-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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Saltah'na
Chinese Canadian, or 75% Commie Bastard.
Member # 33
posted
It's curious that NK would deny (and continues to deny) outright that it sank the ship. Why not say that it sunk the vessel and accuse the South of provocation and stuff like that? But then again, NK is not normal.
-------------------- "And slowly, you come to realize, it's all as it should be, you can only do so much. If you're game enough, you could place your trust in me. For the love of life, there's a tradeoff, we could lose it all but we'll go down fighting...." - David Sylvian FreeSpace 2, the greatest space sim of all time, now remastered!
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
North Korea is a joke, they have been, always will be. They keep playing this game of saber rattling. The nation wants to act like the bad boy in town, but they really have nothing to back it up. They just want aid again since they can barely maintain their nation as it is.
Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
It's just sabre rattling as usual, but there is a chance they'll push their luck just a little too far at some point.
I suspect what it'll really come down to is if and to what degree Beijing is willing to back them. Either way it's dangerous because the North Korean leadership does seem to be just stupid enough to use nukes if pushed.
posted
You know, I'm not actually sure. I'm never certain if it's NK or Iran that has weapons grade material but promises it's only going to be used in reactors.
Either way with so much former Soviet warheads unaccounted for I wouldn't be surprised if they got a hold of some. Hell, to be honest I wouldn't be surprised if the Nato countries have been buying them on the sly too.
posted
Iran's the one that swears up and down that they don't want nuclear weapons, but seems to be also working on weapons-grade refinement of uranium.
North Korea's the one that kicked out the inspectors from their existing nuclear reactor, started processing plutonium (I think), and exploded a test nuke underground that was either a really low-powered nuke or a dud. And they've kept up processing enough to have a dozen or so nukes by now. (Or more.)
But then, it's easy to get them confused when both are run by power-mad dictators that hate the US/Europe/Soulless Minions of Orthodoxy. (Though in Iran's case, that's a slight oversimplification. Just a slight one.)
-------------------- “Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.” — Isaac Asimov Star Trek Minutiae | Memory Alpha
Registered: Nov 2000
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quote:Originally posted by Mars Needs Women: North Korea is a joke, they have been, always will be. They keep playing this game of saber rattling. The nation wants to act like the bad boy in town, but they really have nothing to back it up. They just want aid again since they can barely maintain their nation as it is.
Yet they have a ready army of 750,000, thousands of cannons and missiles pointed directly across the DMZ at South Korea and have missiles that can reach Japan (if not, it seems, very relably).
I heard an intriguing idea today on NPR today- the idea that NK is provoking some rebuke so they can withdraw from all talks and obligations- closing up like a clam untill they can sort out Kim's (eventual) replacment. That's coming soon and they dont want to look weak and disorganized if the little psycho kicks the bucket.
It might also be a test of exactly what they can get away with just now- US forces are stretched incredibly thin and there's no way we could completely defend SK in an all-out shooting war- despite us having 28,500 troops already stationed there to do just that.
I guess we'll know things are going downhill if the US sends a carrier into the area.
Hmmm...I wonder how this plays in Hapan just now, what with the movement to remove all US military bases from the country (and an odd nationalist revision of the history of WWII in some circles, painting Japan as the victim of US aggression).
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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posted
Troop numbers are no longer a factor in modern warfare anymore, if you can recall Iraq had the fourth largest army in the world and we all know how well that went. If NK decides to start some shit, believe me, we'll be ready. The only thing that sucks is that the North has hundreds of fixed artillery pieces already pre-aimed at Seoul.
Lets just hope this all goes smoothly.
-------------------- "Its coming on. I just saw the wall move..."
Registered: Feb 2008
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quote:Originally posted by Saltah'na: It's curious that NK would deny (and continues to deny) outright that it sank the ship.
Not necessarily. Perhaps they had themselves a Star Trek III moment ("A lucky shot!") and now are wetting themselves because their crappy torpedo actually worked and they've now actually done something for a change.
They bluster irrationally, yes, but I can't help but wonder if they might realize that a line's been crossed now.
-------------------- . . . ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.
posted
MOre likely is that divisive elements in NK's military tried to provoke a response to solidify their own power in NK's shadowy heirarchy.
Hell, it could have been some general's pitch to become the top man- or at least the man pulling the strings of whoever replaces Kim.
NK's big strength is that no one fucking knows.
Are they nuts? Is it all some game of brinksmanship that they play in a delusional manner? No one fucking knows and so they get treated like a live grenade.
Registered: Aug 2002
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WizArtist II
"How can you have a yellow alert in Spacedock? "
Member # 1425
posted
quote:Originally posted by Jason Abbadon: Hmmm...I wonder how this plays in Hapan just now, what with the movement to remove all US military bases from the country (and an odd nationalist revision of the history of WWII in some circles, painting Japan as the victim of US aggression).
My understanding is that the "Revision" from the Japanese Politically Correct view also denies the atrocities that became known as 'The Rape of Nanking' along with a denial that the Japanese military were prepared to defend the homeland to the death if the U.S. had invaded. I imagine they have also redacted any mention of "Unit 731" as well.
-------------------- There are 10 types of people in the world...those that understand Binary and those that don't.
Registered: Nov 2004
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Teh PW
Self Impossed Exile (This Space for rent)
Member # 1203
posted
Revisionism... hmmm...
Something that's bothered me about Macross Frontier (n0t really off-topic) but i've not asked the more proper forum of Macross World (i'm afraid it'll be pruned or worse there)... In Macross Frontier's end episodes, Leon the acting president, after orcistrating the assassination of the proper leadership, rallied the MF military and civials into thinking that attacking the regional homeworld of the Varja was proper. you hear it in the tone that one NUNS pilot rants in fighting successfully against varja drones, you almost see it in how varja flee the homeworld (nevermind that they were effectily in control by Ranka and Sheryl at that point) and the MF fleet lands on the island and the pretty sexd-triangle between Alto & Ranka & Sheryl...
i guess my point is, is the ending of MF an obvious or oblique example of revisionism or justifying such thoughts?
(Oh. I'm home btw. it's weird but learning to be a civilian is weird, too)...
Registered: Jan 2004
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