The North Korean Missile(s) Launch
Well, it looks like North Korea went through with it’s threats to launch short-range and long-range missiles toward the United States. They fired six missiles July 4, 2006 (conveniently timed, huh?) and a seventh missile today.
Although the two long-range Taepodong-2 missiles could theoretically have reached Alaska, they never had a real chance of reaching our shores because they fizzled out in the Sea of Japan.
The international community is in an uproar. The U.N. Security Council has convened for an emergency session where Japan proposed a draft resolution, supported by the United States, Britain and France, condemning North Korea.
This is a situation we desperately need to confront sooner rather than later. Liberals won’t want to do it, but they never do. That’s one of the reasons we didn’t put them in power.
Republicanpundit has a great article about the third member of the Axis of Evil that expands on this story. Please check it out.
(Cross-posted at Falcon’s Crest)
Posted by Falcon
July 5th, 2006 at 12:41 pm
Well, I’ll bet the UN is drafting a letter now. Don’t hold your breath on that useless body taking a real stand.
The pathetic thing is that if they’ve spent the money launching 7 missles, you have to wonder how many starving North Koreans could have been fed with the money instead.
July 5th, 2006 at 1:38 pm
Well, I’ll bet the UN is drafting a letter now. Don’t hold your breath on that useless body taking a real stand.
-COgirl.
They were taking a stand this morning, but probably took a break to go to some posh restaraunt in Manhattan, probably won’t be back until next week.
Worthless. Worthless, Worthless.
thanks once again, Falcon for the link.
July 5th, 2006 at 1:42 pm
You will not believe this, but a couple of hours ago some Lib radio babe (I don’t know why Fox news would even have them on, nobody listens to them), said that N. Korea wasn’t named as one of the memmbers of the Axis of Evil. The republican almost jumped through the screen.
Guess the lib babe didn’t read my column this morning. They have become so brazen with hating GWB that they will lie outright.
The anchorman jumped her also. She never retracted her statement, but just went on mumbling all the talking points.
July 5th, 2006 at 1:44 pm
Typical lib. Wrong and won’t admit it when they’re proven wrong. Reminds me of a former CBS news anchor. What was his name? oh yes, Dan Rather.
July 5th, 2006 at 2:05 pm
That “lib babe” — and you are using the term ‘babe’ way too loosely, man! — was Leslie Marshall, and I caught that, too. I’m planning on throwing it into a post later today. She also said that the reason North Korea was able to fire the missles in the first place is because we were distracted by the situation in Iraq. (Not because a decade of diplomatic efforts on behalf of the Clinton administration clearly failed.)
She stated that sanctions would never work, and that something more needed to be done — though, like a typical Democrat, she refused to say what she thought that something was, but insinuated military action. When her Republican counterweight was given a chance to reply, he pointed out that Kim Jong Il and Saddam Hussein are the same sort of insane dictators, that Leslie Marshall seems to support a military action in North Korea, but claims to have never supported anything against the Hussein regime. Miss Leslie emphatically denied that fact by explaining, believe it or not, that Kim Jong Il resides in Asia, whereas Saddam Hussein was in the Middle East. … Gasp!
She was about as coherent as John Kerry, which is unfortunately as clear as Democrats get these days. Do you want our security in the hands of these fools? I don’t, and that’s why I’ll certainly be voting Republican in November.
July 5th, 2006 at 2:18 pm
One point Ms. Marshall made is worthy of further examination. Economic sanctions against North Korean are problematic because they (the dictatorship) doesn’t care if the people stave to death or die of easily treatable diseases. I’m not saying sanctions won’t work, but our normal economic sanctions probably will not. Your other points are well-taken, but how do you sanction a country who care nothing about the well-being of their people?
July 5th, 2006 at 2:29 pm
Yes, david, good point, which is why sanctions did not work in Iraq.
July 5th, 2006 at 2:49 pm
davidm,
I don’t disagree with Miss Leslie on that point at all. I was only pointing out that the exact same thing was true about Iraq, which makes her a hypocrite.
July 5th, 2006 at 3:19 pm
Rory - that’s a universal problem with liberals - flexible facts that apply in one situation and don’t in another.
If it’s their idea, then it applies.
If it is GWB’s idea, then it doesn’t.
Hypocrites.
