Letter in Canberra Times this morning-Reminder meeting tonight

[Annette Brownlie]

Dear IPAN Brisbane groups and others

Great letter to read- and a reminder of the organising meeting tonight for the October 7th Anti-War IPAN rally in Brisbane. QCU 6pm

Regards

Annette

Dear all

This letter was published in the Canberra Times this morning.  Wish I had the sub editor's job and could have put in a non-trivialising heading...

Thanks Bevin for the info from your letter re the history and current US presence in South Korea. They edited a bit, taking out a bit about North Koreans living in tunnels or fleeing to the mountains for safety in the 50s. 

Kathryn 

Jaw jaw not war war

The situation on the Korean Peninsula has not arisen from nowhere.

North Korea was devastated by the US in the early 1950s when 20 per cent of their population died and every city and town was flattened.

It's not that long ago.

Today the US has dozens of military bases facing them, flies nuclear capable bombers over their peninsula regularly, has positioned THAAD missile detection systems in South Korea together with 28,500 US forces and the US naval fleet, including three aircraft carriers, destroyers and cruisers, patrols the seas off North Korea's shores.

That North Korea feels threatened and has sadly moved to develop missiles and nuclear weapons to defend itself against another feared US invasion is perhaps understandable.

Pressure is being put on North Korea to step back from the brink, and similar pressure should be put on the US by the Australian government and others.

At the very least, and as a start, the US should stop their provocative military exercises and flights near North Korea.

There is no military solution that doesn't involve the loss of thousands to billions of lives.

Negotiation is the only sane way forward.

Kathryn Kelly, Chifley