(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Letters to the chowderheads, Sep 8 [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-09-09
The recent ICE raid at Hyundai’s Georgia plant, where hundreds of Korean workers were shackled, handcuffed, and publicly displayed as criminals, was not merely a domestic enforcement action. It was an assault on the network of relationships that has sustained U.S. power for decades.
Treating Korean citizens working in the U.S. as hardened criminals serves only to alienate our allies. This raid signals a willingness to sacrifice decades of trust for the appearance of order. It sends a message to our partners around the world: their citizens are not safe here. We are not trustworthy.
In his masterful trilogy, The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture, Spanish sociologist Manuel Castells describes two interdependent dimensions of modern life: the space of place and the space of flows. The space of place is rooted in physical community and local relationships. The space of flows is the global choreography of talent, knowledge, and expertise that drives economic growth. The modern economy requires both. This administration is actively dismantling the latter, under the false belief that it is preserving the former.
American power has never rested solely on military strength. It was built through a web of economic agreements, diplomatic trust, and mutual benefit—especially with allies like South Korea, whose industrial and technological partnerships have been foundational to our strategic posture. This raid, and the way it was conducted, undermines that deliberate and complex architecture.
It is valid, even necessary, to question the shape globalization has taken. The trade regimes of the past half-century are not sacred, and many of our allies share our concerns. But the path to reform lies in careful diplomacy, thoughtful negotiation, and a shared desire to build systems that benefit all participants.
The current administration’s actions, public shackling, mass detention, and disregard for diplomatic consequence, represent a catastrophic failure of leadership. The outcomes will not be American greatness. They will be American isolation, weakness, and vulnerability. If we wish to lead a reimagining of global economic structures, we must first remember how to lead with respect, creativity, and mutuality.
I am asking for strategic clarity. The spectacle of shackles may satisfy a fantasy of vengeance against immigrants, but it corrodes the infrastructure of the modern economy. It damages our international standing and undermines our long-term well-being.
I urge you, as a member of Congress, to demand accountability for this raid, to reaffirm our commitment to diplomatic trust, and to ensure that future enforcement actions do not sabotage the very alliances that sustain American strength.
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/9/2342574/-Letters-to-the-chowderheads-Sep-8?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=latest_community&pm_medium=web
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
