Open Thread - Thurs 28 Dec 2023 - Know Your Rights...
Know Your Rights - All Three of Them!
Some songs have been stuck in my head lately. The songs are very, very good anti-government and anti-war music, dating to the late 1970s, and early 1980s.
For example, how's about this song from the Clash - Know your Rights. The lyrics take the form of an announcement by an unnamed, unknown, government official.
So here's the lyrics, with comments by me 
This is a Public Service Announcement, with guitar!
Know your Rights
All Three of them!Number 1:
you have the right not to be killed.
Murder is a crime!
Unless it was done
by a police man!
Or an aristocratKnow your rights...
An example of Right Number 1 and its exemptions, recently here in the PacNW 3 cops were acquitted of murder (by a jury). They had jumped on someone just walking by, threw him to the ground, ignored his cries that he couldn't breath, knelt on his back, hog tied him, put a spit mask on him, tased him, and... killed him.
Yea, those cops didn't kill Ellis by ignoring him saying he can't breath, by kneeling on his back/neck, by attacking him when he'd done nothing. Naw, they didn't murder him!
I'm sure everyone here can come up with other examples of this. And there are some exceptions... the George Floyd case, for instance. But over all, murder is a crime, unless it was done by a policeman!
And Number 2:
You have the right to food money.
Provided of course,
you don't mind a little investigation, humiliation
and if you cross your fingers,
Rehabilitation!Know Your Rights,
These are Your Rights!
Note that in the USA, no one has this second right. It was in Britain that this was a right, once, maybe, until Thatcher and the rest of her ilk (both right and 'left') and successors destroyed it. Food insecurity in the USA even hits the families of the people who are volunteering their lives for the rest of us, the soldiers. Apparently about 1/4 of active duty service members and their families have experienced food insecurity. That's more than the general population. And food insecurity in the USA was up in 2022, after declining for a decade, according to the last reports. Even when it was declining, 1 in 10 Americans experienced it. That means we've all probably known, even if only slightly, someone who was food insecure.
'Number Three:
You have the right to free speech.
As long as you aren't dumb enough to actually try it.Know Your Rights!
These are your Rights...'
Speech areas/zones? Or course we got 'em, far away from what is being protested, so the 'real' people who are 'important' don't have to listen. We all know this happens, we all know there are consequences if your speech is getting too much attention. Palestine War Protests? Shut them down as antisemitism!
These last bits were definitely meant to be said by a government official.
'And it has been suggested
In some quarters
That this is not enough...
Well, get off the streets
Get off the streets!'
So it's been 40 years since that song was released. 40 years. Nothing's changed. The song is still very pertinent to today. Maybe that's just the way humans are?
Ok, so I didn't mean this to be depressing, but more inspirational. We all do a lot, let's do a little bit more, even if it's 'just' giving someone some food, or 'just' watching cops arrest someone to make sure they don't go too far and kill someone, or 'just'... heh, we all participate in sites like this! Free Speech!
So what's up with you? This is the Thursday Open Thread, so post what you're learning, what's interesting, what you've been doing... whatever!
Comments
Happy Thursday!
Hope the holidays have been good to you. I was absent from the site after the good news about Stinky (still good, he's doing well) but now I'm back, reading older threads and getting up to date with things. Sounds like the holiday dinners were pretty darn good! Ours was, even if it was only two of us. And Saturnalia dinner rocked. Hubby cooks some good food!
So, post what's up with you! We wanna read/hear it!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Hey good morning
-
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About those rights .. the freedom of assembly and the freedom of speech
have been mangled by the courts to the point where the authorities require
a permit to exercise your rights. A permit request can be denied on almost
any grounds. If you go ahead and protest anyway, you can be arrested and
charged with 'unlawful assembly'. New, narrowly assigned freedoms,
like justice and liberty, are now quaint notions used for protection of the state.
Ugh, repression trumps rights.
Thanks for the OT!
question everything
Boy, isn't this true...
'unlawful assembly'. Denying the freedom speech. The court and government watering liberty and justice down into nothing. Dang.
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Suicide of actor Lee Sun-kyun is society page clickbait
...mentioned in NY Times article linked below. It's real function is an attempt to distract and at the same time legitimize the so called law enforcement methods of South Korean President Yoon's dictatorship of prosecutors.
Law enforcement in Seoul was unnecessarily focused on security of the presidential Yongsan commuting schedule, and alleged drug investigations in Itaewon when 156 Halloween revelers were crushed to death in October 2022 because of inadequate public safety provisions. This current episode of high profile drug enforcement against celebrities distracts from the continued corruption of the Yoon administration and its declining popular support.
