US politics - final push

Continuing emails from the US have pushed me to make my final contributions to the campaigns I support. Scratch that - there may be another contribution or two over the next few days.

My absentee ballot still hasn't arrived in Seoul, and I will need to fax in my ballot, it seems. But until then, I will do everything in my powers to block the Republican and 2MB agendas in America.

The Obama campaign is in overdrive mode, campaigning in McCain's home state of Arizona - of all places! He needs all the help he can get, and I am glad to pitch in a bit more. I don't want Obama to just win; he must win by a landslide, so that America's will becomes crystal clear to the world. All the Moonie-funded McCain smears on Obama (all of them false, at that) have enraged me. The Moonies and 2MB both need their behinds kicked, and I must ensure an Obama presidency, so that he can actually do the ass-kicking for me (and for America and the rest of the world).

I also got a last-minute email from No on 8. Proposition 8 is still losing 42-47, but I still believe it has a chance to win - and enshrine discrimination into the California constitution. I certainly don't want that, so I forwarded another $100 to the No campaign, to be matched 1:1 by a gay philanthropist couple. I had had absolutely no intention of forwarding any more money to the No on 8 campaign, but changed my mind, since the newest ad, featuring African-American Samuel L. Jackson and honing in on the false smears of the Yes campaign (as well as re-iterating the fairness theme), seemed to be very convincing. I also read campaign materials in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese - the four official languages of California's homophobia; even though these materials do not specifically address the cultural concerns of the ethnic communities involved, they still make a good argument, backed up by dozens of ethnic organizations endorsing the No campaign.

I do know that the majority of Latinos, and the overwhelmingly majority of Korean-Americans, will vote Yes on 8, thanks to all the politicking by the churches and South Korea's government. The Yes vote is also quite strong in Chinese-American and Vietnamese-American communities, as both communities are far more Christian than their home countries. But it does look close enough that every vote WILL count. A few Latino and Korean defectors to the No side may be all that California will ever need, to preserve its tradition of tolerance.

I don't want any regrets when the votes are counted. This is the last opportunity for me to make a difference, and I must. Glad to be able to help.

Barack Obama
No on 8 (multilingual pamphlets)

Mariah Carey - and US-Korean relations

I did everything to ensure that I would be less bogged down by US politics (despite all the emails from Obama and No on 8 campaigns), and that I will be looking forward to life well beyond November 4th. To that end, I spent some time in Jamsil and at Costco.

My first order of business was to buy Mariah Carey's newest greatest hits collection, The Ballads, which came out last week here in South Korea, but won't be available back in the US for months. It's the first time that I am buying someone's CD from three different markets; I've also bought Mariah Carey CDs in the US and in the UK (the latter were Europe-only singles). It's also the second time ever that I ended up buying an album outside the US, before its US availability; the only other time was early 1996, when I picked Sir Elton John's Love Songs in London, well before it became available in the US.

I'm loving the CD packaging - just like the Sarah McLachlan CD from earlier this month, this one also comes with full lyrics in English, full translations in Korean, and a synopsis of the artist and each track. The synopsis includes information that is particularly meaningful to South Korea-based fans of Mariah Carey.

With this CD in hand, I am finding myself again looking beyond just the artist and the music. Mariah Carey is important, because she is possibly the most beloved American in South Korea; her albums continue to sell well here, even when she slumps, or even when violent anti-W protests rage on. She's returned the favor by visiting Seoul a number of times, and doing a show in Busan as well. I've repeatedly stated that the US-South Korean relations must develop beyond a special-interest partnership of the Republicans and the Grand Nationals, and Mariah is a very high-profile person getting it done. (I also like that after staying out of politics in public, Mariah is now supporting Barack Obama, partly due to the shared half-black background.)

And I am very proud to have taken part in helping her do just that. Listening "Hero" and "Without You" still reminds me of my summer 1994, spent right here in Seoul. Mariah was just as popular back then as she is now, and I took note; I made sure to wrap up the year by meeting Mariah in New York City, telling her about the Korean fans I had met, and walking away with an autographed Christmas album (which, of course, I brought to Seoul yesterday, primarily as a conversation piece, but also to play in my rental car when I do my road trip later).

For those reasons, as stated before, if I were ever to pick any place in the world for my next Mariah Carey concert, I would demand Seoul. And now that I belong to both the US and South Korea for the foreseeable future, I want Mariah's music to inspire me to help improve everyday relations between the two nations. The ordinary people must take control.

I'm glad to also know that starting November 17th, South Koreans will be allowed into the US visa-free. Of course, I will never forget that this was done by W as a partisan favor to 2MB; however, it's still a valuable opportunity to bring the everyday people closer together, and get something done contrary to W and 2MB's original intentions.

I spent the rest of the day doing things related to this whole idea. I also bought Celine Dion's two-disc compilation today; although she's French-Canadian, I'm not all that big of a fan, and all the grandiose international relations stuff don't really apply to her (at least for me, anyway), her CDs will gladly be good companions as I embark on my road trip - and well beyond. Afterwards, I had lunch at TGI Friday's, and loved all the Americana decorating the place, complete with JFK '60 posters and American Airlines logos. (I would *love* for American Airlines to start service to Seoul, in response to all the extra South Korean traffic into the US.) I wrapped up my day shopping at Costco - an ethical American merchant with a good reputation in South Korea (unlike Wal-Mart, which recently had to leave the South Korean market).

Last, but not the least, both Mariah and Celine are people I've seen in Las Vegas. That reminds me, I must keep traveling, in order to broaden my horizons so that I can be of benefit to all the people I come across - not just the Americans and the South Koreans. I will travel quite a bit throughout South Korea, and into Hong Kong as well; when I return to the US, I will need to go back to Vegas, and San Francisco again while at it too. I must also keep going on, to Toronto and other parts of Canada, as well as make a new trip to Europe, something I haven't done in 5 years (as of tomorrow - !!!).

Sarah, put down your gun

Palin, of course. Not Radcliffe (who is my novel protagonist).

Great commentary on the McCain-Palin campaign, from none other than my writing mentor, Gayle Brandeis of CODEPINK.

OpEdNews

Even here in Seoul, I will make sure to do her proud, by spreading the word about CODEPINK and the US peace movement, and by making good progress on my novel. Most South Koreans seem to think that the US is a whole bunch of warmongers (and many, including 2MB, prefer the US to stay that way); I'll prove otherwise.

Los Angeles: Afterthoughts

So I have returned to Seoul to resume my regimen, after an extremely stressful week in Los Angeles. So much so, that I am finding Seoul to be a relief. I never thought I would ever say anything close to that!

Immediately upon arrival in Los Angeles, the first thing that annoyed me was the requirement to drive in order to get anywhere AT ALL. This also results in plenty of clumsy people taking the wheel - the ones who should not be driving at all (and they know it best themselves). After being spoiled by a month of mass transit in Seoul, I couldn't stand Los Angeles. Don't take me wrong, I love driving, I love cars, and I don't apologize for it (in fact, I will schedule a road trip right here in South Korea very soon); but being FORCED to drive is another matter.

I spent the entire week at work. I never went anywhere except home and work, and weekends were no exception. There was a lot of catching up to do, and much of it had to do with the fact that one office help had to be fired for performance issues, and that English proficiency is only wishful thinking in my immigrant-heavy business. I practically had to babysit everyone, on even the smallest things such as writing a one-line thank-you note by email. With so much babysitting, I was utterly unable to concentrate, much less get any meaningful work done.

The language barrier is one reason why I find Seoul to be a relief. Sure, back in California, the society is multilingual. However, government contracts do demand English, something that completely escapes the people who work around me. Not only that, but even dealing with insurance agents and banks requires my babysitting because of English-language barriers. Sure, if most of my people spoke Spanish, this would be less of a problem, as there are so many Spanish speakers in the US, especially in California, that just about anything can be done in Spanish these days. But these are Korean-Americans, and even after decades in the US, their English is often poorer than some people based right here in Seoul. At least, I don't have to babysit anyone in Seoul over language barriers - for now, anyway (as I don't foresee dealing with Southeast Asian guest workers).

The lack of English proficiency is one reason why Korean-Americans are so isolated from the rest of the American society, even in California (maybe even more so, because there are enough Koreans there to justify living without ever speaking English). No wonder they lock themselves up in the fundamentalist extremist churches, which are islands from both the American mainstream and the modern-day South Korean society. Due to this isolation and extremist influence, the Korean-American community is overwhelmingly committed to the passage of Proposition 8 in California at any cost, something very different from the rest of California - or South Korea for that matter. It also strongly supported the 2MB presidential campaign and continues to support his current McCarthyist witch hunt. And there are plenty of columnists in Koreatown that blatantly name Barack Obama as an Antichrist who will start a Communist revolution immediately, and therefore one who must be stopped in the name of God.

