North Korea Threatens To 'Wipe U.S. Off Of The Map'

Been awhile since my last post. But, as I have said before, I do have a life outside of blogging.

Seen the new headlines? North Korea is rattling its sabre (however insignificant such a sabre is by comparison) at the United States.

From the Associated Press:

North Korea threatened Wednesday to wipe the United States off the map as Washington and its allies watched for signs the regime will launch a series of missiles in the coming days.

Now, why would North Korea make such an idiotic threat against a foe that could potentially turn the land north of the 38th parallel into a glass parking lot?

Read on:

Off China's coast, a U.S. destroyer was tailing a North Korean ship suspected of transporting illicit weapons to Myanmar in what could be the first test of U.N. sanctions passed to punish the nation for an underground nuclear test last month. The Kang Nam left the North Korean port of Nampo a week ago with the USS John S. McCain close behind. The ship, accused of transporting banned goods in the past, is believed bound for Myanmar, according to South Korean and U.S. officials. The new U.N. Security Council resolution requires member states to seek permission to inspect suspicious cargo. North Korea has said it would consider interception a declaration of war and on Wednesday accused the U.S. of seeking to provoke another Korean War.

This is another test of Barack Obama's leadership strength/weakness. It may very well be that there is nothing aboard the Kang Nam. But, North Korea is looking to find out how Barack Obama responds to the provocation. If Obama's response is weak, then that will most likely encourage North Korea to deploy ships like the Kang Nam more often and maybe even transport a nuclear weapon for real.

That prospect is so dangerous that no rationally thinking person would allow a suspected illegal cargo go uninspected. The Obama Administration needs to step up and take definitive action to let North Korea know that we will not tolerate such behavior from irresponsible dictatorships like DPRK.

You can access the complete article on-line here:

N. Korea Threatens US; World Anticipates Missile
Hyung-Jin Kim
Associated Press via Google
June 24, 2009

BTW, where are all those leftists who claimed that Fox News was just making this up?

More On North Korea Situation

It isn't enough that Japan is reporting a North Korean intent to launch on the 4th of July. We also have to deal with a DPRK ship that may be carrying an illegal cargo.

From Fox News:

The U.S. military is tracking a flagged North Korean ship suspected of proliferating weapons material in violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution passed last Friday, FOX News has learned. The ship, Kang Nam, left a port in North Korea Wednesday and appears to be heading toward Singapore, according to a senior U.S. military source. The vessel, which the military has been tracking since its departure, could be carrying weaponry, missile parts or nuclear materials.

What is Obama's response? Read on:

The apparent violation raises the question of how the United States and its allies will respond, particularly since the U.N. resolution does not have a lot of teeth to it. The resolution would not allow the United States to board the ship forcibly. Rather, U.S. military would have to request permission to board -- a request North Korea is unlikely to grant. North Korea has said that any attempt to board its ships would be viewed as an act of war and promised "100- or 1,000-fold" retaliation if provoked. If there is cause to pursue the ship, sources told FOX News the U.S. military would instead likely follow the slow-moving vessel until it goes into port to refuel. At that point, sources said, the U.S. military could request that the host country not provide fuel to the ship.

Uh-huh. That will certainly put DPRK in line, now won't it?

Why not just fire a shot across it's bow and give the command: "Heave to and prepare to be boarded!" Because Obama is a weak president and would prefer to wait until thousands of people have been killed in an attack before deciding on how to respond. It would never occur to him or the Dems to take a pro-active stance and err on the side of safety.

You can access the complete story on-line here:

U.S. Military Tracking North Korean Ship Suspected Of Proliferating Missiles, Nukes
Jennifer Griffin and Justin Fishel
FoxNews.com
June 18, 2009

Japan: North Korea Planning 4th Of July Missile Launch Towards Hawaii

You know, you could sketch a comedy routine about leftist liberals and the looks on their faces when reality comes up and punches them in the stomach. Such is the case now with Japan reporting that North Korea may attempt a missile launch towards Hawaii next month.

From the UK Daily Mail:

North Korea may launch a long-range ballistic missile towards Hawaii on American Independence Day, according to Japanese intelligence officials. The missile, believed to be a Taepodong-2 with a range of up to 4,000 miles, would be launched in early July from the Dongchang-ni site on the north-western coast of the secretive country.

Now, that in and of itself is not very earth shattering. But this is:

It was announced today that the U.S. has deployed anti-missile defences around Hawaii in response to the threat.

For the past eight years, and almost every day during last year's presidential campaign, the Dems and other leftists have been screaming that we do not need a missile defense system and that research into such a system is a waste of money. Obama himself pledged to end funding for such a defense system.

Now that reality has come home to roost, the Dems have a different view. If we do not need a missile defense shield, then why would a Democrat administration deploy one to Hawaii in response to a possible launch from DPRK?

It is one thing to run a campaign and debate on academic theory, but, as the Dems are now learning, it is quite a different thing to expereince reality.

North Korea appears to be taking advantage of the weak foreign policies of Barack Obama. We will see more provocative actions like this in the next three-and-a-half years.

You can access the complete article on-line here:

Japan Warns That North Korea May Fire Missile At U.S. On Independence Day
Mail Foreign Service
UK Mail Online
June 19th, 2009

North Korea Tests Nukes And Iran Deploys Bluewater Navy

I'd bet my next paycheck that back during the 2008 Presidential Campaign, when Barack Obama pledged to sit down with Iran without any pre-condidtions, that the governments of Iran and North Korea were listening very intently even if the voters who voted for Barack Obama were not.

In fact, recent developments lead me to believe that the governments of Iran and North Korea took their current actions precisely because of what Obama promised.

First, North Korea tested more nukes and the missiles necessary to deliver them, most likely as a test of the how strongly the Obama administration would respond. From Reuters:

The nuclear test was a major diplomatic challenge to Obama at a time when he is facing a global economic crisis and working to curb Iran's nuclear enrichment program, which the West fears is aimed at producing nuclear arms but Tehran says is for energy. Obama vowed when he took office to extend a hand to troublesome countries "willing to unclench your fist" but so far he has had little success with North Korea or Iran, which have continued to advance their nuclear programs and showed little interest in renewed dialogue.

And then the Iranians decided to flex their naval "muscle" in the Gulf of Aden, yet another test of Obama's resolve to stand-up to regimes that oppose the goals of the United States. From Fox News:

The deployment is "a signal of military strength, resolve and continued defiance to U.S. and U.N. Security Council efforts to end the impasse over Iran's nuclear program," said Jim Phillips, senior fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs at the Heritage Institute. "What's very important here is the timing of this move — and this naval muscle flexing comes after Iran's missile test earlier this week, which was saber rattling that was meant to send the same signal as this naval dispatch." Phillips said Ahmadinejad was using the opportunity to thumb his nose at the U.S. and U.N. to advance his own popularity in Iran ahead of the country's hotly contested June 12 election.

A coincidence that these things are happening on the watch of an American President whose international policies are soft on terror? I think not. These were calculated moves. It now remains to be seen whether or not Obama has his nation's best interests at heart, or the interests of those who want to see the U.S. weakened and even attacked again.

I'm willing to bet that Obama will put politics above the national interest.

You can access both articles on-line here:

Obama Says North Korea Nuclear Test A "Grave Concern"
David Alexander
Reuters
May 25, 2009

Iran Sends 6 Warships To International Waters In 'Saber Rattling' Move
Fox News (from Reuters)
May 25, 2009