under the delusion that "Some are more equal than others."  I would like to point out that this is inherently untrue.  Our Declaration of Independence does not state that one race is more equal than another, that one language is more equal than another, even that one country is more equal than another.  It simply says that all men (and I firmly believe that they are referring to humanity in this instance) are created equal.

Though today is America's Independence Day, I think it is a day for all to celebrate  It is a day that the world triumphed, gaining leaders to whom we could all aspire to emulate.  As I told my students, these men believed so adamantly in what was written here that they were willing to risk their own and even their families' lives in order to secure it as truth.  Even those who do not admire what these people were trying to do (though why anyone wouldn't admire an attempt at establishing a certain grounds for the respect and dignity of all humanity I do not know) must admire the ardent passion that goes with making a commitment of that magnitude.  My last class today was moved to radiant pride as I described this situation to them, though none of them has even seen America.

The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not. (The Book of Abigail and John: Selected Letters of the Adams Family, 1762-1784,Harvard University Press, 1975, 142).

This is the legacy we have been given.  It is our job to carry it on, uniting all humanity under that banner, ignoring any other differences.  We are brothers and sisters.  In this day and age, we are more connected than ever before.  We should be uniting, moving together as one, loving each other as a global family.

"Mankind." That word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests. - President Thomas Whitmore, Independence Day

I write with a certain urgency to you today.  We do not know what is ahead of our world, but across the globe people are feeling something coming.  Egypt is in turmoil, the Koreas are on edge, Bulgaria is at a stand-still (literarlly), The United States are in an uproar: The world is in a state of growing global agitation.   I do not know what is coming, but I feel it in the core of my person: Globally united we can stand, but divided we will fall.  We are only one race; we are humanity.  We are so much more connected than we know.

Dear Tiananmen Square

Dear Tiananmen Square:
We were conceived together, you and I
We shadow each other
We are kindred

You were born out of death, a country torn and divided
While I was still a burgeoning hope, not yet ready for the world
But we were announced to the world at the same time
An accusatory message there, a celebrated one here -
They both were read with tears, though not of the same strain.


Dear Tianamen Square:
We were dedicated to our causes at the same time.
With the diligence of youth we were presented to the world
They lifted their voices, proudly proclaiming,
"Here and now we solemnly promise to see this through
"No matter the cost."

You and I, we didn't know what that meant then.
We didn't know how we would grow.
We only knew that we were in the hands of those who cared so much.


Dear Tianamen Square:
We're really of the same character - stubborn and reckless,
Inciting anger among those who don't understand
Ready to be the face of the fight.
It's only later that we wonder if we meant to do it at all.
If I had known, would I have acted differently?
If you had known, would you have?

Would I have spoken out?  Would I have quieted myself?
Would you have shaken, toppling buildings and cracking roads apart?
Would we have been happy with our courses had we known their outcomes?
I can't be sure.  Can you?


Dear Tianamen Square:
We both know what it is to be under a strict reign.
We both know what it is to rebel against it.
We both know what it is to face consequences we didn't expect.

We are united by our opposites.
My blood was drawn as you drank in that which fell on you.
My skin was pricked as shells rebounded off of you.
I screamed out for my mother, as you heard the screams echoing around you, in you.
And then we breathed the silence:
Me in my temporary comfort and you eternalized as that without it.

Dear Tianamen Square:
We are both unended, unsure, a story left unfinished.
The question lingers:
What happened to him - the man who was so bold?
Did you encourage him in your own stalwart way?
Would you do the same for me, as I endeavor to fill his shoes?

Will you watch over me or are you tired?
Are you still washing away the blood that is deep within you now?
Have you seen the ends of actions?
Have you given into the silence?
Or are you still bold, only waiting?




Tianamen Square timeline and news reports

The Demon Possessed Man: Part 6 - Respect

<<Part 5                                                                                                                                       Part 7>>

Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

-Luke 8:30-33

This is a section of the Bible that is incredibly near and dear to my heart.  I find it so profound that it's hard for me to add my own thoughts to it.  It's one of those things that I think loses its luster if I try to break it down.  Nevertheless, I recognize that what I see as obvious in these verses may not be as obvious to other people, so I will do my best to explain what I read in it as eloquently as possible.

It all starts with four simple words: "What is your name?"  That's where personhood begins in our minds.  It's easy for us to ignore others, to devalue them... until we know their names.  Then everything is amplified.  (This isn't as strong if we don't already have a face to attach to the name, but I think the name is what gives it definition.)  Don't believe me?  Say these sentences out loud:

That guy makes me sick.
Joseph Kony makes me sick.

That man gives me hope.
Pope Francis gives me hope.