Due to these factors, and due to my lack of time, I was unable to spend ANY of my time in the "real" America and "real" California. I would've strongly preferred to hang out in a beach town or at a mall, or even head over to Nevada to (1) cool off and (2) help the Obama campaign there. And the suburban areas of Los Angeles, infested with reactionary immigrant pawns of the Republicans, do NOT speak for me at all, and that's why I need a new neighborhood more than ever. Currently, however, my plans to get my own place are on hold - if only because I am spending months and months here in Seoul, returning home only briefly to help out with work-related items; it would make no sense to pay rent on an empty apartment.

My conclusion from this trip to the US is: the Korean-American language barrier and the resulting self-isolation are disaster, both for the US and for South Korea (and by extension, for the entire world). As I see myself belonging to both Los Angeles and Seoul for the foreseeable future, I want to take advantage of my unique vantage point to make something happen for the better. While I consider the No on 8 campaign to be a lost cause (it has to do as much with the cluelessness of the white liberal activists as it does with the Korean-American reactionary politics), I am continuing to make sizable contributions to the Obama campaign. My absentee ballot is on the way to Seoul as well, and I hope to receive it early enough.

I must say that it was so nice to have all my stresses of the past week dissipate over the frozen Siberian tundra, as I flew back to Seoul today. I never thought flying over Russia - even with all its homophobia and racism - could be such a refreshing experience. Moreover, it was also a nice mileage run to Los Angeles and back - that alone may be worth it, as I am now an elite customer at United Airlines. Another icing on the cake: my 90-day South Korean stay authorization starts all over again today. (I can stay until very late January - by then, Obama WILL be my President!)

Back in Seoul

I have just returned to Seoul, after one horrendous week in Los Angeles.

I want to discuss some afterthoughts from my return home in a separate post. But for now, the story of my return to Seoul.

I had a good flight. The aircraft used today was HL7428, the newer of Asiana's two all-passenger 747s, and the very plane which occasionally flies South Korea's President (it flew 2MB to Moscow a month ago). It had been retrofitted with video-on-demand and cutting-edge Rockwell air show, so I really enjoyed my experience, added by my particular seat which had plenty of legroom. I spent time watching the New York Philharmonic visit to Pyongyang all over again, as well as Celine Dion's A New Day, wrapping up with a few short subjects and hours and hours of music.

There was a mechanical delay of over an hour, however, and it was a frustrating wait. At least I had no connections; dozens of Southeast Asia-bound passengers ended up missing their connections.

The routing of the flight was quite unusual. When I cross the Pacific, usually I stay over water from San Francisco until hitting some part of Honshu, Japan; the only "land" I see, if ever, is southwestern Alaska. But today, I stayed much farther north, flying right over Anchorage and Nome, entering Russia over the Diomedes, then flying well north of Kamchatka and along the north shore of Sea of Okhotsk before cutting across Sakhalin to enter South Korea near Dokdo. My guess also is that the Japanese air traffic control never had my flight in its area today; all my flying today was done over US and Russian sectors (maybe except the Pacific coast of British Columbia), and over Sea of Japan, I was closer to North Korea and probably under North Korean air traffic control. (Yes, South Korean aircraft are allowed in North Korean control areas - while US aircraft are not.)

Here are a few photos from my journey today.

Very unusual sight. At Los Angeles, United uses its own terminal for international arrivals, not the common Tom Bradley international terminal that foreign airlines use. But somehow, this United 747, from Sydney, came into Bradley. Not only that, most of its containers are Qantas - and the two airlines are fierce competitors on the route, not alliance partners.

Next to it stands my Asiana flight. It sports Asiana's new corporate identity and paint job, alongside UNICEF and "Korea Sparkling" decals. Due to Asiana's alliance with United, and the resulting interline connecting passengers, a few United ground crewmembers were helping prepare this flight for departure, as evidenced by a United truck in front.

Tail detail of the Asiana plane, showing the color details as well as the registration number.

My first-ever look at an Airbus A380. It didn't look all that big, but that's because it's tall rather than long. It's only as long as a 747, but it has a full upper deck.

I will say this again: I had never imagined saying I'd rather be in Seoul than in Los Angeles, but that's how I feel tonight. More on this in the next post.

Vietnamese-American Youth Turn Democratic

At least, that's the conclusion of San Jose Mercury-News, based on newly registered voters under 30 in Silicon Valley with Vietnamese surnames.

San Jose Mercury News

Older Vietnamese refugees are so obsessed with their communist homeland, and containing it at all costs, that they have wholeheartedly supported the Republican war machine and its disdain for "socialist" domestic programs. Reagan, W, and McCain have all been considered heroes in the Vietnamese-American community. Democrats have been seen as communist sympathizers. This mirrors the mentality seen in the Cuban-American community. In fact, the Vietnamese-American community is the only Asian-American demographic that prefers McCain over Obama. (Though I am pretty sure that the Korean-Americans must be very close.)

But that is changing. It's been over 30 years since Saigon fell, and the Vietnamese refugees have produced a generation of American-born and American-raised offsprings, who are no different from any other Americans. Their concerns are more likely to be on social issues and economic justice. They are more likely to be critical of McCain's (and the Republicans') stances on reproductive choice, gays, and domestic programs. The Mercury News, in fact, states that Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 4-to-1 margin among this new group of Vietnamese-Americans.

Another factor at play here: the current arrivals from Vietnam are well-to-do people who come in through normal immigration channels (as opposed to refugee status), and harbor less of an outright knee-jerk hatred toward the Hanoi government. They love both America and Vietnam, and unlike the earlier refugees, support stronger ties between the two nations. For them, becoming Republican is much less automatic.

If the Republicans can't even hold on to the Vietnamese vote, they really have a lot of trouble brewing.

Halloween costumes

Courtesy of DiAnne Grieser @ Silenced Majority Portal:

Political costumes are hot, though not as hot as traditional superheroes.

Dallas Morning News

Both Obama and McCain are doing well, while Biden is being overlooked. But Palin is the hottest seller of them all.

One seller actually says that most Palin wannabes are men. Sounds pretty good - though I still think the best political "drag" costume a man can do is, still, Ann Coulter, with a huge penis hanging below the trademark miniskirt.

And update on the Boston Korean bigot - he claims to have reported me to the Obama campaign office in Boston, for calling Obama a "nigger." This lunatic can't even read English right; it's 2MB and the South Korean pawns of American white supremacy, supporting calls to label Obama by the N-word and even lynch him, not me. He even says that I've been reported to the Moonies and the 2MB government for immediate deportation from South Korea upon arrival, as well as to the INS (which doesn't even exist anymore) for deportation back to Mexico. Fucking laughable! If 2MB indeed deports me from South Korea, it'll be a true sign of his desperation, and I'll consider that an honor! I'll share everything with the South Koreans I come across, just to show them how pathetic their conservatives and government are; they already agree with me on that count, but would certainly love more proof!

2008 Campaign Update

In just a few more days, I will find myself back in Seoul again. My absentee ballot is on the way there too.

Here are a few things that I've been uncovering around the Internet, mostly thanks to electoral-vote.com.

• It'll be exceedingly difficult for John McCain to pull out an upset. It's definitely possible, but Barack Obama has a sizable lead in popular vote and a landslide in the electoral vote. No one has ever been able to overcome the kind of deficit that McCain now faces, this late in the game.
• The Democrats are set to have at least 57-58 votes in the Senate. They may even have a 60-vote filibuster-proof majority, if things go very well for them. The House will also give the Democrats two dozen extra votes, if not more. As my district is very safe Republican, and neither of my Democratic Senators are up for re-election this year, there won't be much I can do this year.
• California has three hot-button ballot initiatives this year. Prop 4, which bans teen abortions until a 48-hour mandatory parental notification period passes (the third such attempt in three years), is slightly leading, but it doesn't have 50% support yet. Prop 8, the constitutional ban on gay marriage, is trailing 44%-52%, though since polls have historically underestimated the homophobic vote, it still has a good chance of passage. Prop 11, which will have a committee, instead of the state legislature, draw congressional districts in the state, is leading significantly, but there are lots of undecideds.
• The Republicans will take a hammering this year, even if they somehow get McCain into the White House. In the most likely case that McCain loses, expect a major schism in the party. The social conservatives will blame McCain's supposed "moderatism" for the loss, and will shape 2012 as a full-blown culture war, with Palin as a possible standard-bearer; Palin herself can spend the next four years educating and grooming herself to be a more formidable candidate. The economic conservatives will not like that, and will rally around a pragmatist who emphasizes tax cuts more. These two factions may severely strain and handicap the Republican organization. In the short term, I'll be happy that the Democrats will have a larger role in reshaping the American political discourse and putting the nation back on track, but in the long term, I do want some common-sense Republicans to be able to check the Democrats as needed. Here in California, I disagree with many of the things that the Republican Governator has done, but I don't think leaving the state to the northern Democratic ideologues in the legislature would've been all that much better either.

I am making my choices as follows.

