Turning up the crazy: North Korea fires on South Korea

The New York Times: SEOUL, South Korea — The South Korean military went to “crisis status” on Tuesday and threatened military strikes after the North fired dozens of shells at a South Korean island, killing two of the South’s soldiers and setting off an exchange of fire in one of the most serious clashes between the two sides in decades.

President Lee Myung-bak met with security-related ministers and senior aides in the underground situation room at the Blue House, the presidential office and residence, and ordered strikes on North Korea’s missile base if the North made any “indication of further provocation,” The Korea Herald quoted a presidential spokesman, Hong Sang-pyo, as saying.

The North blamed the South for starting the exchange; the South acknowledged firing test shots in the area but denied that any had fallen in the North’s territory. It was in the same area that a South Korean naval vessel, the Cheonan, was sunk in March, killing 46 sailors. Seoul blamed a North Korean torpedo attack; the North has denied any role.

The United States, Britain and Japan on Tuesday condemned the latest attack. The United States called on North Korea to “halt its belligerent action.” American officials tracking the episode said that a total of 175 artillery shells were exchanged by the two sides.

The South Korean Defense Ministry said that in addition to the two soldiers who were killed, 15 soldiers and 3 civilians were wounded. Television footage showed large plumes of black smoke spiraling from the island, and news reports said dozens of houses were on fire. The South put its fighter planes on alert but they did not take off. [MORE]

Man this could get very ugly really quick.  North Korea is looking to transition power from Kim Jong Il to his son, so these crazy shows of strength will no doubt continue.  I suspect that North Korea is turning these shows of strength up a notch, because they know America is in no shape financial or politically to do much about it.

Via: Memeoranudm

Via: The New York Times

Happy July 4th Hawaii, Love Kim Jong Il

North Korea may launch a long-range ballistic missile towards Hawaii on American Independence Day, according to Japanese intelligence officials.

The missile, believed to be a Taepodong-2 with a range of up to 4,000 miles, would be launched in early July from the Dongchang-ni site on the north-western coast of the secretive country.

Intelligence analysts do not believe the device would be capable of hitting Hawaii's main islands, which are 4,500 miles from North Korea.

Details of the launch came from the Japan's best-selling newspaper, Yomiuri Shimbun.

Both Japanese intelligence and U.S. reconnaissance satellites have collated information pointing to the launch, according to the report.

Wow, Little Kim is cutting up something fierce! Perhaps he is just ticked off that Obama did not invite him to the Fourth of July celebrations being rolled out for Iran. It is said that Robert Gates has ordered missile interceptors to the region. I wonder if anyone at the White House is second-guessing the decision to nickel and dime on missile defense.

Maybe it is time for Obama to show North Korea his fly killing skills, that ought to get them to chill out.

Hope and Change won't work on these two

Yesterday, North Korea tested a nuclear device equivalent to the bombs that obliterated Hiroshima and Nagasaki. North Korea gave the US less than one hour notice that they were going to conduct this test. Also yesterday, Iran sent six war ships into international waters including the Gulf of Aden. In addition, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rejected a proposal to freeze his country's nuclear program. Clearly North Korea and Iran have not been moved by Hope and Change.

While the American media has done an excellent job, pulling he wool over Americans eyes in regards to Obama's capabilities, foreign nations have not been so easily duped. Obama's foreign policy has basically consisted of apology tours, kissing ass and ignoring growing treats. What is worse is that North Korea and Iran know this.

Obama's reaction has been to condemn North Korea's actions, call for international assistance and run to the UN (i.e. the same old song and dance). There has been no reaction to Iran as of yet that I could find. In the end, I suspect that North Korea is going to get us to submit to another useless and expensive "framework" and Iran will get their bomb. Why am I certain of this? Because, the only thing that will stop either of them is a military solution.

During the Bush Administration, with Bush's so called "cowboy diplomacy", his willingness to call them out as evil and his use of force on Iraq, neither North Korea or Iran were dissuaded from their goals. They may have tread a little slower but they certainly were not stopped. Obama's kinder gentler approach will certainly not stop them. Both North Korea and Iran know certain hard truths about Obama and America. Obama is an inexperienced executive. Obama and his party are more concerned about sticking their snouts in the trough of the treasury than dealing with foreign affairs. America is politically divided and will not fully back any military action. America is rapidly on its way to being broke and incapable of any prolong military campaigns.

North Korea and Iran know that the current situation is set at least until 2010 and if they are really lucky 2012. Therefore they will move with deliberate speed to achieve their nuclear ambitions, Hope and Change be damned.

Fantasy vs. Reality.

Barak Obama , Sunday April 5, 2009, Prague:

“…So today, I state clearly and with conviction America's commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons. I'm not naive. This goal will not be reached quickly -- perhaps not in my lifetime. It will take patience and persistence. But now we, too, must ignore the voices who tell us that the world cannot change. We have to insist, "Yes, we can."…”

I have one thing to say to Obama about that statement, “actions speak louder than words“! If this is Obama’s dream, one would imagine that some serious diplomacy is going to be needed to influence those nations that are rapidly trying to get or spread nuclear technology.

To date, the Obama Administration has not shown a very strong hand with diplomacy. Just this week, North Korea tested a long range missile capable of carrying a nuclear payload and hitting Alaska or Hawaii. What was the Obama Administration’s response? Obama’s official statement was; "Rules must be binding. Violations must be punished. Words must mean something," and then he promptly ran to the UN, like the teacher's pet snitching on the bad kids. To make matters worse the very next day Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announces that we are cutting spending on missile defense.

The one big stick we could possibly use against North Korea’s ambitions for long range missiles, has now been broken in half by Obama’s insane military spending cuts. Beefed up missile defense for our western most states or our allies (South Korea and Japan) who could be threatened by North Korea, has now been scaled back by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates as per Obama’s requested cuts.

Some argue that North Korea using long range nuclear weapons against us is highly unlikely. While this argument has some merit, it doesn’t answer another likely scenario. The scenario of North Korea selling it long range missile technology to a nation that would use it against us. Iran immediately comes to mind. Iran which is run by Islamic extremist, are racing toward getting nuclear technology. Their tactic of buying time by entering and exiting diplomatic talks have proven very successful for them.

The real threat comes from the fact that Islamic extremists are not deterred by the notion of MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction). This is because for the Islamic extremist, the survival of Islam takes precedence over the survival of their nation. Therefore losing Tehran in a nuclear exchange is acceptable so long as it advanced the causes of Islam as they see it. So to deter a nation with this kind of belief, the passive role of having a large nuclear stockpile will not do. Instead a more proactive approach is required (I.e. missile defense, aggressive diplomacy and stopping their plans early). Currently the Obama Administration is doing none of these.

So while Obama claims not to be naïve and dreams that “yes we can have a nuclear free world”, reality is taking a very different and dangerous tract.