Of course, this exercise works better if you know who these men are, but let's just assume you do (and, if you don't, substitute in the names of people you do know).  Now, ask yourself, which sentence elicited a stronger response?  Names make a difference.  It becomes infinitely harder to dehumanize someone after you have a name for them.  (The reverse is true, too, a tactic employed by Ralph Ellison, the Nazi army, the Borg, and many others... Although the true unnamed protagonist is the only complete example I can give you.)

So what's so profound about that?  Well, the profundity is found in the speaker (Christ) and his addressee (a... demon).  By asking the demon for his name, Christ is essentially saying, "I don't want to de-value you."  [Insert the sound of my mind blowing here.]  We've all heard it said that we should love our enemies (Matthew 5:44), but I think even the most G-dly of us only took this imagery to that of Christ praying for those who were try to kill Him.  Seriously, who has ever pictured this to mean that Christ loves, and even prays for demons (possibly even Satan?!)?  And yet, there He is, showing respect and value for a demon.

"What is your name?"

But wait.  There's more.

My mind would be blown even if He left it there.  But, in true Jesus-fashion, He doesn't.  The demons turn around and beg Him to not throw them back in the Abyss.  They even say, "Please, please, please, please let us experience drowning rather than make us go back there!"(Side Note: How horrible must hell be for them to beg Christ to let them drown rather than return to it?)  Every time I read this, there's a part of me that expects Christ to reply, "Away from me, you vile creature!  Have you not brought this upon yourself?  Return to your prince of darkness."  I think there's ample Biblical evidence that would allow for eyelids to remain un-batted at this response.  But that's not what Christ says.  Christ turns everything about human justice on its head with His answer.

"...He gave them permission."

So let's review:

1. Christ meets a demon.
2. The demon recognizes Christ.
3. Christ doesn't assess the demon as a purely evil, lost cause.
4. Christ is polite to the demon.
5. The demon is polite back to Christ.
6. The demon begs for mercy.
7. Christ gives the demon the mercy it wanted.

All this with the henchman of the guy who tried to take over Christ's Kingdom, failed, convinced a third of the angels to abandon Christ with him, and continues to try to take over/get even by swaying Christ's beloved children to follow him.

And you think you can't be civil to the annoying person at the desk next to you?

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?  Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." -Matthew 5:43-48

<<Part 5                                                                                                                                       Part 7>>

What The DPRK is like, from the mouths of its leaders and its former citizens.

A couple years ago, BBC News gave an comprehensive review of life in North Korea (DPRK).  It's fascinating to see the differences between the life of the elite (or that which they present) and the contradictions presented by DPRK defectors.  In light of the recent propaganda video hoax, I'd like to encourage you to watch this report and get a better idea of what the DPRK really is telling its citizens and why people are so anxious to leave.

** Defectors reveal the truth about life in North Korea **

Sue Lloyd-Roberts travels from North Korea to South Korea to talk to defectors who explain what life is really like in the North and talk about their shock at leaving a land of austerity, poverty and isolation for a land of plenty and fast-paced change.

Unfortunately, there is no legal way for me to embed the video to my blog, but I do want to encourage you to watch it by clicking here.

What's our role?

I've talked here a lot about North Korea.  A lot.  In fact, I've talked so much about it, I wonder if you're starting to get sick of it.  But I hope that's not the case, because I'm going to continue to talk about it.

I've related the situation in North Korea to the Holocaust, and I'm not the only one saying that.  This is the most common comparison made when trying to explain what's happening; a simple Google search can show you that.  This is because, it's true.  The two situations are incredibly similar - gut-wrenchingly, sickeningly similar.

And yet, after 20 years the world still isn't taking a leading role in these atrocities.  The majority of the world is ignoring it.  In our age of technology, when we can see what's happening on the ground there from any computer, this is unacceptable.

But it occurs to me: Maybe the situation is so large that people are unsure of how to help.

I saw a TED Talk today, during which a North Korean refugee makes a suggestion for how we, as individuals can help.  I'd like to share it with you.  Please watch, think, and pray.

Indonesia: Ijen Crater

I wrote this while I was still in Indonesia; it's not my normal blogging writing-style, but I wanted to capture my feelings while they were still fresh.

January 24, 2013

Deep in the jungle of East Java, Indonesia lies Mt. Ijen.  From bottom to top, it is about a three kilometer hike, traversing steep, unforgiving slopes, leaving the climber with the distint impression that she is unwelcome at her destination, and why should she be?  Upon reaching the top, the climber is suddenly awed by the view that overwhelms the fog-covered mountains and treetops upon which she turns her back.  In front of her lies the crater of an active volcano, filled with the largest sulfur lake in Indonesia, turquoise blue and deadly acidic.

