Open Thread #250

The Korean wrote (#11):

HERE, in the comments page of MH, vast majority of what I hear is the Japanese side of the argument.

That is because Japan is the only side that has an argument. All of Korea’s historical arguments have been shot down, which is why you don’t see anyone making them anymore.

Korean newspapers used to report, at least, once a week on newly discovered old Korean document or map they claimed to be new evidence for Korea’s Dokdo claim, but the Korean documents and maps they posted ended up being more evidence for Japan’s claim, instead. In other words, Korean newspapers were giving more ammunition to Japan, which is why they stopped posting Korean documents and maps. Even many of Korea’s Dokdo Web sites have gone underground by limiting access to their discussions, fearing Japan will get even more evidence from them.

Instead of reporting on the history, Korean newspapers are forced to report on such meaningless things as Dokdo drawing contests, Dokdo concerts, and Dokdo swim meets. Only occassionally do they post a “Japanese” or “Western” map and say it supports Korea’s claim; however, close look reveals that maps do not even show the islets.

Koreans have lost the Dokdo argument, which is why they are now focusing on the Comfort Women.

Hamel wrote (#18):

That’s almost funny, Gerry. Do you want to follow that up with a poem or another tale of how well your young son is doing?

There once was a guy named Hamel,
Who acted much like a camel.
With nothing to say,
He chewed cud all day,
Thinking he an intelligent mammal.

Anju_549 wrote (#28):

To year of the dragon: i’d happily put a nice .50 CAL round through your forehead, and watch your brains splatter everywhere.

That .50 CAL remark sounds suspiciously similar to an email I got in my Inbox a few days ago, as does the one about my “demise on 9/11.” Pretty childish.

Hamel wrote:

That’s almost funny, Gerry. Do you want to follow that up with a poem or another tale of how well your young son is doing?

Over the past month, my son and I have studied the first 500 words in Baron’s “Increase Your Word Power.” He has all 500 words memorized. By my just saying the definition, he can tell me the word without looking at the book. We still have 500 more words to study, which I plan to do before he starts 8th grade in the fall.

By the way, here is a photo of my son wearing my softball uniform from my navy days in Korea in the late 1970s. PHOTO

RolyPoly wrote (#36):

I do not want to convert anyone to my religion. I just present facts that Jesus is who He says He is.

For the past few weeks, my son and I have been reading the Bible thirty minutes a day, beginning with Genesis, not for religious reasons but just to know the content. I neither promote the Bible nor criticize it; I simply let my son judge it for himself, and so far he has been quite critical of it.

We are just finishing the last part of Exodus, which is pretty boring because it has been giving detailed instructions on how to build the Tent of Meeting (Tabernacle) and all the items used in it, including the Ark of the Convenant, Alter of Incense, Alter of Burnt Offerings, table, lampstand, and the garments worn by the priests.

It also talks about how to consecrate priests by using a special anointing oil that is poured on their heads and on all the items used in the Tent of Meeting. The recipe for the oil is 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, 250 shekels of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane, 500 shekels of cassia, and a hin of olive oil. The blood of a bull is also poured on the alter to consecrate it and prepare it for sacrifice. Arron and his sons also have to dab some of the blood on their right earlobes.

Aaron and his sons were supposed to slaughter a ram and a bull and pour the bull’s blood on the alter. They were supposed to take the fat and lining around the bull’s internal organs and burn them on the alter inside the tent. The rest of the bull was to be burned outside the camp as a sin offering.

Yesterday we read how God was so angry with the Israelites for worshiping the golden calf that He was ready to destroy them, but Moses saved them by reminding God of his promise to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. Instead of destroying all of them, God had the Levites among them (Moses’ people)take swords and go through the crowd and kill about 3,000 of the sinners. My son thought that punishment was way tooo harsh.

RolyPoly wrote (#48):

It all comes down to who you think God is. Our being on earth, life, come from Him.

In the vocabulary book my son and I are studying, there is the following poem:

“The Way”

Go out into Earth
Roll in moss, lick a pebble,
dance a circle round a tree, catch
a falling feather on your palm,
watch a turtle head thumb up
from pond to measure you-
smile greeting,
for this going out is going in,
in to your root nature,
for you are Earth, and if you are
to know yourself, you must know
the rest of Earth, and know too
that each atom of your flesh has been
since Earth has been,
and always has been shared
with all alive, and know as well
how in each live cell the spirals dance,
as spiraled star-dust coalesced
into the Sun and Earth
and eventually you,
for going out is going in

- John Caddy

This is my new favorite music video:

“I’m Farming and I Grow It”

Today my son and I finished reading Exodus and began reading Leviticus, which focuses on how to worship God and make offerings. Today we read about the Burnt Offering, the Grain Offering, the Fellowship Offering, and the Sin Offering. Tomorrow we will read about the Guilt Offering.

When we read Leviticus 3:17, which says, “You must not eat any fat or any blood,” my son looked at me and said, “Filipinos eat fat and blood.” I just looked at him with concern and said, “Uh-oh.” Then, we heard thunder.

RolyPoly wrote (#87):

I am glad you went back to the US. Because your kind are never welcome in the land of Morning Sun.

You have been in the US too long. It is “Land of the Morning Calm.”

Wooinponub wrote (#95):

Since when do american pseudo pigs have ANY enforcement authority, over local nationals no less, outside the confines of the base?

According to a spokesman for the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the US military police DO have the authority to restrain Korean civilians until the Korean police arrive.

외교통상부 관계자는 “주한미군 헌병이 자신들의 기지시설 보호를 위해 영외에서 활동할 수 있도록 돼 있다”면서 “순찰 도중 문제가 생기면 한국 경찰이 도착하기 전까지 미 헌병이 제지할 수는 있는데 경찰이 도착한 이후에는 서로 협조하도록 돼 있다.

To me it sounds like the Korean guy was being a jerk. He had parked his car illegally and was repeatedly asked to move it, but refused to do so until he finished eating his chicken. When he finally did move it, he was told that the Korean police were called and that he would have to wait until they arrived. That was when he decided to chase out his remaining customers and close up early.

The US military police were waiting outside for him with the intention of preventing him from leaving until the Korean police arrived. When he resisted, he was handcuffed.

The Korean guy claims that he was not planning to leave, but was simply going to wait outside with the military police, but that story sounds a little fishy to me. If his gibun had been hurt by the military police, why would he wait outside his store with them?

An investigation will determine the facts, but apparently US military police do have the authority to restrains Koreans until the Korean police arrive.

KimcheeGI,

No, it has been probably thirty years since I have been to Osan AB. Anyway, apparently the street is closed to parking only at night, starting at sundown, so could you be confusing daytime enforcement with nighttime?

I think part of the problem was that the Koreans involved probably did not realize the US military police had the authority to restrain them until the Korean police arrived and were indignant thinking the MPs had overstepped their authority. I read that the Korea police that arrived told the Koreans involved that the MPs had the authority to restrain them under SOFA, so if they didn’t like it, they would have to contact their Assemblyman.

Now that it has been made known that the MPs were within their authority and an apology has been given, I think it will die down, in spite of the fact that the “victim” has complained that the MPs had “live bullets” on their persons.