Posted on 01/04/2014 9:53:56 AM PST by BenLurkin
GLENDALE (CBSLA.com) — A petition asking for the removal of a bronze statue in the city of Glendale has been submitted to President Barack Obama’s website, “We the People.”
Opponents of the 1,100-pound bronze statue honoring the so-called “comfort women” have collected more than 100,000 signatures.
Although that is the number needed to receive a response from the White House, that is no guarantee that any action will be taken.
“We don’t really think much of it because 1) it is the local government jurisdiction to install or remove a statue,” said Phyllis Kim, a member of the Korean-American Forum of California. The group helped pay for the monument.
Since its installation last summer, the statue honoring “comfort women” – mostly Korean and Chinese women who were used as sex slaves by the Japanese army during World War II – has been met with controversy.
But despite emails to city leaders and pleas from the Japanese government, the memorial remains at Glendale’s Central Park on East Harvard Street.
“A lot of them don’t know what actually happened during this time and a lot of them are in denial and try to downplay what has happened in the past,” Kim said.
The petition was started by a Texas man by the name of Tony Marano. On his YouTube channel, he states, “these women were recruited and they volunteered to serve in these comfort women houses for the Japanese Imperial Army.”
Kim says that although the Japanese government issued a formal apology in 1993, it wasn’t enough for surviving comfort women.
“All they want is to receive a sincere apology,” Kim explains.
CBS2 was unable to reach Marano for comment on Friday night.
Meantime, city officials for Glendale said that most of the signatures on the petition were from people overseas.
Tellya what, Tony. I'll use the... persuasion... on you, that the Japanese used on these women.
Betcha I can get you to "volunteer" for things you never even knew existed...
Lots of things happened in history but isn’t it more appropriate to erect statues here in remembrance of American events? It seems to me this statue would be more appropriate in the East because that’s where events took place.
There is a high population of Koreans in Glendale. They place second to the Armenians.
Agree. This is an example of the multiculturalism that’s destroying CA.
Very tasteful. I hope the city council of Glendale cares more about their Korean-American constituents than about some out-of-state misogynist goofball.
“I’ve seen the box of signed volunteer forms”
signed volunteer forms for what??
Did not know that.
Why are there statues and museums commemorating events caused by foreigners in the U.S. at all? These statues should be erected in the countries where they occured.
Mr. Marano says the comfort women were volunteers. I'm saying they were no more 'volunteers' than the citizens of Hiroshima, or the members of the Bataan Death March, or the crewmen of the U.S.S. Arizona . . .
“Sorry. I was being sarcastic.”
On this forum we cannot always tell when someone is serious or making what they think is a joke.
We should all start using HTML more often and inserting “emoticons” to mimic the facial expression/emotions consistent with the intent of the message. /LOL
Thanks for your understanding; and not getting upset that I did not realize it was a joke.
While I feel compassion for the exploitation of those women, I don't get why a statue honoring them has to be in a park in Glendale, California. Shouldn't it be in Tokyo?
Sounds like the left is trying to make normal Americans feel shame for something they had nothing to do with. Again.
I agree, but why Glendale, California? Shouldn't this statue be in Tokyo?
“There is a high population of Koreans in Glendale. They place second to the Armenians.”
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Any idea of how many of them are retired comfort women? The only place perhaps more bizarre than Glendale for that statue would be in the Alamo—at least that would “honor” the residence of the petition circulator.
After I left for the Marine Corps in 1966, it started to get an inflow of Salvadorians, followed by a huge flood of Armenians.......this Korean influx must be within just the past few years.
That all being said ---- I hope that Damon's Steak House is still there!
From the photos, i think there may be a Korean Community, and maybe even some elderly ladies who were “Comfort Women” in that town.
I'm of the melanin-enriched variety of American. I can tell you for a fact that Glendale was still a no-go zone after dark for minorities, as late as the mid-eighties.
I discussed this personally on the roadside with Glendale - Burbank police, many times in those days.
That would explain how the statue came to be, but I still have to ask, why there?
The Korean community in Glendale would have made a much more impactful statement by sponsoring a campaign to erect that statue in a place that's related to the atrocity.
You might want to look at the comments that are with the original article.
The tasteful, gentle looking, non-confrontational statue in Glendale CA is getting all kinds of indignant, wrathful letters from Japan.
So it would seem that it IS having an impact, even though it is far away from the eyes of japan.
Well then. I guess they achieved their goal anyway. Good on them.
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