The sulfur lake in the Ijen Crater

This is the mountain I was taken to see on my trip to Indonesia.  A renowned attraction, a visit to this natural wonder is regularly included in tourist packages.  I was prepared to be exhausted by the climb.  I was prepared to be intimidated by the active state of the volcano.   I was prepared to realize my own insignificance in the face of something so powerful.  I was not prepared to meet the men who spend their days climbing up and down its path, mining the sulfur that has become so crucial to Indonesian culture.

When I first saw one of the many men carrying two baskets of sulfur bricks across his shoulders, I was floored.  Upon asking its weight, my guide told me that it weighed close to 85 kilograms.

"That's more than I weigh!" A nearby woman exclaimed.

With a jolt of shock, I realized that it would be an easier task for this man to carry me across the mountainside than his load of sulfer.  I assumed it to be a testimony to the poor economy of the area that the man did not have any modern tools to help him with the process, but a friend of my tour guide encouraged me to think further.

"I asked the men why they didn't use more modern tools," he said.  "They told me the government won't let them."

He went on to explain that Ijen is a type of national park.  "I guess that's why can't use [modern tools]."  But the look on his face left me with the distinct impression that he was as dissatisfied with that answer as I was.

At the mouth of the crater, I was quickly greeted with the opportunity to have one of the miners help me descent to the lake below and give me a tour of the mine.  He told me the trip would cost me 50,000 rupiah, roughly 5 USD, which would be slightly less than he would make for one load of sulfur (85kg is worth about 56,000 rupiah).  I agreed, eager to see the mine and happy to make the day easier for this man.  He produced a couple of painter's masks for me to layer and wear to combat the smoke, and we were off, climbing almost straight down through the noxious fumes.  Concentrating solely on not losing my footing, I often didn't see the miners until they were right on top of me, carrying their loads up a rock face that would have made me uncomfortable even if I had been harnessed into climbing ropes.  Yet they climbed it in goulashes, many mask-less in the acrid smoke.  I tried not to think of the number of years that were being cut from their lives during my trip alone.

A man carries his load up the crater

I greeted each man with a smile, to which each man always replied, "Where are you from?"

"America," came my hesitant reply.  Several overseas trips had taught me to share this information cautiously, as it usually elicits passionate responses.  The miners held true to form, although I was relieved to see it took a more positive bent.

"America?  Obama!" was the standard response, and, as if it was a cheer designed to hearten the rest of the workers, it was always met with a chorus of "Obama!" from all the men within earshot.  As Indonesia was the president's childhood home, I was not incredibly shocked by their love for him, but it took a moment for the magnitude of it to sink in.  His very name seemed to birth hope, something I've not seen in relation to any other president in my lifetime, but I imagine it was something akin to how the American people reacted to John F. Kennedy while he was in office.

We repeated this exercise almost every time I met a new worker until, on the floor of the crater, one man broke form.

"Obama?  He's my relative!"

I did a double-take.  Surely not, I thought, prepared to argue that the fumes had addled his mind like the man I'd overheard telling a pair of hikers that he was a Pokémon.  I looked to the men around him, trying to discern from their actions if there was any truth to his claim.  None of them laughed or turned away as they had with the Pokémon man; it seemed his had them convinced.

I spent a lot of time wandering around the crater, taking pictures and chatting with the miners, but, as the wind picked up speed, I began to feel an urgent desire to leave.  My guide had already been waiting at the top for me for quite some time, and I did not want to be extraordinarily long, so we began the ascent.  This time, however, the smoke was much more oppressive.  I could not see further than a meter in front of my feet, and it was not long before I joined in with the miners in spite of my masks, coughing and moaning.  Immediately, they were at my side, encouraging me to drink my water.  The miner who had brought me down offered me his ski cap through which he had been breathing himself. I took it reluctantly, and only used it for a couple of breaths, eager to get him to cover his mouth.  Eventually, though, the volcano began to win, and I crouched, hyperventilating against the rocks.  We doused my bag in water and added it to the mask collection on my face.  Between it and the miners pushing me through the steepest parts, I was able to make it back to the mouth of the crater.  I paid the man as quickly as my shaking hands would let me, and my guide and I retreated back down the mountain.

That night as I laid awake in bed, grappling with the pain in my smoke-burned lungs, I thought more about the conversation I had had with my guide's friend:

"I asked [the miners] what the hardest part was for them: the three kilmeter hike or the two hundred twenty-five meter hike up the crater."

"The climb, of course," I answered.

"Yes," he said.  "The smoke... the smoke..."

The men work through the smoke, with or without proper masks.

I wondered how many of the men were also lying sleepless on their beds, as I was, trying to massage the burning out of their chests.

"I asked why they didn't get other jobs," the friend had continued.  "But Indonesia's economy is bad.  This is the last stop for these men.  There's nothing else."

"They're cutting so many years off their lives for this," I said.  My guide's friend and I locked gazes for a moment, and I knew we were both trying to communicate the same thing across the language barrier: These men were doing what they had to do to provide for their families, even if it meant paying the ultimate price.

