Are we all fully immersed in the Christmas spirit? We cats noticed that even before Thanksgiving Day, and immediately thereafter, decorated trees, holiday lights, and (ugh) Christmas inflatables started popping up around us. Even though we live in a 50-50 Republican-Democratic area, we assumed it was folks depressed about the election and deciding to waste no time throwing themselves into tidings of comfort and joy.
Unfortunately, though, current events still exert their tug. Here's one that really got our attention: the failed declaration of martial law in South Korea. (MAGAts, please note: It's not spelled "Marshall law.")
The video from Seoul was, at first glance, a bizarre mirror-image of January 6, 2021, at the US Capitol. This time, it was lawmakers trying to get into the South Korean parliament to override President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration, with the South Korean military attempting to keep them out. Long story short (and thank goodness), the forces of democracy prevailed. Lawmakers unanimously voted to reject the martial law declaration, and Yoon walked it back.
What led up to this confrontation? Lots of stuff. First, we all have to recognize that South Korea has not always been a model of good government. But it's been a lot better since 1987, when constitutional democracy was consolidated. And obviously, South Korea has been a valued ally against Benedict Donald's good buddy, Kim Jung Un, in North Korea. But in 2022, politics in South Korea took a turn to the right.
It not only took that rightward turn, it eerily presaged the events of 2024 in the United States. Here's how the Toronto-based Globe & Mail summed up the path to this week's events:
"In 2022, Yoon and his conservative People Power Party won South Korea's election in an absolute squeaker, capturing the Presidency...with 0.73 percent of the vote. It was a bitter race dubbed 'the unlikable election' because of the candidates' high disapproval ratings and frequent smear campaigns.
"Another commentator termed it 'the incel election' instead, with Yoon capitalizing on a wave of male resentment. He blamed feminism for assorted troubles that ranged from soaring housing costs and waning upward mobility to plummeting birth rates — and he captured 65 percent of male voters age 18 to 29. By contrast, 68 percent of female voters that age broke for [the opposition] Democratic Party."
Did we cats notice all this happening in South Korea in 2022? We freely admit we didn't. But now, Yoon is facing possible impeachment, which he richly deserves. And we wonder if here in the US, Republicans in Congress will have the gumption to stand up to Benedict Donald the way Korean parliamentarians have stood up to Yoon. We cats wait and watch — but expecting nothing, we HISS.
No comments:
Post a Comment