PRESIDENT BUSH TO HOLD NEWS CONFERENCE AT 11 A.M. ET.
Here it comes!

Damn. I need to get some sleep. I am going to miss it. :-(

I'll summarize for you!

Bush speaks,
Press corps covers, asks questions, etc.
nobody listens,
crisis continues.

Sorry to spoil it - lol

PRESIDENT BUSH TO HOLD NEWS CONFERENCE AT 11 A.M. ET.
Here it comes!

Damn. I need to get some sleep. I am going to miss it. :-(

I'll summarize for you!

Bush speaks,
Press corps covers, asks questions, etc.
nobody listens,
crisis continues.

Sorry to spoil it - lol

Don't forget about the part where Bush mispronounces " nuclear " as " nuculer " LMAO

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Air Cold, the blade stops;
from silent stone,
Death is preordained

Calm Chaos Forums : Everyone Welcome

Ehh, why do people think we are over-stretched?

The US forces are actually turning AWAY some recruits, (except for infantry of course, always a shortage there).

Still this is just ridiculous saber-rattling from the north. Most people don't realize that sure while N.K has 1.2 million standing army, South Korea has 800,000 troops and 4.5 MILLION in reserve. If you count the reserves of both countries, NK has 5.9 million, SK has 5.2 million.

South Korea could wup North Korea by itself, they are vastly superior in technology.

What people don't realize is China is just playing us. The reason we don't attack North Korea isn't because of North Korea, it's because of the same reason North Korea exists.

When UN forces took the whole of the peninsula, 300,000 chinese came pouring over the border. In the same way, if we attack NK now, China would come to the last communist country in the world's aid (to appease their own old guard's communist sentiments). Or atleast take it as their chance to take Taiwan. We're playing a tricky game of containment using alliances and pacts and it could all fall apart. China is using NK as a buffer zone, and a provocative threat to destabilize our alliances (South Korea has long disagreed with us on how to deal with NK and is trying to lessen our alliance).

See China knows the Art of War, they made it. First attack their plans, then their alliances, then to attack their armies, and lastly their cities.

They've already got the first two down. Just a little more distrust in the alliances, and they've got it down. Granted Japan is strengthening theirs with us, but others are iffy. Who knows if you could really call upon the UK, Aussie, and India in the event of nazi chinese aggression.

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The truth is out there. Or in here. Who left the door open? (my dog comes running back in) There's the truth!

Matchmaking

just nuke north korea then we don't have to worry about them any more

Think of it as "large scale urban renewal".

Every 1 who thinks NK should be NUKED, raise your hand! (raises hand)

Personally, I think we should nuke NK, first, China next, then Iran, then Argentina, then Cuba....Yeah, that looks about right!


After ALL, what GOOD are Nuculer tipped ICBM's if you can NEVER use them? I mean, what a WASTE!

:-)

B-IV

PRESIDENT BUSH TO HOLD NEWS CONFERENCE AT 11 A.M. ET.
Here it comes!

Bush won't do anything to NK. All talk. I mean, what choice does he have?

He cannot do anything militarily against this truly threatening country (NK) because he is too busy destroying a non-threatening country (Iraq).

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PRESIDENT BUSH TO HOLD NEWS CONFERENCE AT 11 A.M. ET.
Here it comes!

Bush won't do anything to NK. All talk. I mean, what choice does he have?

He cannot do anything militarily against this truly threatening country (NK) because he is too busy destroying a non-threatening country (Iraq).

Michael, we certainly have the capacity (even if we would never want to). If the "tests" were actually nuclear bombs (and there is serious question about that) a military "earnest of intent" would be an appropriate response. We have assets in the region which could destroy the light water reactor, weapons material processing plants and the other provacative sites without risk.
As a Navy man, you know that we could use submarine or ship launched cruise missiles.

I personally believe that the NK pschyco dictator is attempting to extort more money from us. The current administration is not as ameniable to this as was the last one.

Every 1 who thinks NK should be NUKED, raise your hand! (raises hand)

Personally, I think we should nuke NK, first, China next, then Iran, then Argentina, then Cuba....Yeah, that looks about right!


After ALL, what GOOD are Nuculer tipped ICBM's if you can NEVER use them? I mean, what a WASTE!

:-)

B-IV

Well if we were to do that, we will be NUKING EVERYBODY, even our allies. Because WWIII would be beginning, & WE would be on everyones hit list. Even our allies (which are indeed dwindling in numbers) would be against us. Come on people, let's get some sense about this!

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Account frozen...

I am keeping out of this one, as it's madness all round.

The test was very low yield, if actually nuclear (doubt). The NK's have missile systems (not reliable) which cannot carry any nukes (which need much further work to make them light enough to carry and deliver).

This just plays to Dubya's psyche and paranoia.

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It's good to be back amongst friends and colleagues

I am keeping out of this one, as it's madness all round.