• President: Obama/Biden. No questions about it. I do like the ballot showing three African-Americans for President, however! (The others are Alan Keyes of the Constitution Party and Cynthia McKinney of the Green Party.) But the stakes are too high, and Obama, while far from perfect, is the best candidate for the nation's current needs.
• Congress, State Senate, State Assembly: all Democratic. The Republicans who represent me at those three levels are all social conservatives to the extreme. They do not represent my beliefs, and their Democratic challengers are more moderate than them (and certainly not the nutjobs that the NorCal Democrats of the legislature are, either). But I do expect the Republicans to hold on to all three offices.
• Ballot initiatives: There are 12 (1A through 12), and I will oppose all, except for Prop 11, which I need to study further. Prop 1A had my attention for a while, as it wants to raise money for a study of a bullet train line in California. California does need a good alternative to the gridlock of the I-5 and the tyranny (and the carbon footprint) of the airlines. But this is not the right time to raise money, especially when it's not even clear if the bullet train line will ever be built at all. (And as demonstrated by the Channel Tunnel in the UK, bullet trains may actually hurt more than help.) And everyone knows I am extremely upset about Props 4 and 8, the darlings of the religious extremists, especially in the immigrant communities (and the 2MB government on the other side of the Pacific).
• Other measures/offices: I will study them briefly, but may not vote on some of the local measures and judicial offices.

Looking forward to ensuring that my voice gets heard.

Comment moderation is on

The Boston Korean bigot continues to spam this blog with comments.

While it's very amusing to be able to get a good peek into the mindset of the South Korean reactionary bastards (who don't even stand for the vast majority of South Koreans) without even trying, I think I've given enough of a platform for them to demonstrate their hatred and stupidity.

There is a Korean saying for someone who knows absolutely nothing about the outside world. It's 우물안 개구리 (frog in a well). All of Korea was under such mindset in the 1860s, when the royal government adopted an isolationist policy. North Korea continues that mindset today. And while South Korea has opened up, and its people are among the most informed in the world, that cannot be said of the conservative establishment, who continue to face the world - and America in particular - through their colored lenses, as opposed to reality.

I am forced to moderate this blog from now on. I hate to do this, but I now have no choice.

Moreover, I am going to look into reporting the Boston Korean bigot. His intense hatred of the Mexicans and other Latin Americans, gays, liberals, and even Americans (other than Republicans, anyway) cannot be tolerated in a public forum such as the Internet. Blogger's own terms of service, while allowing politically distasteful and controversial information, NEVER allow outright hate speech.

If this is all that the South Korean conservative establishment can muster - making hate-filled comments that are increasingly irrelevant to the posts concerned - then South Korea is indeed in a shitload of a trouble. 2MB will most likely get gay marriage banned in California, but he'll need a Hail Mary to get his buddy John McCain into the White House; otherwise, Barack Obama will make 2MB pay dearly for his insolence. For starters, Obama's Department of Homeland Security can charge the Boston Korean bigot with improper US politicking and threats against several groups of Americans, and that will be enough for a deportation order. 2MB will probably give him a hero's welcome back, but the South Korean people won't.

Fighting South Korean reactionary forces, Part II

In my last post, the Boston-based reactionary Korean moron and his comments (I do believe that it's a he, based on the tone) were showcased to show the stupidity of the mindset that permeates the South Korean government and elites. Apparently, he couldn't take it, so he left a series of new comments, over several posts, using at least three aliases. My intention is to leave them in place, in order to showcase the South Korean reactionary forces' nonsense stupidity to their own fellow countrymen, to their supposed masters in the US, and to the citizens of the entire global community.

I will give this moron one more shot at the spotlight to help my intention along, but I think it will be in my best interest to stop afterwards. If the comments continue, however, I will report him to Blogger. Here are some of the things mentioned:

• Apparently, I am a Mexican illegally in the US, sucking up tax revenues. Thanks for letting people know - of both my nationality and status, as well as the blatant level of racism among the South Korean elites. No wonder South Korean elites treat white Americans and Europeans like royalty, while treating Southeast Asians and other Third World nationals - the very ones who perform dirty work in South Korea that the Koreans themselves won't - like dirt. The fact remains that 1/6 of the entire ethnic Korean population in the US is illegal as well, almost all of them having overstayed their tourist visas out of their hatred for the leftist Roh Moo-hyun government. Countless other Korean-Americans are former illegals who legalized their status through special partisan immigration amnesties from Reagan and W. Moreover, I thought Korean-Americans and Mexican-Americans are supposed to be friends, due to their shared values of big families, traditional morals (including homophobia), Christian faith, spicy foods, love of soccer, and more. I'll tell the Mexican-Americans to reconsider.
• Lesbians make up less than 1% of South Korea, and as such, a lesbian like me can never accurately present Korean culture. Pure homophobic BS that 2MB and his supporters (and the Moonies) love to use. Anyone of any sexual orientation is capable of learning a new culture - and presenting at least some truths about it to the rest of the world. At least he got my sexual orientation right. Plus, 2MB and his cronies must learn the "majority rule - but MINORITY RIGHTS" concept, and stop oppressing LGBTs and other minorities in South Korea (and stop funding the oppression of their American counterparts).
  
• I must've been born in Busan, and therefore I must be the child of a GI. Pathetic logic. So what if I am a love child of an American GI and his Korean wife? Heck, my alter ego in my novel-in-progress has that exact background. Again, the South Korean establishment is so proud and defensive of the nation's monoethnic makeup, that mixed-blood offsprings are considered dirt. Never mind that things are changing anyway - with so many foreigners in South Korea today (both of the exalted white kind and of the despised Third World kind), more and more mixed-blood children are growing up in South Korea. Much of it has to do with the former military dictatorship's encouragement of abortion of female fetuses, and the resulting surplus men getting wives from Southeast Asia. And how can I be an illegal Mexican, if I am born from an American GI?
• I must be a Moonie myself, which explains my lengthy Seoul visits. Nice guess. The Moonies do make up much of the exchange between the US and South Korea. But then, I thought I was supposed to be a Mexican illegal sucking up American tax dollars. How can I enter South Korea and re-enter the US, as a Mexican illegal? This moron is incapable of logic, and so are most of the South Korean conservative establishment.
• My Rambo-ish threats against South Korea are laughable. If I truly loved America, I would be serving in Iraq. Good one. America can and will react against all threats, foreign or domestic. Most Americans in the know do consider the Moonies to be among the largest threats to the American democratic system, and the Republicans have failed to react due to their cozy ties to the Moonies. With Obama, it WILL be different. 2MB must prepare to pay the price - or prevent the whole thing by rigging the US democratic process further and installing McCain. And the whole thing about me needing to serve in Iraq says that because I don't walk the US government line, I cannot be an American; it's a classic smear from the Republicans, the Moonies, and the South Korean conservative establishment. I am willing to serve the US in any way possible, if and when Obama decides to punish 2MB's insolence and asks for help. (Of course, since I am not American, and I can't be Korean either due to the "disrespect" I show to the Koreans, I must be a Mexican illegal.)
• I must study Korean history more. Agreed. Learning anybody's history is a never-ending process. However, I've studied Korean history at the college level, and know Korean history better than most South Koreans themselves. And I am a believer in factual history - I will not hesitate to point out both the good and the bad. The bad are extremely important to study, so that they will not be repeated again. Contrast this with 2MB's attempts to teach revisionist history in South Korea, and cover up the negatives of South Korea's recent history.
• America needed South Korea to contain communism in Asia. A unified nuclear Korea will kick America's ass. The latter sounds just like something that Kim Jong-il himself would love to say. I hope this moron realizes that without swift American intervention in the summer of 1950, he would be either praising Kim Jong-il today, or working his ass off in a forced labor camp. Let's go back to 1948 - North Korea got all the industries, so South Korea was piss-poor and unable to defend itself (and certainly unable to anything grandiose like "containing the Red Tide"). South Korea had to build the entire nation from scratch, and the US and other foreign powers are glad that they were able to take a part in it. But neither the US nor the other foreign powers wish to see South Korea repay this debt in the form of nasty US political tricks like the Moonies.
• The Ainu and other ethnic groups are descendants of the almighty Koreans. I know. And by extension, the Koreans are descendants of the Mongolian gene stock. Making empty nationalistic statements like this does not help anyone's cause, Korean or otherwise.

With the election of 2MB, the people of South Korea had severely let me down. However, I was moved by their remorse over their actions, and their willingness to speak up to keep 2MB's menace in check. I was also moved by South Korea's ability to create an economic miracle AND a tradition of democracy in just a few decades. The South Koreans need to learn one more thing - the ability to pick good leaders - and they realize that.

I will repeat that this moron speaks for the conservative establishment in South Korea, which in turn does NOT speak for the vast majority of the population.

I will also repeat that W's extension of visa-free US entry to South Koreans is a partisan reward to the 2MB government. However, it's also an opportunity, for the everyday people of both nations to take the initiative in seizing control of the relations between the two, instead of keeping the Republicans, the Grand Nationals, and the Moonies in charge.

I am also announcing the official drop of my boycott of most South Korean corporations, including LG, Hyundai, SK, and Kumho Asiana. They are still far from ideal corporate citizens, but they deliver good products and support many jobs and small businesses around the world. As an active customer of those corporations, I will also be able to influence their corporate policies for the better. Only Samsung and Hanjin, due to their blatant political offenses, remain on my boycott list.

