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The real American aim is to preserve its freedom of action. If North Korea could deter the US to some extent or other, that would limit what Uncle Sam could do in northeast Asia.

Curiously, this might well be a blessing in disguise. If, thanks to nuclear deterrence, nobody can launch a war in northeast Asia we get an uneasy stability but stability nonetheless.

This forum is unbelieveable. The topic is the pending missle launch, remember? Anyone on here who thinks that N. Korea having a chance to potentially perfect their ability to DELIVER a nuclear weapon is missing the entire point. Obtaining the weapon itself (i.e. warhead) is fairly easy. Having the ability to DELIVER a weapon is the missing part of the equation for NK and other countries who wish they could have this leverage.

Blameamericafirst.org

There is a difference between Truth and Blame. We usually don't protect murderers in America. So why should Americans ignore the fact that in the case of Iraq, America illegally invaded and occupied the nation of Iraq under false pretenses, and murdered and maimed its citizens, among other things?

Should the rest of us do what some of you are doing by saying, 'we don't cut and run', instead we stay and finish what we started. That sounds like the moral equivalent of Charles Manson and Helter Skelter, or what a serial killer or mass murderer does, continues on, until he or she has finished the job.

Since America started off wrong, and has got away with it for so long, it appears that doing the right thing simply does not matter to some Americans. Showing smaller nations just how powerful the Big Bully America really is, seems to be more important than morality, righteousness or justice!

But you are right about one thing, Mr. Bush did not do all of this on his own. And when there is comeuppance, I am certain that those who supported and encouraged this nonsense will receive their just rewards right along with him and anyone else who has caused so much damage and pain!

Bush is a liar. Bush is a Nazi. Bush burned down the Reichstag. Bush started WW II. Bush sunk the Titanic with a Russian "super-torpedo". Arkin is an Idiot because of Bush. Bush caused Katrina. Bush didn't spend our tax dollars on Tsunami damage fast enough - even though he caused it. Bush caused a car accident that I had. I'm not wealthy because of Bush. Bush is responsible for the depreciation of my car. Bush caused HIV/AIDS as part of a government experiment. 9/11 is a conspiracy."
Bush started the Korean War... errr... police action. Bush gave you the flu. Bush started the Vietnam War using the Gulf of Tonkin "incident" as an excuse (also reference 9/11 conspiracy by U.S. Government to attack itself - Bush plan 666). Bush used an above top secret transporter to beam Flight 93 from Pennsylvania airspace to the Bermuda Triangle for hand off to aliens under Cheney's control (no, not the ones from Mexico for you idiots). Bush nuked Japan, Bush sunk the Lusitania. Bush was an advisor to Hitler. My wife burned my steak because of Bush. Bush made Putin hire Halliburton to build nuclear facilities in Iran so we could have another war (a lot of people don't know about this one yet). Bush is Satan.
What a wonderful world we live in where we KNOW the actual source of ALL of our problems - and to think how peaceful it will be, and everyone will get along when he leaves office. But wait, he is a law breaker after all. He'll probably suspend the constitution and become the King of a monarchy while all the conspiracy theorists are still preoccupied with 9/11!! OH MY GOD! Maybe the minutemen will save us. Naah, the ACLU won't let them. Oh, what irony!
How DOES he get away with all this? And how does he conduct all these massive conspiracies... I mean, using an above top secret transporter to beam away Flight 93. Who would have guessed?

By: Blameamericafirst.org (see moveon.org)

Where's the post about "Go ahead and let the North Koreans shoot thier missile. Let's see what they got."? What was so BAD about that post that it required deletion?

That's almost a direct quote - What was so bad!?

Please advise what rule was violated by my first post that inclined you to delete it. Your up to at least 10 total deletions now. This is incredible.

Wow, it only took you, say... 15 minutes to delete the first post by "Selective Service". You did it again. What's wrong, you don't like people knowing that you delete posts. Please, tell me what rule was violated? I think I'll start tracking this. It is, after all, a credibility issue.

Where's the posts by Archimedes? Where's the posts by "Mouse"? Where's the posts by "MTIG"? Where's the posts by "Swinging Dick"? Where's the post by... etc, etc?

So what's the deal? Time to come clean. If those who disagree with you outnumber those who do agree with you, you just start selectively hitting the delete key?

Don't the communists do that? So you (Arkin) must be a communist - not a neo-lib. So who do you like better, Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Moa, Ho, who???

Sure, sure, hey, even if a nuke dusts off Seattle or L.A. what is really important is that I don't like George Bush. He maketh me so mad! Why can't we Demoncrats run a non-southerner and win the presidency? Waaaahhhhh! All Americans should be northeastern liberals. Oh, I guess Al Gore was a southerner?
Right, that's why he lost his home state, waaaahhhh!
G. Bush started WWI, WWII, and it will all be his fault if the Russo-Chinese alliance starts WWIII (it will). I won't know WHAT to do when ol georgy boy is gone, waaaahhhh!
Forget about how dangerously insane the world is. Focus on a clown! That way you dont have to own up to how hideously stupid your party is!

Franklin

Think Arkin wants your opinion? Don't kid yourself. The rules are selectively enforced. I count at least 5 posts that were removed from this forum today - 3 or 4 were mine. One of mine contained the word "dumbass". Anyone who thinks a KC-135 is a spy plane is a dumbass - but that person didn't do anything to warrant deletion. What would the Washington Post do if the government censored them? Hmmmm... If you aren't a jack-booted, libernazi in lock step with Farkin' Arkin, you get DELETED. The is the neo-lib double standard in plain view.