Today's Holocaust

I remember the first time the idea of the Holocaust really hit home to me.  I was in elementary school.  I don't remember how the topic came up, to be honest, but I remember the question I asked: "Mom, how could people have let this happen?"

My mom, trying to be diplomatic, paused before giving her answer.  "Maybe they didn't know."

I thought about that.  I could understand how people in the United States wouldn't have known about the concentration camps, but something didn't sit right with me.  "But... What about the people who lived there?  There were people who lived in the area of the concentration camps.  People had to notice the other people in their towns being taken away."

I could tell my mom was uncomfortable, and of course she was.  There's no good answer to the question I was asking, much less one you want to admit to an elementary schooler.  "Well, some people did try to help," she said.

"Then how could this have happened?  How could people let this happen?"

Even then, I was asking the question that has plagued me my whole life.


As a child, I was able to excuse many people's ignorance of the occurrences of the Holocaust due to proximity.  In a pre-television world, ignorance was a standard of life, but today, in our world where we can watch videos that have been emailed to us from anywhere in the world on our watches, ignorance just doesn't have the ring of viability that it used to have.

So what if I told you that an estimated 200,000 people are currently being held in prison camps that are comprable to those run by the Nazi party?

Would you believe it?  Would you ignore it?

Sadly, most of the world is currently choosing to ignore that statement.  (Heck, a chunk of the world is still choosing to ignore the Holocaust.)  But I'm writing to you with a heavy heart, today, because I can no longer hope that this is just a rumor, a falsehood spread by propagandists, trying to sway our opinions.  Very early this morning, I was shown definitive proof that North Korea is operating the prison camps that refugees have claimed to escape (assuming, of course, that you don't consider refugee testimony to be definitive proof).

What you probably don't know is that right now, as you're reading this, a man named Joshua is carefully monitoring satellite feeds, focused on North Korea, and he's releasing all of his findings to the public by way of his blog, the most horrifically fascinating part of which is the section that gives detailed descriptions of and instructions on how to use Google Earth to see these prison camps.  Entranced, I spent the next two hours, pouring across the mountains of North Korea, searching for the camps he described.  Sure enough, they're there.

Joshua has a section devoted to each camp in North Korea, even spending countless hours scouring satellite feeds and Google Earth to find ones that had yet to be located but came up in refugees stories.  He reports all information he has to the Internet at large here.  I'd encourage you to take the 5 minutes it requires to download the Google Earth plugin for Google Maps, or to even download the program onto your computer.  Then, start finding them yourself, noting that some of the areas have changed slightly since he first uploaded his photos (he's since upgraded his technology which will not allow him to upload photos).  For example, Joshua features this photo of camp 18:

Whereas, today, I searched for it and found this:

As you can see from the washed out bridge and entry area, it looks like they've had some recent flooding, but they are clearly the same place.


Now, to the untrained eye, I can understand how this may look like any other North Korean city, but there's a tell: All North Korean prison camps are guarded by towers and lined by electric fences. So, the "gimme" that you're looking for is a seemingly dirt-road around the "city," interspersed with "houses," like here, at the northwestern border of camp 18:

This is real.  This is happening, and it has been happening for years.  Already, our children are going to ask us the same questions that I asked my mother.  I, for one, do not want to have to tell them that I stood by and did nothing.

This is a video of an address given by Adrian Hong, co-founder of NGO Liberty in North Korea (LiNK), to C-SPAN on the reality of what is happening in North Korea.  For the record, I understand that he and I ended up using a lot of similar terminology   Let me assure you, I watched this video after I wrote my blog post, so, any repeat of information is not evidence so much of plagiarism  so much as it evidence of truth.

It's supposed to hurt.

Olivia Engel, 6

Charlotte Bacon, 6

Daniel Barden, 7

Josephine Gay, 7

Dylan Hockley, 6

Ana M. Marquez-Greene, 6

Madeleine F. Hsu, 6

Chase Kowalski, 7

Catherine V. Hubbard, 6

Jesse Lewis, 6

Grace McDonnell, 7

James Mattioli, 6

Emilie Parker, 6

Noah Pozner, 6

Jack Pinto, 6

Aviele Richman, 6

Jessica Rekos, 6

Caroline Previdi, 6

Benjamin Wheeler, 6

Allison N. Wyatt, 6

Nancy Lanza, 52

Anne Marie Murphy, 52

Rachel D'Avino, 29

Dawn Hochsprung, 47

Victoria Soto, 27

Mary Sherlach, 56

Lauren Rousseau, 30

We spend a lot of time trying to stop hurting in our lifetimes.  Our friends yell at us, and we try to stop hurting.  We get rejected from our preferred colleges, and we try to stop hurting.  Our dogs die, and we try to stop hurting.  Our country is attacked by terrorists, and we try to stop hurting.  People storm into our schools, shooting our children, and we try to stop hurting.  But I'm writing to say that I think we're wrong.  I think it's supposed to hurt and never stop hurting.

