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Gulf Today
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Reclaiming the US Flag for ‘No Kings Day'
Paul Loeb, Tribune News Service Will marchers carry flags on "No Kings Day"? On June 14, more than 1,000 local demonstrations will challenge President Donald Trump's North Korean-style military parade for his birthday with our defense of democracy. The 14th is also Flag Day and the 250th anniversary of the US Army. The flag can't replace protest signs. But it complements and amplifies them. The demonstrations send a message that even as Trump and his allies wrap themselves in their flags, they are betraying the best of America. They highlight a culture of corruption where the only Americans who matter are allies of Trump at the top and persons or institutions who would challenge this become subjects of attacks. Our flags make clear, in contrast, that we are defending Americans' fundamental right to speak out, without which all other rights become meaningless. They're a message to all who agree with us but also to all those Americans who voted for Trump or stayed home, rejecting both candidates. Because to change the direction of our country, the support of at least some of these people will be essential. As "No Kings Day" reminds us, 'The flag doesn't belong to Donald Trump. It belongs to us.' But at most anti-Trump protests, flags have been absent or marginal. I counted one when several thousand people marched in Seattle this past May Day, plus scattered Uncle Sam and Statue of Liberty images. That may be because carrying the flag feels uncomfortable, a false embrace for many who've marched to challenge American wars, call out racial injustice, or push back against corporate power. But the flag also stands for legacies of courage and sacrifice that should give us all hope and strength, like the classic World War II image of GIs raising it over Iwo Jima. The flag represents the imperfect but essential mechanisms of democracy that Trump's regime so profoundly threatens, ones that allow us to keep working for justice. In defending these mechanisms and the rule of law, Thomas Jefferson condemned the very Alien and Sedition Acts whose remnants Trump is now abusing. These acts created the power of kings, Jefferson warned, writing of threats to the 'constitutional rights and liberties of the States and by the suspicions of the President, or be thought dangerous to his or their election, or other interests, public or personal.' These acts first targeted 'the friendless alien,' Jefferson wrote, but 'the citizen will soon follow.' Flags have long been part of the protest tradition and may have even more impact when those speaking out are being marginalized or attacked. American labor activists from the radical IWW union carried them at the Lawrence Textile 'Bread and Roses' Strike. They fly next to Martin Luther King Jr. in photos from the 1963 March on Washington and his talks at anti-war rallies. This year, demonstrators who helped defeat South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's dictatorial power grab waved South Korean flags along with their signs. Some recent anti-Trump rallies have featured them. But they need to become protest staples to help take the flag back. A recent Vietnam trip reminded me of the power of national pride. Americans are welcomed now, even as museums, statues, and street names commemorate heroes in what they call 'the American war,' and the related fights against the Japanese and French occupations. But Vietnam also honors 13th, 15th, and 16th-century kings who resisted and eventually defeated repeated invasions by the Chinese and Mongols. The country's leadership could have dismissed them as the embodiment of now-discarded feudalism. Instead, they present their stories as part of a continuing story of resistance, a history they highlighted during the war as Ho Chi Minh and other leaders talked of fighting for their country, not communism. Whatever the limits of Vietnam's current regime in terms of democracy, this worked because the roots of national patriotism ran deeper than any particular ideology. The threat to American democracy that those of us marching address is internal, of course (with help from white South African billionaires Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and David Sacks). But the lesson of patriotism and national pride as a wellspring of resistance still holds true. I've learned to appreciate those who bring flags to social justice protests. And I finally bought my own the other week at my local hardware store to complement a 'Don't Putinize America' sign I plan to carry. The young woman at the counter's initial look seemed to mark me, an older white man, as a likely Trump supporter. When I said I was buying it for the Trump protest, 'No Kings Day,' she broke into a grin. No matter our anger or disappointment for America failing to achieve much of what it should be, we need to defend what we have had and the possibility of what could be. Making the flag our own helps us do that.
Korea Herald
21-02-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Michelin adds affordable, quality restaurants to Seoul, Busan lists
Michelin Guide adds 14 new restaurants to Bib Gourmand selection Looking for reasonably priced but quality restaurants in South Korea? The Michelin Guide rolled out its annual Bib Gourmand Selection for Seoul and Busan, featuring 58 restaurants in the capital and 19 in the southeastern port city of Busan. The Bib Gourmand selection features restaurants that offer delicious food at a reasonable price of around 45,000 won ($31.35) or less per person, according to the culinary guidebook. The list for Seoul includes 10 new spots, while Busan saw four new eateries, offering a wider range of dining options. The new Bib Gourmand Selection entries in Seoul are: Gomtang Lab in Sinsa-dong, which sells beef bone soup; Neungdong Minari in Hannamdong, Seongsu-dong and Yeouido, which offer water celery-related dishes; Nishimuramen in Yeonnam-dong serving Japanese ramen; Myeon Seoul in Sinsa-dong serving noodles and traditional Korean liquor; Mipildam in Hapjeong-dong selling North Korean-style dumpling soup; Seokyonanmyunbang in Seogyo-dong serving fusion Korean-Italian cuisine; Seoryung in Namchan-dong serving naengmyeon, or cold noodles; Korean-Chinese restaurant ALT.a in Itaewon which uses only plant-based ingredients; Okdol Hyeonok in Garak-dong offering naengmyeon; and Youhan, a small, chic Thai bistro in Hannam-dong. The new additions to Bib Gourmand in Busan are: in Namcheon-dong, serving North Korean-style naengmyeon; Bibijae, also in Namcheon-dong and offering bibimbap; Jeongjitgan in Sinpyeong-dong serving Busan-style dwaejigukbap, or pork soup and Hanwolgwan in Gwangan-dong offering beef bone soup. Gwendal Poullennec, the international director of the Michelin Guide, said South Korea's culinary culture has seen "dynamic growth" and offers exceptional flavors at reasonable prices, referring to Seoul as a new "gastronomy destination." "Seoul not only showcases Korean cuisine but also flavors from across Asia, America and Europe. Busan stands out for its affordable dining scene, driven by local dishes made with unique regional ingredients," he said in a press release.
