It is not about whether one supports Donald Trump or Joe Biden. It is also not about the issue on who is to be the next president of the United States. It is about democracy and the underlying electoral system, and it’s about the free market principles of ideas that the US has maintained and the foundation that is the freedom of expression.
President Trump is being depicted as a destroyer of democracy and this trend has been led by the mainstream media. After the US Capitol Hill riots on January 6, this kind of tone has been broadcasted all over the media. However, one thing to clarify is that President Trump has insisted that the election was stolen, he did not incite a violent riot.
Following the incident, President Trump’s Twitter account was suspended. On January 7, Facebook suspended the president’s account indefinitely, and on January 8, Twitter permanently closed his account citing there is a risk of further incitement to violence. Google and Apple removed the app Parler from their app stores, an app often used by pro-Trump supporters, and Amazon unilaterally stopped its cloud service used by Parler. What’s interesting is that Big Tech’s restriction on freedom of expression is working against only to Trump. Before the election, Twitter and Facebook prevented articles about Hunter Biden’s Ukrainian scandal as well as articles talking about drugs and sex to being posted. Either way, we are now living in astonishing times when the President of the United States’ freedom of expression is being restrained by private companies.
There’s a similar case in China. Guo Wengui, a Chinese billionaire who fled to the US, proposed a new Chinese Federation last June 4. When Hao Haidong, a Chinese soccer legend, publicly supported it, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ordered the media to delete every record about him. Records of Hao can no longer be searched in China and his legacy as a soccer legend has disappeared. To some extent, the current situation in the US seems to be similar to China.
I want to express my deepest condolences for the tragic loss of the five lives during the US Capitol riot. This is a shameful event in the history of the US. However, a few things need to be addressed. It is a typical method of revolutionary socialists to achieve their goals through false information to incite and using the wrath of the crowds. Therefore, it is crucial to thoroughly investigate how a peaceful demonstration turned into an attack on the US Capitol. Why and how did the police fail to defend the barricade? This has never happened in Korea where hundreds of thousands of people have gathered many times for rallies. There are reports that Antifa and ‘Black Lives Matter’ supporters were involved in the riots. This also requires a close investigation.
Here are some historical facts worthy of mention. During the 1968 Revolution in Germany, police shot and killed a student named Benno Ohnesorg. Angered by this, students formed the ‘Red Army Faction’ that carried out extreme acts such as killing more than 30 government officials. However, the policeman who shot the student was an East German spy, Karl-Heinz Kurras. This shocking fact was revealed 30 years after the unification of Germany. Another case is Alger Hiss, who claimed to be a victim of McCarthyism all his life, was a Soviet spy. The disclosure of the Venona Papers made it clear that he was a Soviet spy. Had it not been for him, the US would probably not have made such concessions to the Soviet Union for their participation in the war against Japan. Many people in Eastern Europe and North Korea would not have suffered under communist rule, and the Korean peninsula may not have been divided and could have prevented the sacrifice of the lives of so many young Americans on the peninsula.
Paradoxically, the safest haven for revolutionary socialists is the United States. The widespread tolerance and freedom of speech of democracy provided them with a haven. Trojan horses have been legally protected under the democratic system, which the Soviet Union, China, and North Korea have actively taken advantage of. It is the political arena where these revolutionaries, opportunists, and innocent democrats are all mixed together. How many Kurras and Hiss exist in South Korea, which is confronting North Korea just like East Germany? And what about the US?
Although the US Capitol riot was an unfortunate event, it should not cover up the suspicions of election irregularities. Fair elections are the foundation of democracy, so failure to restore confidence in this will result in a serious threat to democracy. That threat may become imminent if legitimate concerns about electoral integrity are regarded as a mere conspiracy, and if no effort is taken for a proper institutional reform to prevent such suspicions.
It is up to the state that controls the electoral system to improve the system by resolving and preventing doubts about the election. This is a natural conclusion derived from the public nature of elections. In 2009, the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany ruled that it is unconstitutional if electronic voting machines are used and citizens with no expert knowledge cannot verify. The ruling is noteworthy once again today as concerns over digital manipulation increase. It is because fair elections and trust in the process are the basic premise of democracy.
The country is in great turmoil. Regardless of who people voted for in the election, everyone who participated is a valuable citizen of this country. There is mistrust in the election. Must clear all suspicions of election irregularities and make sure to improve the electoral system to prevent such suspicions. Let’s refrain from making extreme allegations and let’s create an electoral system that we can all trust.
