Is North Korea really a problem?

[Merc14]

11 minutes ago, Manfred von Dreidecker said:

Well, Russia is very close to Alaska, as a former Vice-Presidential hopeful would tell you ... 

Actually Palin never said "I can see Russia from my porch.", Tina Fey said it in Saturday Night Live in a skit where she was playing Palin and leftist dolts thought it true.  http://www.snopes.com/politics/palin/russia.asp

What she actually said about Russia was "“They’re our next-door neighbors, and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska."   That island would be Little Diomede and it sits across from Big Diomede, the eastern most portion of Russia.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diomede_Islands 

[+Hammerclaw]

5 minutes ago, Merc14 said:

Actually Palin never said "I can see Russia from my porch.", Tina Fey said it in Saturday Night Live in a skit where she was playing Palin and leftist dolts thought it true.  http://www.snopes.com/politics/palin/russia.asp

What she actually said about Russia was "“They’re our next-door neighbors, and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska."   That island would be Little Diomede and it sits across from Big Diomede, the eastern most portion of Russia.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diomede_Islands 

Don't bother the Left with Truth; it upsets them.

[CJ1983]

2 hours ago, susieice said:

Breaking news on CNN right now is that China has put it's bomber force on high alert, supposedly regarding N. Korea. A US official has allegedly said China ia prepping for a possible N. Korea event. Russian bombers are again very close to Alaska. CNN hasn't posted a feed for this yet on it's website.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/russian-bombers-fly-near-alaskan-coast-again-n748611

N. Korea appears to be playing volleyball.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/20/asia/north-korea-nuclear-site-volleyball/

Although Alaska is closer than Hawaii or mainland US, AK wouldn't make a very impressive invasion spot.  The terrain makes it hard to travel from city to city, there is a whole other country between AK and the other 48 states, there are some military installations on AK but none are vital targets.  

Hawaii on the other hand has many important military bases, from all of the branches.

But an attack on either AK or HI would be foolish, that would force our hand into a major war, China and the US do not want that from a simple economic point of view.  Hopefully China can control North Korea, NK is just brazen enough to attack, although it would almost be comical at the results that would follow.  Their forces are mainly for show, they have few ways of actually doing damage to the US. Our surplus mall ninjas could give NK a run for their money.

[LV-426]

1 hour ago, susieice said:

I don't know what to think about what's going on over there anymore.

Agreed. I haven't been this confused since someone led me into a round room and told me to stand in the corner

It's not so much a game of chess, than a game of charades...

[+susieice]

I was just spending the morning and early afternoon trying to get ready to go to work and all I kept hearing was all this different stuff.  Thanks everyone for the responses. I wasn't sure what was going on.

[+Hammerclaw]

What are they going to do, invade us in sampans?

[+Hammerclaw]

I just can't seem them kissing all those dollars goodbye for their pet tyrant, or as they refer to him; "little fatty". They'll take the little despot out themselves before they let that happen.

[Space Commander Travis]

 

12 hours ago, Hammerclaw said:

Don't bother the Left with Truth; it upsets them.

Do you realise the irony here? Merc was saying that it was a joke, and I think it was fairly obvious that the way I was deploying it was a joke, but it's you that's the one that's taking it seriously. 

[Kurzweil]

40 minutes ago, Manfred von Dreidecker said:

 

Do you realise the irony here? Merc was saying that it was a joke, and I think it was fairly obvious that the way I was deploying it was a joke, but it's you that's the one that's taking it seriously. 

If you have to explain your jokes you suck at telling jokes.

[+Hammerclaw]

4 hours ago, Manfred von Dreidecker said:

 

Do you realise the irony here? Merc was saying that it was a joke, and I think it was fairly obvious that the way I was deploying it was a joke, but it's you that's the one that's taking it seriously. 

You're quite mistaken if you think I take you serious, at all.

[Einsteinium]

3 hours ago, Hammerclaw said:

You're quite mistaken if you think I take you serious, at all.

I think we will see Iran and NK start to say this about Trump pretty soon. He lies so much I don't know how anyone can take anything he says very seriously. Dangerous.

[Merc14]

18 minutes ago, Einsteinium said:

I think we will see Iran and NK start to say this about Trump pretty soon. He lies so much I don't know how anyone can take anything he says very seriously. Dangerous.

You can think that all you want but we KNOW they that thought it in North Korea when Bill Clinton gave Lil' Kim's Dad $4B to cease nuclear research and a couple years later we got a big.......KABOOOM.   You remember that right? I think it was the same year Clinton gave the ChiComs advanced orbital navigation equipment for their ICBM's in exchange for millions in donations (google Chinagate).

[Why not]

14 minutes ago, Merc14 said:

You can think that all you want but we KNOW they that thought it in North Korea when Bill Clinton gave Lil' Kim's Dad $4B to cease nuclear research and a couple years later we got a big.......KABOOOM.   You remember that right? I think it was the same year Clinton gave the ChiComs advanced orbital navigation equipment for their ICBM's in exchange for millions in donations (google Chinagate).