July 5th, 2006 at 3:58 pm
Rory has a good point except that facts are always flexible in this type of situation. Cogirl turned me on to a good documentary about North Korea that showed the extreme suffering of the people. When I say ‘the facts are flexible’, I mean there is no universal answer that works with every country. I doubt there is a diplomatic answer and I think the dictator is actually a puppet of his own military. He’s apparently very consumed by his use of alcohol. They just keep him loaded and he’s happy. Maybe this is where Murtha should suggest we move the troops. The North Korean situation has been ignored too long and I know it will get worse. The answer may lie in ascertaining what is the real motive of North Korea? They must know they can’t wage war on us and Japan and South Korea simultaneously.
July 5th, 2006 at 3:59 pm
David,
Murtha’s idea of redeploying the troops in Iraq to Okinawa can be changed to N. Korea. To him it’s all the same.
July 5th, 2006 at 4:03 pm
Well, Jeanette, it gets the troops out of Iraq, so I think you’re right! We won’t have the mid-east mess to worry about until…what–August? One more thought on North Korea–those poor people can’t even flee the country. I just pulled up a map and they’re surrounded by China–which is probably an improvement if China didn’t send them back to be killed.
July 5th, 2006 at 4:41 pm
David,
Again, I don’t disagree with you or Leslie! I’m only pointing out her double standard. Economic sanctions will not work. They will only hurt the North Koreans, who cannot escape Kim Jong Il. However, if we decided to do something more than economic sanctions while George W. Bush was in the White House, is there any doubt Leslie would appear on camera again, suddenly against it? All these liberals with no integrity make me sick.
The motives of Kim Jong Il? Assuming there is one, I doubt it branches much from his general madness. Is it his ego? Is he, like Bin Laden with Zarqawi, tired of the news focusing on Iran? Do his ties with Iran go so deep that this might be a colluded effort on their behalf to get the international community off of Iran’s back for a few months?
I have no idea. It’s easier to just think the guy is insane. Regardless, you’re right. We’ve ignored the problem for far too long.
July 5th, 2006 at 4:48 pm
Rory,
Did you see the article I posted on worldwide wealth a few days ago. It might explain why now in N.K.
The S.K economy is booming, with a tremendous growth rate - and their northern cousins are suffering, in huge numbers.
Could an insurrection be far behind. Ill Il is taking a page from Saudi Arabia - make the US your villain and unite the dissatisfied populace around a common enemy.
Deflection of his responsibility to his people is huge in his calculations.
July 5th, 2006 at 4:55 pm
And no my question mark has not fallen off my keyboard….
July 5th, 2006 at 5:03 pm
Kathy,
You’ve just come closer to defining the motives of a madman than anyone I’ve ever seen on television. That makes perfect sense. I often wonder how people can be so oppressed without staging some sort of rebellion, and maybe Kim Jong Ronery wonders the same. Blaming the United States is a convenient way to get the underlings off your back for a while.
Great point!
July 5th, 2006 at 5:37 pm
I think it explains our restraint, too, Rory, and thanks for the compliment.
You teach me stuff all the time, I’m glad I can return the favor at least once!
July 5th, 2006 at 5:58 pm
I honestly think he is insane. The recent inspection by (U.N. inspectors?) of the nuclear reactors mentioned the ENORMOUS quanity of alcohol he consumed. Why don’t the people revolt? It may be as simple as starvation. The documentary that I think Cogirl told me about showed them eating sticks and weeds. Most of the livestock has long since been eaten.
July 5th, 2006 at 6:19 pm
We should attack
TALK is NOT an appropriate response to a missile attack
We need to teach the world: launch weapons against us or our allies and we will retaliate with cruise missiles.
Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk
We’re going to be talking when the ICBM blows up Los Angeles
July 5th, 2006 at 6:27 pm
If THAT was what North Korea intended to do, or did, I would totally agree with you, MFG. I think he was just trying to stay relevant among his people and on the international stage. But I agree, if he ever shot a rocket at us or any of our allies with the intent to harm, we need to shoot five hundred back at him. And I love Japan. If someone messes with Japan, I’m going to be extremely P.O.’d.
I’d buy a gun and a machete and go rambo on Kim Jong Nutsoid’s behind.
July 5th, 2006 at 6:39 pm
What would Teddy Roosevelt have done?
It would have been “rockets red glare” all right, but it wouldn’t have been from fireworks
July 5th, 2006 at 6:42 pm
The documentary that I think Cogirl told me about showed them eating sticks and weeds. Most of the livestock has long since been eaten.
David, along with Cats, Dogs, Rats, lizards or anything else.
July 5th, 2006 at 7:13 pm
He may be just the figurehead and not even the one in charge. Just take a look at him and tell me if he looks competent enough to run a country. And they talk about Bush being stupid.
