David Swanson /David Swanson.org & Hon. Tulsi Gabbard / US House of Representatives – 2018-06-14 20:26:13
ACTION ALERT:
Let’s Continue Progress Toward Peace in Korea
David Swanson /David Swanson.org
(June 12, 2018) — Less than a year ago, President Donald Trump was threatening North Korea with “fire and fury.” Today such threats are completely absent from his remarks and tweets.
Today Trump said, “We will be stopping the war games . . . I think it’s very provocative.” This move has been a central proposal in the People’s Peace Treaty and other petitions and actions that Korean and American and global peace activists have advanced — and precisely for the reason that practice bombing flights are extremely provocative.
It was their suspension during the Olympic truce that advanced peace, and their resumption more recently that — together with threatening comments from the likes of John Bolton — impeded progress and temporarily canceled the just-held summit.
But we should not forget the earlier necessary focus on halting the verbal threats coming from Trump himself. That we have moved away from those is the big news.
Yes it’s embarrassing and annoying to watch Trump brag and praise himself falsely and present a false history of the world and of his own recent actions, all of which he did in Singapore following the screening of a ridiculous propaganda video that his team had produced and shown to the North Koreans as well as to the press. But these things are not more embarrassing or annoying than watching humanity actually end in “fire and fury.”
The important thing to notice about Tuesday’s Singapore press conference is that every question from the US media pushed for greater hawkishness, while Trump alone suggested anything in the direction of peace.
Last week, seven Democratic senators insisted in a letter to Trump that sanctions relief for North Korea await total North Korean disarmament and inspections. Tuesday Trump spoke of sanctions relief as part of the process ahead.
If the US government is going to get out of the way of the peace process that Koreans from the North and South are pursuing, the US public is going to have to actively demand it. The corporate media will not help. The Democratic and Republican “leaders” will not help.
Trump will trip over his own ego and willful ignorance if not guided in a useful direction. That such a thing is possible, that the Korean War may finally end, that the US military presence in Korea may actually end — Nobody can doubt these things any longer.
And that makes it our responsibility to work for them.
David Swanson is an author, activist, journalist, and radio host. He is director of WorldBeyondWar.organd campaign coordinator for RootsAction.org. Swanson’s books include War Is A Lie. He blogs at DavidSwanson.org and WarIsACrime.org. He hosts Talk Nation Radio. He is a 2015, 2016, 2017 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee. Longer bio and photos and videos here. Follow him on Twitter
ACTION ALERT: Peace vs. War:
Support the North Korea Peace Resolution
Hon. Tulsi Gabbard / US House of Representatives
(June 12, 2018) — The direct talks between President Trump and Kim Jong-un in Singapore were historic — and the first step on a peaceful path to denuclearizing North Korea.
The people of Hawai’i have known for a long time how serious the North Korean nuclear threat is and what is at stake. That’s why these talks are so important. But these talks were just the opening — now we have to make sure that the follow-through occurs.
Here’s what we know:
* South and North Korea have made historic diplomatic progress toward peace and denuclearization in the past several months.
* Defense Secretary Mattis is on the record saying that a conflict with North Korea would result in terrible casualties on both sides.
* North Korea signed an agreement with the United States yesterday committing to “complete denuclearization.”
* But the agreement lacked critical details on exactly how complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization would occur. There is tough work that must be done to accomplish this.
I introduced a bipartisan resolution supporting diplomacy and direct talks between the US and North Korea. Will you add your name as a citizen cosponsor to continue to support diplomacy in the pursuit of peace?
Many have criticized these talks in the weeks and months leading up to them, saying that Kim Jong-un does not deserve to meet with our president, or that the talks are futile because denuclearization of North Korea is impossible.
They clearly do not understand the seriousness of North Korea’s nuclear threat to the American people or what is at stake. The people of Hawai’i certainly do. Which is why it’s so important that we be willing to meet with anyone, even those who are not our friends, to further the cause of peace.
The nuclear crisis between the US and North Korea did not come about overnight. This is an issue that administrations from both parties have failed to address, which has led to the present-day nuclear threat from North Korea to the people of Hawai’i and this country.
Unfortunately, there are still people who are trying to make this a partisan issue. It cannot be — the stakes are too great. We must come together to support our nation on this path toward peace by striking a deal that will ensure the complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization of North Korea.
It’s the voices of the American people that are needed to help see this deal through.
THE LETTER
Support Tulsi’s North Korea Resolution
For the first time since the start of the Korean War, the prospects for peace are gaining serious momentum. We must pursue direct diplomacy in order to remove the threat of nuclear war.
Tulsi’s Resolution Calls on the Following Steps:
1) Welcoming the United States-North Korea summit that will follow the North-South summit.
2) Reaffirming our commitment to peace, diplomatic negotiation, and the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea.
3) Urging the President, Kim Jong Un, and regional leaders to engage in direct diplomacy that exhausts all non-military policy tools before any use of military force.
4) Urging the President, our international partners, and United Nations members to keep up the economic and diplomatic pressure until North Korea is rid of its nuclear, chemical, biological, and radiological weapons programs.
We have an opportunity to achieve peace through diplomacy and avert a massive war. In the interest of peace and humanity, let’s stand together and rally for our country’s success in these denuclearization talks and make the world a safer place.
Thank you,
Tulsi
Posted in accordance with Title 17, Section 107, US Code, for noncommercial, educational purposes.
