GUEST: Deirdre Griswold, co-founder of the Workers World Party and long time editor of its weekly newspaper, talks about US aggression in Asia and its decades long effects on Korea.How narrow the political discourse is in the US. With all the talk about how terrible Trump is and how he is threatening our "free press," we often overlook the fact that our media is already hopelessly compromised by establishment thinking.
That is why guests like Deirdre Griswold are so important to a real political debate. What is the reality of the US involvement in Korea since World War II? Have we supported dictators and covered up political suppression and even massacres? Is the Pentagon trying to start another war between the north and south? And what do the Korean people want?
You won't know the answer to any of these questions if you read The New York Times. There are certain types of stories that our newspaper of record consistently distorts to fit the needs of our hidden empire. Coverage of Cuba, Venezuela, Iran and Korea is worse than inadequate; it is simply state propaganda.
Do I agree with Workers World and its take Korean history? I spent a year there in the US Army, so I try to follow Korea closely, reading every article I can. I think that Ms. Griswold's analysis is much closer to the truth than anything I have read in the US media. That's not to say I agree with everything. But to be informed, one needs to be exposed to a variety of opinions, something that is not very easy unless you read alternative media. The search for truth about the US empire requires going beyond mainstream sources.
