A Bad Name Game

by R. Elgin on March 21, 2008

I really hope that Korean immigration do not start checking names that are on a list.

{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }

1 MigukNamja March 21, 2008 at 10:45 am: Agreed.

As for the U.S., Osama has succeeded in undermining basic freedoms and turning the U.S. into more a police state.

So, let’s tally up the score:

9/11 – Osama wins

Afghanistan – Osama’s base of operations destroyed, but Osama escapes. We’ll call it a draw.

Iraq – U.S. wastes world sympathy and 100′s of billions of dollars fighting the wrong war. As a bonus, Al Qaeda gains a new “live” training ground for terrorists. Osama wins.

freedoms and rights – USA PATRIOT ACT, immigration and travel restrictions/nightmares, Guantanemo Bay, “rendition”, blacklists, etc.,. Osama wins.

So, let’s tally up the score:

Osama – 3.5 (3 wins a 1 draw)
U.S. – 0.5 (0 wins and 1 draw)

Yup, my (the U.S.) government, citizenry, and culture are doing a fine job in this never-ending “War on Terror”

I really never thought I’d live in an age in which the U.S. gets slowly turned into _1984_ ala “A never-ending war against the faceless, nameless enemies helps to keep the populace compliant”

Terrorism and War –> Fear –> Anger –> Hatred –> “The Dark Side” ?
2 Andy Jackson March 21, 2008 at 11:36 am: And the Korean connection is?
3 MigukNamja March 21, 2008 at 12:16 pm: Remember the blacklist put together by hagwons and the Aussie teacher who made the list by virtue of a fraudulent e-mail from his Korean ex-girlfriend ?
4 MigukNamja March 21, 2008 at 12:20 pm: Ah, stupid me. Of course you do. You’re the author of this post. So, you’re referring to my comment rather than the post itself (unless you like talking to yourself).

There’s little to no Korean connection in my comment. It’s basically a rant with only a loose connection ala “Look at the crap I (we) have to return home to if/when we leave Korea and go back home.”
5 MigukNamja March 21, 2008 at 12:21 pm: Stupid me x 2

R. Elgin != Andy Jackson
6 R. Elgin March 21, 2008 at 1:46 pm: Geez, “Miguk” leave Andy alone. Andy is no sock puppet nor am I.

When I read this article, my first thought was I wonder if there is a Korean version of this terrible list-mania back in the U.S. and then I wonder what has happened to the the basic principles of human rights and governance defined in the Constitution and centuries of law going back to the Magna Carta of 1215. Oops, lost in the mail.

I really wonder if all of us, living here in Korea, may end up getting the English teacher treatment, thanks to this sort of American/British-style trend.
7 SomeguyinKorea March 21, 2008 at 4:08 pm: “what has happened to the the basic principles of human rights and governance defined in the Constitution and centuries of law going back to the Magna Carta of 1215.”

George W. Bush, that’s what happened.
8 Maddlew March 21, 2008 at 6:17 pm: It seems as though this whole thing should, if there ever were a situation that demanded expediency, wind up in the supreme court and ruled extremely unconstitutional. An innocent denied their right to the pursuit of happiness?
The government’s argument is simply that they are being sacrificed for a greater, somewhat vague and to this point statistically impoverished good?
Now I’ve got to somehow tie this to Korea? It would be bad here…. too?
9 MigukNamja March 22, 2008 at 6:26 pm: Re #6: “Geez, “Miguk” leave Andy alone. Andy is no sock puppet nor am I.”

Oh, I know. I had misread the names of the author and commenter #2 and thought they were the same. It was purely my misreading.

I have had not, nor had not, nor have any ill will towards either of you. I was just ranting, plain and simple.
10 R. Elgin March 23, 2008 at 1:50 pm: I know “MN”, you made me laugh anyway. I keep forgetting that I have to indulge in corny emoticons or else people will read everything with a somber interior voice, thus leading to misinterpretation.