Japan will attack North Korea first

[cycloneye]

http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/e ... index.html

If Japan see that NK is ready to fire a missle like the one that flew over Japan in 1999 and was a test then they may attack North Korea so now the crisis really is heating up in the far east.

Also late news is that the carrier USS Carl Vinson will be headed to the region in the comming weeks.

[Stephanie]

Oh wonderful! Here comes WWIII!

[Southernmost Weather]

I think we all need to take a step back for a moment and breathe. Does anyone HONESTLY think that some nation is going to begin the destruction of civilization with a nuclear attack on some other nation? What we are seeing here is a lot of diplomatic posturing and tons of rhetoric. Contrary to what is reported in the media, I believe cooler heads will prevail to prevent a nuclear holocaust. Now for other conflict, different story. Nations will continue to attack one another for the most ridiculous reasons.

[streetsoldier]

The vaunted DPRK 1-million-man Army is NO match for the Japanese "Jientai" (Defense Forces), but rapid escalation to Chinese involvement is a "given" here...

And as I mentioned many, many times, the U.S. is NOT capable of waging a two-front war with the minimal manpower available, depleted stocks of spares and parts, inadequate numbers of "next-generation" fighters and bombers on the tarmac, reduction in naval strength by 2/3 since 1991, etc; and the general gutting of the Armed Forces and intelligence-gathering sources under Slick Willie.

I almost forgot...to our Japanese allies, BANZAI!" :o

[JQ Public]

OH crud. And to think if we didn't call them evil they might have continued to work on the discussions they were having with South Korea. Ack. But to tell you the truth if I had to choose between the bigger threats to World Peace and the worst human rights violator I would definitly pick North Korea over Iraq. Kim is just a crazy crazy man that is starving his country and still enjoys the benefits of western culture that his people do not get to.

[coriolis]

SS, I didn't think that Japan has much, militarily. Hmmmm.
I can't believe that Japan would make such a bold declaration. More power to them. Wouldn't China have a lot of economic reasons to not get involved? We see so many items on sale here that were made in China.

It really seems that the world is skidding out of control. Do you think that the NKoreans and SHussein have something going on in the background?

I think that NKorea and SHussein are both maniacs and are getting desperate. Nevertheless they are not stupid. What's dangerous is that when tensions are so high, it doesn't take much to set things off.

The Al-Queda are the most scary. They are maniacs and they are not afraid to die.

Can you imagine where we'd be if Gore would have won the election? We'd still be at peace (at least perceived peace) and the maniacs would be making continual progress in the background, which would make it even worse when someone would finally have the balls to confront them. Now's the time. It's high noon. The bed is made. We have to prevail.

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

Let em fight! Might take away some people waiting for our little squirmish to happen, but seems like no one is capable of any agreements set forth for all of these sanctions and 'rules'.

[streetsoldier]

The Iraqi missiles, and their development to longer ranges, are North Korean (maybe Chinese, but NK sold them) technology.

Follow the money...from Iraq to North Korea, Russia (LOTS of military stuff for sale there, and Moscow is strapped for cash!), China and Egypt (which has an extensive and up-to-date small-arms industry, with Russian tooling for sale): payouts to Syria, Lebanon and the PLO (for the widows and families of suicide-bombing "martyrs") in cash, and OIL for France, Germany and Belgium (!!!!!), all of whom want rights to develop Iraq's untapped fields for their own consumption, and to Russia again for modern steel and petroleum refining expertise...

As for Japan, it may be numerically inferior to NK, but it's 25 years ahead technologically, with the most advanced air power and infinitely superior small-arms and armor; add that the Japanese have a psychological advantage re: China and NK..both remember the 1930's and 40's with alarm, and rightly so; Japanese troops in the field are absolutely fearless, and historically accustomed to fighting on (and on, and on) against superior numerical strength. BTW, "bushido" isn't a lost art...it is still being taught in schools there (with the emphasis being on "business strategy", LOL), and the "Book of Five Rings" written by the celebrated 16th Century samurai and duelist, Mushasi Miyamoto, is a staple of strategic studies.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist...

[wannabehippie]

snip<numbers of "next-generation" fighters and bombers on the tarmac, reduction in naval strength by 2/3 since 1991, etc; and the general gutting of the Armed Forces and intelligence-gathering sources under Slick Willie>

can we please stop blaming bill clinton for everything?

1) i dont think that i need to remind you that the FY federal bugets in 1991, 1992, 1993 were proposed and signed by George Herbert "Hoover" Walker Bush. not Bill Clinton. in those years was a majority of the cuts to the armed forces and the closing of bases etc.

2) from 1995-2000 the republicans held congress while clinton was president. i didnt see them proposing major expansions of the armed forces. mainly they were trying to prevent the closing of bases in their home districts. the pentagon, with career military men were behind the reducing of forces and spending.

3) from 1991-2001 we were on a peace time footing. during peace time you naturally spend less on the armed forces. you simply cannot continually spend at a war time pace forever. that is partially what caused the down fall of the soviet union. in addition to other failures, they spend themselves into oblivion.