The pain is how we know that we're still human.  The pain is how we know that these people mattered.  The pain is not something we should convince ourselves to get over.  We shouldn't desensitize ourselves to these things.  They should cut us to the core each and every time.

I've been watching the TV show "Everwood" lately, and I think that the character Ephram explains this concept the best:

"You know, after my mom died, everybody told me that I was gonna be OK.  That it would take a little time, but I would heal. Well, that didn't ever happen; not really anyway… What you’re feeling right now, Amy, it doesn't ever really go away — not completely. It’s not like, ya know, you’re gonna go back to being the person you were before they died — the person’s gone. It’s more like something inside of you breaks and your body finds a way to compensate for it. Like if you busted your right hand, you figure out how to use the left one. And sure, you might resist for a while because you’re pissed off that you have to learn all this stuff again that nobody else does. Eventually your body takes over and figures it out for you. And you’re glad. Because if it was up to you… you’d look at your broken hand forever and try to figure out what it was like before."

A broken hand, should hurt.  This terribly tragic loss should hurt, and there shouldn't be any shame in that.  We should mourn and grieve, and then we should take measures to prevent this from happening again.  If you destroy your right hand punching a wall, you're not going to turn around and do that with your left; you'll take preventative action.  We can't afford to keep punching the wall  We must come up with protective measures for our children.

Please visit People's website for stories on each of the victims.  Please hurt and grieve over them.  Please cry until you can't anymore.  Then please decide on the best plan of action to stop this from happening again and contact your congress representatives and senators about it.  If all we do is sit back and mull over the atrocity this depraved man committed, we're only opening the door for someone else to follow in his footsteps.  We must take action.  We must speak out.  We must not let these children die in vain.

More Politics: What Korea Wants from President Obama

Well, since I'm here, I may as well inform you on the atmosphere surrounding American politics in Korea.  In general, people assume that all Americans love President Obama.

Yeah.  I know.  Let that sink in.

As I've mentioned before, Koreans (North AND South) aren't really allowed to speak out against their government.  Such things get censored online, and, as a result of global short-term memories, the assumption is that everyone likes the current government.  Since this is what they're used to, the same assumption gets applied to Americans.

Trust me.  I've had to quickly de-contort my face many times for that one.

Basically, everyone I've talked to here (who's Korean) is a pretty big fan of Obama.  (Well... except potentially this girl.)  But then again, I apparently missed a group.

I titled this post "What Korea Wants from President Obama."  I probably should have clarified.  CNN somehow got a small group of North Korean defectors to speak out - without having their identities protected, no less - on what they wanted from this election, and what they want moving forward.  It's certainly not ground-breaking or incredibly unexpected, but it's still fascinating to watch.

Go ahead.  Respond.  What do you think is most important for President Obama to do this term?

Why I think Texas is right on... Regardless of how I feel about their actions.

In case you've been living under a rock (and yes, you MUST have been living under a rock, since even in KOREA I know what's happening), let me catch you up on what's been happening in the good old US of A this week. I'm going to quote the Washington Post, since I think they introduce it quite succinctly and well:

From states across the country, Americans have filed petitions on the White House Web site seeking to secede from the union and form new state governments.

While most of the petitions come from states that supported Mitt Romney in last week’s election, a few swing states and even the deep blue Northeast are represented.


Petitions have been filed for Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

“We petition the Obama Administration to peacefully grant the State of Alabama to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own new government,” reads the Alabama petition. The following text is the same in most of the 20 filed so far:

As the founding fathers of the United States of America made clear in the Declaration of Independence in 1776:

“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”
“…Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and institute new Government…”

Now, I don't normally like to talk politics, because I think that the American people are almost always too uneducated on any one political subject to talk about it at all, but I'm making an exception this one time, because, having been educated in the deep South (or a city that thought it was in the deep South), States' Rights is a topic I feel pretty competent on. And I think I can probably still leave you guessing on my political bents on this one. You know how women like to be mysterious.

Okay, so there are a lot of rumors going around on this topic: Secession is unconstitutional... secession is fine... blah blah blah. Here's the thing: It's neither. Way, way, WAY back in the day under the Articles of Confederation (Go ahead, click on them and do your research, no one will know if you do, so no one will mock you. Oh, and here's the Wikipedia Article, just in case you want to only pretend like you know what they say.), states were unable to secede from the nation. However, the United States Constitution nullified the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution doesn't speak on the topic at all. (I'm just going to trust you know what the Constitution is.) So, that leaves us in an interesting fix.

