Korean Invasion: Attack on disputed island

Video report on the recent North Korean attacks near the DMZ.

Archbishop visits DMZ in memory of Anglican martyrs in the Korean War

By Anya Johnson

SEOUL Nov. 22, 2010 (ACNS) – Earlier this month, the Archbishop of the Southwest visited the Demilitarized Zone of Korea (DMZ) in honor of the Anglican martyrs who died in the Korean War. The annals of the Korean War are filled with accounts of atrocities committed by the communists in North Korea. Over 30,000 Americans alone died in the war, but that might be considered lucky compared to the treatment typically received by the prisoners of war. Forced marches, torture, shootings, and horrid conditions were just some of the war crimes POWs had to endure at the hands of the North Koreans.

 

A rare view into North Korea



The civilian population was not exempt from their brutality either. North Korean communists pitted village residents against each other, expecting them to inform the authorities about their neighbors’ real or imagined anti-communist activities. Civilians were killed and tortured. It was a time of great fear at the hands of the communists.

It was also a time of great heroism. Many stood against the communist forces, no matter the cost. In Seoul Anglican Cathedral, there is a memorial to six such heroes. They are the Anglican martyrs of the Korean War, Father Lee Won-Chang, Father Yoon Dai-Yong, and Father Cho Yong-Ho from Korea; Father Albert W. Lee and Father Charles Hunt from England, and Sister Mary Clare from Ireland. They kept the faith of the Church during the dark days of the Korean War and were killed for it by the communists.



Abp. Johnson prepares to go into one of
the tunnels built by the North Koreans.

Still to this day the Korean peninsula technically remains at war, as the conflicts of over half a century ago have yet to be resolved. The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) was formed after the war as a buffer zone between the north and the south. From the south side, you can easily see into the north from many locations. Though people live and work in its midst, it is still a place of great tension and, occasionally, direct confrontation and conflict. Tunnels dug by the North Koreans under the DMZ (at least four that are known) were intended for a surprise attack on Seoul, which is less than an hour’s drive from the North Korean border. The DMZ also has one of the heaviest concentrations of land mines, and each year several people die or are seriously injured from them. 

Still, the DMZ and its surrounding areas remain a place of hope. In some areas, South Koreans and North Koreans are allowed to work side-by-side. Ancient Korean culture and ways of life remain. All that is left is for the fences to come down and the Korean peninsula to be unified as a nation of free people.

More ethical concerns with TSA: Civil rights are no longer safe

Editorial.

CHARLOTTE, NC Nov. 21, 2010 (ACNS) - A recent article by MSNBC raises more ethical concerns about TSA. According to the article, a woman who is a cancer survivor was forced to show her prosthetic breast during a security screening at Dulles International Airport in Washington, DC. To add irony to the situation, the woman was also a flight attendant.

A prosthesis is a replacement for a body part lost to injury or illness and ought to be treated with as much dignity as the natural part it replaced. It is unlikely that an artificial heart valve would be considered less a part of your body than your original heart valve. Why should it be any different with more external parts? Should a woman who has suffered breast cancer and survived be humiliated by having to show the prosthetic breast? This is as indecent as requiring a natural breast to be shown. This is a gross breech of human decency and ethics on the part of TSA and a violation of civil rights. It should not be tolerated.

The outrage of citizens is understandable and justified. Citizens have a right to protect themselves and be free from unjust, indecent, and unethical practices on the part of the government. Meanwhile, the President of the US acknowledges there are some "frustrations" being experienced, claiming that TSA has informed him that the present procedures are the only ones that can safeguard the country. How many police states in the world have used that as an excuse? Of course, the President does not have to go through these pat downs.

It is time the government starts treating the citizens like human beings and remember that it is the government that works for the people, not the other way around. Anything less, and the government fails to meet the standard for moral conduct and ethical discharge of duty, and that is a violation of the sacred trust the government has with the people.

Live Each Moment video series launched

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. Nov. 20, 2010 (ACNS) - The new inspirational video series, Live Each Moment, was launched today by the Anglo-Catholic Archdiocese of the Southwest. The series features informal homilies given by the Archbishop and is intended to help make every moment in life count. The videos are available on the Archdiocese's YouTube Channel, as well as on the series's own page. The first episode is also shown below.

Live Each Moment

Episode 1: Right and Wrong

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Airport Body Scanners: The controversy continues

WASHINGTON Nov. 18, 2010 (ACNS) - Controversy rages on over the body scanners in place at many airports around the world. The key complaint is over the apparent invasion of privacy, possibility of saving images of you and your complete and intimate bodily details (though this is against the rules), and the potential for unscrupulous TSA agents to make or take copies of the images to be used for nefarious purposes.

Many are questioning whether or not air travel is even worth the hassle anymore. In a time of economic crisis, there is even doubt whether or not these new measures are in the best economic interest of the country.

Many question whether or not air travel is
worth the hassle anymore.

