North Korea Agrees to end Nuke Program

[Jobber of the Week 0]

I'm wondering if the US could get away with dropping a nuclear weapon on North Korea in retaliation at this point.

Since the fallout would drift into either South Korea, China, or Japan, the answer to this question (which didn't even end in a question mark) is "No, you are an idiot."

[Guest Felonies!]

It didn't end with a question mark because it wasn't an interrogative sentence. (Not as if TSM uses question marks for questions anyway. Is that a problem.)

[Dobbs 3K 0]

I wasn't saying I thought they _should_ use a nuclear weapon, just stating my thoughts about whether the international community would let us get away with it at this point.

 

In other news, the US is now offering to hold side bilateral talks with North Korea if the "DPRK" returns to the six party talks. Seems like we're giving in to their demands after they broke the international community's wishes by launching missiles, but I guess it works if we get them back to the six party talks.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Hey...did we forget the DPRK still existed since all this stuff flaring up in the Middle East? North Korea is threatening to conduct a nuclear test. Remember when they launched six missiles earlier this year in Hawaii's direction and how well that was handled afterwards???

[Guest A Silent Presence]

I'm more concerned with Iran. Iran doesn't care whether their alleys turn on them, Iran doesn't care whether they're responsible for a nuclear war, in fact, Iran wants that.

 

I'm not always on board with Glenn Beck or anyone conservative (or liberal, for that matter), but his segment "What the Media Missed" is sort of eye opening. Insurgents should be the least of our worries when an entire country with the belief system that influences said insurgents is preparing to create nuclear weapons. Last night there was a video shown where two kids discussed to an Iranian media source their father's suicide bombing, calling it his "operation". The young boy was talking about how he blew up this car, and how the operation was a success while the daughter watched on almost enjoying what she saw. Yeah, there's examples of that kind of insane behavior everywhere, but to think that Iran isn't like that is a mistake we can't afford.

 

North Korea on the other hand is backed against a wall. They've got massive countries with even bigger populations all around them. Bombing the U.S. would put pressure on those powers to, if anything, pull their economic aid (if not crush them). I don't think North Korea actually wants that if what they're building is going to ultimately lead to their demise that they've been fighting off for so many years.

 

Right now I'm thinking the only way to show the world that the United States means business is to elect John L. Smith into presedency so he can beat himself up at press confrences and acknowledge the government's mistakes while refusing to fix those problems. "IT WAS A DAMN COACHING MISTAKE, THOSE KIDS ARE OUT THERE PLAYING THEIR HEARTS OUT AND THE COACHES ARE SCREWIN' IT UP!"

 

Now replace the words "Coach(ing)" and "Kids" with "Government" and "Soldiers", and John L. Smith is the man to lead the world to peace.

[Scroby 0]

So North Korea has conducted their first Nuclear Test.

[Superstring 0]

"Iran said to be 'Jealous'"

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Time for the UN to put up or shut up. If they fail to do anything within a week, I say the US should leave the UN and proceed to act unilaterally against North Korea. It would be within our right.

[EricMM 0]

Its a little late for all that, 3k...

 

1) We're already over-extended.

 

2) They've got nukes. We don't want to see the entire DMZ and the Northern part of SKorea turned black along with all our troops there...

[Slayer 0]

Two weeks later...

One year and two weeks later, almost

[bobobrazil1984 0]

i dont understand, what exactly is the UN supposed to do, go to war against north korea? the UN is just a place for nations to get together and bitch and negotiate with each other, and occasionally for them to come into situations as mediators with the approval of both parties. If one side wants nothing to do with the UN, then what?

 

Am I the crazy one? do people actually WANT the UN to be powerful? I sure don't. People really talk out of both sides of their mouth on it, on one hand there's a lot of bluster about being independent and sovereignty from the UN, otoh they want the UN to do stuff that requires them to have real power.

 

 

Anyways, now that they have nukes, I'd imagine any direct military action is off the table as realistic options. Hence the big advantage to having nukes.

 

 

The time to do something militarily is before they have nukes, not after.

[snuffbox 0]

Wake me up when they get one of dem nucular weapons.

[Special K 0]

They also have the third largest military in the world.

[Guest Felonies!]

So I thanked Fuck for nothing? Well, you you!

[Guest Vitamin X]

Fuck usually isn't very reliable.

[Pegasus Kid 0]

I don't know the legalities of it but why does the US get to dictate to other countries whether they should or should not have nuclear weapons?

[The Metal Maniac 0]

Because only terrorists have weapons of mass destruction.

 

Oh, wait...

[ZGangsta 0]

i dont understand, what exactly is the UN supposed to do, go to war against north korea? the UN is just a place for nations to get together and bitch and negotiate with each other, and occasionally for them to come into situations as mediators with the approval of both parties. If one side wants nothing to do with the UN, then what?

 

Am I the crazy one? do people actually WANT the UN to be powerful? I sure don't. People really talk out of both sides of their mouth on it, on one hand there's a lot of bluster about being independent and sovereignty from the UN, otoh they want the UN to do stuff that requires them to have real power.

 

 

Anyways, now that they have nukes, I'd imagine any direct military action is off the table as realistic options. Hence the big advantage to having nukes.

 

 

The time to do something militarily is before they have nukes, not after.

Direct military action was/is off the table regardless of the DPRK's nuclear capabilities. Within like an hour of military action against them, the North Koreans can bomb the fuck out of Seoul, Tokyo, and a hell of a lot of other South Korean and Japanese cities with conventional artillery and missiles. Probably loaded with chemical weapons, cause Kimmy has stated he's down with that before.