Hey Willy, is "William Arkin" an alias created so you could hide behind it like a yellow coward and puke on everything you disagree with? Do you have an axe to grind with somebody? I think you do. I think you know who I am - Don't you?!

north and south koreans would like to have nuclear weapons to protect their sovereignty from china when they re-unify. having china taking the lead in the six party talks plays into beijings hands, they don't want the talks to go anywhere. they want to keep north and south divided they don't want the US to talk directly with north korea.

putin and kim jung il have spoken bilaterally, hu jin tao and kim jung il have spoken bilaterally, japan's pm and kim jung il have spoken bilaterally. south korean presidents have spoken directly with kim jung il. the only two countries involved in the 6 party talks whose leaders haven't spoken directly are the US and North Korean. this is because Cheney and Rumsfeld need an excuse to blow billions on the magic space shield.

GW should be a man and talk to Kim Jung Il directly.

taepedond 2 is an engineering endeavour in progress it takes 1000's of testing of all sorts to mature but it'll get there in the end for sure quicker than the yanks got there back in the 60's and when its ready the technology will be GUARANTEED to be shipped to iran (remeber axis of evil: read between the lines)and POSSIBLY pakistan they will then be tipped with pakistanium or iranium GOODBYE

It is likely this will be another attempt to launch a satellite considering how relatively open their preparations have been.

why shouldn't Korea call down the wrath of gawd upon themselves...

I mean, everyone wants to become an isotopic archipaelego

abrogations of intellectual responsibility is not the same thing as having a valid opinion

you clueless moron.

...

.

North Korea had people starving to death a few years back...

the only thing that they want is to be included in the economic growth of South Korea....

cars, tools, etc...big money, lots of food, dollars....

ship them a Wal Mart company and close the door...they'll destroy themselves as we're in the act of doing....

.

quality of life is more important than an endless stream of bu llsh it issuing from our presidents orifices....

he's a sick piece of sh it...

nuke him.

. electorially, and arrest him for voter machinge riggin...

thanks so much..

..

you seem a little punch drunk if you think this is true:

"

Reading the comments here, it's obvious to me that America has Battered Wife Syndrom.

When a bully hits America in the nose, America says "Oh, it's really not that bad and besides, I deserved it."

"

you're like the trailer trash KKK guy that can't keep a job but wants everyone to know what a man he is because his alcoholic father used to kick his mom around the living room...

you need to get this, real men don't feel threatened by other peoples' farts...

back off before you do get slapped down...

you need to be dominated with an ego like your's, being in control is not for boys with small ones....they're too reactive...sensitive...

.

sendmoneytocheney,

The threat of N. Korea's Taepo Dong isn't actually to the United States, it is to Japan and S. Korea. Suppose N. Korea does launch a few ballistic missiles at Japan.. killing a couple million people because why wouldn't they? as others have pointed out, they've got nothing to lose!

Or Iran.. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has publicly announced his terrorist connections. I'm pretty sure that he doesn't care about his country either.. so why would he be building nuclear reactors and uranium enrichment facilities? certainly not because he cares about whether his country is powered or not. No.. he just plans to kill the Israelis, that's all.. because he has also publicly expressed his extremely anti-semitic ideas.

Zentrails,

You should become aware that the physical mass of a nuclear weapon is almost irrelevant when you mention the Hiroshima bomb 'Little Boy' weighing 4.5 tons. You must examine the relative explosive power. 'Little Boy' weighed 4.5 tons and had the explosive output of approximately 19,000 tons of TNT; yet the Russian SS-18 MIII 'Satan' ICBM weighs 8 tons and carries 10 individual warheads, with a total yield of 24 million tons of TNT.

Individual warheads may weigh as little as 1000 lb.. and still have the capability to be detonated WITHOUT a missile to launch it. Also, a suitcase bomb by comparison is peanuts.

Our shameful government, and it's corporate backbone have each and every one of us in the palm of their hands.

One boogeyman after another. The boogeyman that wasn't, in Iraq, has cost this country some told, and many untold, billions of dollars and thousands of peoples lives.

Many in the rest of the world see (if you're using Bush grammar, put an "s" after the last "e" in see) us as a greater threat than our Korean counterparts, for good reason (War with Mexico to take their land, Korean War, Vietnam War, Meddling in Central American Conflicts, The Georges Wars-Iraq twice, Afghanistan, and many more). Remember, we fought a war on their land and they have never fired a slingshot in our direction across the Atlantic. Bully for North Korea, test away. How would you prefer our country's power to wan? A slow, choking, death caused by expansion, unchecked pollution, enviro disasters, and economic ruin, or from Kim Jong Il's long dong?

As a scientist with a pretty good foundation in physics, I find this whole thing bizarre to the extreme. This is not too much different that the stuff that was coming out about Iraq before the first Gulf "war."

Two examples: One - The "poor man's WMD" a fuel oil-air weapon that would make a nice flash in the sky, but do little else. The other is the "really really big cannon' that Saddam was supposedly making so that he could either: "hit Israel" or "put things in orbit" It might be possible to build a cannon that could hit Israel if the projectile had a rocket attached, maybe - but why would you want to when you had a bunch of Scud missiles?