High profile drug law enforcement fills the news media giving rise to the pretense of ethics on the politically oriented law enforcement peculiar to the Yoon faction attempting to take over the conservative party with nominations of former prosecutors and presidential staffers, appointees with limited experience and poor political skills. Additionally, Yoon's wife was recently caught in flagrante delicto on a secret camera accepting high priced designer bags from an acquaintance working for the investigative newspaper Seoul Story. This is just one of a number of legal irregularities associated with the First Lady Kim Gon-hee who has been admonished to stay away from the presidential office by conservative media. Yoon's mother in law was finally jailed not too long ago for a one year jail spell for forged certifications of bank deposits to obtain real estate investment loans. Yoon family ethical liabilities are referred to as "wife risk," in the media.
In a recent anonymous column in one of the leading conservative media, Yoon was advised to resign if his proxy campaign strategy fails in the April general election. Yoon's right hand man, Han Dong-hun resigned as Justice Minister to lead the PPP emergency committee, ostensibly to direct the party campaign strategy through the April elections. The op ed advised that a rout in the next general election will potentially lead to political paralysis in South Korea, and a lame duck administration for the following 3 years. Others have pointed out the relevance of the blockbuster movie 12.12 concerning the former dictator Chun Doo-hwan's military coup, and the potential temptation for another military coup to resolve the current political gridlock if it grinds on after the election. Even if the opposition democratic party were lucky enough to get a veto proof majority (200 seats) or alternatively the opportunity to form such a majority by negotiation to get rid of Yoon after the next election, the Constitutional Court is stacked with conservatives, and an impeachment is unlikely. The former Justice Minister Cho-guk currently being prosecuted by Yoon's prosecutors suggests it might be possible to make constitutional changes to the 6th republic to limit the presidential term to 4 years to get rid of Yoon early. A proposal for a special investigation of the first lady for corruption, is expected to be passed by the National Assembly in the near future. Such investigations of Yoon's in laws have been stonewalled by prosecutors for years. A special prosecutor's investigation prompted by the National Assembly of Kim Gon-hee will be unhelpful to the Yoon administration and his party whether vetoed or postponed until after the April general election for National Assembly members.
Death of ‘Parasite’ Star Highlights South Korea’s Crackdown on Drugs
Lee Sun-kyun was a great actor. His death is a tragic loss for Korea and audiences worldwide regardless of circumstances. He definitely wasn't treated fairly, (questioned by police for nineteen hours straight in one instance). His lawyer's comments appear later in article. All drug tests were negative. As usual the prosecution leaked information to the media, their favorite unlawful technique.
I really enjoyed Lee's performances in My Mister with actress/performing artist IU, and also in Kingmaker, a political drama.
(Source- 뉴스썰TV, 4.27.2020) Supreme Prosecutor Yoon Seok-yeol (right) greeting prosecutor Han Dong-hun, (far left). The latter is suspected by political opponents of being the source of an unlawful relationship with the press to arrange for political motivated indictments.
This sounds outlandish, but I think it's possible that SOB former prosecutor Han Dong-hun could be elevated to the prime ministers office so he would be in a position to succeed Yoon, if he left office early, or for the purpose of bolstering his presidential credentials in the future.
語必忠信 行必正直
Thanks for the update, Soryang
It seems SK politics is infested by the same crud as here(US).
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
So true, so true...
'It seems SK politics is infested by the same crud as here(US).' You speak the truth, my friend.
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
I read about his death...
But didn't know enough to put it into context. Thanks for doing that for us! Graft, manipulation, bribery, it happens everywhere I guess and people who did nothing wrong, really, get shafted and killed.
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Appreciate the political commentary
...and OTs from you Sima, Earthling1 and everyone here at C99 that give me food for thought, and some incentive or inspiration to post items mostly about NE Asia.
I think there are analogous trends in world events. TK from The Blue Roof, one of the best analysts of South Korean domestic politics, says trends in South Korea sometimes foreshadow similar developments here. I won't argue where this political prosecution trend first started, but there is no question there are similarities.
There is also the reality that the US framed or overlaid the post war political structure during the early occupation in South Korea and Japan upon their respective previous historical experiences. Just as the occupations haven't ended, I don't think the US meddling has either. (Why did Han Dong-hun travel to the US just after Yoon was elected? It's a big mystery.) To a certain degree at least, the current politics of Japan and South Korea are the result of, or reaction to, US orchestration.