Come on now Merc, we all know the Clinton's were so broke when they left the White House that they had to take (steal) the furniture with them. Look at them now, they are still struggling to pay the light bill. Honest people I tell you. 

[Einsteinium]

12 minutes ago, Merc14 said:

You can think that all you want but we KNOW they that thought it in North Korea when Bill Clinton gave Lil' Kim's Dad $4B to cease nuclear research and a couple years later we got a big.......KABOOOM.   You remember that right? I think it was the same year Clinton gave the ChiComs advanced orbital navigation equipment for their ICBM's in exchange for millions in donations (google Chinagate).

Do I remember that? No. I was too young at the time to care about such things (7 years old). But have I read about it? Yes I have. Appeasement does not work. Maybe we should just nuke them into oblivion already and get it over with lol

Perhaps we should have kept escalating the Korean war and went to war with China outright, maybe the outcome now would be better, or maybe we should not have not been so afraid of the spread of communism to begin with. A lot of blood was spilled, money spent, and even illegal activities conducted by the CIA to 'stop the spread of communism', regimes were financed and set up that were complete disasters. Reagan and the Iran/Contra disasters for example. I don't know what we should do, there seems to be no good options, just a bunch of bad ones, pick the one that hurts us the least I suppose.

[Merc14]

3 minutes ago, Einsteinium said:

Do I remember that? No. I was too young at the time to care about such things (7 years old). But have I read about it? Yes I have. Appeasement does not work. Maybe we should just nuke them into oblivion already and get it over with lol

maybe you should educate yourself on how we got here before predicting Trump's failure.  BTW, Now Russia is joining in on the condemnation of Lil' Kim for threatening nuclear attack.  So, Trump is the first president to get both Russia and China to condemn a North Korean act and trigger mobilization of their armed forces on the Korean border yet your prediction is NK won't take him seriously.  How did you arrive at that conclusion?  Certainly not based on the evidence as Trump is the first president to ever get NK allies to turn against them.  

[Einsteinium]

Just now, Merc14 said:

maybe you should educate yourself on how we got here before predicting Trump's failure.  BTW, Now Russia is joining in on the condemnation of Lil' Kim for threatening nuclear attack.  So, Trump is the first president to get both Russia and China to condemn a North Korean act and trigger mobilization of their armed forces on the Korean border yet your prediction is NK won't take him seriously.  How did you arrive at that conclusion?  Certainly not based on the evidence as Trump is the first president to ever get NK allies to turn against them.  

So all we had to do is get NK to threaten us with nuclear war? Brilliant, just brilliant. The world has never been more stable.

You are right, they are obviously taking him seriously. I was thinking of how Trump said he was sending 'an armada' to the region when it actually was and continued to head to Australia, it was a gaffe or bluff depending on how you look at it, but it seems that has since changed. You are right Merc, I was wrong.

[Einsteinium]

Trump is taking big risks, he is risking a small scale nuclear exchange. If it all plays out right it may be a major success, but the risk is enormous. This is not business where all he would lose is money, he is risking millions of other peoples lives on this bet.

You might see that as a show of strength, I see it as reckless and dangerous. I don't think he thinks about long term consequences of what he is doing. But this could be a major success for him, but it is a gamble, make no mistake about that.

[Merc14]

14 minutes ago, Einsteinium said:

So all we had to do is get NK to threaten us with nuclear war? Brilliant, just brilliant. The world has never been more stable.

Want rock do you live under?  North Korea has been threatening our allies and us with nuclear strikes since they got the things.  Every time we have our annual exercise wit regional allies they rattle their sabres, fire off missiles and threaten nuclear Armageddon.  Trump is the first one to actually do something about under that wag his finger. 

BTW, all reports are that North Korea is becoming far more unstable than ever before and all defectors have indicated that kim will start a war if his reign is challenged.  This is a can grenade that has been getting kinked down the road for a long tome and sooner or later that grenade is going to go off.

14 minutes ago, Einsteinium said:

You are right, they are obviously taking him seriously. I was thinking of how Trump said he was sending 'an armada' to the region when it actually was and continued to head to Australia, it was a gaffe or bluff depending on how you look at it, but it seems that has since changed. You are right Merc, I was wrong.

  Yeah, battlegroups never change plans.  I guess you know all about it from your years on carriers and such.   I guess this little jab is all I left you, next time do your homework because you just got embarrassed...again

 

[Einsteinium]

21 minutes ago, Merc14 said:

Want rock do you live under?  North Korea has been threatening our allies and us with nuclear strikes since they got the things.  Every time we have our annual exercise wit regional allies they rattle their sabres, fire off missiles and threaten nuclear Armageddon.  Trump is the first one to actually do something about under that wag his finger. 

BTW, all reports are that North Korea is becoming far more unstable than ever before and all defectors have indicated that kim will start a war if his reign is challenged.  This is a can grenade that has been getting kinked down the road for a long tome and sooner or later that grenade is going to go off.