Any decent politician who wants to unite a nation, regardless of being left or right, must consider this and should be applauded.
It is not about whether one supports Donald Trump or Joe Biden for the US’s next President. It is about the election system, the core structure of democracy, and freedom of speech, the backbone of ‘marketplace of ideas’.
President Trump has long been depicted as a grave threat to democracy by mainstream media. After the Capitol Hill riots in the US, condemnation grew even stronger. However, he did not incite violence but sought electoral integrity.
Following the event, President Trump’s Twitter account was suspended. On January 7, Facebook blocked Trump’s account indefinitely, saying there is the risk of further incitement of riots. Other Big Techs followed suit. Twitter permanently closed his account on January 8. Google and Apple removed the Parlor application from their app market. It was an app often used by pro-Trump supporters. Amazon unilaterally stopped its cloud service that the Parlor used. Interestingly, Big Tech’s restrictions work only against Trump. Before the elections, Twitter and Facebook blocked articles about Hunter Biden’s Ukrainian scandal as well as his drugs and sex tapes. We now live in astonishing times when private companies restrain the US President’s freedom of speech.
A similar situation took place in China recently. In June last year, Guo Wengui, a Chinese billionaire who had fled to the US, proposed a new Chinese Federation. When Hao Haidong, a prominent Chinese soccer player publicly supported it, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ordered all media to delete every record about him. Hao Haidong, a legendary figure in Chinese soccer history, now no longer exists in China. All his achievements were wiped off at once. To some extent, the current situation in the US seems to be similar to China.
I express my deepest condolences for the tragic loss of the five people killed during the US Capitol storming. This incident is a shameful event in the history of the US. However, a few things need to be addressed. Revolutionary socialists have often resorted to false information to agitate people and use crowds’ wrath to achieve their goals. Therefore, it is crucial to thoroughly investigate how peaceful protests turned into an attack on the US Capitol; why and how the police line collapsed. There are reports that Antifa and ‘Black Lives Matter’ supporters were involved in the riots. This also requires scrutinized investigation.
Here are some historical facts worthy of mentioning. During the 1968 Revolution in Germany, police shot and killed a student named Benno Ohnesorg. Angry young students arose like fire and formed ‘Red Army Faction’ that carried out extreme terrorist acts killing tens of public figures. However, the policeman who shot the student was an East German spy, Carl Heinz Kuras. This shocking fact was revealed only after the unification of Germany which happened about 30 years later. Another case is Alger Hiss, a US official who had been claiming he was a victim of McCarthyism throughout his life, was a Soviet spy. The disclosure of the Venona files helped to expose who he was. Being a close advisor to Franklin Roosevelt, he played a crucial role in the US decision at that time. Had it not been for him, the US would probably not have made such concessions to the Soviet Union for their participation in the war against Japan. Many people in Eastern Europe and North Korea would not have suffered and died under the communist regime. The Republic of Korea could have been a united country, and numerous American young people’s sacrifices on the Korean Peninsula could have been prevented.
Paradoxically, the US is the safest haven for revolutionary socialists. Extensive tolerance and freedom of speech under the US democracy have provided them with a great nest in the world. Trojan horses have been legally protected under the democracy system, which have been actively used by the Soviet Union, China, North Korea, and others. Politics is like a mud pot where these revolutionaries, opportunists and people with integrity are all mixed together. How many Kuras and Hiss are there in South Korea, which is facing North Korea just like West Germany? And what about the US?
The US Capitol riots is an unfortunate case. However, it should not cover up people’s decent requests to have electoral integrity. Fair election is the foundation of democracy. Failure to gain trust in the election can be a real threat to democracy. That threat may become imminent if people’s legitimate concerns about electoral integrity are regarded as a mere conspiracy, and if no effort is taken to have a proper institutional reform to prevent suspicions of electoral fraud.
Addressing doubts of election fraud and improving the electoral system to prevent further allegations are the state’s responsibility. It is an essential duty of a nation stemming from the public nature of the election. In 2009, the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany ruled that it is unconstitutional if electronic voting machines are used and citizens with no expert knowledge cannot check the essential steps in the election and its reliability. It is a ruling to be noted once again today as concerns over digital manipulation increase. Fair election and trust in it is the basic premise of democracy.
The US and South Korea both face profound divisions today. Regardless of who people voted for in the elections, every person is a valuable citizen of their country. It is essential to address all election allegations and improve the electoral system to regain trust in democracy. Irrespective of left or right, any decent politician who wants to unite the nation must consider this.
