I'm staying in today, my only time skipping a meditation session for a reason other than travel. I'll probably stay in all day and watch some Go matches on TV, and maybe do some offline writing. In the meantime, tomorrow, December 10th, is International Human Rights Day, and I am looking at observances both here in South Korea and back in the US; I will support these observances - if only in spirit - as my sign of severe displeasure against the past 8 years of W rule in the US, the continuing rule of W's puppet 2MB in South Korea, and tyrants elsewhere in the rest of the world.
- In Seoul, activists from within South Korea and around the world run the House of Sharing, a museum/shelter for survivors of Imperial Japan's Comfort Women program. The website tells lots of painful stories of the former sex slaves, who have been neglected by their own families and government for decades. Thanks to their own courage, however, as well as help of pro-democracy activists and media (including the Hankyoreh, which publicized the plight of the Comfort Women in the early 1990s), the Comfort Women now have a voice. Since 1992, they've been protesting every Wednesday at noon in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul, and will continue to do so until their seven demands - including official apology from Japan - are met. Tomorrow's protest will coincide with the International Human Rights Day, and will include special events. I think supporting them will be the best thing I can peacefully, safely do to support the everyday South Koreans, and strongly condemn the New Right sellouts who see these former sex slaves as willing volunteers.
- Back in the US, an AP report on Yahoo! indicates that gay rights activists are planning on doing something along the lines of the massive immigrant walkout of 2006. They are fed up with continuing passage of gay marriage bans nationwide - especially Prop 8 in California. They'll make sure to get heard by withholding their economic contributions (both work and spending), and by volunteering for worthy nonprofits. Many of the participants will be sympathetic straights, and some employers do expect significant work slowdown for the day. While this will certainly make some symbolic impact (how much, I don't know), some activists do point out that a more effective strategy will be to permanently direct spending money away from homophobic companies and toward gay-friendly companies. And by retiring my BMW, I'll be doing just that.