A cannon that "shoots things into orbit" might work on the moon, but here on earth, it would require such a large acceleration that no known substance on earth could withstand it, much less a delicate satellite or nuclear weapon. It's all bad physics.

The bomb we dropped on Hiroshima weighed about four and a half tons. That's the kind of bomb that N. Korea might be able to build, assuming that they could not get a "suitcase bomb" on the black market. Does anyone really believe that N Korea could send a 4.5-ton bomb to the US, when they can't even put a dinky little satellite in orbit?

plaasjaapie

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said this morning at the Washington Convention Center that China was not builing up anything, in order to fight with the U.S.A. Reques the transcripts if you don't believe me.

He said that the only thing that China is attempting to do is to bring 1B of its 1.3B people into modernity. He did add that they would react if Taiwan was to act up, thus their need for a military.

I concluded long ago that Americans imbibe on too much American propaganda. Yes I said it, AMERICAN PROPAGANDA...okay then, lies! Believe it or not there are some nations in the world who are not nearly as bent on war, as the United States appears to be.

I believe Mr. Powell on this one. He also added that before Mr. Gorbachev dismantled the Soviet Union, he shocked both Colin and George Shultz on a visit to the Soviet Union, when he said that America will have to find a new enemy. In other words, Russia would be heading in a different direction, glasnost and perestroika!

Mr. Gorbachev's insights were fortuitous I would say. America gets what it wants by creating boogeymen (I remember when Dr. MLK was a Communist boogeyman in the USA).

I will never forget the day when Mr. Gorbachev drove down Palm Drive and onto the campus of Stanford University. As he walked through the crowd where we were standing, I had the feeling that this was truly a man of peace. By the way, Mr. Powell admitted that he was skeptical, but guess what...well you know what happened!

TRFKA

Usmaan:

"But it seems that we haven't caught on to the lesson of the boy that cries wolf yet."

That should have been apparent to you when this country re-elected the man who deceived them into supporting an invasion of a country that had not attacked us and had no plans to. We are in many ways the world's most backward, gullible nation.

"When our budget in Iraq becomes so overwhelming that it is too much to handle, then we will realize what's a threat and what's not."

At $1,500 per taxpayer and counting, I would argue that it already is.

jmicrodoc:

"I missed the part where Arkin apparently knows more than Australian, Japanese, and United States intelligence."

Sleep through the Iraq war hype did ya? Shame.

I agree that N. Korea is not a threat and neither is any other country. It's like a kid with a squirt gun and a bigger teenager with an ax. Who do you think is going to win?!?! Sure, N. Korea has weapons but it's nothing that can't be taken out immediately. And by buying into the so called threat that N. Korea always try to portray by lobbing a missile every now and then, it's like the boy that cried wolf. But it seems that we haven't caught on to the lesson of the boy that cries wolf yet. When our budget in Iraq becomes so overwhelming that it is too much to handle, then we will realize what's a threat and what's not.

Irresponsible Speculator:

"coupled with demands that we cut the US military budget in half"

Oh my - and then we'd only be spending THREE AND A HALF TIMES AS MUCH on "defense" as the next leading military contractor-welfare state (France). Whatever would Grumman, Martin-Marrietta, et al do to feed their starving kids??? Please, be patriotic to these companies and help spread the fear.

Colin Powell,

I was in Washington D.C. today, so I slipped in to hear former Secretary of State Colin Powell, give a keynote address at a U.S. Defense Conference held at the Washington D.C. Convention Center. Man there was a lot of testerone flowing through that place; the women even had testosterone.

People were calling each other sir, some people even called me sir. I'm sorry, I am not a military type... that was humorous to me. One gentleman asked me, who are you sir? Sir, I thought? Well, er herm, I said, I am a preacher. Preacher, he said, as his eyes widened? His eyes also seemed to say, and what are you doing here? I wanted to say that I came over here to see what you knuckleheads were up to now, however, I went to hear Mr. Powell speak! Well back to my subject.

It was clear to me in the past, and especially now, that Mr. Powell was the only major voice of reason and civility in the Bush Administration. I understand why he left, he probably did not want to become with the disease that had effected the rest of them. Wow, how could a product of Affirmative Action end up being more intelligent than a Yale Man. and his cabinet members? My apologizes again to the Cable guy and CR, for I should not have said that!

As I listened, dined, and rubbed elbows in that warhawk atmosphere, once again I could not wait to get out and imbibe some fresh air. I concluded that Americans have become like the title of that old movie, 'Natural Born Killers'.

A question came to my mind, as I sat and listened, not just to Mr. Powell? How can this nation pretend to have a desire to save mankind, when it invests so much of its time and resources in trying to figure out how to destroy mankind? What if America, had not implemented the Hydrogen bomb, I wondered? Would America have to worry about countries like North Korea, Russia, Iraq or Iran, doing to America, what America did to the Japanese?

Then I thought, where is the disconnect coming in between me and these people who say that they are defending me? I concluded that they are, er herm, saving the world the only way they they know how, by killing people. And my problem is that I want to save the world by saving the people, and preserving the world for the people, even the ones who are different from me. For what good is a mission to save the planet, I concluded, if you are simply going to keep killing people? Pretty good for a product of the public school system, huh?