The test was very low yield, if actually nuclear (doubt). The NK's have missile systems (not reliable) which cannot carry any nukes (which need much further work to make them light enough to carry and deliver).

This just plays to Dubya's psyche and paranoia.

I believe that Kim Jong Il is clinically insane. You do NOT set a crazy person point a gun at you and threaten. That attitude is not paranoia, it is the attitude required to protest his nation.

The US, England, France, Russia, China, Pakistan, India and the other countries which have nuclear weapons have internal checks and ballances to prevent any single crazy from using such a weapon in a fit of pique. North Korea does not. Keep that in mind when you are reviewing the US actions in this matter.

The US, England, France, Russia, China, Pakistan, India and the other countries which have nuclear weapons have internal checks and ballances to prevent any single crazy from using such a weapon in a fit of pique. North Korea does not.

Keep that in mind when you are reviewing the US actions in this matter.

Just requoting myself on facts ...

First ... No one is sure whether the NK test was nuclear or not. An estimated 3.5 - 5.0 Ktonne of explosive force can be generated chemically.

Second ... If they have a nuke, the bomb will be large, heavy and unweildy. It would take 5+ years of refinement to make the warhead small and light enought to fit, and be delivered, by NK missiles.

The panic about NK possessing a Nuke and able to deliver is currently about as well founded as Sadam Hussain's Weapons of Mass Destruction. Look at the mess that has caused!

I agree NK needs to be contained, and work on that objective is necessary. But the US has little real influence there, except in support of SK.

I think the Chinese will be mightly pissed, and so something, if it proves to be correct. Then something will be done to ameliorate the real threat.

So, I logically try and review the US actions, to a country that is no threat to the States ATM. Later it might be, and at that point things need to be sorted. I also point out that later is not too late, especially if work is done quietly to contain things, as I outlined in bold.

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It's good to be back amongst friends and colleagues

Security Council OKs N. Korea Sanctions

By EDITH M. LEDERER

(AP) U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton raises his hand during a Security Council vote Saturday,...
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UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously on Saturday to impose punishing sanctions on North Korea including ship searches for banned weapons, calling Pyongyang's claimed nuclear test "a clear threat to international peace and security."

North Korea immediately rejected the resolution, and its U.N. ambassador walked out of the council chamber after accusing its members of a "gangster-like" action which neglects the nuclear threat posed by the United States.

The U.S.-sponsored resolution demands that the reclusive communist nation abandon its nuclear weapons program, and orders all countries to prevent North Korea from importing or exporting any material for weapons of mass destruction or ballistic missiles. It orders nations to freeze assets of people or businesses connected to these programs, and ban the individuals from traveling.

The resolution also calls on all countries to inspect cargo leaving and arriving in North Korea to prevent any illegal trafficking in unconventional weapons or ballistic missiles. The final draft was softened from language authorizing searches, but was still unacceptable to China - the North's closest ally and largest trading partner - which said it would not carry out any searches.

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U.N. Approves Sanctions on North Korea

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me@rescam.org

Oh my!!! The United Nations approved sanctions against North Korea?????

Wow!!! That should REALLYhelp!!!

Just look at how well sanctions and resolutions worked in Iraq!!

WOOHOO!!!!!

( Exactly why is it that I feel that sanctions are going to do nothing but escalate the problem? )

WAIT!!! I KNOW!!!

It's because everyone knows that the U.N. is a toothless tiger.

How is it the old quote goes....

" Full of sound and fury...signifying nothing " ? I think that's it.

Perfect description of the U.N.

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Air Cold, the blade stops;
from silent stone,
Death is preordained

Calm Chaos Forums : Everyone Welcome

I have just heard on BBC WORLD that the US have confirmed that there was a nuclear explosion and that the yield was less than 1kT (yes 1kT).

China Inspects North Korean Cargo

By WILLIAM FOREMAN

(AP) North Koreans stand near a stockpile of goods delivered to the waterfront of the North Korean city...
Full Image

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea appeared to slip further into isolation on Monday, as China - under intense pressure to enforce new U.N. sanctions - inspected cargo trucks bound for its communist ally and stepped up construction of a border fence.

Japan - once a major trading partner with North Korea - said it was considering further sanctions, and Australia banned the North's ships from its ports.

The United States confirmed the underground explosion in North Korea last week was a nuclear blast, reporting that air samples gathered last week contained radioactive materials.

The Chinese inspections at a border crossing with the North came amid concerns that Beijing would ignore the new U.N. sanctions leveled against the reclusive communist country for its nuclear test. China is a major trader with North Korea and its support is key to the success of the new U.N. measures, which call for nations to check cargo leaving and arriving from North Korea.

At the United Nations, Chinese Ambassador Wang Guangya said, however, that his country will implement the U.N. sanctions and inspect cargo from North Korea for illegal weapons and missiles.

But Wang indicated that China will not stop and board ships to search for equipment or material that can be used to make nuclear, chemical and biological weapons or ballistic missiles.