Though the body scanners are claimed to be in place to make air travel safer and combat terrorist threats, many air travellers question their legitimacy. The scanners are in place to catch passengers who, despite rules against carrying explosives, still attempt to carry them on board in violation of the rules. Is there a policy in place to catch TSA agents who are in violation of the rules against taking images of passengers?

The presence of a rule against carrying explosives on an aircraft is not considered sufficient to prevent all passengers from actually carrying explosives. Why, then should the people believe that a mere rule is sufficient to prevent all TSA agents from taking intimate pictures of passengers from body scanners? First ask yourself that question. Then ask whether or not it is time to reign in government agencies that have gotten out of control and are running roughshod over ethics and morality.

Cooperation and ethics at the G20 Seoul Summit good news for global development

By Rutherford Johnson

SEOUL, Nov. 15 (ACNS) – The G20 Summit took place in Seoul on Nov. 11 and 12 with a theme of “Shared growth beyond crisis.” The intent of this summit was to continue existing efforts and begin new ones to end the global financial crisis and prevent another such crisis from happening again. The crisis itself was acknowledged by the leaders to be the result of systemic moral atrophy. The leaders decided on an unprecedented level of global cooperation, to include emerging markets and the poorest economies in the world.

Religious leaders around the world urged the heads of government gathered in Seoul for the summit to consider the moral issues at the root of the global financial crisis. Pope Benedict XVI urged cooperation among the leaders in a spirit of respect for humanity, with the goal of the development of mankind. The Archbishop of Canterbury said that the summit was an opportunity for the “...world's leaders to reaffirm their moral commitments to the welfare of all.” The response of the summit to the world’s high expectations was the G20 Seoul Summit Leaders Declaration, the Seoul Summit Document, the Seoul Development Consensus for Shared Growth, and the Multi-Year Action Plan on Development, including an Anti-Corruption Action Plan.

The documents produced by the summit leaders and their delegations had a common theme of global cooperation. Improving the job market was placed at the heart of recovery, and financial reforms around the world are intended. There was further a commitment for richer nations to help poorer nations, as well as to strengthen global financial safety nets. They, as representatives of the nations that comprise eighty-five percent of global GDP, recognized their responsibility to the world and promised to hold themselves accountable as leaders.

As part of their efforts to stabilize the world economy and prevent further crises, it was decided to move towards a market-determined exchange rate, with advanced economies having a particular responsibility to guard against excess volatility and disorderly exchange rate movement. This is expected to lessen risks of excess capital volatility in the emerging economies. The poorer countries and emerging markets are especially vulnerable to changes in the world economy and were disproportionately affected by the global financial crisis. The G20’s acknowledgement of the interconnectedness of the world economy and the responsibility of stronger economies to guard against shocks that might lead to a crisis and excessive adverse effects in emerging markets is a positive step towards safeguarding the condition of humanity around the globe, not just in the G20 member states. The G20 leaders committed to “enhance the voice and representation of emerging market and developing countries, including the poorest.”

The challenge that remains is the commitments of governments to the interests of their own people and the promises of governments to other nations and the global community in general. This is a delicate balance. Too far in one direction, and the governments fail to meet their responsibility to their people. Too far in the other direction, and nations act in their own self interest to the detriment of others. It is ultimately an equilibrium position in which the nations act simultaneously in their own best interests and in the best interests of the world that must be found in order to achieve an effective implementation of their plans.

The overall G20 development plan further is committed to free trade and opposition to protectionist policies. Considering that several G20 member states regularly engage in protectionism to varying degrees, it will be interesting to see the outcome of this aspect of the plan. Protectionism is one area in which the interests of the individual state may come in direct conflict with those of the global economy and vice versa.

A significant plan to fight corruption both within each country and across national borders was formed. A key point of this plan is the insistence upon transparency of operations of the G20, governments in general, and the private sector. The G20 has promised to lead by example and also recognizes the essential role of business in combating corruption.

The Seoul Summit Document placed the blame for the 2008 global financial crisis on reckless behavior by financial institution and failures of regulation and oversight. The specific decisions made by the summit leaders tended towards the direction of future moral behavior in the economy, a respect for humanity, and the goal of increased welfare for all. Economics typically defines an efficient economic outcome by Pareto efficiency, in which those who gain money have gained enough that they could, if they wished, compensate those who lost money. The Church, on the other hand, typically does not consider Pareto efficiency to be the final word on economic justice. Those who are leaders of businesses and governments have a duty to those whom their economic, business and financial decisions affect. The Seoul Summit Document recognizes this fact.

Overall, the documents produced by the Seoul Summit recognize the important role of ethics and morality in global financial markets. They present the need of advanced economies to balance their own interests with the interests of the global market. The global financial crisis demonstrated the interrelationship and interdependence of the nations of the world, so such a mutually-beneficial equilibrium of balancing national and global interests must be found for the benefit of humanity.

ACNS Video Report of the G20 Seoul Summit

A video summarizing the outcome of the G20 Seoul Summit.