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.
Yes..i think you are RIGHT! :-)
Yeah, ‘driving while black’ used to be all kinds of fun in L.A. back in the day. If the police departments in that county did half the stuff they used to, they’d be sued into the ground. If I could sue retroactively, I’d be set for life.
They don’t look that old to me. This has been a long running battle and you can read a series of articles about it at the Glendale Newspress website. I
Is there a city left anywhere in the U.S. that stayed lily-white since the 50s?
If the statue was privately funded, it can be wherever the people want it to be. That is what makes America great.
On the other hand, I would not want to see it publicly funded.
Agree that there’s nothing illegal here. But the growing multiculturalism is not desirable.
Not even where wifey grew up -- central Minnesota --little Melrose, where Jennie-O does turkey processing -- is now considering putting bi-phocking-lingual street signs up.
Koreans are not a “problem” as re: multiculturalism.
Koreans love capitalism, small business ownership, many are Christians, and they are profoundly grateful to America.
They assimilate , love BBQ, have great food, and contribute to the fabric of America.
they do not demand that we speak Korean or support them, and have strong family values.
Unlike a lot of other groups (some of which were born right here in the USA), they do not believe that the taxpayers owe them a living.
I am in total agreement with you about “multiculturalism”, but Koreans are not the culprits.
I like Koreans and am glad for their work ethic.
But I don’t really want to see too many more statues commemorating stuff that the US had nothing to do with. That gets us deeper into multiculturalism.
I can buy that. And I also like Koreans.
No doubt...
Everything changes...Nothing is as it was 30, 40 or so years ago..None of it good.
We can all thank government who thought it was a good idea to dump half the planet in our laps...And they continue to do so.
At first I thought the Story was about this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Comfort_Facility_Association
Because, you know, anything to make America Look Bad, Hell Seattle has a statue of Lenin.
Japan was America’s enemy in WW2 as well. So, in this particular case, is is actually a commemoration of a smaller event within a larger context of something America WAS involved with.
Now, on the other hand, the installation of loudspeakers on minarets, prayer rooms for muslims in Catholic colleges, child marriage, the marking of islamic holidays on our American calendars, and similar actions REALLY offend me, so you and I are very much in agreement about “multiculturalism”!
Japan had a tradition of using women for entertainment which ranged from the highly stratified and formal Geisha down to the lowliest brothel denizen. As a result, they thought nothing of enslaving and raping the women of the places they conquered, and thought Americans were the same type of men.
When Okinawa was invaded by our forces, Japanese propaganda convinced the residents that the Americans would rape, pillage, and plunder because that is how THEY THEMSELVES behaved in victory.
As a result, thousands of Okinawan civilians threw themselves off cliffs into the sea, because they were terrified of what the Americans would do to them.
The link you provided reinforces this sad fact.
We, as Americans, have had to face up to some nasty stuff in our history like Slavery and The Trail of Tears. It’s not pleasant, but it is History. The remainder of our story is mostly redemptive and positive, so it doesn’t need to be dwelt upon, but it DID need to be addressed.
On the other hand, Japanese people have not yet even admitted to being the instigators of the Pearl Harbor Attack! At Pearl Harbor, I have met Japanese tourists who are bewildered and stunned. They were NEVER told about it and were finding out for the first time.
That’s what I remember reading somewhere. One of the reasons we dropped the bomb on them, to get them to surrender totally without having to take every inch of Japan by force of arms.
That is exactly right.
I met and conversed with General Paul Tibbetts (Pilot of the Enola Gay and Commander of the Mission) and he said the SAME thing. (You are in good company)
When I was there Last Summer on the U.S.S. Missouri there were a Ton of Japanese Tourist on it too. I don't know how or what they thought of being on the Ship that their country surrendered too.
On the Flip Side I also noticed that because Guam and Hawaii are part of the U.S.A. they get a metric ton of Japanese Gun Tourists. Although the Shop owners gouge the hell out of those people.
It was funny, when I was walking downtown they completely ignored me, while I could have been Australian (a Major Gun Tourist Group too) The Street Peddlers opted for the Asian Tourists through and through. Because they knew if I were an American, I would just go home and shoot my own XD
One Last note, Korea has some aweomse music! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQy54gw-pls
Some kickin’ Bass in that vid, FRiend. i liked it!
You are quite welcome! >.<
Very Good Music IMHO, and there is more where that came from...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq7ftOZBy0E
When I get back home Tommorow I find my Hawaii pics and share them with you L.T.O.S.!
Really pretty girls who like BOYS! LOLZ!
How refreshing!
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