Fighting South Korean reactionary forces

I guess I don't have to wait for my flight back to Seoul, nor drive over to Koreatown, in order to fight these bastards. The fight has been brought into this very blog.

Recently, I posted about the rise of anti-Korean sentiment in China. Some moron sitting in Boston (who is ethnic Korean and a "researcher," and carries an intense hatred of Barack Obama, but I don't know if s/he is a visiting academic or a Korean-American) got offended immediately and started flaming me, insisting that Korea is NOT China, and repeating lots of tired 2MB McCarthyist talking points, as follows. (I never said that Korea was a part of China, and I certainly said nothing about communism - but s/he asked me to do just that, with this moronic comment.)

1) Korea isn't China.
2) Koreans aren't Chinese.
3) Koreans have every right to express there interest and concerns over Tibet.
4) Tibet isn't China.
5) Tibetans have independent culture and language.
6) China anti Korean movement is China's problem not Koreans.
7) China is " sugar-coated" communist regime. Outside looks nice and sweet but inside China
is still communist regime.
8) Koreans don't trust China communist regime.
9) Koreans will always be capitalisism society. Majority of Koreans live capitalist world.
10) Koreans have every right to express the anger toward Chinese because manchuria belonged to Koreans.

And that's what I decided to just go ahead and do, if only to piss off this bastard and break the stupidity of the South Korean elites' mentality:

Hey you asshole,

Korea isn't China? Give me a fucking break. If Korea isn't China, why did Korean kings continue to pay tributes and respects to the Chinese emperor for over a millennium, considering it a Confucian duty, never letting up until the Japanese knocked the concept of national sovereignty into their dense heads?

Even then, they never got it. Their advisors signed Korea over to Japan, and now South Korea is the 51st state of the USA in all but name.

If you are gonna join the USA, fine. Pick your side carefully, however. You are showing your stupidity again by joining the side that represents the few and has fucked up America for the past three decades - the Republicans.

And thanks so much for setting up the Unification Church, so that you can fulfill your Confucian duty to your Republican masters by giving them material and moral help. Thanks for spreading vicious false rumors about America's next President, Barack Obama; I don't think that's considered Confucian respect.

Meanwhile, the vast majority of America thinks your Confucian deference to us is more pathetic than admirable. You can give us your troops to help our Iraqi occupation, you can give us your free trade agreements, and you can buy all our beef even though your consumers want a second check on its safety. But you know what? We won't thank you; we will laugh at your stupidity.

The response from the moron was classic, playing straight out of the 2MB/Moonie smear machine handbook. I will dignify that nonsense by posting it here, if only to show the stupidity of the South Korean elite and their lack of understanding of America, international politics, communism/capitalism, democracy, and just about everything else.

Hey you asshole,

1) Study history asshole, If Koreans where part of China/Chinese. Koreans would be speaking and eating Chinese food.

2) Asshole, Koreans speak and eat Korean food. Not Chinese.

3) Asshole, if Koreans payed tribute to China for thousand of years in Confuscious thought. Koreans grammar should be similiar to Chinese. Koreans should breath and eat Chinese culture. In fact Korean don't rely Chinese culture to daily Korean life.

4) Asshole, Your so dense Korea is capitalist nation that supports United States fight off communist.

5) Asshole, Korean cultural Identity has always have been not becoming " Communist China".

6) Asshole, without Korea there is no Japan or Capitalist free world North East Asia.

7) Asshole, least majority of 90 percent of Koreans live in free capitalist world.

8) Asshole, Unification Church is christin group. Christin religion did not originate from Korea. It origniated from western world.

9) Asshole, if your pro-communist. Then support China, Cuba, and North Korea. You block headed dense head communist!!!

10) Asshole, Korea is Korea and China is China. Two different people with two different culture. Politically and culturally it has been different from 5 thousand years. Asshole!!!

Here's my final response. The moron does not need any more attention from me, as my real enemies are the 2MB government and its Republican buddies, not the average people of South Korea or the US. I decided to stick to facts to piss him/her off even more. I normally have better things to do than throw insults at the Koreans (due to my own partial Korean background), but when my other partial background - Chinese - gets insulted, and when the South Korean government and elites are hell-bent on US electioneering, a few well-placed insults are the least of what I can do.

You little motherfucker and your pathetic excuse of a "nation,"

You just NEVER get it don't you?

- Unlike your little pathetic monoethnic land, China is multiethnic. There are 56 official ethnic groups in China, including your "friends" - Tibetans. The Tibetans are great people - they will struggle well WITHOUT "help" from scums like you. The vast majority speak their own language and maintain their own culture. They are NOT Han Chinese, and never will be. Ever hear of the large Korean population in China? Do they speak only Mandarin, and eat only Chinese food? Maybe they do, given the Koreans' sellout history.

- What gives you the right to determine my level of support for Communism and my level of love/hatred of my own country? You are NOT American. Get the FUCK out of American politics.

- And while at it, your Ministry of National Defence considers patriotic American books to be "anti-American." You just never get it don't you?

- All the support that South Korea offers to the US are ONLY for the Republicans. The vast majority of Americans are suffering from it, SICK of your meddling in our affairs, and will KICK your ass if you don't stop immediately. I know that your pathetic excuse of a President, 2MB, is feeling very scared because a "nigger Muslim" (who isn't even a Muslim) is about to become the next US President.

- The Unification Church is a uniquely Korean twist on Christianity, involving another ideology you learned from your dear Chinese imperial masters - CONFUCIANISM. Hell, as a matter of fact, all Korean denominations of Christianity also involve lots of Confucian concepts.

- You said China-Tibet and China-Korea tensions are the problems of the Chinese, not the Koreans. You know what? Your undying love for our Republicans and their backward social morality are YOUR problem, not ours. We will keep the Republicans if we want to. But we don't want to.

- The US, Republican or Democratic, does NOT need your help in guarding capitalism around the world. We saved your ass ONLY because we needed a buffer zone to ensure Japan's safety and capitalist democracy. We gave you Christianity ONLY because you were dense and moronic enough to listen to our white supremacists' propaganda, and take it literally. Look at all your Asian neighbors - they have their unique Christian cultures, including Asiatic depictions of Jesus and Mary. You always insist on drawing the two as the superior white race; the white Jesus and Mary are themselves European localized versions, asshole, and they were Middle Easterners if you are truly interested in authenticity.

- Korea did NOT exist for 5,000 years (unless you believe the propaganda of the North Korean Communists you claim to hate so much). Maybe 4,300+ years - but only if your Creation legend, which is similar to those of the Ainu in Japan and a number of other ethnicities, is to be believed. But I know very well that you would rather submit to the "superior white Christian race" and adopt the Biblical Creation story.

- You can go Christian and Republican all you want, but America still will laugh at you instead of thanking you. We will be happy to annex your sorry land and teach you what "enlightenment" and "democracy" are REALLY about. But you will NEVER be our real 51st state, even though you sometimes think you are one already. Given the way you fucked up our democratic system, we just can't give you the right to vote in our elections.

- You are so damn typical of a South Korean ignoramus. No wonder your country remains a pathetic excuse of a nation. And you know what? The Bush era is over. Do hope that your pathetic excuse of a President, and the Unification Church, succeed in spreading enough extra false rumors about Obama, and installing McCain as our next President. Because, America wants Obama, America WILL elect Obama, and he will KICK YOUR ASS.

- Now, are you gonna tell me that Obama is a Communist scum too? I know you will. And that will show your pathetic nation's true colors. You don't love America. You don't love democracy. You only love dictatorships and *think* it's democracy.

I look forward to taking the fight back to Seoul and to 2MB's footsteps. The neocon saying on the Muslim terrorists, "you must fight them over there so that we don't have to fight them over here," applies even more to the South Korean reactionaries' influence on US politics. The Grand Nationals and the Republicans will pose major challenges, but the vast majority of people of both nations are NOT on their side.

The Moonie smear machine at work

Two developments:

• In California, corporations that have made contributions to oppose next month's gay marriage ban (Proposition 8), such as PG&E and Apple Computers, have gotten a threatening letter from the official Yes on 8 campaign. The letter states that the corporations must donate at least the same amounts to the Yes campaign, or their names will be publicly exposed, so that a Christian boycott will begin. The letter was signed by four individuals, including the Yes on 8 coordinator and attorney as well as Catholic and Mormon PAC representatives.
• Throughout the US, the McCain-Palin smears continue. Both McCain and Palin are vowing to campaign with the "pro-American" parts of America and the "real" parts of certain states, as well as rooting out "anti-Americans" in Congress. Senator John Kerry, whose own patriotism was questioned by the Republican smear machine during his 2004 presidential campaign, just sent me a mass email of outrage, and asked me to stand up against the smears.

I am even more outraged - I need to start working on my novel/writing and meditating, or I won't be able to return to Seoul (and that'll make things only worse).