  Yeah, battlegroups never change plans.  I guess you know all about it from your years on carriers and such.   I guess this little jab is all I left you, next time do your homework because you just got embarrassed...again

 

Of course battle groups change plans, it just took them a little longer to change their plans then what Trump insinuated is all. They did not immediately turn around and head to the Korean waters as Trump insinuated, that was all I was saying.

I don't mind being wrong or embarrassing myself anonymously online (not sure how that can even be considered actually being embarrassing considering you have no clue who I actually am), I can admit a mistake, we all make them. The nice thing about these online forums is I can 'embarass' myself and be loose with my words and say what I think without the fear of real repercussions on real relationships or professionally as I do in real life. In real life you would find me to be much more thoughtful and restrained, this is one of my outlets to blow off steam.

 

Yes I am aware that NK has been threatening nuclear war for a long time now, they constantly tell their people that war is imminent and they could be bombed at any time, their people live in a constant state of fear. Trump is playing right into that propaganda. China is playing along for now, but they have yet to actually do anything besides create the appearance of posturing and preparing. 

 

I thought you might have some comments on this article:

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/21/why-trumps-plan-to-use-china-against-north-korea-is-probably-doomed-commentary.html

 

To me, this is a house of cards. Trump gets to appear strong and appear like he has brought China to a new inflection point on NK. Then...ultimately nothing is going to happen or change. It is all bluster, all show. That is what Trump ultimately is, a showman, he knows how to create an appearance of success, an appearance of a hard-line action but the substance behind it just is not there. This is what I think he is doing with NK, a show of strength but no resolve to actually do anything to change anything. China knows it and is playing along.

Next stage for the next great show is Iran, will be used to distract from the failure to do anything of substance in NK.

I could be wrong, and I will admit it if I am

 

 

[SHaYap]

On 4/19/2017 at 10:23 PM, Manfred von Dreidecker said:

Interesting thing is, it worked in Japan and Germany didn't it, surprisingly quickly. Look how quickly baseball became the national sport of Japan. And that was after firebombing the **** out of them (and attack a couple of nukes on Japan for good measure). Perhaps the difference is that Japan and Germany were cohesive societies without the religious sectarianism you get in any of thee countries that have been given "freedom" since the 1990s. 

The times, they are a changin' ...
~

Quote

Anger, confusion as Japan revives militaristic edict

Published

Apr 20, 2017, 1:11 pm SGT

~

 

• strait times link

~

[+susieice]

Now Kim is threatening Australia with a nuclear strike.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/35129284/north-korea-threatens-australia-julie-bishop-with-nuclear-strike/#page1

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/23/north-korea-warns-australia-of--nuclear-strike-julie-bishop-mike-pence?CMP=soc_567

This man is totally insane.

Edited April 23, 2017 by susieice

[The Silver Thong]

NK is a distraction

[Merc14]

1 minute ago, The Silver Thong said:

NK is a distraction

No, he is a mad man with nuclear weapons and he has nothing to lose. You can pretend all you want but Kim Jong-un is a ticking time bomb that Bill Clinton armed with nuclear weapons.  I listened first hand to Clinton's pronouncement that his $4B payoff would stop nuclear proliferation on the Korean peninsula and laughed out loud while people like you argued with me.  I said five years till they lit one off but I was wrong, it was three.  

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

40 minutes ago, susieice said:

Now Kim is threatening Australia with a nuclear strike.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/35129284/north-korea-threatens-australia-julie-bishop-with-nuclear-strike/#page1

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/23/north-korea-warns-australia-of--nuclear-strike-julie-bishop-mike-pence?CMP=soc_567

This man is totally insane.

Please, we're Auatralians, we'reone bad day away from going Mad Max.

[Farmer77]

On 4/20/2017 at 3:28 PM, CJ1983 said:

Although Alaska is closer than Hawaii or mainland US, AK wouldn't make a very impressive invasion spot.  The terrain makes it hard to travel from city to city, there is a whole other country between AK and the other 48 states, there are some military installations on AK but none are vital targets.  

Hawaii on the other hand has many important military bases, from all of the branches.

But an attack on either AK or HI would be foolish, that would force our hand into a major war, China and the US do not want that from a simple economic point of view.  Hopefully China can control North Korea, NK is just brazen enough to attack, although it would almost be comical at the results that would follow.  Their forces are mainly for show, they have few ways of actually doing damage to the US. Our surplus mall ninjas could give NK a run for their money.

AK is strategically located for over the pole access to Europe, Asia and of course Russia. It would make immense sense for an enemy to if not take control of at least destroy the assets based there.

Youre right due to geography (muskeg is a horribly unforgiving environment)  it would be nearly impossible to invade the western shores and get a military force moved into the population centers and military bases which means its much more likely to just be flattened than invaded if the attack occurred in the summer. 

If the invasion came in the winter though that would be a whole different story Im afraid.