The Common Ills

Saturday, November 11, 2017

Episode 55: Election Rigging 101—It's More Complicated; South Korea Is A Hard Place For Unions

(TECHNICAL ALERT: The “Listen Now” tab directs correctly now. Sorry for the inconvenience!)

Sure, there were shenanigans in the 2016 Democratic primary. But, we need to understand what is tough politics versus what is rotten in the system. I unwind this a bit in an Election Rigging 101 (and, hey, nice election results last night).

I also dig into the battle for labor rights in South Korea with two women leaders, Kristyne Peter and Mi-Kyung Ryu. Our Robber Baron of the week is Nike CEO Mark Parker.

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In today's Working Life Podcast:

Episode 55: Election Rigging 101—It's More Complicated; South Korea Is A Hard Place For Unions

Episode 55: Sure, there were shenanigans in the 2016 Democratic primary. But, we need to understand what is tough politics versus what is rotten in the system. Jonathan unwinds this a bit in an Election Rigging 101 (and, hey, nice election results last night). Jonathan also digs into the battle for labor rights in South Korea with two women leaders, Kristyne Peter and Mi-Kyung Ryu. Our Robber Baron of the week is Nike CEO Mark Parker.

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Statement for Chicago Peace Rally Today against threatened USA War Against North Korea

International law and human rights expert Francis A. Boyle has a statement regarding the threat of war against North Korea:

Here is a Statement below dealing with the legal aspects of the situation. Thanks for doing this protest. Fab.

1.The US government threats of “preventive warfare” against DPRK are illegal and criminal. The Nuremberg Tribunal in their Judgment of 1946, which the US helped organize, condemned “preventive war” when the Lawyers for the Nazis made the argument on their behalf. This is an illegal and criminal threat in violation of international law. According to the World Court in its Advisory Opinion (1996) on the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons, the legality vel non of a threat stands or falls on the same legal grounds as if the threat were carried out.

2.The repeated US government threats to “destroy” or “annihilate” DPRK are an international crime under the 1948 Genocide Convention to which the United States is a party. These genocidal threats are also illegal and criminal under the rationale of the 1996 World Court Advisory Opinion mentioned above.

3.The United States has an absolute obligation under UN Charter article 2(3) and article 33 to open “negotiation” with DPRK in good faith in order to produce a peace resolution of this dispute. Instead, the US government has repeatedly rejected these obligations under the UN Charter.

4.The proposal by Russia and China for a “dual-freeze” is an excellent basis to produce good faith and direct negotiations between USA and DPRK as required by the UN Charter.

5.The United States is deliberately provoking DPRK, ratcheting up these provocations in the hope that they will provoke the DPRK to commit an act of aggression against the United States that the USA can then use as a pretext for war. Pursuant to the terms of their mutual self-defense treaty, China has stated that if the US attacks first it will defend DPRK, but that if DPRK strikes first, China will remain out of any war. So the United States is trying to provoke DPRK into striking first.

6.It is an extremely dangerous situation. It is really up to the United States to take the first step down the Ladder of Escalation that it has constructed here. Instead it appears that the Trump administration is going to escalate up the Ladder of Escalation in the hope and expectation that DPRK will capitulate. This is what International Political Scientists call a Game of Chicken-- with cosmic consequences. Who will blink first? Anything can go wrong. Thank you so much for being here today to prevent World War III.

Francis A. Boyle

Professor of Law

University of Illinois College of Law

Native Chicagoan

Francis A. Boyle

Law Building

504 E. Pennsylvania Ave.

Champaign IL 61820 USA

217-333-7954 (phone)

217-244-1478 (fax)

(personal comments only)