The Korean War must officially come to an end
The article “Local soldier’s remains identified,” July 1, reported that the remains of Army Cpl. Walter A. Smead, killed in 1950 in the Korean War, would be returned to his family in Hadley. Although he died almost 71 years ago, the war he served and died in isn’t over.
What many Americans don’t realize is that this truly endless Korean War was halted in 1953 with an armistice agreement but never ended by a peace treaty. As a result, tensions between the United States and North Korea — exacerbated by the subsequent development of nuclear weapons in North Korea — have remained high. Many North and South Koreans caught on opposite sides of the 38th parallel have yet to be reunited with their families.
It’s time that President Joe Biden declared this war over and appointed a special envoy to negotiate a peace treaty. Negotiations could establish a more cooperative relationship with Pyongyang, leading to the reduction of their nuclear build-up. The war drills by the United States in South Korea might end and the reduction of sanctions might improve the lives of North Koreans.
Since Biden would be building on the possibility of a bilateral relationship with North Korea found in the Singapore declaration signed by former President Donald Trump, there could be bipartisan support in the Senate to ratify the treaty. This treaty, including binding commitments from North Korea, would also mean that families of the many Americans killed in the Korean War, such as the Smead family, could see some ongoing positive results from their loss. Catherine Cavanaugh
Albany
narrative that sees anyone who doesn’t show blind loyalty to the department as a “part of the problem.” And by calling for the “silent majority” to “stand up and be heard,” Catone invoked the shameful, racist rhetoric of a half-century ago.
Catone also asserted that the city’s department is “not a racist police department.” But a story in the Times Union last year noted that, though Black residents make up 2 percent of the city population, Black people accounted for 10 to 20 percent of those arrested in the city from 2013 to May
2020. The department’s own data show racial bias.
I am hopeful that Catone’s comments do not reflect the sentiments of many members of the Saratoga Springs Police Department or Chief Shane Crooks. We must all understand that police departments are not immune from criticism or oversight, and the Saratoga Springs Police Department is no exception.
Melanie Trimble
Albany Regional Director, New York
Civil Liberties Union Capital Region Office