Anniversary of the South Korean schoolgirls death 
Last year on June 13, two South Korean schoolgirls, Mi-Sun and Hyo-soon, were run over and killed, some say murdered, by a U.S. armored vehicle.
Witnesses on the scene said the convoy of armored vehicles had been driving much too fast. One armored vehicle tried to pass another one, this on a residential road that was too small for them both to fit side by side. One vehicle swerved and hit the schoolgirls who were walking safely outside the white line, crushing and killing them. Then, unbelievably, the vehicle backed up over them. (Note in the photo that the girl’s brain is on the pavement)
The soldiers responsible were immediately whisked out of South Korea. Our government refused to let them stand trial in a Korean court. They were later found not guilty in a U.S. military court. If you or I were speeding, ran over and killed two teenagers, do you think a court would let us go scot-free? Not bloody likely.
One million South Koreans signed a petition protesting the deaths. Representatives took the petition to the White House where Bush, in a truly stomach-turning move, refused to even meet them.
A phase shift is when something rapidly turns into something else, often for no apparent reason. If you cool water it stays as water with nothing happening until you cool it to 32 degrees. Then, wham, it turns into ice. That is an example of a phase shift.
South Korea went through a phase shift over this. Millions demonstrated, protesting both the deaths and the continued military occupation of South Korea by the U.S. The protests continued for months. They are tired of being treated like serfs under the fist of an occupying power.
Last night I went to a memorial ceremony here in L.A. for the two girls. It was beautiful and powerful. Thunderous Korean drums. A documentary about the deaths and US cover up. Poetry both in Korean and English. Some wonderful singing. A candlelight vigil.
Meanwhile, in the world of the insane:
“The United States should be ready to smash North Korea’s Yongbyon reactor if necessary to keep Pyongyang from trafficking in nuclear weapons, an influential member <Richard Perle> of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s advisory panel said on Wednesday.”
That’s right, Perle is advocating a first strike. Plus, the U.S. is pulling back troops from the DMZ, widely seen as a onimous move, getting the troops out of harm’s way now.
One of the organizers of the memorial ceremony commented a first strike by the U.S. on North Korea would inalterably lead to major war and to millions of deaths. Yes, millions.
And South Korea still waits for an apology from the U.S. government for the schoolgirls deaths…