We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Monday, March 4, 2013

North Korea and the United States: Will the Real Aggressor Please Stand Down?

Click here to access article by Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers from Truthout

Americans for the most part are completely uninformed about US-Korean history, and in particular, the Korean War. This is an outstanding brief article on this history and provides an excellent context for understanding present relations between the two governments. It also provides links to additional material.

If you wish to know more, I can't recommend enough a more thorough history of US-Korean relations in the 20th century than the two volumes by Bruce Cumings The Origins of the Korean War. If you don't have time to read both, be sure to read volume 1. This book more than any other single book I've read was a real "eye-opener".