That's beautiful. Perfect. Oustanding!
Posted on 07/08/2006 8:15:39 PM PDT by HAL9000
A top North Korean propagandist raised the threat of nuclear war yesterday as the fighting talk triggered by the isolated regime's missile launches got scarier than any disintegrating Taepodong-2.Kim Myong-chol, a freelance propagandist for the Stalinist state, claimed North Korea would treat any country supporting UN sanctions against it - and that would definitely include Australia - as a nuclear missile target.
"Now the US is seeking sanctions for us doing nothing in violation of international law - this is outrageous," he said in Tokyo yesterday. "North Korea considers this an act of war and North Korea will launch a missile at any country that joins such a resolution."
Regarded as a trusted, though unofficial, international spokesman for Kim Jong-il's regime and with excellent Pyongyang access, Mr Kim also claimed every major US city was now targeted by nuclear-tipped warheads and could be destroyed within half anhour.
However, he said, that was not the message his "Dear Leader" had meant to send. "I'm afraid America has no sense of humour," said Mr Kim, who heads the Centre for Korean-American Peace north of Tokyo.
"Kim Jong-il has offered celebrations to the US and happy birthday to George Bush."
The missile firings were timed to coincide with American July 4 celebrations and a pre-emptive party for the US President, whose 60th birthday was yesterday.
Less jovial but perhaps more menacing, North Korea's special ambassador for normalising relations with Japan, Song Il-ho, told Japanese reporters in Pyongyang yesterday their country would be punished unless it suspended unilateral sanctions.
"Japan has announced sanctions, but I think it is in the interest of Japan to halt them," he said.
Asked what he meant by his threat of "stronger physical actions", Mr Song responded: "I leave that to your imagination."
Japan's furthest-right mass daily newspaper, Sankei Shimbun, entered the fray with a claim that, if correct, should send everyone into their fallout bunkers.
Quoting unidentified sources in the Japan Defence Agency and Pentagon officials, Sankei Shimbun claimed data analysis of the Taepodong-2's brief flight showed its trajectory targeted Hawaii, about 7000km to the southeast, which is headquarters to the US Pacific Fleet and Pacific Command.
If this information is validated, North Korea should expect a more fiery retaliation than a UN censure or some judicious economic sanctions imposed by Washington. Fortunately, Sankei is reliably unreliable on issues such as North Korea.
The JDA declined to confirm the report and Pentagon officials told Associated Press that the Taepodong's brief flight made it difficult to ascertain the missile's intended target or even whether it was a two- or three-stage configuration.
Hawaii would be just beyond the Taepodong-2's estimated range of 6700km, but a three-stage missile would feasibly put the US mainland within reach.
After its launch on Wednesday the rocket apparently failed to achieve its planned velocity or trajectory and broke apart about 500km from the launch site.
Mr Bush ruled out any new incentive packages for North Korea yesterday and said he had"other options" beyond diplomacy to end a missile and nuclear crisis.
"We want to solve all problems diplomatically. That's our first option. But, of course, the president has got other options," Mr Bush said.
He also flatly rejected any direct talks with the North Korean leader.
"I think he'd love to have the United States sit down at the table alone," Mr Bush said.
Since when has North Korea respected international law?
North Korea needs put on notice. President Bush needs to quit mincing words for international consumption and call North Korea's bluff. The little tyrant needs a message sent to him.
Just bomb the crap out of NK launch site and be done with it. Then let them rant.
"North Korea considers this an act of war and North Korea will launch a missile at any country that joins such a resolution."
That probably explains why Russia and China refuse to go along. The whimps...
"...a freelance propagandist for the Stalinist state "
Here in the US, we call such people 'newspaper editors'. ;^)
What is a "freelance propagandist"?
Does he have the same relation to NK as CNN does to the Democrat Party?
Here in the US, we call such people 'newspaper editors'. ;^)
Good one! I like it!
Fat chance. President Bush stated on national tv that he had no idea what message N. Korea was sending to the U.S. with their missile launches. But as my favorite radio voice, Michael Savage said, "well Mr. Bush, the rest of the world knows what message NK was sending, and it wasn't a fishing missile he lobbed into the Hawaiin waters to catch tuna with". Bush is no leader; he's a decent 'manager', but he's an incompetent leader.
NK would cease to exist in about a half an hour if Kimmy is crazy enough to follow through on even a small fraction of his threats.
The problem comes when CNN, FOX, and all the US talking head media, WHO NEVER COVER NORTH KOREA, suddenly post up these threats as 'Breaking' or something new. Then, 98% of Joe Sixpack America--who also never follow East Asia nor North Korean affairs or news regularly--suddenly think it is something unusual, or urgent, or severe, or out of the ordinary. It's just a tired old game.
I heard the same thing. The President knows exactly what message North Korea is sending. He was just being facetious but I think the time has passed for us to respond with questioning words. North Korea needs to be sent a clear message that they do not threaten the world or the US.
