The Trump Administration seems determined to provoke North Korea. Washington is sending over SEAL Team 6, Delta Forces, B-52s and B-1s, F-35s and more for a series of military exercises that will include preparing for “regime change” and for taking out Kim Jong-Un. The North Korean leader may be a paranoid, but wouldn’t such a massive show of force on anyone’s border produce some paranoia? Where is all of this headed? We discuss in today’s Ron Paul Liberty Report:
Reprinted from The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity.
I tried to make the point a week or two ago but some of the posters on this site only wanted to piss on the issue. Now Ron’s finally onto it.
Dan seems to want to suggest that N.Korea is provoking. He needs to see it as N.Korea demonstrating to the US that it has an effective defense. (not to suggest that Dan suggests anything, because he’s given his talking points by Ron)( they need a new gimmick that’s not so easy to see through)
And Ron keeps up the same show of ignorance by always asking why the US is bothering with N.Korea. Isn’t it time that Ron started telling us his theory on why the US is messing with N.Korea?
Anyway, let’s none of us miss the forest for the trees. This is the bad news that comes with Trump. And here’s an idea to entertain: None of this reaction by N.Korea would be happening right now if it wasn’t for Trump running off his ignorant cakehole.
Note: I have just as high regard for N.Korea’s legitimacy and the legitimacy of it’s leader as I had for Iraq and Saddam. And that’s a lot. No apologies from me on either.
“None of this reaction by N.Korea would be happening right now if it wasn’t for Trump running off his ignorant cakehole.”
“This reaction by N. Korea” started in Trump’s pre-teen years.
I expect your negativism Thomas, so I’m always willing to explain my point. Which usually doesn’t accomplish much with you these days, but there are other listeners I can try to convince.
When I said, ‘right now’ I wasn’t referring to the history of the situation which you point out. And of course even the most neophyte should be able to acknowledge. It was meaning ‘right now’ in the sense of a few months or even weeks since Trump opened his mouth. This is what has caused the reaction by North Korea. US sabre rattling which I will attribute to Trump. (some may argue that)
And to expand on that point, we see US escalation right now and Jason Ditz at least, is in touch with the current situation to keep us all well informed. Check it out Thomas!
And do you think you could maybe back off a bit unless you hear me say something that needs challenging on the topic of our common antiwar agenda? Or, if I say something that is contrary to your libertarians agenda, please by all means challenge me on it. That’s usually the reason I do it anyway.
Fwiw, I should also say that I’ll stay on topic with you, at least as long as I don’t see an invitation to go off topic to follow you off topic, and in those instances I won’t back off. Fair enough?
In addition to that Thomas, and in the hope of making something worthwhile out of this kind of conversation on North Korea, it would be interesting to take a much deeper look at what China is attempting to accomplish with it’s proxy, N.Korea. I have already put a few ideas forward elsewhere on the site but I don’t think anyone was capable of understanding anything a little more nuanced. You probably could if you tried in a positive way.
Don,
It’s not negativism, it’s realism. Trump isn’t doing anything appreciably different vis a vis the Korean peninsula than any past president since Truman has.
The only thing new or novel about the situation is that Beijing seems to have decided its bread is no longer buttered on the same side as the Kim family dynasty’s. Last month, China banned coal imports from North Korea.
The North is always on an economic precipice and losing 20+ million tons of coal exports is going to hurt.
The real question at this point is whether the Kim regime’s collapse will be a mostly internal affair (most likely a coup by the military) or whether it will be accompanied by direct military action on the part of the US (with e.g. occupation and quite possibly confrontation with China, again — I know people who had a rough go of that last time around). I’d rather the latter didn’t happen, but with Trump in the driver’s seat I won’t discount the possibility.
Alright then, it’s not negativism. But please don’t give me a history lesson on what happened in Korea when Trump was 11 or 12 years old.
My point is that Trump could be doing something different than any other president since Truman. I don’t need to expand on that because you know what I’m predicting from Trump.
Otherwise, a little different approach to the topic would be that China is using North Korea as it’s proxy in somewhat the same way the US uses Israel. If there’s any truth in that then the US better not fu-k with N.Korea. We’ll see as things progress with Trump. Or more correctly, with Trump’s generals under the pretense of it being Trump’s brain.