The smear tactics of both Yes on 8 and the McCain-Palin campaign have all the hallmarks of the Unification Church being involved. The exact same smear tactics have been used by the Moonies to raise doubts about Al Gore's mental health, to shut down national healthcare as "socialism," and to vilify the very concept of liberalism itself. The Moonies have also been using the exact same tactics at home in South Korea, both under the past military dictatorships and under the current Lee Myung-bak government; Lee and his party also strongly question the patriotism of left-leaning independence fighters and modern-day prominent opposition politicians.

Lee's political party, Hannara (한나라, officially translated as Grand National Party, though it can also be translated as One National Party), has a very nationalistic name. But its policies and tactics tell otherwise. Recently, the Grand Nationals mulled a possible change in the name of the party, and many suggestions - both positive and negative - were submitted. The most popular was Tannara (딴나라, Other National Party), as the party is seen to put the interests of rightist foreign powers above those of the South Koreans. But all were off the mark. The rightful name for the Grand Nationals ought to be the Republican Party of the State of South Korea (사우스코리아주 공화당), as it acts more like a US state-level Republican organization than the ruling party of a sovereign republic.

I am finding myself very fortunate that I can work against these trends in person, both in the US and in South Korea. However, I need to ensure that I won't burn myself out over these struggles. I will find vindication when proper democracy and respect are restored to both nations, and the two can together set examples for the rest of the world to follow.

After a full day...

... back in Los Angeles, I am utterly fed up. Although I did have to come back for work, and although I do appreciate the extra frequent flier miles I am picking up, I am regretting coming back.

Dealing with three new Korean-American hires at work was a nightmare. Between the US and South Korea, if I was asked to name which country is the land of freedom and individualism, and which one is one of primitive Third World conformity, I would've named the US as the former, and South Korea as the latter - no questions about it. But now, I am not so sure. Between the total grip of fundamentalist Christian death cult on the Korean-Americans (and many other ethnic groups around Los Angeles as well) and the increasing tendency of South Koreans to speak up, it often feels like the US is now the one becoming the backward Third World country.

Case in point: California's gay marriage fight. Most South Koreans do not know of the current legal situation around gays in California, other than a vague news story or two about San Francisco. However, I've shared, with a few, the current situation regarding the gay marriage legalization, the attempts to amend the state constitution to ban it once again, and the heavy Korean-American support of the ban; the South Koreans, including moderate Christians, simply shake their heads, believing that while religious objections can definitely be raised, legal objections are way out of place. They rightfully tell me that the best way to oppose gay marriage is to not get into one oneself. They further express disbelief at the fact that all Koreans end up becoming death cult extremists upon moving to America (even when they have witnessed it first-hand from their own visits to the US), and that they are the only nonwhite non-refugee demographic to support the Republicans. It does appear that W, McCain, and 2MB all enjoy much higher levels of support in the Korean-American community than in South Korea.

While the Korean-American community is the most notable and the most extreme example of foreigners moving to America to send America backward, it is far from alone. I also count many other Asian and Latino demographics, particularly the Vietnamese-Americans, the Cuban-Americans, and many Central American immigrants, as culprits as well. Another problem with the immigrant communities is that the first-generation settlers and their second-generation American-born children often have huge culture gaps, and that results in massive conflicts and family strains, as the first generation forces its backward ways on the (until now, anyway) freer-thinking second generation. And the first generation is winning - and the passage of California's gay marriage ban will be the biggest victory yet (not to mention a chance for the first generation to scapegoat someone else for its own problems).

Immigration is supposed to be a tool for a sovereign nation to find workers that the native population cannot supply in enough numbers to meet demand; in case of the US, some high-tech workers and some menial laborers are definitely needed. At the same time, the interests of the native workforce must be protected as well, particularly from unfair competition. In those regards, the US immigration policy is a complete failure. It has failed to bring in enough workers with needed skills to fill demand, while bringing in sweetheart nationalities well beyond the job market's ability to accommodate them, crashing wages, destroying the livelihoods of native workers (especially acute in manufacturing and construction), and tilting the electorate in a partisan way. I'm really sick and tired of the immigrants going out of their way to eliminate the rights of some Americans to a pursuit of happiness. And the Korean-Americans have the extra luxury of having a wealthy government in their home country, gladly paying for this very destruction of American society and values.

Many countries require immigrants to accept the prevailing values of the host society in order to naturalize and become full members of the society. It's true of the Europeans, and South Korea's new provisions for naturalizing foreigners make that clear too. The US does not have such requirements set in stone, and in reality, the reactionary establishment encourages immigrants to keep up their backward ways, including beating of wives and honor killings, in the name of "celebrating diversity" or "we are all Americans" or some other liberal-sounding grand slogan that are never applied to truly deserving foreign arrivals.

I am also confounded by the continued Republican demonization of immigrants when the immigrants are doing everything to make regressive Republican social and economic agendas a permanent reality in the US, as well as the continued Democratic coddling of the immigrants despite their opposition to the true progressive agenda that the Democrats supposedly stand for. And the white liberals in the Democratic Party and other progressive organizations only pander to the immigrants, and do nothing to really turn the immigrants' mindsets around to their cause. This will doom the progressive movement and values in the end, just like it has already doomed marriage equality in California.

From now on, Democratic politicians who pander to the immigrant population out of political correctness, while letting the immigrant tyranny run rampant and making no efforts to educate them about true American values, will never see my support again.

I was really steamed when the immigrants got California's original gay marriage ban passed, and again when they put W in the White House - twice. Specifically, I have NO sympathy for the plight of Muslims in the US today, as they gladly voted for W in the first place due to the shared backward social values. And my experience with the Korean-Americans, before I had left for Seoul and today, is further convincing me that partisan-motivated immigration policies are doing nothing to promote American interests and everything to destroy America.

I have just booked my ticket back to Seoul. I am confirmed to leave again midweek next week, and will have three months to return - the validity of my visa. I don't even know if I'll be able to wait that long for my departure. 2MB has surely done lots of toxic damage to his own country, but his damage to the US, in the form of funding all the "Muslim extremist" rumors about Obama as well as funding of California's gay marriage ban, is even more toxic. And all the toxicity in both nations makes my proposed Hong Kong getaway all the more imperative.

Temporarily Home

I have just returned to Los Angeles, though it looks like I'll spend less than a week (maybe WAY less) here before heading for Seoul again, and resuming my regimen for a few more months at least.

I enjoyed my flight, which was on a very new 777 (HL7742) with video-on-demand - this was my first time flying on a plane with such a feature. The combination of two hot meals, amenity kits, and the video-on-demand made even my economy class experience comparable to some US airlines' business classes.

Upon departure from Seoul, the first programming that caught my attention was a documentary on New York Philharmonic's historic visit to Pyongyang, last February. It was so telling of the ability of human emotions and culture to overcome political barriers - and also of the North Korean propaganda machine still rearing its ugly head (as evidenced by music students who (1) have never heard of Juilliard, and (2) don't feel a need to go there, as North Korea has "plenty of good teachers" already). As I said about a week ago, civilians, not government bureaucrats, need to be in charge of North Korea's connections to the world - and the rest of the world's ties to North Korea - in order to ensure true peace and prosperity. Again, Kim Jong-il needs to go, and get replaced by someone who will be forced to listen to the people more. In any case, I loved seeing New York and Pyongyang musicians performing together, as well as the New York Phil's encore performance of "Arirang," a very popular traditional melody in both Koreas, which brought the entire audience to tears. It was also nice to see South Korea do its part in this historical event, by having MBC send its broadcast team north for live broadcast to the rest of the world, and by having Asiana Airlines fly the musicians to/from Pyongyang.

I was later able to tap into a number of pop and K-pop albums, choose any tracks of my liking, and make my own playlist. I ended up making two playlists. The first one consisted of latest English-language hits as well as some classics including U2 and Michael Jackson; I had listened to many of those songs in my previous travels around the world, and I wanted to remember all those events - and carry their spirit forward into even more travels in the future (and doing something good for everyone while at it). Again, I was no longer traveling between South Korea and the US on a South Korean-flagged airplane; I was in a part of a much bigger world, and about to take it all in. I really wish that after I return to Seoul, I will be able to pull off a Hong Kong trip.

The second playlist consisted of 1970s and 1980s K-pop - the very songs that I listened to while riding in my father's Hyundai Pony on the streets of Seoul. I wanted to re-live the memories, so that as I return to Seoul and try to do the Gyeongju road trip, I will be able to carry the same spirit forward as well. I want to drive exactly the same routes that my father once frequently drove. It's a shame that I'll have to drive something modern, as opposed to a 30-year-old Pony; on the other hand, I'll enjoy luxuries that were unheard of in the Pony, such as FM radio, CD player, air conditioning, automatic transmission, and maybe even a navigation system. Yes, the Pony had only an AM radio - best suited for newscasts, but also suitable for variety talk shows and even music. I remember that there was one KBS frequency that was pretty much nationwide, which was a good thing, as the radio's preset buttons were mechanical and it wasn't a good idea to use them often. (Besides, trying to tune an AM radio in rural areas could easily mean picking up a North Korean propaganda frequency by mistake - severely punishable if found out. Urban areas purposely jammed such frequencies, but rural areas couldn't be jammed.)