Well back to the subject? N. Korea is not a problem, even if they were to shoot off their firecracker. The Administration simply has to give the appearance of fighting the dangerous enemies of America (smile) who are purportedly scattered all over the world. You know the ones, the people who are jealous of America's wealth and freedoms (-: The fact is that people simply want America and Americans to mind their own business, and stop being hypocrites.

The sad part about all of this, whether it is the USA versus Iraq, Korea, Iran or whoever else, too many of the American people keep falling for the same scare tactics, the tactics that are used quite often by this current Administration. And that is the definition of insanity!

I will be pleased when the children all around the world, including those who are running our Government, that have not matured to the point where they have learned how to live without their toy guns are no longer in power-- For it would seem to me that once boys grow up to become men, they would get tired of playing with their guns! But as long as some of the children have them, the USA, I suspect that Korea, Iraq, Iran and every other nation on earth are entitled to have them as well!

TRFKA

Facts: N. Korea, Iran, Nuke Proliferation are ALL bigger threats (and were 3 years ago) than Iraq and Saddam's regime at that time. I agreed with the Afghan campaign at the time and still think we need to keep focus there. I am a Republican who, 3 years ago, thought that there were other priorties (some domestic) that needed to be addressed. Ignoring N. Korea is/would be/has been stupid.

I don't know what is wrong with me, but I agree with Arkin again. I enjoyed the humor and common sense of Sr. Bojangles comment, and Barbara Bush's humor. I covered this subject on Morley's World Blog, but you didn't miss much as some of these blogs are superior. Arkin did a superior job too.

Yes, finally you are right about something Mr. Arkin. Bush desparately needs something to take the attention off the Iraq debacle and rising gas prices. N. Korea is the perfect whipping boy now. Some third rate country can hardly get a missle into the air and the neo-cons are jumping out of their skins. They could not get Iraq right, Afganhistan is falling apart, all of our newly created jobs in our "expanding economy" are McJobs on the altar of free trade. Keep it up Mr. Bush.

Man, the only thing missing from some of these screeds are Simpsons-esque "won't someone think of the children?!" hand-wringing coupled with demands that we cut the US military budget in half and shift the proceeds to education so every child in America has a 1% better chance of getting into a crappy 2-year community college.

I agree that America has problems with conspiracy theorists, but it's not the "theorists" who worry about whether crazed narcissists like North Korea's cult of personality freakshow might wake up one day and decide to lob (more) missiles over Japan. It's with the people who inherently presuppose that anything that happens in the world (or doesn't) is somehow Bush's and/or America's fault. I have as many problems with him as the next guy, but give me a break. The reason that nations like Australia and Japan - not just the US - are worried is because they too are in the line of fire. These sorts of developments are not storyboarded out by some secret batch of world overlords to distract people from Iraq - they happen because some people really are evil, and must be dealt with. "Leave him alone" - are you kidding me? Just like Ned Flander's beatnik parents, you've tried nothing, and you're all out of ideas.

Gynocentric culture to blame for not attacking Kim? Just because it's more balanced these days between the sexes, not like in the good old patriarchal daze? Besides, plenty of hawkish women out there.
FYI, North Korea has 1000's of long range guns ready supposedly to attack Seoul, the capitol of South Korea, and the people of South Korea are mostly strongly opposed to a US attack on North Korea.
World tolerance for further macho depredations by America is severely limited. Since we owe the store to foreigners, their opinions might make a difference.

The only thing North Korea does is point out:

a. how incompetent Bush and crew are;
b. how much the WH took their eyes off the prize;
c. how Iraq is a total waste of time; and
d. that doctrinaire one-percenters can't even accomplish simple tasks.

All these comments and not one "No Dong shorter" joke. This site may be too high brow for me.

Nonetheless, N. Korea is not a military threat nor is any other nation in the world. We built our nuclear aresenal up with the rationale that it will be the "ultimate deterrent." Remember that phrase? Well, why do we need any missle shields or any of the big money crap we're buying? Remember the Missle Defense Shield does not work but we're pumping multi-billions towards it every year.

I'm happy with the "ultimate deterrent" of thousands of nuclear ICBMs that we have in every sub, destroyer, aircraft carrier, silo, etc. etc. etc.

Enough is enough. Our miltary spending is bankrupting us, financially and morally. We don't need to freak out every time some 2nd rate dictator thumps his chest. If N Korea nuked any country they would cease to exist and they know it. They've known it for decades. We have the ultimate deterrent, let it deter.

The technology is in place for weapons devpt. The main, and most complex part of the equation for N. Korea, is the delivery system. If they get lucky and get that right (they will eventually) there is reason for alarm. To totally dismiss this as nothing is stupid.

Reading the comments here, it's obvious to me that America has Battered Wife Syndrom.

When a bully hits America in the nose, America says "Oh, it's really not that bad and besides, I deserved it."

Eventually, 'lil Kim is going to plant a mushroom cloud over America and the Americans will say, "Maybe if we make his favorite dish for supper he won't hurt us again."

Gynocentric cultures ALWAYS come to this end.

Sure know how to shake up the chicken coop huh? Get the readers all upset over nothing? Your supervisor must be pleased as punch with you... the rest of you take a look at this again. Consider the source. and move on.

Case in point:
"...they would not hesistate to sale their nuclear weaponry and/or technology to Osama..."

isn't georgie boy,

wherein the "awful horror," lies?

isn't he host to the cloven hoofed one?>

isn't a world war where he's heading as a way of validating his friggin view?