So why does the world seem to be focused on Texas out of all the states (count them... it's almost half of the nation) involved in this hissy fit (for lack of a less biased word)? Well, Texas has a long, grand history of secession, seeming to jump on that band-wagon whenever possible. It seceded from Mexico in 1836 asn was quite happy to do so again during the American Civil War in 1861. But in 1869, this issue came into dispute in the Supreme Court ruling of the case Texas vs. White. Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase had a LOT to say on the topic, including this:

The Union of the States never was a purely artificial and arbitrary relation. It began among the Colonies, and grew out of common origin, mutual sympathies, kindred principles, similar interests, and geographical relations. It was confirmed and strengthened by the necessities of war, and received definite form and character and sanction from the Articles of Confederation. By these, the Union was solemnly declared to 'be perpetual.' And when these Articles were found to be inadequate to the exigencies of the country, the Constitution was ordained 'to form a more perfect Union.' It is difficult to convey the idea of indissoluble unity more clearly than by these words. What can be indissoluble if a perpetual Union, made more perfect, is not?

And this:

When, therefore, Texas became one of the United States, she entered into an indissoluble relation. All the obligations of perpetual union, and all the guaranties of republican government in the Union, attached at once to the State. The act which consummated her admission into the Union was something more than a compact; it was the incorporation of a new member into the political body. And it was final. The union between Texas and the other States was as complete, as perpetual, and as indissoluble as the union between the original States. There was no place for reconsideration or revocation, except through revolution or through consent of the States.

Unfortunately for Chief Justice Chase, he seemed to be leaning a little too much on the Articles of Confederation, because in 1870, President Grant signed an act, readmitting Texas to the nation, which seems to be an action nullifying the opinion of Chief Justice Chase. Or does it?

Chief Justice Chase also specifically mentions a scenario in which secession is appropriate, which brings us to where we are today:

The United States Supreme Court ruled in Texas v. White, 74 U.S. 700 (1869) that unilateral secession was unconstitutional while commenting that revolution or consent of the states could lead to a successful secession.

So... what now? Well, no one really knows, honestly. I predict that this all is mostly likely going to be dropped almost unilaterally. The only state that I'm curious about is Texas which are the only state with the financial stability and enough motivation to follow through on this - they had a range of reported number of signatures on their petition, all of which are over the necessary 25,000 to receive direct attention from the White House (although there are a number of other states financially able to, if they wanted).

Here's how it breaks down in my head:

A lot of the highest tax bracket lives in Texas. Like it or not, Texas is the land of oil and ranching, and those are two things Americans cannot get enough of. People are filthy rich there - mind you, not all people, but there are enough. These people are getting slammed with tax increases left and right, and if there's one thing Texans don't like, it's big government telling them what to do. They (and I use the general "they" here, not the all-encompassing) of the opinion the government is being tyrannical, so they're implementing the right that our Founding Fathers gave us: To stand up to the federal government and tell them to shove it. (Or, as the Declaration of Independence so much more eloquently puts it: “When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”)

Now, does it hurt me to think of a divided United States (an oxymoron if I ever heard one)? Yes. Absolutely. Unwavering. Am I as proud as they come of Texas for standing up for what they believe? Heck yes. Don't just bow down when you feel your rights slipping away; they don't come back.

As for the other states... I'm just going to roll my eyes at them and suggest they take a bit of a time out as cure to this hissy fit of theirs.



For more information on secession and how it happens, click here.

Feel free to leave your incensed comments below, although I will filter out any offensive language and/or trolling.

Until next time!

MOTh: Day 6

3 Gifts Government

As you all go to bed or stay up celebrating the president or legalized marijuana in Colorado  or gender equity marriages in Maryland or the fact Sonic has finally come to the Northeast.  I'm going to do something that may blow your mind.  I'm going to, completely abstaining from my political opinions, give thanks to G-d for our government, and I have a feeling that I'm going to go over the 3 gift stipulation.