I passed the rest of time with a movie and some games. The games I played included three variations of Battleship, Blackjack, chess, video poker, and a bowling simulation. The chess program was easily beaten even at the hardest setting, however. Both Battleship and chess allowed playing against another passenger as opposed to the system.

When all was said and done, I finally found myself back home. I am glad to report that unlike four years ago, when every household in my area had a Bush-Cheney '04 sign out, there are no McCain-Palin signs anywhere. McCain appears to be in grave trouble - and that's a good thing. However, it does look like 2MB will succeed in getting California to ban gay marriage, based on "Yes on 8" bumper stickers on the cars. It looks like the No camp decided to stick to its feel-good empty liberal slogans, and never campaign with the conservative immigrants who will prove decisive. I will not forward any more contributions to the No on 8 campaign. It does appear that the vote will be close, however, especially if all the No votes materialize in San Francisco to counter the Catholics and the immigrants in Los Angeles.

A parting shot

This will most likely be my final post before my temporary return to Los Angeles. I am, however, glad to know that I will be back on the road soon, and uploading hundreds of extra photos in the weeks and months to come. I will keep traveling despite the US electioneering by South Korea's President Lee Myung-bak - and if Lee really gets on my nerves, I will make sure to get away to Hong Kong for a few days.

After the movie at COEX Mall, I looked for Mariah Carey's new compilation, The Ballads, at 3-4 different record stores in the area. No luck, however - even though today was the release date, it appeared that nobody had it. I'll pick it up after I return from Los Angeles; The Ballads will not be available in the US for several more months at least, and South Korean versions also include full lyrics, their full Korean translations, and a synopsis of the artist and each track. All the more reason to buy it here - as well as a nod to my 1994 memories, which not only involve Mariah's South Korean fans, but also Mariah herself in person.

On the subject of high-profile foreign entertainers, Billy Joel is set to come to Seoul for the first time, performing at Olympic Park on November 15th. I don't know his music too well though, so I don't think I'll attend.

And below is my only shot for today:

A Cologne manhole cover in Seoul? Yes! As I left COEX Mall, I decided to stop at Wangsimni, where Korail recently opened a new 17-story subway station building with private funding. Korail operates the Jungang Line at the station, and is building an extension of the Bundang Line, which primarily serves the southeastern satellite city of Seongnam, to there as well. Wangsimni also has Lines 2 and 5 (Seoul Metro and SMRT, respectively), and is the only Seoul subway station that offers all three subway operators together.

The upper levels are offices, while the lower levels house a shopping mall and the train services. There were a number of these Cologne manhole covers on the ground floor and the first basement floor, which are designated as "Enter 6," a shopping mall consisting of fashion and athletic apparel for men and women. I loved seeing these, as I was able to distract myself by reminding myself of my visit to Cologne, which took place on December 5, 1999 (a Sunday - all the shops were closed) for seven hours, and to this day remains my only stint in Germany. I need to get back to Europe sooner than later.

The Wangsimni station complex also includes a number of restaurants (including a very nice-smelling Vietnamese rice noodle joint) as well as E-Mart, a mass discount store chain run by Shinsegae Department Stores, and similar in character to Wal-Mart. (In fact, Wal-Mart has withdrawn from South Korea, and all Wal-Marts have become E-Marts.) Could be an interesting place to hang around after I return from home.

Declaration of War

It's my 800th post, and it will be a DECLARATION OF WAR. Despite watching How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, I am NOT in a good mood.

Please read a recent post over at Silenced Majority Portal. McCain and Palin are determined to win the presidency at ANY COST, and now that even generous contributions and propaganda from the Moonies and the South Korean government are NOT helping, it's time to start threatening Obama-Biden supporters with physical violence and vandalism.

I will not let this go unanswered. It's a shame that the Moonie motherfuckers can destroy American democracy, threaten voters, and install their favorite government all they want, while a legitimate American like myself finds it difficult to even vote at all.

Obama is not the perfect candidate. Nobody is. And he will never solve the grave problems that America and the world face, in the four or eight years he will spend in the White House. But he is the best hope, nevertheless, and will get the process started. Most real Americans realize that - unlike some moronic non-Americans, namely the Moonies and 2MB, with their twisted, incorrect idea of what America ought to be.

If the Moonies keep up their crap, Obama, when inaugurated, must consider using the CIA to carry out the overthrow of 2MB. After all, the CIA has removed far less anti-American heads of state overseas for much lesser reasons. 2MB has clearly funded the ongoing death threats against Obama, and Obama has every right and obligation to respond. The South Korean conservative establishment must be taught that spreading false smear rumors about the next President of the United States does NOT count as "Confucian deference." I sincerely hope that Obama will point a nuke or two in the direction of Seoul, so that these bastards will get a clue and shut up.

From now on, it is WAR against the South Korean government, elites, and right-wingers, as well as the Korean-American community. They asked for a war, and a war they shall get.

Two things

It's 5:30 PM in Seoul, on Monday, October 20th. I didn't go out at all today - I am thinking of my temporary return to Los Angeles.

DiAnne Grieser reports on her blog, Silenced Majority Portal, that Obama is enjoying a huge lead worldwide, as the world is paying lots of attention to the US presidential race, and the results will have huge ramifications for the entire world. It is interesting to note the Polish tendency to give glowing reviews of the Republicans, and to be less enthusiastic about Obama, than the rest of the world, due to all the special perks the Poles have enjoyed for supporting and following the Republican agenda. Here in South Korea, the vast majority of people also support Obama, but the ones that matter - the government and the Moonies, who have enough power to really mess up US elections - support McCain.

In the meantime, one part of me is already thinking ahead - to life back in Seoul, AFTER my temporary return to Los Angeles is over. I'm currently weighing options for my road trip. I am currently leaning toward getting a weekly rental of a midsize car, which should cost me a tad over half a million won, but the depreciation of the won will still mean that I will be able to keep the rental cost reasonable when converted into US dollars. I will most likely rent from Kumho, a franchisee of Hertz, which also offers 10% discount for United frequent fliers as well as miles (I must book through a special United-Hertz portal, however). And having a car for a week will enable me to visit not only major sights in and aroung Gyeongju and on the way there, but also extend my trip to elsewhere in the country, visit my grandparents' graves, and/or even report to my meditation in the car. It's a good thing South Korea is compact enough to allow me to drive just about anywhere in half a day at most (assuming light traffic, that is). I also considered buying a GPS navigation system, but due to the difficulty of installing one in a rental car, decided against it; it also doesn't help that I cannot get North American maps for the South Korean GPS units, and therefore won't be able to take them to the US. I will use Internet-based mapping services, such as congnamul.com, to get reasonable routings, then buy a good paper atlas and mark it up. I hope it will be a bit less hectic than my UK road trip of 1998.

Tomorrow, I may visit the posh Rodeo Drive district in Apgujeong-dong, south of the river. Even if I don't get there, I will surely head over to COEX Mall to catch a movie - How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, starring the likes of Kirsten Dunst and Gillian Anderson - as well as buy a Mariah Carey CD to be released tomorrow. That should be my final plan in Seoul before preparing to temporarily return home.

Absentee Voting

Now, I am set to temporarily return to the US. However, once home, I will need to look at my work situation before determining when I'll be back in Seoul. I do have to come back to Seoul before too long, but I don't know how this is going to work out, especially in regards to the election.

It will be a shame if Lee Myung-bak and Reverend Moon, both non-Americans, can pump billions of precious US dollars into continuing the Republican presidency in the US (and getting gay marriage banned in California while at it), and I, an American, can't even cast my vote to stop that.

I've just checked with my county registrar for options, though they are not too appetizing. But it does look like I will be able to vote after all.

The most likely scenario will be that I will come back to Seoul just a few days short of Election Day; that will also be the worst-case scenario, as I can neither vote in person in the US, nor vote absentee in Seoul and mail my ballot back in time to have it counted. There is a solution, however, though one that could potentially be fraught with fraud. It's possible for me to print out the sample ballot booklet (PDF) for my precinct, mark my choices on it, print out a fax ballot affidavit form and put my information and signature, and fax it back to my county registrar. I'll have to find a nearby Fedex-Kinko's location (there are a number of them here in Seoul) for the actual fax, however, and pay a small fee.

Once my ballot is faxed in, my vote will be transcribed onto an actual ballot card by someone else before counting; that will be where fraud is possible. And even though it may be Los Angeles County, California, as opposed to Florida or Ohio, I still don't trust the system; it'll be too easy and tempting for the Catholic Latino pollworkers to switch my "No" vote on Proposition 8 to "Yes" - "in the name of God." If I were voting in San Francisco or Alameda counties, I wouldn't be so worried, but Los Angeles, thanks to conservative immigrants, is NOT San Francisco.