The only way out of this is through long arduous diplomatic action.

 

Oh and people objecting to the US (actually the whole international community) 'dictating whether other countries get nuclear weapons' in this case has a serious perspective problem.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Just because North Korea successfully tested a nuclear device doesn't mean they actually have a usable nuclear _weapon_ yet, people. There is a difference.

 

Time to act is now. I'd rather see 100,000 dead North Koreans than Seoul bombed off the map, or 1 American soldier die.

[Guest CWMwasmurdered]

I'd rather see 100,000 dead North Koreans than... 1 American soldier die.

---

 

You're a great humanitarian

[Special K 0]

My buddy's stationed in South Korea. He gave me the brief summary on N. Korea's army's capabilities. It was really quite illuminating.

 

The long and short being, they could sweep over S. Korea and our forces there very quickly with sheer weight of numbers, but if they held them for a short amount of time, it would cripple N. Korea's army, as they don't have the resources to keep the army going for long at all. (Fuel, ammo, etc.)

 

I'd rather see 100,000 dead North Koreans than... 1 American soldier die.

 

Yeah, can we think about this just a little bit? Just because their ruler's a psycho doesn't mean every Korean is.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

I'd rather see 100,000 dead North Koreans than... 1 American soldier die.

---

 

You're a great humanitarian

 

More have died from starvation due to Kim Jung Il's policies than that. Why are we talking about humanitarianism?

 

I'm sick of treating our enemies with kid gloves. If they want to hate America, that's fine. We should at least make them fear us as well.

[Guest CWMwasmurdered]

People who talk like you are the reason so many people hate America.

[bobobrazil1984 0]

so maybe someone can explain something to me. how exactly were we ever going to get them to do what we want if we refused to talk to them directly when that's what they want?

 

I understand the reasons for not wanting to talk directly to them and legitimize them, but sometimes its just simple.

 

if they refuse to enter 6 party talks and want direct negotiations

 

1) you either say no, or (realistically) end up with no say in what they do

or

2) you say yes, and try to influence them

or

3) you use direct military action to get what you want (as others mentioned, they can retaliate easily aganist S Korea and Japan)

 

 

is there a plan for North Korea? Was there ever a plan?? Or was it simply "no to direct talks, we'll only hold 6 party talks, regardless of what you say or do?". Was any of these 3 options ever on the table? or did we just stubbornly assume that by using the ancient power of The Force (as taught by Obi_Wan kenobi) we'd get em to do what we want?

[Art Sandusky 0]

Saddam never set off nuke one but his country got murked first out of the "Axis of Evil" anyway, while the other is possibly working on it and one of them already has. Just sayin'.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Saddam never set off nuke one but his country got murked first out of the "Axis of Evil" anyway, while the other is possibly working on it and one of them already has. Just sayin'.

 

 

Exactly. Bush is a total hypocrite in this matter. If he's really worried about keeping America safe, he should've gone after the country that actually was close to developing nuclear capabilities.

 

North Korea's main exports are drugs, counterfeit American money, and weapons. Isn't it time to take care of them?

 

Oh, and as far as people hating America...like I said, if they want to hate us, fine. We may as well make them fear us as well so they at least fall in line.

[EricMM 0]

But we legit cannot just attack them now.

 

We're stretched thin as it is, and if we DID attack them, S.Korea and Japan would get fuuuuuuuucked uuuuup...

[2GOLD 0]

The American public would not stand for us attacking North Korea now or ever. Because the minute the troop death numbers get above 100, which would be in the first hour or less if we went after them, they would turn on the attack and it would turn into a political selling point for one of the parties leading to us pulling out.

 

War of any kind is no longer an option unless they blow up one of our cities. And even then, the country would turn when the numbers touched the the high 1000's line. Vietnam forever changed this countries opinion on war. It is never worth it when a life is loss. The majority of our public is taking on a "not our problem" attitude, which is never a right attitude to take to World Affairs but its one the country wants to take.

 

The reality is the only people who can do anything about North Korea are the rest of the UN and they aren't interested. And we damn sure won't go after Iran or North Korea NOW even after we leave the Iraqi hellhole.

[dubq 0]

Time to act is now. I'd rather see 100,000 dead North Koreans than Seoul bombed off the map, or 1 American soldier die.

 

I'm sick of treating our enemies with kid gloves. If they want to hate America, that's fine. We should at least make them fear us as well.

 

Wow, you're fucking crazy. Really. You are. With an attitude like that you'd be best friends with KJI in no time..

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Time to act is now. I'd rather see 100,000 dead North Koreans than Seoul bombed off the map, or 1 American soldier die.

 

I'm sick of treating our enemies with kid gloves. If they want to hate America, that's fine. We should at least make them fear us as well.

 

Wow, you're fucking crazy. Really. You are. With an attitude like that you'd be best friends with KJI in no time..

 

What have I said that's actually wrong? I feel like I'm the only realist in this conversation. At least I'd rather not see North Korea sell a nuclear weapon to Al Quaeda and have it go off in a an American city. Are we supposed to just wait around for our enemies to destroy us or what?

 

We haven't done a single thing wrong to North Korea, but they hate us anyway. Why bother trying to negotiate with them? They've had enough opportunities to stop their program (which the entire world, even China, wants them to stop...it's not just us), but they continue. When do the limp wristed discussions end?