I remember a few years ago watching a show where a TV reporter followed Donald Rumsfeld around all day - one of those "get to know the politician" kind of shows. The part that stuck with me the most was Rumsfeld's story about the Korean Peninsula at night, how a night-time photo shows the stark contrast between despotism and freedom. Here's the photo:
You can read more about the photo here.
This is a nation that is spending billions of dollars developing nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missile systems, while 99% of it's population lacks things as basic as light.
How can we reason with such a regime? How can we negotiate? How can we impose "sanctions"? The people of North Korea aren't buying American goods, so what leverage can we wield with a sanction?
No, what we need to do is line the DMZ with a bunch of McDonald's and Wal-Mart's in full view of the North Korean people. That, and launch a tactical preemptive strike against North Korea's nuclear infrastructure and military command and control. And for those who fear the North Koreans may be able to smuggle out a nuclear bomb, intended for detonation in the U.S. (a very valid fear), there is a solution:
Tell the world, in no uncertain terms, that any nuclear attack against the United States will trigger a full scale nuclear retaliation - against ALL involved parties. Mutually Assured Destruction works.
Perhaps having a new U.N. Secretary General from South Korea will help - it would be nice to see the U.N. actually run by someone interested in SOLVING the North Korea problem, instead of throwing money and resolutions at it.
A picture worth a thousand words....
Posted by: John Eyler | Thursday, 12 October 2006 at 10:46 PM
Set up large bakeries on the DMZ. Set up large fans behind them blowing north....
Then have the 2nd ID hold a BBQ...
Posted by: Jeff | Friday, 13 October 2006 at 08:49 AM
Not to be a war monger or anything, but the opportune time to strike would be after 9:00PM as that is when the power grid shuts down...
Posted by: Jim in KFalls | Friday, 13 October 2006 at 02:34 PM
Why does the UN and the US continue to give money to a country that insists on acting like the Middle East?
Every member of the UN needs to kick the living Sh*t out North Korea and hand over total control to South Korea.
Unite the two.
The people of NoKo are suffering, they know it, we know it and their government knows it. It is time to return and finish the job. Be swift, and do it by air. No ground troops!
We know where to hit them; we know how to hit them. No Americans need to enter the country on the ground. Fly over only.
Posted by: Pissy One | Friday, 13 October 2006 at 04:09 PM
Why is the U.S. even a member of the U.N.? What value does it have for us? Why do we give the U.N. money and a place to do business?
Pull out of the U.N., carpet bomb the NorK military infrastructure, and give the NorK people Wal-Mart and Krispy Kremes.
Posted by: Gullyborg | Friday, 13 October 2006 at 06:01 PM