I can fax pretty late - as long as the fax is in by 8PM local time in Los Angeles (that would be 1PM next day in Seoul, as Daylight Saving Time will be over by then), my vote is supposed to count.

So it looks like a crapshoot and will cost me some, but I must vote anyway. After all, this election is just too important for me to sit out. And again, it'll be a shame for 2MB and Moon to have a say in US politics, and for me to have no say.

Returning Home

As I mentioned two posts ago, I am now set to temporarily return to Los Angeles later in the week, and have a confirmed reservation. However, my current stay in Seoul has already broken the record for my longest stay outside the US. I've been here 34 days now, and the last time, it was 32 days - back in 1994, also here in Seoul.

However, I will need to book a ticket back to Seoul as soon as possible, so that my meditation regimen can immediately continue. I'll contact my travel agent's Seoul office to see what can be worked out; alternately, I will also check fares over at United Airlines.

On a better note: General Colin Powell is now supporting Obama.

BBC

Two things

First, an update from DiAnne Grieser by email alerts me to the following link:

Daily Kos

Namely, indications are that John McCain has been well associated with terrorist organizations that have advocated for the violent overthrow of the United States government. One of them, the WACL, was supported by the government of Taiwan and the Unification Church organization, and counted many Nazis and anti-Semites as members.

The allegations must be verified, though I do feel that they are serious enough (and make enough sense) to justify verifying. So much for Barack Obama being under the influence of Muslim extremists - a false allegation made none other than the Moonies themselves.

Second, I am finding out the secret behind the widespread use of text messaging in South Korea. It all comes down to the very clever way of breaking down the 24 modern letters of the Korean alphabet into their conceptual forms, and assigning them to the ten numerical keys. Keys 1 through 3 are the vowels. Originally, the Korean vowels consisted of only three elements: . (天/sky), ㅡ (地/earth), and ㅣ (人/human). The "sky" element is written as a short stroke in almost all modern fonts, but it's really supposed to be a dot. The vowels thus can be formed by typing these elements in the correct sequential order, from left to right or from top to bottom, using the keys 1 through 3. That leaves the other seven keys for the fourteen consonants, and each key gets two different but related consonants. For example, the 4 key gets ㄱ (g) and ㅋ (k). This results in a highly efficient layout that allows the phone users to type massive amounts of text in very short amounts of time. Try typing 30 words per minute, with a 10-key numeric pad, in English - it can't be done! Korean is the best-suited script for quick, efficient texting, much more so than Roman or Cyrillic alphabets, and certainly even more so than Chinese characters or Japanese kana. As a result, Blackberries and most other smart phones, with full keyboards that have keys too tiny for practical use, are nowhere to be found in South Korea.

In fact, lots of services can be used through text messaging instead of voice, including mass transit real-time information. Most subway riders do not do voice calls, as they tend to get quite obnoxious; they all do texting. In fact, even crimes can be reported by texting. A woman being harassed by a male chauvinistic pig in the subway can send a text message to 112 (the police hot line) similar to this: "I'm on Line 2, between Jamsil and Sports Complex, on Car Number 2416. Help!" (And yes, even in the tunnels, cell phone reception is excellent.)

Seoul: Gyeonghuigung, Deoksugung, & City Hall

I decided to limit myself to the City Hall area today, and my experiences today allowed me to see Seoul both as an ancient capital and as a modern international business hub.

My first destination today was Gyeonghuigung, the westernmost royal palace which was built in 1616 strictly as an emergency backup. Nevertheless, it witnessed the inaugurations of three of Joseon's 27 monarchs. The Japanese managed to pretty much destroy it completely during their colonial rule, so the palace today is considered only a "site," though a few key buildings have been rebuilt.

In the royal era, I would've been inside the palace. But today, I am at a plaza which is showcasing photos of the Han River in Seoul, taken between 1956 and 1963.

This photo, one of about two dozen, shows rowboats floating around the river's only vehicular and railroad bridges. In postwar Seoul, this was one of the few ways the citizens could unwind and relax.

These children are skating and sledding on the frozen river, under the railroad bridge. Some of them are wearing the "People's Army" winter caps, which were a necessity for street credibility among young boys playing winter games.

This scene was very common in the 1950s, but is only a memory today, as global warming and all the heat produced by modern city activities combine to keep Seoul much warmer, preventing the river from freezing at all, much less well enough to allow skating.

Two young women are sporting modest swimsuits on a hot summer day. Back in these days, having enough money to buy a swimsuit was a big deal. Many, especially young boys, played in the water completely naked - not a problem, as it was (and to a large degree, still is) completely acceptable and healthy to see young boys naked. A few nearby photos were indeed showing photos of naked boys, but I didn't capture them, as they would be considered child porn in the West.

In Korean culture, sights of naked young boys are completely nonsexual and usually a very good thing. A newborn boy will customarily have his frontal nude photo taken in celebration; after all, his manhood better look good, so that after he grows up, he will be able to father lots of children and continue the family line. (It's also completely acceptable, and encouraged, for older relatives to touch the newborn boy's manhood in order to bless him - even though the very thought of it creeps me out.) Even as the boy grows up, he may end up playing outside naked - or at least naked from the waist down - until he is potty-trained (and maybe even a bit longer afterwards), to save on diaper and laundry costs. And even after that, nudity for young boys has traditionally been acceptable all the way until right before puberty, in limited contexts such as swimming, but that's no longer the case today, as everyone can afford swimsuits now.

Girls are saved from all this indignity, however, as femininity is considered delicate and to be protected at all costs, and therefore girls are always fully clothed. Reminds me of ancient Greek art - naked males, clothed females.

Swimming in the river used to be common, but industrial pollutants from the 1960s on pretty much stopped that altogether, and even though the river is once again clean, swimming is still not a good idea.

Originally, I started taking photos of turtle tombstones as a shout-out to my blogging friend DiAnne Grieser in Seattle, who loves turtles. But as I continue running into more and more turtle tombstones all over South Korea, I am developing my own like for them. Though again, I couldn't tell the purpose of this tombstone.

This tombstone occupies the front plaza of Gyeonghuigung, which is now a public square partially occupied by the Seoul History Museum.

The plaza is currently under renovation, but when it's finished early next year, it'll feature this: a streetcar.

Seoul inaugurated a streetcar system in the dying days of the Empire, running east-west along Jongno from the city's western gate through the eastern gate and slightly beyond. A north-south line, from Gyeongbokgung through City Hall, the southern gate, and Seoul's current main train station, to Yongsan, was added during the Japanese era. The streetcars were retired in 1968, and replaced with Seoul's first subway line six years later, covering roughly the same route as the aforementioned two routes.

This streetcar, previously displayed at Children's Grand Park, is itself undergoing chassis renovation right now, in preparation for its new role as the star display of the plaza.

Next to the streetcar lies this bunker. It appears to have been built as a shelter in case of a second North Korean invasion. That invasion is becoming less and less likely, however, as North Korea's shrinking economy is taking a toll, even on the military, despite its "military first" policy. Nevertheless, it can't be completely ruled out.

One of the rebuilt halls of Gyeonghuigung. This building is Sungjeongjeon, built in 1618 as the main administration building. The original was sold by the Japanese in the 1920s to a Japanese-owned Buddhist temple, and is now being used as a religious hall at the Buddhist-owned Dongguk University. This is a reconstruction based on historical records and excavations.

Sungjeongjeon's throne.

Outside this palace are a number of high-rise buildings housing the various divisions of a leading South Korean corporation, Kumho Asiana. The left building houses the company's life insurance division; the red slanted accent mark is the new corporate identity of Kumho Asiana. The curved building in the center right is the new corporate headquarters of the entire corporation, opened less than four weeks ago.

Kumho Asiana is well known for tires and other automotive parts, as well as transportation (Kumho Bus Lines, Korea Express truck line, and Asiana Airlines) and construction (not only Kumho Construction, but the construction arm of the defunct Daewoo group too). The company's name used to be simply Kumho; "Asiana" was recently added due to the high visibility of Asiana Airlines, especially overseas.

Now, I am about to enter Seoul History Museum. Although I had been there in 2004, and photos are not allowed, I still thought it couldn't hurt to go in again, especially since admissions is free this month. (It's normally 700 won.)

Today, there was a special exhibition on the Chinese historical novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and its role in Korean popular culture throughout history. The novel is based on the events in China around 200 CE, when the Han empire was breaking up, many warlords vied for influence, and three of them (Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan) eventually competed for the control of all of China. I am somewhat familiar with the story (and quite familiar with the major characters), after discussing them with my Chinese-speaking friends back in the US.

Again, photos were not allowed in the exhibit area, so I can only describe what I saw today. I could see screens depicting various scenes from the novel, written forms of the novel in Chinese and Korean, 1970s comic version of the novel (both uncensored and censored), and the development of various Korean-language translations of the story. There are even some side stories that are popular in Korean culture, but were never included in the Chinese original.

These sketches are in the photo-allowed area. I can take a dot sticker and place it next to my favorite major character from the Three Kingdoms. On the right is Liu Bei, considered the most honorable of the three major warlords; he was winning the popularity contest here. On the left is Zhuge Liang, the extraordinarily smart advisor to Liu Bei.