Kim Gon-hee appears to be the Imelda Marcos of South Korea. The National Assembly legislation to have a special prosecutor team investigate her alleged Deutsche Motors (penny) stock manipulation was passed together with a proposal for a separate investigation of the Daejang Dong real estate scandal. The latter scandal, which the political prosecutors have been trying to use to finish off Lee Jae-myung the Democratic Party leader, actually implicates a number of legal figures, including President Yoon Seok-yeol. Two of the key figures in the scandal, Kim Man-bae at the center of the "50 ak club" payoff scheme (5 billion won payoffs) and Yoon Seok-yeol's former mentor, attorney Park Young-soo, have managed to stay out of jail so far, while being prosecuted. Both are in a position to implicate Yoon, and Kim Man-bae in so many words threatened to do so, once, when he was facing a pre-trial confinement hearing.
The presidential office said almost immediately upon passage of the special investigation legislation that it would be vetoed. While the Kim Gon-hee stock manipulation scandal is the most sensational getting headlines even overseas for "shaking the Yoon administration," the Daejang Dong or "50 ak club" investigation could potentially incriminate Yoon directly if it isn't contained. The corruption is, of course, home grown.
Three obvious Yoon Seok-yeol lies that undermine his administration
語必忠信 行必正直
Forget about the right to travel.
Beginning in 2025, all new vehicles will be equipped with a "kill switch". When did we say our right to travel should be left up to our betters? Does anyone remember any details?
There are plans to limit air travel. Well, commercial flights, anyway. It will not apply to Al Gore flying around in his private jet, scolding us for our carbon foot print, which apparently he does not leave.
I would have thought big travel agencies would have had DC lobbyists, but I guess not.
I have a handful of cop friends, and they are the rare exceptions to my general ill will toward cops.
Cops kill innocent people all day, every day. My assessment is that they are getting even for being bullied when they were kids. Their psychological exams as a condition of being certified are piss poor, missing the obvious.
I could do quite a lot of bitching, but I don't want to be mistaken for a terrorist.
I intend to have a great holiday, my way of sticcking it to the Man!
Thanks for the OT, Sima. Give Stinky an atta boy for me.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Yet another reason I'm not buying a new car...
Hah. At least, not yet. I can't get over all the computerized electronics. They are so convenient, I agree, and yet. One switch and they all go to pieces.
We used to have decent product testing in this country, but that seems to be going to he&& in a handbasket, or has gone there already. So, do I trust the cars are not? Heck, even Consumer Reports is now full of bunk.
Your assessment of cops is perfect. I think many of them are now bullies who were bullied. Not all of them, there are some really good people in law enforcement. But, not enough of them.
Gonna have a great holiday here too! Hope yours is awesome, and Stinky sez thanks for the atta boy!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
The truth is not anti semetic if it’s the truth
.
Where’s the lie?
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
The lie is promulgated by congress, MSM and executive branches
The whole good versus evil story line being pushed on us.
Acceptable propaganda provides no nuance between Zion,
Israel and Jews; 'occupied territories' and the Palestine state;
terrorists and liberators; defense and aggression. The history
of the Middle East is muddled to cover the advancement of
western control over their resources. Our leaders lie and people
die. That is the truth.
question everything
Exactly!
Well said and right to the point. Thank you!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
I listened to it. Good truth-telling rant.
I didn't hear a lie.
Look at MSM for lies. You can lose count of them in just 2 or 3 minutes.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
There is no lie...
It's the truth.
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Do not believe a word that comes out of Blinken's mouth.
Blinky has a very dark sense of humor
in the 'he can't be serious' department.
Still thinks he's living in that shining city on the hill.
question everything
My thoughts too
He’s toying with us with his utter bullshit and not just about being sad about all the journalists killed, but because he knows how we have been persecuting Julian Assange. It sure seems that karma is taking its time getting to lots of people. How did Biden make it to 81 with his record?
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
Ryan Grim
Interesting. Ryan Grim is pretty mainstream so it says something when he suspects Blinken of taunting the press.
Blinken...
the press gets 'accurate, timely information to people'. Only if that information is approved by people like... Blinken! Gah.
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Hi Sima, great column, thanks, and for the OT as well.
Been having computer issues, off and on for days, plus some oven grief and a mystery leak in the kitchen. Keeps one on the run.
The long and short of it is that you only have such rights as you can safely use, and they are getting more and more rare and conditional.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Hope the computer issues...
oven, and leak in the kitchen get resolved quickly.
As for rights... yep, only ones we can use safely, maybe. And more and more rights are being made unsafe, like freedom of assembly!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
OT, but had to share
This is a short story, but it was just what I needed with all of the negative news and bad human behavior we have been reading about lately and I thought I'd share:
https://sportingclassicsdaily.com/the-christmas-rifle/
What a sweet story!
Thanks!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Beautiful, that story was beautiful..
Thank you for sharing it. I got some tears in my eyes now, happy ones though!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Re: Right # 1
Police impunity could be curtailed by requiring a Police Union Executive Board that functions like most other unions. In that if a member casts the union in a bad light due to bad behavior, commits a crime, or fails to uphold the principles and bylaws of the union, he/she can be brought before the board, and if found guilty, thrown out of the union.