.

Mr. Arkin seems to doubt N. Korea's nuclear capability. He should be reminded of N. Korea's long standing relationship with both Russia and China (who both have land and sub nuclear ICBM's pointing at our shores). Once more, S. Korea was on the verge of developing nuclear weapon technology during the 70's. Their endeavor ended with the assasination of President Park. The North at the time had a superior economic and technological bast than the South. Both countries have come a long ways since then.

The NK maybe starving its people...but this is at the expense of developing, acquiring, and expanding their military infrastructure and arsenal (however that may seem insignificant and laughable to Mr. Arkins). While it is true that NK would be more likely to fire a nuclear missile at Japan than our shores, they would not hesistate to sale their nuclear weaponry and/or technology to Osama if their commong interests were met.

Even if NK didn't have nuclear warheads, it would be unprudent to ignore NK and even more foolish to arrogantly dismiss NK as a non-threat, particularly when they have allies like China and Russia, and eager clients in the Middle East.

Americans love a good conspiracy. We love to be afraid. Who and what would we be if we didn't blow everything out of proportion? Communists!

Don't agree? You are a tree-hugger! Not afraid enough? Remember Nine-Eleven® and how each American life is like--a thousand from other crappy countries. Miss the cold-war? Just wait for the next act.

To take this lightly is a bit misguided. Whereas this test is not a specific threat, it is more of a veiled threat. If it is successful, then we definitely have something to worry about. But, I believe appeasement is not the route to go. I believe history has proven that to be true. SK wants to keep communication open so they don't piss off Kim and cause him to go even more nuts than he is. This is an inherently dangerous situation which must be stopped before a country gets hit with a long-range missile, regardless if it is the US. It's pretty easy to overlook something like this...wait, no it's not!

The North Koreans and Chinese both are playing a very dangerous game. If the US is seen to be rolling over on NK getting a nuclear capability everybody risks Japan deciding that it's high time that they looked after their own defense.

Japan possesses tens of tons of plutonium on its own territory and stores three times that in Europe. It takes 7-8 kg of plutonium to make the pit of a nuclear weapon.

Several studies have indicated that should the Japanese gov't decide to go nuclear they could have several deliverable nukes within a month and hundreds in six months.

That is what's really at stake.

You Boys are right. I've been telling Georgie boy to quit hanging out with those neo-cons and stick with the Mod-cons for years, but does he listen to me? Nooooooooooooo. I'll be ashamed to show my face at the clubs if my boy goes and starts another world war. Oh if Herbert had only rolled over that night

junior?

you little whining sychophant...

.

complicit congress.

Democrats and Republicans working together to defraud you...

it's a caste system peanuts, not a partisan ship you need to sink...

Kerry dived,

You might as well have been looking at Ali fighting spinks...

.

complicity.

.

"you're mine rabbit." Seriously buddy, wtf does this mean? You need some help.

I thought you were a stoopid republican...

I'd still love to kick your partisan a ss around the play pen...

leave me something besides your cliches and I'll do that...

only a fool relies upon a position when the truth works better...

you're mine rabbit.

.

Looks like I offended some of the republican lemmings, one of them even offered to debate me on the topic ("and I would welcome the chance to kick you a ss around the play pen...") Very articulate. He even followed the republican argument playbook I outlined in an earlier post which was:

1) Take some fact that a journalist makes.
2) Make some sort of statement questioning said authors patriotism.
3) Use the time-tested comparison to hippies/and or hollywood stars.
3) Repeat

Without uttering a single thought or fact, he did manage to follow rule #3 and add this to his post, "if you replaced Arkin's name with your own, and "military non-thinker" with liberal/hippie...". I love stoopid ;) republicans, they give the rest of us something to laugh at. Bushie has done such a marvelous job of making the world safer, I can see why all of his supporters are smug in their defense of their sacred village idiot. Have a nice day, Lemming-boy...

are in lock step with this complicit congresses and the presidents agendae to sell us fear instead of solution...

we are facing an economic disaster in our own country while these little wizard of ozzes try to get us interested in giving them unchecked power to spend...

there is no oversight in congress,

and "you the people," have given your rights to vote away with the simple words

"we believe inyour bu llshi it Meester president, protect us from zee monstairs..."

aray vou mon peanuts..

.

Two points:
1) If this is a distraction tactic by Bush, which he has done before, then it is the press which is to blame for being led by the nose.
2) Only one poster here (get real) has pointed to the fact that NK is controlled by China. If the NK is doing it, its ok with China. JFK in 1962 knew who to talk to when the Cubans were threatening us with missles, and it was not Cuba. If we want the NK to stop threatening us with missles, we need to make sure China has a good reason to stop the NK from doing so.

is more interested in not being left behind

economically,

than in showing us their "big one"...

.

what do you think mindless flailers of fear factors?

oh my doodness....it's so sceery....oh oh oh...

I am really upset that Mr. Arkin takes this North Korean issue so lightly.This is a very dangerous problem.
We need to focus on future generations and what they will have to contend with if we refuse to see the present dangers and resolve them.

who use hormonal responses to a real world situation need to have their manhood questioned...

like, people that hue and cry about gay marriages, need to question why are they so afraid of being attracted if they're not gay?

I think people that are overly sensitive to being manipulated with the phrase

"are you a patriot,"

have little weenies and need to be outed

yah did..

