Extreme belief?

S. Korean man found crucified, wearing crown of thorns: Police are investigating whether it was murder or suicide

A man wearing only underwear, with a wound on the side of his torso and nylon strings tied around his neck, arms and stomach, was found crucified Sunday in Mungyong, about 115 miles southeast of Seoul, said Chung Ji-chun, chief of the violent crime section at Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency.

Two smaller crosses were erected on each side of the cross he was nailed to, Chung said.

Police also found nails, a hammer, an electric drill, pieces of wood and instructions on how to build crosses inside a tent near the scene, Chung said.

The person was reported to be known for extreme religious beliefs and a mirror was found in position so the person could see himself on the cross. It is still being investigated to see if it was murder, suicide, or if someone helped with the crucifixion.

Shame

US wavered over S. Korean executions

In the early days of the Korean War, other American officers observed, photographed and confidentially reported on such wholesale executions by their South Korean ally, a secretive slaughter believed to have killed 100,000 or more leftists and supposed sympathizers, usually without charge or trial, in a few weeks in mid-1950.

Funny how when war (regular or Cold) comes up, basic freedoms go right out the window. In this case an ally apparently conducted thousands of killings and the American government stood by, documenting and reporting on it but putting little pressure on the Koreans to stop it.

Also, I hate to admit, things like this, and Japanese internment camps, and releasing nuclear weapons on a civilian populace--these were all done under the Democrats' watch. We like to think of ourselves as the party that protects freedom. It's Republicans like Bush who curtail our rights, correct? But the wholesale slaughter and confinement of those who either disagree or simply inconveniently exist goes far beyond things like the PATRIOT Act (and for that matter, plenty of Democrats voted for that, too.)

We need to dig up and bring to light these unpleasant truths from the past so that we my learn from it. But I'm embarrassed by my government's choices in the 1950s. I have a bumper sticker, much loved by others, that says something like:

I love my country
It's the government I fear

This certainly reiterates why. I had considered getting a new sticker if the Democrats take the White House in the fall. This just shows that history bears witness that it political affiliation doesn't matter--you still can't trust, especially when given a political machine that operates in secret in the name of protecting freedom.