Another method is to make the Police retirement fund responsible for adverse civil judgments instead of the taxpayers. Once the Fund takes a few million dollar hits the officers themselves will police their own scofflaws.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
As the barnyard animals decided
George Orwell opined: some pigs have more rights than others.
Your recommendations are good.
question everything
Best thing to do is to take away their quantify immunity
which would allow people to sue police officers for human rights violations or crimes against humanity. Blowing someone away after a traffic stop for a busted taillight should never been tolerated by any government. Or shooting people who are asleep in their car or beating people who are in handcuffs….it’s a very long list of crimes cops have gotten away with for too damn long.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
Good suggestions...
I think making the Retirement funds responsible for paying adverse civil judgements is a very GOOD way to bring down the 'opps we made a mistake' death rate. I don't think 'we the people' should pay the wrongful death penalties and let the cops off free.
I like the idea of making the police unions like other unions, where members can be thrown out!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
This is certainly worth listening to!
This is why TPTB want to ban TiK Tok
Thanks humphrey, that was great.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
Re: Right # 2
It is a travesty that own veterans have to rely on charity (Wounded Warrior, DAV, food stamps, etc.) to live. especially active duty and their spouses and children waiting at home.
We treat our vets and service personnel horribly.
I'm just going to blurt out the truth: Russia treats their military personnel much better than America does their own!
We need to divert half the defense budget to correcting this and upgrading the entire Veterans Hospital system and not ever raising it again until these problems are corrected, in perpetuity.
Close some bases overseas. Close some bases here. Layoff some (or All) top brass that can't seem to win any wars anyway (start with Korea and keep counting).
I'm so fed up with our 3rd world military.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
but, but it's the most expensive war machine in the world!
I remember the pentagoons throwing a hissy about limiting expenditures
so they cut veterans benefits to keep their masters rolling in the dough.
Priorities are upside down. No wonder they can't meet their enlistment
goals. Even kids can see homeless vets on the streets.
question everything
Once again, your solution...
Is great. Half of the defense budget goes to providing health care, food, homes, etc, for the military and their families. Close bases, we do not need 800 overseas! We don't need them all here. Make the military something that rich kids as well as poor kids (because they have no other choice, the poor) want to do, because it's so good and so careful with their lives.
Preach it! Dang, I wish we could get these changes happening, I really do.
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Re: Right # 3
I've been conjuring up ideas to turn tables with cryptic ambiguous usage of "rules based order" and "antisemitism".
Such as: "You can't refuse to take cash, that antisemitic!". Or, "You can't ticket me for speeding, that's against the rules based order!".
Not that any of it has worked yet, but it's the initial perplexed look on their face that's fun to see.
I will still have to pay the ticket.
But he knocked the speed down 10 mph. Laughingly.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
I love these...
I'm gonna try the one about cash and maybe expand it!
I seldom get stopped by the cops (they don't stop old ladies in old hondas, I guess, even though I'm speeding), but if I do, gonna try it!
Thanks for stopping by and giving us your thoughts. The things you proposed and said were/are really good!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
I glad you like my suggestions, Sima
They are not new. I've been pondering and putting them forth for years.
The E-Board #1 is fashioned after my own union and has always been ever-present throughout my 40- year career. It kept and continues to keep members in line knowing they could lose all the respect they have worked for, including friends, bosses (not all are bad), and co-workers.
Not to mention the financial, medical, and retirement benefits lost in just one E-Board hearing.
The retirement fund liability thing is just a pocketbook threat that would be certain to encourage self policing amongst the force. The good cops know who the bad cops are. And they will know who is responsible for the drain in their retirement account.
The #2 Veterans thing is in response to directly witnessing my own brother's battle with PTSD from his terrible experiences in 'Nam in the 60s. He has suffered all his adult life with horrible memories of that time when he was only 18 years old. It took decades for him to even talk about it with me and it was painful every time. He has recently (the last decade) found some solace in annual meetups with his old platoon buddies but has confided in me that he could no longer go on hunting trips or harm any living thing. And although he has an arsenal of respectable size and quality, he doubts he would be able to use it even if his life were threatened.
This is how screwed up his head is still today.
Really, really sad.
And difficult as hell drawing him out of his shell. I will never forgive what this regime has done to my only brother.
#3 is just a comical backlash expressing my fed-up attitude with the use of these terms as a get out of jail free card or phony validation of incredibly bad behavior. If they can stretch the meaning of these terms, so can I. If everybody mocks them eventually it will become a blatant joke no one will ever use, except morans. Remember him?
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.