.

"September 9th, 2001, 19 Arab men posed not a threat."

posted by a serious threat to your intelligence...

you mean, 17 Saudi Arabian and United Arab Emirates and one Lebanese and one Egyptian trained in the United States

not unknown "arab men,"

our CIA trained and worked with the so called Al Queenda.

look it up on Wikipedia, it's no secret who was flying the planes

that created our 300 BILLION DOLLAR expenditure...

DESERT STORM cost 2.1 BILLION

get a clue fauntleroy....

I love eating chipmunks...

.

reason "Reagan's Star Wars" program defeated the USSR

was because it caused them to spend themselves into an economically untenable position.

what are we the latest carbon copy of the USSR, in actions doing?

Investing all of our future in defense and a few elitists making money off of

thoughtless economic actions?

do we need oil, or do we need alternatives?

is it kinda stupid to go off stomping around in the middle-east without an alternative energy program at home that keeps us from becoming "up a creek without a paddle," if anything goes wrong while we're dicking around overseas? Like a plan B kinda thing?

a portion of the government, and government contractors that has a vested in terest in getting paid, and they do get paid, big money...

would be so honest and candid when their credibility is questioned....

that would be duplistic.

...and on September 9th, 2001, 19 Arab men posed not a threat. Yet two days later. September 11, the scenario was suddenly, irrevocably changed.

Just mindless political posturing. They are going to launch a satellite, not a nuclear missile.

if you replaced Arkin's name with your own, and "military non-thinker" with liberal/hippie or whatever perjorative that you favor and removed the partisan slant with the phrase, "I need someone to tell me how to think, because I'm clueless,"

and you'd have an accurate rendition of your own pattern of behavior...

you're one of the least intelligent posters that I've sseen so far and I would welcome the chance to kick you a ss around the play pen...

wanna play small fry?

.

Thinking people can disagree about the best way to contain proliferation of weapons of mass destruction into the hands of governments that mean to harm Americans. But even a highly remote threat of a nuclear attack is a substantial problem. If Arkin is 90% confident of his opinion, he will be wrong 10% of the time. Maybe he likes those odds. It amazes me that the Post would publish such silliness.

Mr Arkin is indeed so optimistic a man. The US government ought to do 'so much ado' in order to stop N. Korea. Even I believe N. Korea is not going to launch missiles, yet it does not mean 'so much ado' is a waste of time & efforts; it's rather a good way to invest the future peace in the pacific, i dare say.

Normal Americans aren't nuts. We know political posturing when we see it. But if I was the countries dicking around with us I would remember that we have a ton of nukes and we have used them on other people before.

Words of wisdom from another RIFed officer.

I think Arkin's article already contains the best summation of itself...

"Much ado about nothing I say."

For uncensored news please bookmark the following sites:
www.wsws.org
www.takingaim.info
www.onlinejournal.com
otherside123.blogspot.com

www.gregpalast.com

Breaking news!!!

African-American Voters Scrubbed by Secret GOP Hit List

by Greg Palast
As reported for Democracy Now!

Palast, who first reported this story for BBC Television Newsnight (UK) and Democracy Now! (USA), is author of the New York Times bestseller, Armed Madhouse.

The Republican National Committee has a special offer for African-American soldiers: Go to Baghdad, lose your vote.

A confidential campaign directed by GOP party chiefs in October 2004 sought to challenge the ballots of tens of thousands of voters in the last presidential election, virtually all of them cast by residents of Black-majority precincts.
Files from the secret vote-blocking campaign were obtained by BBC Television Newsnight, London. They were attached to emails accidentally sent by Republican operatives to a non-party website.

One group of voters wrongly identified by the Republicans as registering to vote from false addresses: servicemen and women sent overseas.

*******
For Greg Palast's discussion with broadcaster Amy Goodman on the Black soldier purge of 2004, go to http://gregpalast.com/armedmadhouse/palastDN6-14-06.mp3

*******

Here's how the scheme worked: The RNC mailed these voters letters in envelopes marked, "Do not forward", to be returned to the sender. These letters were mailed to servicemen and women, some stationed overseas, to their US home addresses. The letters then returned to the Bush-Cheney campaign as "undeliverable."

The lists of soldiers of "undeliverable" letters were transmitted from state headquarters, in this case Florida, to the RNC in Washington. The party could then challenge the voters' registration and thereby prevent their absentee ballot being counted.

One target list was comprised exclusively of voters registered at the Jacksonville, Florida, Naval Air Station. Jacksonville is third largest naval installation in the US, best known as home of the Blue Angels fighting squandron.

[See this scrub sheet at http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=160156893&context=set-72157594155273706&size=o ]

Our team contacted the homes of several on the caging list, such as Randall Prausa, a serviceman, whose wife said he had been ordered overseas.

A soldier returning home in time to vote in November 2004 could also be challenged on the basis of the returned envelope. Soldiers challenged would be required to vote by "provisional" ballot.

Over one million provisional ballots cast in the 2004 race were never counted; over half a million absentee ballots were also rejected. The extraordinary rise in the number of rejected ballots was the result of the widespread multi-state voter challenge campaign by the Republican Party. The operation, of which the purge of Black soldiers was a small part, was the first mass challenge to voting America had seen in two decades.