Trump’s brain will be receptive to any and all suggestions from a military POV, on how to make America great again. That’s his whole schtick.
I’ve always assumed the “insanity” claims concerning the Kims are the usual US propaganda. It does not follow from that that the situation on the Korean peninsula isn’t insane.
The Kims have maintained a Stalinist regime for close to 70 years and they’ve done so with big brother China on one border and a massive unfriendly US presence on the other, and all that after years of draining Japanese occupation in World War 2. It would be surprising if such a situation HADN’T produced a wildly divergent view of reality within the regime — not just in the Kim family in particular, but in the North’s military and political establishments.
I suspect the Kims are in the same situation that Abraham Lincoln described vis a vis the US and slavery. They’re like a man riding on a tiger’s back and holding it by the ears. He really doesn’t want to keep holding on, but he’s afraid to let go, too.
Appreciate your thoughts. I’ll keep promoting the idea of N.Korea being used by China as a proxy to protect. All of it just works too well for me.
ptherwise, the analogy: Why would he be afraid to let go. Kim that is.
“Why would he be afraid to let go. Kim that is.”
Because going from total power and great wealth to summary execution just doesn’t sound like much fun.
Oh, I see, just more demonization of Kim and his people. Good for you but I’m not afraid to go against the grain here on this site. I think the job has been done more thoroughly on N.Korea and it’s people than has been done on the Russians because the Russians look so much the same as Americans. You would have to admit, the insanity thing works better for Kim and his people for some reason. What could it be if not that?
Well, except for the part where I demonized neither Kim nor his people. Kim was born into the ruling family of a monolithic warfare state. That limits his options to two rough sets:
1) Give up power, which would result in his immediate death; or
2) Exercise that power, which can only be exercised in ways that look insane from outside the environment he’s in.
So far as I can tell, “his people” are just as short of options as he is, although that shortness is harder on them in a material sense than it is on him.
The US, Chinese and South Korean regimes have acted for more than half a century to keep all those options limited. I’m not sure precisely what changes they could make to that approach that would not be worse for the Kim family than the status quo. But setting a date certain for US withdrawal from South Korea would be a good start.
Idi Amin seemed to manage in Saudi Arabia without immediate death.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idi_Amin#Deposition_and_exile
Idi Amin only ruled Uganda for seven years. The Kim family has ruled in North Korea for 70 years. That’s a huge differential.
The Kim family and the North Korean military and security organs are intertwined in ways that don’t make it nearly as easy for the former to walk away from the latter.
I would suggest that both your words and your obvious thoughts on N.Korea and Kim’s family tell me that you can’t escape being part of the demonizing. I think you’re at least partially convinced when you mention the word, ‘insane’. And now tell me that you aren’t and let’s lay that aside. Actually, I find it a risk just to mention it anyway, in light of the situations that have now developed due to Trump. It appears that all that is important anymoe is the American people’s perception of the problem. It’s totally and completely N.Korea’s fault!
Trump has escalated the N.Korea situation to a point of making war with N.Korea either a sure thing or a winning bluff on Trump’s part. Your opinion? Should he have gone there?
Trump is sending out a very positive message on the Iran situation. He supporters are completely with him on the need for war with Iran.
Another Trump bluff in the making. Should he go there?
And the Syrian situation which is a bluff so far, is another definite affront against Russia. You’re aware of that.
Is there any purpose at all this site can serve? Maybe the first order of business would be to get Raimondo back onside?
So the biggest gangster in town keeps doing drive-by’s where they point guns and shout threats at the Korean guy’s house. Every now and again, they stage a mock home invasion in the street out front.
One of these days, Korean guy is going to buy a gun, and come out and say, “What’s up now m#therf$cker!?”
No Korea has an estimated 13,000 heavy artillery pieces in tunnels and bunkers (many with blast doors vs. nuclear bombing) that could rain massive destruction on Seoul which is only 35 miles from the North Korean border. Tens of thousands will be killed and industry destroyed. It will look like Aleppo and Mosul. And, of course, they could put crude nuclear material, if no weapons, on their mortars to make the city uninhabitable for years. Trump et al will of course nuke them back, which sure will upset the Chinese and Russians.