When did President Bush say that?
LOL!
My first reaction is to bomb the hell out them, too, but then I quickly calm down. For one, this is an Asian problem; at the very least, it is not a U.S. unilateral undertaking... China and Russia would like nothing more than to sit tight and watch all of the Good Guys getting all flustered trying to deal with Lil' Kim... besides, it gives the U.S. a good reason to get the missile defense shield working ASAP, maybe sell one of them to the Japanese, and keep our domestic defense contractors in work.
President Bush isn't totally ignoring the little punk, but he's not falling all over himself reacting to him. He's dealing with this as well as it can be done.
Granted, the Taepodong facility is set at Musudan Village in Hwadae County along the ocean, however, there are MANYmore diverse facilities all throughout the DPRK, some if not few of them mobile such as Scud launcher activity in Gangwon Province (where the scuds/nodongs came from last week), in addition to facilities deep underground and camoflaged.
The US military, and the President, know quite well that it is not as simplistic a deal as that. Frustrating, I know, but that is the cards we are dealt at the moment.
A decaptation strategy might be more prudent, and even that is fraught with risks.
BWAHAHAhahahahaha!
I mean, really, has Baghdad Bob changed his name to Kim and moved to NK?
I understand what the President is doing but I think it is an unecessary and unwise approach. We don't have to bomb them but there are other ways to make it clear to Kim Jong Il that he isn't making the rules in this game. We need to fortify the DMZ with advanced tech autoguns and predator drones and whatever it takes to make sure that it doesn't matter what he sends by way of conventional weapons and soldiers towards the south it will be ineffective. We also need to make sure the South is fortified with our antimissile technology. We need to remove the North's ability to threaten and posture.
We may be targeted but not by Kim the Krafty. I don't think that they have one reliable nuclear weapon.
Right now, that is. Five years down the road, who knows? That's why we can't allow the N. Korean regime to continue its existence another five years -- or even two years.
I like Michael Savage and all, but he doesnt know jackshit about North Korea. His analysis, while entertaining and riling one up as an American when listening, nevertheless was riddled with inaccuracies. The only thing we can agree on is the Kim Jong il is dangerous and not wired properly, but still fully capable of creating a major proble as did Dad one morning in June, 1950.
Here in the US, we call such people 'newspaper editors'."
LOL. You nailed it.
Right now, the Dear Leader Kim's biggest hope is to 1) outlast the Bush Administration -- he is counting down the clock till January 2009, and b) be able to make it into talks with a new Democratic Administration from 2009, a Hilary Clinton or Mark Warner or whomever, who will put Bill Richardson, Madeline Albright, Sandy Berger, Wendy Sherman, and all the other appeasers back in foreign policy positions--and he can get his carrots back. Then it's time for him to pass the torch on to Kim Jong Chol his son, or whomever. I think launching the missiles Tuesday is a big backfire for him, but he certainly has his eyes on a) the clock and b) the next US presidential elections.
I am a simple soul. I do not understand why North Korea would want, would actively instigate, nuclear war. Even someone as insane as Kim Jong-il can't imagine that there is any way for him to "win" such a war. What is the point? Where is the advantage?
That's beautiful. Perfect. Oustanding!
Look, there is no logical "reason" for anything this guys does. Let's face it, we all know he is a certifiable lunatic and he is engulfed in self-importance that he cannot seem to achieve. I can easily picture him jumping up and down and throwing a tantrum on a whim.
He has plans to build a nuclear arsenal at any cost. He feels he will be THE major threat to the globe if he is able to do this. Right now, he simply cannot deliver it. Sooner or later, he will be able to (I just doubt he will drum up enough cash to do it in his lifetime).
If he does manage to cough up or steal enough resources to build a real working ICBM and a warhead small enough to ride it, he will attempt to blackmail as many as he can with threats of destruction. Right now, he is frustrated and bluffing. He can't deliver a weapon that he doesn't even have.
We are all pretty certain he has nuclear ordinance, but it is not small enough to ride on his non-functional bottle rockets.
The best end to this whole mess is: He gets irritated and launches some modified SCUD's at someone (prob Japan) and we go annihilate him immediately with little political fallout because he attacked first.
If this doesn't happen, we will have our hands full with NK in 10 or 15 years.
Who knows, maybe China will cut him off and starve him out if he doesn't stop stealing their trains.
Very funny!!!
Outstanding is right!
So what is the answer? I'd love to think we could get VOA in there, but that's not going to happen, is it? What do we do?
The other issue is that he may think, to hell with everyone even if the US attacks, I shall be safe deep down in my bunker on the slopes of Mt. Baektu, safe away from it all.
To the extent we can monitor Kim Jong il's internal movements--a difficult game at times--we can have some insight.
Me, too. Especially since it so recklessly contradicts objective #1.