The BBC obtained several dozen confidential emails sent by the Republican's national Research Director and Deputy Communications chief, Tim Griffin to GOP Florida campaign chairman Brett Doster and other party leaders. Attached were spreadsheets marked, "Caging.xls." Each of these contained several hundred to a few thousand voters and their addresses.

A check of the demographics of the addresses on the "caging lists," as the GOP leaders called them indicated that most were in African-American majority zip codes.

Ion Sanco, the non-partisan elections supervisor of Leon County (Tallahassee) when shown the lists by this reporter said: "The only thing I can think of - African American voters listed like this - these might be individuals that will be challenged if they attempted to vote on Election Day."

These GOP caging lists were obtained by the same BBC team that first exposed the wrongful purge of African-American "felon" voters in 2000 by then-Secretary of State Katherine Harris. Eliminating the voting rights of those voters -- 94,000 were targeted -- likely caused Al Gore's defeat in that race.

The Republican National Committee in Washington refused our several requests to respond to the BBC discovery. However, in Tallahassee, the Florida Bush campaign's spokespeople offered several explanations for the list.

Joseph Agostini, speaking for the GOP, suggested the lists were of potential donors to the Bush campaign. Oddly, the supposed donor list included residents of the Sulzbacher Center a shelter for homeless families.

Another spokesperson for the Bush campaign, Mindy Tucker Fletcher, ultimately changed the official response, acknowledging that these were voters, "we mailed to, where the letter came back - bad addresses."

The party has refused to say why it would mark soldiers as having "bad addresses" subject to challenge when they had been assigned abroad.

The apparent challenge campaign was not inexpensive. The GOP mailed the letters first class, at a total cost likely exceeding millions of dollars, so that the addresses would be returned to "cage" workers.

"This is not a challenge list," insisted the Republican spokesmistress. However, she modified that assertion by adding, "That's not what it's set up to be."
Setting up such a challenge list would be a crime under federal law. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlaws mass challenges of voters where race is a factor in choosing the targeted group.

While the party insisted the lists were not created for the purpose to challenge Black voters, the GOP ultimately offered no other explanation for the mailings. However, Tucker Fletcher asserted Republicans could still employ the list to deny ballots to those they considered suspect voters. When asked if Republicans would use the list to block voters, Tucker Fletcher replied, "Where it's stated in the law, yeah."

It is not possible at this time to determine how many on the potential blacklist were ultimately challenged and lost their vote. Soldiers sending in their ballot from abroad would not know their vote was lost because of a challenge.


__________________________________

For the full story of caging lists and voter purges of 2004, plus the documents, read Greg Palast's New York Times bestseller, ARMED MADHOUSE: Who's Afraid of Osama Wolf?, Armed Madhouse: Who's Afraid of Osama Wolf?, China Floats Bush Sinks, the Scheme to Steal '08, No Child's Behind Left and other Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Class War.

Mr. Arkin, you are a scarily misinformed person. It is even scarier that you are given a voice to such a wide audience.

You act as if you are privy to intelligence data. You are not. You do not know what North Korea is up to. Speculation and opinion are of no use during these times of distrust between countries.

Ask yourself this question: "Do my words improve on the silence?"

On the issue of the strange idea that NK, Iran and Iraq are not a threat I would like to point to some events, that as a seventeen year old, it seems strange that I am the only one to remember. A long time ago in a land far away, there was a policy called 'Appeasement' brilliantly employed by Chamberlain and other European countries against a similar 'boogey man' called Hitler, who was no threat at all compared to the evil Bolsheviks.
Not dealing with the situation today and calling it government propaganda is, as history proves, a brilliant way to ensure that one day young men like me will get a chance to die for our country.

And why should we fear ONE missile from North Korea---we've got STAR WARS and a MISSILE DEFENSE SHIELD that we've spent trillions on. Oh, wait, those aren't really working yet are they, we should throw another 6 or 8 trillion their way to stop one untested (supposedly) nuclear tipped missile from North Korea. Go ahead and pull that money out of your pocket. I don't have it in mine....there's your link to Halliburton and the other defense contractors, by the way. Gotta spend some more dough on defense to stop the North Korean's worldwide aggression....

Good perspective. The Bush White House is in serious self-conscious mode after missteps in Iraq and a host of sidebar issues associated with the war, and is dealing with crises in Iran, Afghanistan and now North Korea in a decidedly reactive fashion (I would stop short of saying over-reactive fashion, however).

Kim Jong-il's threat to the security of the U.S. and U.S. interests with his Wile E.Coyote/Acme-like missile is about as serious as the man's hairdo.

Arkin is being way to soft on this.

Here is a quote taken from the DPRK's Minju Joson newspaper "The world is not allowed to avert its face from the grave situation in which it is facing the danger of a nuclear shower from the blue sky"

Comments like these and others mentioned here gives ample reason to stifle DPRK's nuclear and ICBM ambitions. In another typical move.. all the yellow bellies just want to hug there friends and look the other way. Sorry that not what a superpower does, thats what the EU does.

It's reassuring to see that the brain dead republican flaming machines are alive and well. Here is their formula for making an argument.