4) in 1993 the first WTC terrorist hit happened. i dont blame G bush Sr for that. clinton had been in office about a month when it happened. one could blame G bush Sr. for a lack of terror information in the months leading up to that. but i dont. it was a disater that happened and it wasnt bill clintons fault, it wasnt bushs fault, it was a tragedy never the less.

so stop blaming bill clinton for everything.


peace
david

[wannabehippie]

as street soldier already said we are not capable of fighting a two front war.

and i think N. Korea is more of a clear and present danger than iraq.
here is a country that is known to have a or several nuclear wepons. they even boast of it.
they have an untested ballistic missile which is capable of hitting the west coast of the US.
the have known and tested weapons that can hit guam, japan, alaska.

so i ask you who is the greater danger?

peace
david

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

hmmmmm Clinton has nothing to do with today's problems...other than he left some kinds of mess in his wake and we just have to clean up some of those mistakes no matter how miniscule they may be. I wouldnt be quick to blame our past, but would be more concerned with what we can do today to overcome some hurdles left behind.

[streetsoldier]

OK, wannabehippee,

I'll make you an offer; I'll lay off the Clintons when YOU lay off the Bush Administrations.

conquest, war, pestilence and death,

bill

[coriolis]

sounds like a reasonable offer to me. Let's just be nice and maybe the bad guys will go away.

[wannabehippie]

i have no problem laying off bush sr. he is no longer president and what he did as president is not entirely relevant to what is going on today.

but i will not lay off bush jr. he is the current president. much as i wouldnt expect you to lay off if a democrat was president currently.

i just say that clinton cannot be blamed for everything that is gone wrong with america. i am tired of hearing the right wing blaming everything on him.

peace
david

[wannabehippie]

also i said that i am tired of people blaming clinton for EVERYTHING that goes wrong. he hasnt been president for over 2 years now.
it just seems like to me that when anything happens to the US right now clinton somehow is at fault? How? why?

before 9/11 i didnt see Pres GW bush going after Osama bin Laden or Al Quada? it was only after the tragedy that he decided to do so. (and rightly so) but i do not blame him or clinton for 9/11.

just as i dont blame clinton or bush Sr for the first WTC attack in feb 1993.

peace
david

[Stephanie]

I definately agree that all of our problems or not due to one particular Administration...it's an accumulation of decades of decisions that have lead to this. Also, noone could have foreseen the terrible tragedy that occurred on 9/11, although there were plenty of hints that could've suggested this. However, the decisions to ignore and/or disregard the information that they received were based on thought processes that had been occurring for years.

I don't believe that we can fight two wars if necessary either. I don't believe that we have the manpower and weaponry to fight them both, though the thought that "we can handle them both" sounds mighty good and motivating.

There may have been cuts in the military budget over the years, mainly due to "peacetime" but I believe that no matter whether we've cut or threw more money at the military ( or any other government agency for that matter), the money is wasted due to lack of accountability. Until the government is run as a business should be (i.e. not like Enron), problems will still exist. As the unfortunate Columbia disaster unfolded, the new head of NASA (I forget his name) had stated that he is referred to as the "bean-counter". When he first came on board, he was shocked to learn that departments could not account for their employees and noone was directly responsible for their budgets. This is symptomatic of all governmental departments. With this in mind, we can never be sure as to whether a program has been underfunded or not because there's no way to tell!

What I want to know is why are we still hearing of audio tapes that have been all but confirmed that they were Osama Bin Laden? What is happening with that? It's been a year and a half now. Yes we've captured and or killed many followers and some higher ups of the Al Qaeda network, but why haven't we found him? If we're going to go to war with Iraq, and we can't handle another war with N. Korea, what is going to happen with finding Osama? To me HE'S the biggest threat of them all and we need to get him and get him now! All we're doing right now is giving the radicals more reasons to attack us. Osama will and has played that hand. Shouldn't that be the focus?

[sunny shine]

Some facts!

Clinton could have extradited Bin Laden from Sudan in 1996, but chose not to. Then he was released. And it was all "caught on tape".

Clinton-Reno policies that undermined the FBI, INS and other agencies, allowing known terrorists to infiltrate into the U.S. homeland without detection.

Clinton policies handcuffed the CIA from completing its mission and infiltrating spies into terrorist networks.

Clinton policies GAVE N. Korea money and technical resources to develop nuclear energy-aid the N. Koreans have now used to make lethal weapons.

Clinton rejected a policy advisory that could have resulted in the easy capture of two of the 9/11 terrorists.

Clinton is only the second President to have been impeached.

You asked... I just looked up the facts.

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

lol all pretty much to the point as well.

[mf_dolphin]

I have to disagree on the events that led up to the 9/11 attacks. The Clinton administration had several opportunities to stop Bin Lauden and didn't. The gutting of our intelligence services during his administration and failure to extradite bin Lauden were direct contributing factors to the 9/11 attack. I do agree that they weren't the only ones though. The biggest single factor that made 9/11 possible was the freedom that we love. The pre 9/11 America would never have put up with the security required to prevent this type of attack. Even today we are very vulnerable to a small, dedicated, and highly trained terrorist and will always be. Our own Special Forces teams of all services have taken advantage of this fact in conflicts the world over.

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

Clinton also was the one who tried unsucessfully bomb Bin Laden and insted wiped out a pharmaceutical business around that time in the mid 90s as well.