Speech for AWC at No US War on Korea Protest on Aug 11, 2017
My name is Stephanie Taylor and I’m a member of the Anti-War Committee here in the Twin Cities. We are here today to stand against Trump’s war threats on North Korea. Trump has proven throughout his tenure, so far, as President of the United States that he knows little about diplomacy and governance and he is proving it here again, using Game of Thrones-esque language like “fire and fury” to describe his plans to do things to Korea “like they never thought possible”. Koreans, however, have a longer-range memory than the commander in chief apparently does; and they know full well what war and bloodshed look like – which is why Koreans on both sides of the border take very seriously the ongoing threats against them and their people.
The U.S. has not maintained benevolent relationship or policies towards North Korea – the U.S. has wanted regime change in that region for a long time. After Japan’s colonial reign at the end of WWII, the U.S. intervened to theoretically stop the spread of Communism in the Korean Peninsula. This was the same justification and time frame as U.S. involvement in Vietnam – the only difference is that people still remember how poorly that turned out for the U.S. People do not, however, have the same memory about the Korean War, even though it happened fairly recently, in the 1950s. During that war, Korea was carpet bombed by the U.S. and lost close to 30% of its population – not a city in that country was left untouched by war. The U.S. engaged in deliberate targeting of non-military civilian centers and the policy was to “target everything that moved in North Korea” (Air Force Gen., Curtis LeMay). And while the U.S.’s memory is lost on that war, the Koreans remember it all too well and that significant part of history has guided their actions, culture and foreign policy since.
Since that time, the U.S. has not stopped demonizing the North. After September 11th, George Bush included the DPRK in his famous “axis of evil” alongside Iran & Iraq, despite having nothing to do w/ the so-called “war on terror”. North Koreans are demonized by Hollywood and the mass media and the U.S. government has imposed sanctions and international action to isolate and harm the Korean government and people. The Bush Regime lied about WMD, giving the U.S. a pretext for war with Iraq with the clearly stated aim of “regime change”. This is exactly what the Trump Regime has ambitions to do in Korea. Let us be very clear, threats of war on North Korea are not calls for liberation of a country – they are war drums that seek the very obliteration and annihilation of that country.
Lindsay Graham himself discussed the war on North Korea saying, “…If thousands die, they’re going to die over there. They’re not going to die here.” This is the foreign policy of an imperial state. Starting wars, murdering people, ruining environments all for the sake of undermining governments that refuse to be colonized by the U.S.
We need to act now to oppose the U.S. government and it’s senseless rush toward war on North Korea. Standing against the U.S., when it tries to act as the “world’s policeman”, is what freedom loving people do, on the Korean peninsula, around the world, and especially here in the U.S. We need to denounce the U.S. undermining the sovereignty of other nations – Korea has a right to self-determination. North Korea hasn’t escalated these war threats, the U.S. government has for over 5 decades. The Trump regime needs to stand down, otherwise, if war on North Korea is perpetrated, the deaths of thousands of people across this globe will be on their hands.
Korea is under attack, what do we do? Stand up! Fight back!