I’ve already stocked up on made-in-asia electronics and am buying extra with this week’s news, before prices quadruple or more. What I don’t have is a big bomb shelter 50 miles from the nearest nuclear target or power plant. How about you all??
DPRK will fall into the dustbin of history one way or another, they are a threat to peaceful neighbors and their own people are terrified of the regime. With the satellite and ICBM program, and total lack of respect or rationality, their graves are dug, all that remains to do is push them in. It’s over. Tillerson will get China to push them for inspections or they are done. It’s time, and there is a President in command with the courage to make history. Ron Paul’s approach of do nothing would foster and facilitate the destruction of Japan, South Korea, and possibly Los Angeles.
You can represent your side! You’ve perfect and you don’t need any modifying of your agenda in the least. It doesn’t get any better and it’s surely not going to change, regardless of anything we say.
yeah, like November 1963 Ngo Dinh Diem was a South Vietnamese politician. A former mandarin of the Nguyen dynasty, he was named Prime Minister of the State of Vietnam by Head of State Bao Dai in 1954. In October 1955, after winning a
heavily rigged referendum,
he deposed Bảo Đại and established the first Republic of Vietnam (RVN),
with himself as president. He was a leader of the Catholic element and
was opposed by Buddhists. In November 1963, after constant Buddhist
protests and non-violent resistance, Diệm was assassinated, along with
his brother, Ngo Dinh Nhu by Nguyen Van Nhung, the aide of the leader of The Army of Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) General
Duong Van Minh during a coup d’état. The assassination led to the end of the U.S.-Diệm
alliance and the collapse of his regime as well as the first Republic
of Vietnam.
See, that’s how to decapitate a puppet regime. Other “dictators” who were relieved of command and their heads (figuratively) include Manuel Noriega of Panama, Sitting Bull, of the Lakota, Doroteo “Pancho Villa” Aranga, Emiliano Zapato,
Noriega wasn’t murdered, unlike the others. America isn’t a nation with clean hands. Sanctum might wish to remember that.
At least some of us will mock you severely at every turn.
The “founders” we’re told to worship as gods and to base all our laws on the “original intent” were heirs to invaders who used biological warfare against Natives. Like Chief Pontiac being sold smallpox blankets (and other clothing) because he had insisted that Jeffrey Amherst, Light Horse Harry Lee and George Washington should pay him and his people for acting as mercenaries for the British against the French. You know, a workman is worthy of his hire, something Republicans now say isn’t true, even though they first called themselves the Freedom Party as in “anti slavery”. Which was widely practiced by the “founders”. The government of America as we know it is steeped in blood, hatred and elitist bigotry.
Much like Trump and really, to a degree, every president we ever had. To paraphrase Kris Kristoffensen, “Freedoms just another word for ‘we don’t give damn about freedom and we’ll deny it to anybody we want and you’d better god-damn accept it and lick our elitist boots or we’ll bomb your cities back to the stone age’ and of course murder your leaders”
Trump doesn’t have courage, if he did he could have gone to VietNam instead of taking the Standard “Spoiled Rich Bitch scion of wealth” exemption from the draft. He’ll do just like ever other “leader” and hide behind the Army. Just another fascist punk. America is already filled to the brim with that kind of History.
S. Vietnam was stretched 12 years beyond their conceivable political life-span.
Which brings up, 12 years in a dictatorship would be enough to make some hard-core cultists.
We’re flying on top of 15 years in VietRaqiStan meaning anybody born after 9/11 has been officially lied to all his or her life and is almost ready to be plucked from their cherry tree by military recruiters. And if they’re smart enough, in a big enough group, to refuse recruitment they’ll be without much doubt drafted.
The Koreans have had 70 years of that kind of mess. North and South. They also hear from their cousins across the DMZ on a regular basis and for a lot (definition: more than enough to kick my butt) of Koreans there’s reunification talk. And neither under the agenda of either existing government. They’ve had a U.S. invasive presence where the GIs point rifles at them and telling them it’s for their own good. And they tell the same thing to the cousins across the frontier. Jeju Island is a good example, and the people will listen to their elders in that movement. In order for the U.S. interests to get their way they would have to assassinate every person in Korea who disagrees with their agenda.