"This is a resolution we have to implement," Wang told reporters. "The question was raised whether China will do inspections. Inspections yes, but inspection is different then interdiction and interception. I think different countries will do it different ways."

R. Nicholas Burns, undersecretary of state for political affairs, said there will be "enormous pressure on China to live up to their responsibility" in enforcing United Nations punishment of its ally, North Korea. "We are all banking on that."

The office of National Intelligence Director John Negroponte confirmed that the explosion in North Korea had a force of less than 1 kiloton, a comparatively small nuclear detonation. Each kiloton is equal to the force produced by 1,000 tons of TNT.

(AP) With a map of the Korean Peninsula behind him, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld gestures during...
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North Korea remained defiant, with its No. 2 ranking leader, Kim Yong Nam, saying the country would strengthen its military and "achieve a final victory in the historic standoff with the U.S." His televised remarks did not touch directly on the sanctions.

U.S. officials were preparing a diplomatic swing through Asia to address divisions over how to impose the new sanctions. The measures, approved Saturday, also include an embargo on major weapons to Pyongyang and the freezing of the assets of businesses linked to the North's weapons programs.

The top U.S. envoy on North Korea's nuclear program, Christopher Hill, met on Monday with his Japanese counterpart, Kenichiro Sasae.

Hill told reporters in Tokyo that the common threat from North Korea has helped unite the regional powers, particularly China.

"I feel that we have a great deal of similar thinking with China. I think this nuclear test has brought China much closer to us," Hill said.

(AP) Japan's U.N. Ambassador Kenzo Oshima, the current council president, leaves a meeting of the...
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The U.S. diplomatic campaign was to continue Wednesday when Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was to arrive in Japan before traveling to South Korea and China. She was expected to have a three-way meeting with the Japanese and South Korean foreign ministers Thursday in Seoul, Japanese officials said.

Amid the diplomacy, Iran - which has also attracted global criticism for its nuclear program - issued its first official reaction to the U.N. sanctions. The country's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, rejected the American-initiated measures, accusing the U.S. of using the U.N. Security Council as a "weapon to impose its hegemony."

Japan has taken the hardest line against the North. On Friday, the Cabinet approved closing ports to North Korean ships and banning trade with the North.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters Monday that his country was considering more sanctions that might be drawn up after it takes "into consideration actions by international society."

Australia announced that it would go beyond the U.N. resolution by banning the North's ships from entering its ports, except in dire emergencies.

(AP) China's U.N. Ambassador Wang Guangya speaks to the media after a meeting of the permanent members...
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"I think that will help Australia make a quite clear contribution to the United Nations sanctions regime," Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said.

China - North Korea's biggest trading partner - had balked at the cargo inspections, saying they would increase tensions.

But on Monday, customs inspectors examined cargo trucks bound for the North in the border city of Dandong. The officers opened the back of each truck and looked at its cargo, though they did not open individual containers.

Last week, reporters who visited the border post did not see inspectors open any trucks.

"The inspections are routine and conducted by quarantine officials," said Li Canhao, an officer at the Nanping crossing, in an eastern valley surrounded by mountains.

(AP) Japan's U.N. Ambassador Kenzo Oshima, the Security Council president, speaks to the media after a...
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In a further sign of fraying ties with North Korea, the Chinese have been building a barbed wire and concrete fence along parts of its 880-mile border with the North.

Although the project was approved in 2003, the fence-building appears to have picked up since the test was announced. Scores of soldiers have descended on farmland near the border-marking Yalu River to erect concrete barriers 8 to 15 feet tall and string barbed wire between them, farmers and visitors to the area said.

The sanctions should not cut off the flow of basic foodstuffs to the North, which has endured years of famine caused by bad harvests and poor economic policies.

But the U.N.'s food agency said Monday that millions of North Koreans face "real hardship" this winter due to reduced food aid from foreign donors.

Mike Huggins, a WFP spokesman who just returned from a five-day visit to North Korea, told reporters in Beijing, "If that food aid is not there, then there is going to be very real hardship."

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This is a link to a short video of underground nuclear testing

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I was going to say something about how awful it is to have a crazy person in charge of a nuclear weapon...well...


...nuff said.

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Reality Internet Personality

For those living in the U.S. in big cities it might be time to check your real estate options through this Nuclear Weapon Effects Calculator.

For the rest of us, we can consider the consequences of authorised or unauthorised use of nuclear weapons with this Fallout Calculator.

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This is a link to a short video of underground nuclear testing

As an aside, if I remember correctly, that was Shot Cannikin (sp?) under Amitchatka (sp?) Island in Alaska. It was, again if I remember correctly, the largest U.S. underground warhead test and is given credit for almost singlehandledly giving rise to Greenfarce and a big boost to the fledgling environmental movement.

Yay us. D'oh!

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Cordially,
Rush

elrushbo2@theobviousgmail.com
Remove the obvious...