Two more figures. On the left is Liu Bei's trusted general and sworn younger brother, Guan Yu. Guan Yu is a deity in China, and a shrine dedicated to him stands even here in Seoul. On the right is a very wily warlord, Cao Cao; although Cao Cao died late in the story, his descendants were the eventual victors.

Nearby were some popular Korean sayings that were derived from Three Kingdoms, a few of which are as follows:

• Cao Cao laughs his way to his own demise. (You may be overconfident and smiling now, but could humiliate yourself later.)
• Cao Cao's arrows shoot Cao Cao. (Using too many tricks will lead to one's own demise.)
• Are you Liu Bei? You weep too much. (A way to indicate a crybaby.)
• He's like Zhao Yue (a major general for Liu Bei) using his old spear. (A way to describe one's spendthrift ways of using money or objects.)
• Zhang Fei (Liu Bei's youngest sworn brother) always fights everyone he meets. (A way to describe a very belligerent person who picks fights with anyone and everyone.)
• Don't fight Zhang Fei. (Zhang Fei may be a good fighter, but unless you let him fight you, you don't have to fight him at all.)
• Three ordinary people are better than a Zhuge Liang. (It's better to have several ordinary brains working together than an extraordinary brain working alone.)
• If Zhuge Liang comes, he'll go home crying. (A way to describe someone truly extraordinary - even more so than Zhuge Liang.)

The rest of the museum didn't feature too much beyond what I've seen in other museums around Seoul. However, I loved displays of Seoul's urban growth, with models of downtown from the 19th Century, from the 1930s, and from 2002. Also present were a video showing Seoul's city limits and transportation network, from modest 1394 beginnings to the sprawling complex today. I could also take a virtual tour of the downtown area of 1930s Japanese Keijo, and even take a look at tourist maps, pamphlets, and many other objects dating back to that time. I could see the city's growth in three stages: the initial modernization at the end of the Empire, further modernization by the Japanese to fit their imperial ambitions, and the rebuilding of the city after the complete destruction in the Korean War. Interactive terminals at the end allowed me to further study those developments, including the 1970s and 1980s development of Jamsil from a sleepy floodplain of silkworm farms to the home of the 1988 Summer Olympics, something that I personally remember.

Once the most common sight in Seoul, but now very rare: a second-generation Hyundai Excel from the early 1990s. This particular example has decals stating that it comes with optional fuel injection, which was standard on US-market second-generation Excels.

Its license plate is really old; it is in the format of "Seoul 1 X 1234" (X being a simple arbitrary Korean syllable), issued from the 1970s to the mid-1990s. Most older plates, from the late 1990s to 2004 (and for commercial plates, continuing into today), feature the format "Seoul 12 X 1234," with an extra digit in the first number. The newest national plates drop the "Seoul" or any other administrative designation altogether, and simply read "12 X 1234." The primary means of identifying a particular car is through its last four digits of the license plate; the make and model may not be enough, as something like a "silver Hyundai Sonata" is way too common.

By the time this Excel came around, Hyundai was suffering in the US due to poor reliability of the Excel. Many thought Hyundai would simply give up on the US. Instead, it introduced superb new cars, switched from hand-me-down Mitsubishi technologies to its own technologies, and backed the new cars up with super-long warranties; that paid off handsomely.

The first-generation Excel set many sales records in the US, but as it was a truly horrible car, it can no longer be seen in South Korea today. The four-door sedan version of that car, with a separate trunk, was called the Presto in the South Korean domestic market; export models were all Excels, regardless of body style (except those bound for Europe, which continued to use the old Pony name). But for this second generation, all models were Excels (except, again, Europe-bound models, which were again Ponys), and the Presto name was dropped.

A contrast of different political forces currently vying for power in South Korea.

In front, a banner hung by the New United Democratic Party (now, simply the Democratic Party) criticizes the Lee Myung-bak government and its massive tax cuts for the rich. In South Korea, the Democratic Party represents the center-left, and is the largest opposition party, though even then, its influence is limited, as the ruling conservative Grand Nationals hold an outright majority. Any mentions of the "Democratic Party" in South Korean media refers to this party; for the American political party, a specific "US Democratic Party" label is required.

In the rear, the Chosun Ilbo headquarters stands tall, with a television screen showing various news articles and commercials. Again, the Chosun Ilbo is the mouthpiece of South Korea's conservative establishment (as well as its foreign allies in the US Republican Party and elsewhere).

After an upsetting early morning over the political developments both here and back in the US, I have to say that I was feeling better by this point. The Seoul History Museum had shown me the growth of Seoul from a sleepy colonial administration center to an industrial powerhouse to a true world-class city, and even more importantly, the ability of the South Koreans to get all of that done in just a few decades. If only they can remember to draw from their proud, glorious recent past, and stay the course, instead of copying the failed policies of the US Republicans...

This demonstration is asking the passersby to knit some caps for the poor African children. There are a number of such philanthropic demonstrations going on throughout Seoul these days. For a fraction of the immense sums of money being sunk into the Unificaton Church and the US Republicans, the South Koreans are able to do much more with these poorer members of the human family, and make far more difference.

I am nearing the City Hall area. Across from me, the bell tower of the Anglican Church is visible. This is the British area of Seoul; the UK Embassy is just beyond the church.

To the right is the original National Assembly building, which now houses Seoul's City Council. The National Assembly moved to Yeouido in the 1970s.

This is the Seoul Plaza, in front of the City Hall, formerly a very chaotic intersection full of traffic. Now, most of the area is grass, and vehicular traffic is routed around the far end. This is a place where key demonstrations take place, including the 1945 celebration of Japanese defeat, the 1980s democracy movements, the wild cheers of 2002 FIFA World Cup, and the anti-W candlelight vigils of today.

A plaque here said that this place became a grassy plaza in 2004 to immortalize the 2002 FIFA World Cup cheers. The plaque was signed by then-mayor Lee Myung-bak, of course the current President.

Behind me stands the City Hall itself. Currently, it is a Japanese-era building, but it is closed for partial demolition and rebuild, and city administration takes place a few blocks to the west in a temporary building.

Another act of philanthropy: sending 4,000 pairs of sneakers to Bangladesh, where dire economic conditions force even the youngest children into hard labor. These shoes are intended to give some place to rest for the children's labor-hardened feet.

Citizens were asked to hang around, pay for a pair of shoes, then personalize the shoes with various message and insignia using the provided ink and paint. The personalizations serve to not only carry a message from Seoul to the recipients, but also prevent the shoes from being sold in the black market.

I proceeded to the nearby Lotte Department Store (the main branch), where I visited the food court on the top floor. I was very delighted to find the Thai Orchid, one of the few Thai restaurants in Seoul. Food was expensive, but very good, though a bit spicier than I normally find in the US (as South Koreans like spicy food too) but still not as spicy as what a native Thai would ask for. As very few South Koreans know and appreciate Thai food, many of the fellow diners were Westerners. The staff was a mix of Thais and Koreans. Also in the food court, next to Thai Orchid, was the absolutely nicest Vietnamese restaurant of my life!

I'm finished dining, and I am wrapping up the day. I am passing in front of this building, once again in front of City Hall, which houses a whole bunch of foreign offices. Some represent the Taiwanese government, but most belong to airlines. Some, like Finnair and EVA Air, are fairly recent entrants to the South Korean market. Others, including some familiar US-based names, have never served South Korea, and maintain offices here for the convenience of South Koreans traveling to/within the US.

Although mainline Continental has never come here, Continental's Guam-based Micronesia subsidiary occasionally serves Seoul; Continental currently serves Seoul through codeshares on Korean Air, Delta, and Northwest, though as it switches from SkyTeam to Star Alliance, Asiana and United will take over soon. Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air, a name very familiar to me - and one of my favorites, despite my hatred of the State of Alaska - also maintains an office here; it also relies on Korean Air, Delta, and Northwest to carry passengers from Seoul to one of its gateways. A Mexican beach vacation will involve flying Korean Air to Los Angeles, then transferring to Alaska Airlines there (though that may change, as Aeromexico is rumored to be considering running a Seoul-Tijuana nonstop).

My last shot for the day. The gate in the distance is Daehan Gate, the entrance to Deoksugung, immediately to the west of City Hall and south of the British section. I decided not to enter the palace, as I've been there before, and its European buildings and gardens are more of interest for the locals than for me. Besides, I was a bit tired.

To the left is a yellow sign announcing the presence of a Chinese language academy there. Its name is "Yi Er San" - 1, 2, 3 in Mandarin. Mandarin Chinese, as I previously mentioned in my post on Seoul's tiny Chinatown, has become an unhealthy national obsession in South Korea, second only to English.

For comparison, the same 1, 2, 3 count is done in Korean as "Il Yi Sam" - closer to the pronunciation in Cantonese than Mandarin. The Japanese pronunciation doesn't differ much either; it's "Ichi Ni San."