1. I'm thankful that, agree or disagree, I am a citizen of a country that doesn't kill me for my political opinion.  Seriously.  I don't want to hear about your conspiracy theories, because they only degrade the people who do live in a country that doesn't allow them to disagree with the person leading them.  I can call any politician I want a complete idiot or any other name I can think of (as I'm sure almost all of you are at this moment) without any serious repercussions, and I take this for granted so much of the time.  Heck, the fact that you're reading this at all is proof that I have this right.  (Not even all "Developed" countries have the right to say what they'd like about their leaders.)   I guess I could boil this down to being thankful for the freedom of speech, even though the way some people choose to use it really bothers me, it's a wonderful gift to have.
2. I'm thankful for and incredibly proud of my family's deep ties to the founders of this country.  As I continue to study my family history, I'm finding more and more familiar names that played big parts in the foundation of the USA, and I couldn't be more proud.  Who those men were and what they stood for still is at play in our country.  Sure, maybe it's not playing out the way you or your religion would like, but it's still playing out because of things these men set into motion.
3. Speaking of your religion and the founding fathers, I'm incredibly grateful for our freedom of religion.  Again, no matter how "oppressed" you think you are in America, you're not being killed for your religion.  I'm not saying people don't persecute you; I know what it is to be persecutes for having a different religion from those around you.  I am, however, saying that it's not government sanctioned, and that, friends, is a big deal.
4. I'm thankful that I have the right to vote.  I'm not sure I understand the need for an electoral college, but I do at least have some say in what happens.  Even if you're a Democrat in a Republican state, there's a lot more on your ballot than the names of the presidential candidates.  Speaking as a woman who spent a good three to five hours filling in her ballot, I would know.  Voting this year frustrated the crap out of me, what with the obviously biased writing of the ballot and the people who bought their ways onto it, but, at the same time, I still treated the paper with a certain reverence, and, to be honest, I'm a bit disgusted by the people who don't.
5. I'm thankful that I am a citizen of a country that takes life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for granted.  I mean, really.  Stop and think about that.  That's a BIG deal.  Ladies and gentlemen, we are FREE, and all we do is complain about it.  Seriously - pull yourself together and think about the gifts our government gives us.
6. I'm thankful that my government allows me ways to avoid it.  If I don't like what the government is doing, I can leave my country... and I did, if you don't remember.  Granted, I didn't leave my country for political reasons, but I will say that it has been nice to mostly escape from politics for a while.  I could fully escape if I wanted to delete my Facebook, but, I'm a product of my generation, and that thought seems unfathomable to me, so I just hide your political posts from both sides of the line and try to continue on my ignorant way.
7. I'm thankful that my future doesn't feel bleak or hampered by my government.  Maybe that's really just my disposition, but I still feel like my future is wide open, and I love it.  I still feel like I could do almost anything if I really set my mind to it.  My Olympic career is pretty much blown at this point, but, other than that, I think I'm good.  I know others that aren't in that position, and it really does make me so grateful for what it is I do have.

I'll get off my soapbox for the moment, but, rest assured, push me beyond my pursed lips at a degrading comment, and I'll be happy to take it up again.  

My friend Toni and me, celebrating the 4th of July in Germany... Cultural sensitivity: naught - American pride: one.

Love and PEACE to you all, and happy election night.

Call me paranoid...

But tonight I freaked out at the movie theater.

I took one of my former students, Emma, to see a movie tonight.  Circumstance selected The Dark Knight Rises for us, marking my third time seeing it.  I think the movie is fabulous, so I didn't really mind, in spite of my advising my mom to not go see it.

After everything that happened in Colorado and the copycat scares, I just don't think a trip to the theater is worth it.  The movie will be out on DVD soon enough.  But I didn't apply this rule to myself, considering South Korea's strict gun control laws.  However, I grew up in America, with one of my earliest memories being the horror of Columbine (I was in elementary school... I'm sure I could remember further back if it wasn't so late right now), and, therefore, an awareness of gun possibilities in various occasions is deeply engrained in me.  Plus, I'll admit that I'm a bit overly-paranoid, and am always aware of what is in my purse that can be quickly turned into a weapon.

So when, halfway through Batman tonight, a member of the audience got up and started fiddling with the emergency exit, I immediately found a new focus for my attention.  I pulled my Cannon Power Shot from my purse, along with a particularly sharp pen, and began contemplating the best place to hit a man with said improvised rock to incapacitate him and/or crush his skull.

                                              

My camera.

I'm pretty fond of it, but it caught me by surprise when everything was digital on it.

I'd still prefer to upgrade to something with more manual options, but with some practice,

the digital manual options are workable.

When I saw him cross in front of the audience and linger in the middle (really, directly in front of me, as I was sitting in the first row), I slowly began sliding to the front edge of my seat, so as to lose no time trying to get out of it.  I slid my cell phone in my back pocket.  Having found myself phoneless in my last major emergency situation (my car crash), I never intend for it to happen again.

He scanned the audience and quickly moved to the other fire exit, which he shook several times, quietly.  When it wouldn't open, he sprinted out the main entrance/exit, and I didn't see him again, although I was definitely looking.  Every time I saw someone's shadow growing larger as they came down the hall to that door, I was distracted from the movie to stare and make sure they didn't look extra-lumpy.  I did get distracted by the movie at one point, and, when I noticed someone standing there, I jumped so high that I scared Emma.  She definitely knew something was up, but she never asked about it.

It turned out to be nothing, but it was definitely an adrenaline-inducing experience.  I couldn't help but find myself thinking, "They may have gun control laws, but that's what keeps them from anticipating something like this."  Furthermore, as we were sitting in the front row, I felt so helpless, knowing that there would be little to nothing I could do to protect Emma; there were no chairs in front of us to help protect her, even if I got her to the floor.