If another rat (or rino) takes up residency in the White House in 2008, NK and a number of countries in the Middle East will go all out to build and perfect ICBMs and become full-fledged nuclear states. And there won't be anything in the West to stop them except squeaky little irritating noises occasionally emanating from the White House.
Pakistan, and perhaps N. Korea too, will graduate to hydrogen bombs and then the world will be in a real pickle.
Are Americans dumb enough to elect a rat in '08? Very possibly. imho
Yes, and immediately. I think we should set up the whole repertoire of anti-missile missiles in Japan and shoot down any more missiles that NK lobs around. Then we need to send a dozen cruise missles at the launch sites the missiles came from. This is the very least we should do. If Bush just keeps dicking around with nebulous, useless verbiage NK will eventually be firing a nuke at somebody, or else hold the world hostage with the threat of doing it when they are fully capable.
When you're dealing with suicidal maniacs like the bearded midget in Iran and narcissistic, psychopathic tyrants like the pot bellied Kim Jong, they aren't as impressed with our threats as a sane person would be. It's very difficult to move these mentally disturbed types into submission with simple verbal threats, and we should have learned that lesson well with the narcissictic psycopath Saddam Hussein. We threatened him with invasion and he still didn't comply with the world's demands, and crazy as he is he's more reasonable than Kim Jong and Ahmadinijad.
I think the writing is on the wall, strike these maniacs now and take out their nuclear capabilities or pay an unacceptable price in the future for our inaction today.
He needs to be terminated, an extremely difficult proposition, but/and obviously that means nothing if we are not prepared to have DPRK elements installed in his stead whom we can immediately deal with. We also risk of course an automatic decentralization of military power to the regional KPA commanders, who will march straight into war on the South and Japan (and the US) if Kim Jong il is taken out and they have an inkling the US had something to do with it. Our options are extremely limited at this point.
It's very odd. He's much more likely to remain a dictator and hold onto his powers forever if he keeps his mouth shut and leaves us alone while we're so obviously busy in the Middle East.
Well, remember the contradiction Osama Bin Laden pulled off by bashing Bush right on literally election eve 2004 by taped message, and essentially Bush winning in part as a result. A major backfire. These dictators and worldwide scum have an immense propensity to FUBAR.
It's embarrassing that the President would say such a stupid thing, but he volunteered this absolutely stunning revelation of his ignorance to Larry King:
KING: First things first and first thing obvious. What's going on? Were you surprised by the missiles?
G. BUSH: You know, I wasn't sure what to expect. Obviously, we knew the missile was teed up. We rallied our partners in the six-party talks to make clear statements about not firing a missile. Sure enough, a couple of days ago, he not only fired one, he fired seven.
KING: Why do you think he did it?
G. BUSH: You know, I don't know. I really don't know. I think he wants us to either fear him or pay attention to him. And I view it as an opportunity.-----
Unless he is getting from his agents/spies that there is a major movement afoot within the DPRK to unseat him, that the natives are restless so to speak. In that sense, it makes sense to fortify the external enemy even more so in the public mindset (you should have hear Pyongyang TV the other night), the rhetoric and anger keeping their attention on the evil Americans, and away from his mismanagment, fat stomach, and their skinny, bony bodies.
Neither does President Bush; see my post # 39 for his amazingly ignorant, dumbfounded statement about Kim Jong and N. Korea's intentions.
| "North Korea considers this an act of war and North Korea will launch a missile at any country that joins such a resolution." |  |
Translation: "I'm going to blow up the Earth!" |
I heard Savage on this and I thought he was irresponsible. He hyped and exaggerated the threat to America and then put down the President. He doesn't undertand what he is talking about. Poker player Bush is publically downplaying Kim. that's because we only want to back the efforts of the Asian neighbors. We have had troops there 50 years, Isn't that long enough? Dems want an Iraq timetable after 3 years. Let's get Japan and S Korea defending themselves. Bush ran on that and that's the plan.
I think (and certainly hope) he is merely playing stupid here. It is an old Asian trick. Right out of Sun Tzu. I suspect the President has read it. I hope he has. Feign weakness, confusion, when in a bind, but all the while have a hidden, hotshot plan underway to counter the enemy in detailed ways that none of us could dream up. I suspect that is what may be happening. None of us have access to the intelligence he does, and since we cannot change Presidents right now, we have really no choice but to get behind him.
LOL :
"The missile firings were timed to coincide with American July 4 celebrations and a pre-emptive party for the US President"
Soooooo .... those were actually giant roman candles and they were meant to explode?!?!
ROTFLMAO
I appreciate your analysis. And there is Iran watching, of course.
I don't think a Demo-rat will be elected President in '08, but what the hell is Bush doing about Iran and NK's 'nucular' threats besides talking? He hasn't slowed their nuclear/ballistic missile ambitions down a baby step.
Thank you
Anyone with Google Earth will quickly note that the entire country is a militarized zone.
The scoundrels of the world are all in one big boat together.
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