I’m serious. He may have already been overthrown except for public appearances and probably is a drunk as David says or so hopped up on drugs he doesn’t know which world he’s in let alone which country.
At any rate he’s insane and if we were to shoot back I would want the bomb to land on his head and on the people propping up this regime.
The citizens are captive and have no choice but to keep quiet. I’m sure they would welcome freedom to be with their relatives in the South. They know nothing else and if they disagree they will be dealt with very harshly. I actually feel very sorry for the North Korean people in general.
July 6th, 2006 at 7:27 am
Why did they do it?
I don’t know, but imagine this scenario:
Iran (with Chinese encouragement) does something to provoke an American military response. Maybe they invade Iraq or Afghanistan.
At about the same time, North Korea (again with Chinese encouragement) attacks South Korea. Maybe they also nuke a few cities on the American west coast, and/or some major Japanese or South Korean cities.
The American military is fighting in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and the Korean Peninsula. Japan and South Korea are fighting for their lives.
Then, China attacks Taiwan. American, Japan, and South Korea will find it very hard to help, so Taiwan has to fight by itself. The latest estimate is that Taiwan could hold out for about two weeks without American assistance.
So China captures Taiwan, which is an important strategic base in the West Pacific. And Cold War II begins, and at a time when the Islamists are getting close to taking over western Europe.
Is there anything to this? I don’t know.
Remember the Chinese curse? “May you live in interesting times.”
We do.
July 6th, 2006 at 8:27 am
Interesting scenario, m. Since none of us really knows one guess is as good as the other. Certainly China must be pulling some strings because Il is not smart enough to do this by himself unless it’s his military doing it. If China were pulling the strings maybe they would share information with SK unless they’re afraid they’d be next in line for annihilation.
July 9th, 2006 at 11:21 am
North Korea, China, Russia and Brinksmanship
By John E. Carey
Written for The Taipei Times
We have to be completely honest with ourselves and with each other on the subjects of Missile Defense, North Korea, China and Russia. When North Korea elected to launch several medium and long range ballistic missiles on America’s Independence Day, July 4, 2006, that Communist nation defied the international community and sent a shock wave through other nations, especially South Korea and Japan.
The Taepo Dong-2 missile built by North Korea can reach targets all over Taiwan. This would add to the overall difficulty of defending Taiwan, especially due to the long range of this missile.
The greater the range of the ballistic missile’s flight, the higher the reentry velocity. This equates to an increasingly more difficult defensive challenge as the range of the aggressor’s missile flight increases.
Already we know, as good as it is, nissile defense networks discussed by the United States are imperfect and limited.
President Bush wisely put the right perspective on America’s missile defense system at his Chicago news conference on July 7, saying, “Our anti-ballistic systems are modest, they’re new, they’re new research, we’re testing them. And so … it’s hard for me to give you a probability of success” [on how they might have performed against North Korea’s missiles].
The U.S. Navy AEGIS ships, properly positioned, could add some defensive capability to Taiwan. But the total defensive system to protect Taiwan is incomplete, and will still be a monumental task both in terms of time and money.
The U.S. Patriot PAC-3 missiles proposed to defend Taiwan, South Korea and Japan and will be a step in the right direction but still inadequate in trying to intercept a longer-range ballistic missile.
PAC-3, less capable than the Navy systems for ballistic missile defense, was also designed to counter the shorter-range ballistic missiles; not a bird with the long-range capability of the Taepo Dong-2. North Korea’s Taepo Dong-2 is so fearsome because of its dramatic range (it can theoretically reach all of Taiwan, some of northern Australia, and a large portion of the continental United States). After traveling thousands of kilometers from North Korea, the re-entry vehicle, which could carry a nuclear weapon, will be traveling at unbelievable velocities. Intercepting that kind of vehicle fired at that range would be problematic. And a missed intercept in this scenario could mean a vast expanse of destruction and death: in the target nation’s homeland.
The people of Taiwan now live under the shadow of potentially thousands of shorter-range ballistic missiles (from China) that would come with almost no warning time; and the nation’s defense against this new North Korean threat is very limited.
Missile defenses on land, like PAC-3 or systems with even less capability, could not defensd against a big Chinese or North Korean attack on Taiwan.
Taiwan might rethink its missile defense posture, policy, strategy and investment and follow the lead of the U.S., Japan and South Korea on missile defense.
John Carey is former president of International Defense Consultants, Inc. He served in the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization during his career in the U.S. Navy. He commanded a U.S. Navy AEGIS ship.
http://peace-and-freedom.blogspot.com/