But what shook me more, was realizing that I, the girl who constantly preaches pacifism and that people have no right to kill each other (without specific exception from G-d Himself), was plotting the fastest/easiest way to kill this man, assuming he made one blatantly wrong move.  I'm not sure what to do with that realization, aside from a lot of prayer and research.  If I come up with anything, I'll be sure to let you know.

So that was the excitement for the evening.  I'm thinking that may have to end up being my last in-theater viewing of Batman for this generation.  Like I told my mom, it's just not worth it.

What I've done since then

The following is what I've done since my epic display of my gastrointestinal pyrotechnic abilities.

First, I'd like to say I've discovered a newfound respect for nice anorexic people.  I'm not saying that to encourage people to be anorexic.  Don't do it.  It's not a good life choice.  I'm saying it because I ate so very little this week, and found that it's exhausting and makes it nearly impossible to be nice to anyone. It's not a good place to be.  But, on Friday, I started eating again and felt a LOT better.  Well enough, in fact, to go see The Dark Knight Rises with my friend Megan.  Let me tell you, it was most excellent, and I think you should go see it.  I so strongly feel that way that I did my nails to show my support for the Batman.  


That being said, I also want to extend my deepest sympathy to the families of the people who died in the recent tragedy surrounding this movie in Aurora, CO.  It's horrific, and It brings tears to my eyes to think of anyone involved. Violence is never the answer, friends.  Only G-d can ordain the loss of life, and He ordains few to orchestrate that.

On Friday, I also received my Korean name (finally) from a friend who works in my favorite skin care store near the mall.  She decided that I should be 행복 (Haengbok) in Korean, which means "Happiness."  I like it!  She's so sweet. :)

Saturday was my productive day.  With the help of Josh Broward's wife, I dropped off my dress at the dry cleaners to be altered for Meret and Casey's wedding.  We then went back to la casa de Broward and played with a couple babies.  That was fun.  Following that, it was off to work for my final adult English class of the semester.  We Skyped with my friend Greg, who is always great in his efforts to help me teach however he can.  After class, one family offered to drive me home, which I gratefully accepted, although I managed to leave my phone in their car.  After managing to meet up with them again to get it, we agreed to meet the next day for me to take them to the nearby English-speaking church, led by none other than the previously mentioned Josh Broward.  I finished the day with some cleaning and comic-drawing, along with some TV-watching.

Today, I met up with my friend Nick for breakfast at McDonald's.  Now, before you judge me, this is maybe the fourth time I've been there this year.  Currently, they have various "Taste of [Continent]" specials, in honor of the Olympics.  We opted to try both Taste of Americas.  One was an Egg McMuffin with Canadian Bacon (mine went to Nick), tomato, and lettuce.  The lettuce was just what this hot day needed.  The other was your classic McDonald's giant pancake breakfast platter.  Once it was sausage-free, I enjoyed it immensely.  


Recently, I found something I really liked about this McDonald's.  When I ordered my food to go, they handed me this timer and asked me to flip it.  They guaranteed my food hot and in my hand before the timer ran out.  As you can see, they came quite good on that promise.  Maybe I'm just too American, but I must say, I like it when my fast food is incredibly fast.


I met up with the family from English class immediately following McDonald's and off to church we went.  The kids had a blast at children's church, which I think made the experience for everyone involved, although, for me, I thoroughly enjoyed meeting's Cora, Kris' girlfriend, who just moved here... YESTERDAY.  I found myself just smiling, smiling, smiling, because I was so happy to see them safely reunited here.  It's a weird feeling for me, as I'm not much of a romantic, but maybe it's because they weren't being too mushy?  I don't know.  I'm just glad CORA'S HERE!!!


After church was some much needed Mt. Fishtail, with the ever lovely Rashell, Taylor, and Becky.  Pretty much the whole church ended up deciding to lunch there, though.  Okay, I exaggerate, but still... I really like the idea of going out to eat after church.  It was sort of a tradition my family had as I was growing up, and it makes me feel more like Sunday when I get to do it.  Yes, the weekly luncheon at Yeshuat Yisrael is wonderful, and I wouldn't trade it, but that's definitely a Saturday feeling to me.  Sunday calls for some fellowship in a restaurant.  But that may just be my opinion.  If you've made it this far and can follow instructions, why don't you drop me a line and share what makes Sunday feel like Sunday for you?

Rashell and I stayed late, talking at the restaurant and then walked around a bit.  I broke my brown sandals (sad!), so I will need to do some shoe-shopping in the States when I come (happy!).  I took an afternoon nap, and - wait for it - did Rosetta Stone today!  Stuff makes a lot more sense on that thing, now, which is awesome.

And now, you are quite caught up.  I hope you had a great weekend, too!