(North Korea Targets) Hawaii Uh-Oh

IBD Editorials ^ | June 19, 2009, | Investor's Business Daily

[perchprism]

“Well , you have a 50-50 chance of being right”.

—Those are the odds I always take to Vegas. I figure that I’m either going to win a million bucks or I’m not. Therefore, I’ve got a 50/50 chance!—

xxxxxxxxx

Actually, it makes no sense for North Korea to attempt a pot-shot at Hawaii. Their last two Taepodong-2 missile launches were failures.

What Kim CAN do, however, is just as insidious. He presumably has a few nukes. He can launch in the direction of Hawaii and another toward Diego Garcia. A hundred miles up over the Sea of Japan and over the Indian Ocean, he can detonate both nukes and initiate an EMP emission that devastates Japan and South Korea, and creates havoc in our own armed forces. Then he can unleash his standing army to overwhelm Seoul.

There’s no need to send out THAAD and the floating SBX radar to protect Hawaii. We will interdict the Kang Nam, providing the causus belli, and Kim might even argue that we, ourselves, nuked his missiles and created the EMP. Also, while he’s marching on Seoul, the Chinese will likely be backfilling into North Korea. Do we nuke them back, when few if any direct casualties occur as a result of an EMP strike?

Those who argue that we should zap the missiles on their pads are absolutely right. We cannot allow these weapons to pop off anywhere. If I were Kim, this is what I’d do. Knock out South Korea’s electronic-based defenses and power grid with an EMP, as well as Japan’s, not to mention that of our own armed forces on station in Japan, S. Korea, and Diego Garcia.

China might decide to try the same thing with Taiwan.

[Donald Rumsfeld Fan]

Missile defense took a $1.4 billion, or 15%, hit in the Gates-Obama proposed 2010 budget. Several promising programs such as the airborne laser were put on the shelf. The number of those ground-based interceptors at Fort Greely in Alaska and at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California that Gates touted was capped at 30, down from an intended 44.

[TLI]

Or least send the Airborne Laser(ABL) or other boost phase intercept system, to zap it when it's most vulnerable.

Unlikely...

Missile defense took a $1.4 billion, or 15%, hit in the Gates-Obama proposed 2010 budget. Several promising programs such as the airborne laser were put on the shelf.

Perhaps they have one or two prototypes they could use?

[Mr Ramsbotham]

There are 30,000 American troops in South Korea; when they’re attacked, we’re attacked, and even Obama won’t be able to do nothing.

Ah, but like the terrorists on 9-11, the North Koreans may be banking on our lack of political will. Sure, the administration may feel obliged to do something--but history shows that our enemies always underestimate us, and this leads them to do things that one might, in retrospect, call "irrational."

[Donald Rumsfeld Fan]

Those who argue that we should zap the missiles on their pads are absolutely right. We cannot allow these weapons to pop off anywhere.

But that would deny us the opportunity to test our ABM system's X-BAND RADAR for both mid flight and final decent interception capabilities.

And at no additional cost.

[cartoonistx]

[boatbums]

How much longer do we have to play footsie with this mentally ill sh_ _-stirrer?

Take out the missile as soon as they put it on the launchpad! And the next one, and the next one, etc. until they get it in their pea-brained heads that the game is over!

[boatbums]

Please don't be givin’ those loony-tunes any free advice! sheesh...are you a spy?

[TLI]

Ok, that is plausible, better than anything else I have heard, but why?

China is bound to be telling Kim to cool it. Perhaps Kim as gotten the “final report” from the doctors and wants to go out with a bang?

[Melissa 24]

It will be interesting to see how NK reacts if we decide to take the missile down with an interceptor…

On second thought I doubt President Barak Hussein Obama has the guts for a shoot down.

[myknowledge]

Let’s see if the Korean People’s Army could single-handedly push the Republic of Korea Army toward the Pusan Perimeter like it did in late 1950.

[Tzimisce]

Hawaii = big blue state.

They hated and condemned the war on terror, telling us that the US is the bad guys and all our enemy needs is a little understanding. Note that Obama himself claims Hawaii as his home state.

There is something very poetic/ironic in the idea that N Korea might nuke Hawaii....

[grey_whiskers]

parsy, who believes there is no substitute for Jenna Jameson.

Isn't she a porn star or something? Are you saying we're screwed? (while the whole world watches...)?

Cheers!

[mojitojoe]

Ok Odumbo. that does it. Now you need to send them an email and use ALL CAPS THIS TIME. THAT WILL SCARE THEM> BE TOUGH!

[mrsixpack36]

They just want to make themselves relevant. Kim Jung-Il knows the first time he attacks us, he and is country as as good as gone. He has been playing these games for years. The old fool is close to death and wants his son to start out with some respect. I bet things are starting to crack there internally as his son may not be ready to take over.

[patriot preacher]

Isn’t it curious how nothing has been heard lately about the Truman - MacArthur disagreement? With hindsight, maybe we can finally figure out who was right?

_________________

Funny thing, my Dad knew whi was right WAY back in 1951! A crying shame it wasn’t Truman that left office instead of firing MacArtur...

[Does so]

"...he can...initiate an EMP emission that devastates Japan and South Korea..."

I agree, and mentioned that five days ago:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2274221/posts?page=4#4

[GregB]

You mean dumbo Opps Dumbo???

[holden]

so Øbama has a good excuse when it come time to produce a birth certificate

Somehow, I don't think that's quite going to cover the obviously-set small explosion and fire as the Taepodong splashes 1000 miles short of the big 5-0h.

HF