In order to seize every possible resource at his disposal, to try to take the country and bend all checks, balances, and power to his will, to create an anti-socialist, divisive, pro-U.S. narrative, the president abused power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Does this sound familiar? Where do you think I’m talking about?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Right now, I’m giving you an example of when president Yoon and declared martial law last month. But other places also unfortunately know exactly what I’m talking about, because you’re either going through this or you will soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yoon and was impeached, arrested, indicted,<\/strong> and is now going through the higher courts. Of course, Korea is not the same as every other place, but it does share something with many countries around the world in that it is occupied and heavily influenced by the U.S. Empire<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So the lesson I want to bring back from Korea is one of solidarity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sentiment when the martial law declaration happened was a mix of disbelief at the audacity and recklessness of this man and those who chose to go along with it. This is a similar sentiment to how a lot of people in the U.S. are feeling right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Korea, it’s a very recent and familiar sentiment. And I would argue that it is in the U.S. too, but it is intentionally kept fragmented so that people think, \u201cThat’s your history,\u201d \u201cThat’s your history,\u201d not \u201cThis is our collective history of struggle<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As I have written about many times in the past, the last time martial law was declared in Korea, tens of thousands of Koreans were massacred by the government, with the endorsement of the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a country still technically at war, Koreans are born bracing ourselves for disaster. It is almost as if we’re always poised at the start line, in position, and ready to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Within minutes of the declaration, millions of people around the country mobilized and took to the streets. Special forces and police were deployed with ammunition in tow, but many of them defied their orders<\/strong> and refused<\/strong> to storm the election building, refused to fight the people<\/strong>. That can happen anywhere, defy and dissent<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It can look like and take the shape of so many different things: forming people’s clinics, gardens, and libraries, boycotts, federal workers organizing against the resignation bounty, protecting students, educators offering free courses on social media, holding off ICE agents, having a neighborhood care network, knowing the laws they try to keep inaccessible, being trans, exchanging information, forming protection circles with those who are the most impacted at the center, and making the connections of the struggles of all of our people to create collective struggle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Defy and dissent.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Millions defy and dissent, and billions of us can too. So wherever you are, you can always prepare<\/strong> so that you can be ready<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Koreans didn’t like what happened that day, so they let it be known. And they haven’t stopped since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And I’m talking about Korea, yes, but not really. You know what I mean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People, especially when we’re prepared and ready, are powerful. Defy and dissent<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In order to seize every possible resource at his disposal, to try to take the country and bend all checks, balances, and power to his…<\/p>\n