1) Take some fact that a journalist makes.
2) Make some sort of statement questioning said authors patriotism.
3) Use the time-tested comparison to hippies/and or hollywood stars.
3) Repeat

Notice that none of the comments above cite any facts to explain their side of the story. Instead, we are offered such insightful bits of wisdom such as "Sounds like Mr. Arkin is a member of the Blame America First crowd.", or better yet, "Maybe we should all sit around and hug trees and ignore that part of the world all together." You will twist any point that does not agree with your Dear Leader Bush, and retort with some 4th grade playground banter. The political scene in this country is a joke. By the way, I am registered independant.

When a foreign nuke comes to the US, it will not be delivered by a missile with a highly visible launch, but in an uninspected cargo ship container.

I wish North Korea would shut up with their crying and just nuke the USA. Do us all a favour

Mr Arkin -

Did you forsee the events of 9/11?

IF you lived in LA I bet you would take this seriously. China and its ilk (NK) have been overtly threatening us for years...its really just a matter of time. Don't you think China can test US resolve and preparedness through the "antics" of a madman in Korea? You bet your friggin shorts.

You are an uninformed, left wing, tree huggin, political hack that has no sense of history at all.

Perhaps you should cover dog shows.

It's silly to expect foreign threats to coincide with our domestic news cycle. Just because journos are tired of talking about nuclear threats doesn't mean they've gone away. I'm grateful that President Bush is taking them seriously.

Arkin is right here, this is a non-story. Neither Iran, North Korea nor Iraq pose anything like a substantial military threat to the USA, and nor did they ever. So yes its another smoke screen, another bogey man for simple Americans to fear. And boy does it work. Sure NK is flexing its little muscle, but its of no consequence to anyone. Let them do their thing. Let Iran do its thing. The only thing the Whitehouse really fears is its waning power and influence in so many parts of the world. No empire likes to see its own inevitable demise, and most will thrash and kick and resist with great indignity (moral crusades, vanity wars etc).

Arkin is right - That dastardly Karl Rove has cooked up another distraction and even convinced the governments of Australia and Japan to go along in an effort to maintain Republican control of congress!

Nothin to see here...move along, move along...

The U.S. tested a long-range missile last week which went 4,800 miles across the Pacific Ocean. But it's a "threat" and a "provocation" when North Korea wants to do the same. Such hypocrisy and double standards...

The March 2006 Ballistic and Cruise Missile Threat you cited only mentions the point of view that the 1998 North Korean launch was for satellite purposes. It is not an investigation into the incident nor does it give any details to back up why it takes this position. While I am personally of the oppinion that it was a satellite launch, the report you cite would not hold any weight in an argument against those on the other side of the fence, and does not justify your oppinion (not that I think your opinion is wrong). If you have a better more detailed source I would be extrememly eager to hear it.

Please Arkin... you are worse the most left democrat in the party. What you don't get is that your speculation could be just as correct or equally as wrong as everyone you mention in this piece. My point... this country needs more informative/factual journalism and not more prognosticating. We have enough opinions... why don't you write something uselful.

"Much ado about nothing"

I missed the part where Arkin apparently knows more than Australian, Japanese, and United States intelligence. Additionally, and for the record, Japan is the country most threatened by any military activity from North Korea. Perhaps Arkin is saying that the world should NOT pay attention and sound alarms when North Korea, a communist State, tries to send up a satellite, or tries to falsify a missile launch. Maybe we should all sit around and hug trees and ignore that part of the world all together.

If its just a satellite, maybe they should stop threatening to wipe out the United States within days of launching it. I'll take them at their word.

Arkin, joemidwest and the rest of the "shame on U.S." crowd too easily dismiss the bellicose rhetoric of Kim Jong-Il, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other dictators who seek to govern by intimidation and cruelty. It is not our government nor our President that I am ashamed of; it is the fact that those who disagree with the practices of our government would rather undermine the credibility of the U.S. and further factionalize our citizenry by inane rants, pooh-pooh theories and misconstructions of reality than have a thoughtful and meaningful dialogue about our country and our role in the world.

If you only take your "news" from Arkin's ilk, Moveon(dot)org (or any other one-sided source, either conservative or liberal) and others without engaging your brain, you are doomed to remain angry, sad and foolish and won't ever really be engaged in the forging of any meaningful consensus.

Americans are nuts. Politicians and The Press play them like a cheap fiddle - not just once but over and over again. Land of the manipulated and home of the nervous nellies. Good article W. Arkin, a welcome voice of reason.

Sounds like Mr. Arkin is a member of the Blame America First crowd. Hey, I know. Lets take some reporters word for it that nothing will happen. Lets just wait and see. Wow....what a philosophy!!

Arkin thinks the 1998 test was a satellite launch. That says all it need to about him. Saves me the need to insult his "intelligence".

Like a puppy, this "journalist" seems to require a slap on the nose with a newspaper to realize something is wrong. Missile tests are not necessarily supposed to be perfect, because, Mr. Puppy, we learn most when we make mistakes. Every missile test provides additional valuable information on how to operate these complex devices. The U.S. program began with some spectacular failures. As for being a threat, perhaps the 100,000 U.S. or Japanese citizens beneath the small falling nuke would disagree, if they had enough time remaining to voice their opinions. Let's take the time now.

Arkin is a fool.

who cares?

njkml/

Talk about misdirection. Could this be yet another 'look--big problems over here' distraction from the White House just to get the focus off what is not going according to plan elsewhere, hmm? Invent a crisis so we can have yet another wave of panic that must be managed by our fearless leader. Wonder how Halliburton can manage to make a buck (or a billion) from this 'crisis'?