HERE'S HOW I SEE THE SITUATION IN... ALMOST EVERYWHERE!

The recent shelling of South Korea by their northern neighbors, reminded me of a bully in junior high school ("middle school" to some of you).

What would the United States do if we were attacked by... let's say the Mexican Army (instead of just an army of Mexicans sneaking across our southern border)? Imagine that Felipe Calderon lost his mind (just like North Korea's Kim), and began lobbing artillery shells into Arizona, California or Texas. What would our response be? Would our "president" issue a statement condemning such an action, and threaten that a strongly worded letter will follow? Obama probably would do just exactly that.

What should the response be to an attack by a bully? You can either submit and accept the beating, in the hope that someday the bully will weary of beating you up, or... you could (and should) respond quickly and surely, with all the strength you can muster. To accept the beating simply encourages the continuation of such behavior! A strong defensive response, on the other hand, has just the opposite effect - it discourages such displays of such aggressive behaviors. A swift and powerful response is what is demanded.

However......... there's another factor in the South Korea-DPRK situation. Apparently the "bully" from the North has the (thus far) unwavering backing of the Giant of the North - China - whose standing army is estimated at 2.5 MILLION (and, if you include paramilitary organizations the estimate jumps to 7.5 MILLION). To complicate matters even more, China has - primarily through lopsided international trade agreements - gained de facto control of the world economy.

Now you have to ask yourself, "If I defend myself against this little piss-ant, tin-horn dictator, will I also be fighting the hordes of Chinese military? How much affection does Hu Jintao of China really have for Kim Jong Il of the DPRK? Will we have any true allies if we respond and are faced with China? Will WalMart still be in business if China gets distracted for a few days?"

But, one thing is certain - taking no action is admitting you are powerless, and you will submit to the whims of your personal "bully". It escalates from bully to gang to army. International politics is a bitch... take the odds and kick Kim's butt!

North Korea Tests Obama's Resolve - Obama Fails

Kim Long-Il, the Wile E. Coyote of Asia, is unquestionably a certifiable nut job! However, the really scary news is that he is not a stupid nut job. He has tested Obama (and the UN) more in the last five months, than he tested Bush in eight years!

Come to think of it, during the Bush administration, there was only some soft, verbal "saber rattling" from Kim. Suddenly, he's causing great concern in the rest of the Asian world - and annoying the West and the UN - with nuclear tests, long-range missile tests, and "the world can KMA" prohibited small arms shipments to Myanmar.

Last Wednesday, the North Korean-flagged vessel, Kang Nam, left the port of Nampo and was being trailed by a U.S. destroyer, a U.S. official said, making it the first ship monitored under the new U.N. sanctions. A recent U.N. resolution calls on U.N. member states to inspect North Korean vessels if they have "reasonable grounds" to believe that its cargo contains banned weapons or materials. But it must first get the consent of the nation whose flag the ship is flying _ in this case, North Korea. However, analysts say a high seas interception - something North Korea has said it would consider an act of war - is unlikely.

The US Navy ship, the USS John S. McCain, is relatively close to the North Korean vessel but, as of last report, had no orders to intercept the Kang Nam. So, here's the scenario:

1. Kim has pissed off the entire world - or at least enough of it for the 192-member UN to issue sanctions against North Korea.
2. Kim, knowing that the UN is a toothless tiger, continues to thumb his nose at the rest of the world. The rest of the world observes his actions, and does nothing meaningful to stop those actions.
3. The US Navy has a warship within easy interception distance, but Obama issues no order to intercept, board and inspect the Kang Nam for illicit arms - an action which is fully authorized under International Maritime Law.
4. Final score - DPRNK 4 World 0
5. Kim wins! Because the rest of the world lacks the cojones to put him in his place.

I could be wrong about this... and Kim Jong-Il could be the Easter Bunny in disguise.