Korea

[Captain Oates 911]

This island they are scrapping about is right up North and just off the coast of North Korea.

We (US and South Korea) are forever having exercises there where we parade up and down the North Korean coast and fly military jets up and down the coast and fire live artillery rounds into the sea

Now imagine the Chinese were doing this off the coast near Seattle. Would we see that as provocative ?

I put that to my USC wife this morning as she was cleaning the cat litter tray out and eating a piece of toast with the other hand.

She supports anything the US does at any time anywhere in the world and no argument and that's that and shut up. Open minds and even handed discussion are not appropriate at cat litter time.

Now I regard the North Korean government as a bunch of scary nutters, but do we have to go and practice invading their country a few miles off their shore ?

Just who is being provocative here ?

British Navy boats in Iranian waters, American journalists strayed into North Korea, American hikers in the mountains between Iraq and Iran are rounded up.

How come no North Korean or Iranian boaters are caught accidentally paddling their canoes on the wrong side of the Rio Grand ?

How come there are no Iranian gunboats practicing invasion exercises off the Florida coast ?

The media must think we are daft to swallow these stories that the George Washington should not be seen as a threat and these live fire exercises we are doing is no cause for alarm in North Korea

First rule when dealing with maniacs is not to provoke them. When I walk through the main square in Seattle on a Saturday night at 11pm, I don't look at all the alkis and hookers and shout 'I am tougher than any of you - you are a bunch of wimps'

That is what we are doing with our 'live fire exercises'. I bet a lot of people in South Korea would prefer us to take it 'softly softly'. What happened to 'speak softly but carry a big stick' ?

Do we really need to go hundreds of miles up north and sit on an island off the North Korean coast and fire live artillery shells ?

[ready4ONE 5,400]

When we sink NK vessels for fun and shell NK civilians let me know so I can condemn the hell out of our actions.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

When we sink NK vessels for fun and shell NK civilians let me know so I can condemn the hell out of our actions.

Word. I think it's pretty clear which Korea is doing the provoking. The South ships food to their neighbors up north and get's a big "Thank You" in forms of artillery fire onto their civilian population. Or maybe it was more of a "my people are still hungry" kind of message?

[Captain Oates 911]

When we sink NK vessels for fun and shell NK civilians let me know so I can condemn the hell out of our actions.

I am not suggesting there is a moral equivalence between the North Koreans and the US. What I am saying is given that we have this crazy State there, should we be provoking them into their crazy actions by scheduling live fire exercises all the time ? We have been doing it regularly for years.

If we go and poke a crazy man with a stick, why are we surprised at what happens next ?

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Those who think this is just aggression by North Korea are blind and damn ignorant.

There is a lot of money at stake here if there's a war between the Koreas and the US just so happens to 'get involved.'

It's the same exact thing that happened with Iraq.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Those who think this is just aggression by North Korea are blind and damn ignorant.

There is a lot of money at stake here if there's a war between the Koreas and the US just so happens to 'get involved.'

It's the same exact thing that happened with Iraq.

So what do think is N. Korea's reason for this behavior.

[Captain Oates 911]

So what do think is N. Korea's reason for this behavior.

Live fire exercises by the US/South Korea a couple miles off the North Korean coast and hundreds of miles North of the border

We wouldn't like it just off San Diego

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Live fire exercises by the US/South Korea a couple miles off the North Korean coast and hundreds of miles North of the border

We wouldn't like it just off San Diego

Of course we wouldn't, but N and S Korea are neighbors and these military exercises have gone on by both sides to demonstrate some muscle flexing. The US wasn't there when the island got shelled, so I don't see what we have to do with the latest incident. If the Canadian navy performed exercises near the US coast would we attack? I don't think the North needs any provocation. They are a brainwashed nation at the mercy of a mindless lunatic. Even the Chinese can't figure him out.

The US wasn't there when the island got shelled.

[Captain Oates 911]

Of course we wouldn't, but N and S Korea are neighbors and these military exercises have gone on by both sides to demonstrate some muscle flexing. The US wasn't there when the island got shelled, so I don't see what we have to do with the latest incident. If the Canadian navy performed exercises near the US coast would we attack? I don't think the North needs any provocation. They are a brainwashed nation at the mercy of a mindless lunatic. Even the Chinese can't figure him out.

The US wasn't there when the island got shelled.

Granted

but the South Koreans were there and they were firing live shells before the North stared firing

Threatening crazies with violence or even actually hurting them does not work. They either don't feel the pain or don't care. I once saw what went on in the bad trip tent at a pop festival and they just don't feel it.

I knew it was serious when my developing countries stocks went down this morning. They are weighted towards Samsung and South Korea and this is costing me money and must stop before I get involved.

I say don't give them an excuse to say they were provoked. No live firing, no low flying jets, no super carriers with their battle groups cruising their coastline. They already know what we have. You can bet this conversation is going on at the Pentagon and the White House.

It's clumsy PR to give them the opportunity to say they were provoked and surely we (US/SK)know how to fire our guns already without having to go and practice in their back yard

We already out-gun them. We know it, they know it, everyone knows it - now we have to out-smart them

[ready4ONE 5,400]

Those who think this is just aggression by North Korea are blind and damn ignorant.

There is a lot of money at stake here if there's a war between the Koreas and the US just so happens to 'get involved.'

It's the same exact thing that happened with Iraq.

You're support of NK is blind and ignorant if you think there are any parralels with Iraq beyond NK having a nutsy fagan leader.

How is this the exact same thing.

[Captain Oates 911]

You're support of NK is blind and ignorant if you think there are any parralels with Iraq beyond NK having a nutsy fagan leader.

How is this the exact same thing.

To be fair, I don't think Paul and Vanessa expressed support for NK. Saying that both sides are contributing to this is not support for NK - rather an attempt at standing back and looking at the situation as a whole and looking to see what each side is contributing to the tensions.

If we are totally one sided no matter what, there will only be one result

[Obama 2012 1,714]

You're support of NK is blind and ignorant if you think there are any parralels with Iraq beyond NK having a nutsy fagan leader.

How is this the exact same thing.

Pay attention to what we did in Iraq.

We overthrew a government, let an interim one come into power, let 'elections' be held all while we allegedly stopped all these evil people from stopping that process from taking place. REALLY what we did is come in, take over, install bases all over the place, slowly kick our military out and now private security firms are running the show...

That's exactly what they want to happen here.....

[spookyturtle 9,466]

The US is not going to go to war against N Korea. Ain't gonna happen. And I doubt that S Korea will do much either. Seoul would be a pile of smoldering ashes in a few days.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

And I guess this is justified provoking?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40375643/ns/world_news-asiapacific/

[Captain Oates 911]

The US is not going to go to war against N Korea. Ain't gonna happen. And I doubt that S Korea will do much either. Seoul would be a pile of smoldering ashes in a few days.

days is a bit quick - it took W 8 years to do that to Michigan

I think we should parachute all the stray dogs in the US into North Korea thus solving the stray dog problem and the North Korean hunger problem in one fell swoop !

Not forgetting the napkins and plastic forks.

Practical politics or 'Real politik' is the way to go.