Time to take out Jong Il

[Great Pharoah]

Kim Jong Il cannot be trusted any longer. His military is brainwashed, his people impoverished. There is no good reason not to take him out of power anymore. With the combined military strenght of Japan, South Korea, and the US, North Korea could be taken down in a matter of weeks. There would be no insurgency like Iraq because the people of North Korea only want to be reunited with their loved ones in the South, and to be able to have a decent living. I would have never said this before, but the problem needs to be dealt with now before Jong Il finds an effective delivery system.

[August1991]

I have to agree Pharoah. I think this cherubic lunatic with the funny hair has just signed his own death warrant.

The US went into Iraq because of the threat of weapons of mass destruction and in particular, the chance such weapons would find their way into the hands of mobile terrorists. Kim Jong Il not only has WMD but he clearly wants to flaunt that fact.

Moreover, like a wannabe gangster in 1920s Chicago, he has stepped on a few too many feet. He will serve as an example for anyone contemplating stepping on feet. The question now is who will whack the guy and how to do it.

I don't like the gangster comparison but it seems the easiest to make. Thank God we've got the US government and the American people around to stand up to these thugs.

[crazymf]

Well, alright then. I'll get on the phone and get Pat Robertson to take him out!!

[myata]

I'm curious to see how many "willing" the US would find for their coalition this time around.

[M.Dancer]

Unfortunately the US is in no position to "take him out" ...having their hands full in Iraq.......

The best case scenario is China takes him out.........for dinner, movie and a headshot

[Higgly]

I heard Bolton on the radio this afternoon saying he had just finished some "very good" talks with (Chinese ambassador to the UN) Wong. Looks like Jong Il's days may be numbered. China is probably not going to favour anything too rash - say a rapid and violent change in government. One of the things that Jong Il has been doing is keeping all those North Koreans from scrambling over the Chinese border; China does not want a massive refugee problem.

[Remiel]

Am I the only one who thinks we shouldn't get all worked up over this? I mean, look on the bright side. If Kim Jong-Il is an insane lunatic, now he has one less nuclear weapon than he did on Sunday. Otherwise, nothing important has really changed.

[Higgly]

I am wondering that myself. The seismographic data from the US says that their readings could have been produced by a big pile of TNT and may not be big enough to signal a nuclear explosion. I'm listening to the news now and they are reporting that one option being considered is to cut off luxury goods that the leaders love so much. No more Elvis movies for Jong Il!

[betsy]

Here we go again with the Security Council.....how many months or years do you think before they even decide on anything?

Then how many ultimatums?

"Jong, please cooperate or else...."

"C'mon Jong. We know you're just being pig-headed. Just cooperate and all is forgiven."

"Now listen Jong, we really mean it. Stop it!"

"One last warning Jong, or else!"

"We're giving you another chance Jong, and this is the last warning."

"Hey Jong, now this is really the very last warning!"

"Jooong! Are you listening? Do you know that this is the last warning?"

"Okay, maybe you did not understand. Let's back up a bit then. Jong, please cooperate or else...."

[Higgly]

I doubt it. I think that the key lies with China and what actions they will take. They have signalled in their own characterisitcally veiled manner that they are not amused with Jong Il's little adventure. Most of North Korea's oil supply comes from China and I don't think the North Koreans will have much luck replacing it if it suddenly starts to dry up.

I do agree with you about the security council though. I would be surprised to see any quick action there. The days are gone when Bush might have enough juice to push an agenda through.

[BubberMiley]

It's kind of too late if they already have nukes. Maybe five years ago, when they identified North Korea as part of the axis of evil, but there has just been incompetent goose-chasing since while NK perfected their weapons.

[geoffrey]

The risk is now with a regime change (assassination or otherwise), the nukes could fall into al-Qaeda or other terrorist hands during the messy transition. It would have to be way cleaner then previous 'covert' changes of power.

[jbg]

Kim Jong Il cannot be trusted any longer. His military is brainwashed, his people impoverished. There is no good reason not to take him out of power anymore. With the combined military strenght of Japan, South Korea, and the US, North Korea could be taken down in a matter of weeks. There would be no insurgency like Iraq because the people of North Korea only want to be reunited with their loved ones in the South, and to be able to have a decent living. I would have never said this before, but the problem needs to be dealt with now before Jong Il finds an effective delivery system.

Probably not a bad idea, if SK is assisted in dealing with the human problems.

[August1991]

Am I the only one who thinks we shouldn't get all worked up over this? I mean, look on the bright side. If Kim Jong-Il is an insane lunatic, now he has one less nuclear weapon than he did on Sunday. Otherwise, nothing important has really changed.

If he could do it - or even claim to have done it - in a cavern somewhere on North Korea's coast, then what stops him from doing it in a warehouse in New York or Beijing?

Kim Jong-Il? What would Clifford Olson or Paul Bernardo do?

There is some truth to the idea that the Right is composed of Leftists who were mugged.

[Remiel]

I was just trying to get across the point that a country either has nuclear weapons or it doesn't. A test doesn't really mean much of anything as to whether they plan to use them or not, and thus by being freaked out by a test, you are either over-reacting or realized they actually have nukes too late.

[August1991]

I was just trying to get across the point that a country either has nuclear weapons or it doesn't. A test doesn't really mean much of anything as to whether they plan to use them or not, and thus by being freaked out by a test, you are either over-reacting or realized they actually have nukes too late.

How does anyone show that a threat is credible?

A first step is to show that the threat is possible. The next step is to show that the threat will happen. And the final step is to commit to the threat.

At first, my troops burn a village. Second, I burn one of your villages. Third, I put my troops on your side of the river and burn the bridge.

----

In all of this, I don't know if westerners really understand what we're facing. It is ironic that Leftists want gun control in their own country but are willing to let any dictator in some foreign country have access to a nuclear weapon.

If you believe the Canadian government should take semi-automatics from lunatics in Canada, then surely you should believe that the Canadian (and American) government should take nuclear weapons from lunatics elsewhere in the world.

[betsy]

I was just trying to get across the point that a country either has nuclear weapons or it doesn't. A test doesn't really mean much of anything as to whether they plan to use them or not, and thus by being freaked out by a test, you are either over-reacting or realized they actually have nukes too late.

But that's it, isn't it?

Do they have nuclear weapons or not? They claim they do!

A previous test that they did close to Japan may not mean anything to us....but I bet it meant something to Japan.

Do they plan to use them or not?

Jong said that a sanction is an "act of war!" And that he plans to do something physical to retaliate!

Somehow I have this feeling he doesn't mean aerobics to the tune of "Let's get Physical."

So please explain why you think we may be over-reacting?

[Remiel]

Remember, the " Act of War " statement was made in response to the prospect of crippling economic sanctions, and the crippling economic sanctions are what I am saying are an over-reaction, or perhaps a reaction that came too late. His statement was only the end of a chain of events in which he was merely one of the players.

In any case, didn't we already know he had nuclear weapons before the test, and before the announcement of the test? The time to get excited, if one was going to get excited, was when he got the nuclear weapons, not when he tested them. Even a nuclear weapon that doesn't explode properly can probably cause a lot of radiation damage. I may be wrong, but I am thinking that a nuclear " dud " would still work as a dirty bomb.