posted on Dec, 16 2006 @ 12:13 PM
posted by 1Crisis
In my opinion; If the U.S. decides to attack North Korea there wouldn't be anything left of North Korea. The United States is China’s largest
overseas market and second largest source of foreign direct investment on a cumulative basis. In 2004, China replaced Germany and the United Kingdom
to become the fourth largest market for U.S. goods. China attacking the U.S. would not be very smart . . I think they [China] would only provide North
Korea with economic support instead of stepping in and attempting to take the U.S. out. [Edited by Don W]
I agree. I do not know who is floating this dangerous idea about the United States pre-emptively striking either North Korea or China (and add Iran).
I suppose it is natural since our own president and those around him glibly talk about the pre-emptive strike as a “right” of the American people
as expressed through them. Is it demagoging propaganda, or is it better English to say propagandistic demagoguery?
The Army Chief of State said, for the first time publicly last week, that the US Army was “broken” which we all took to mean it is already
stretched beyond what is prudent to do. This is exemplified by the short tours at home before being rotated back to Iraq or Afghan, depending on the
speciality. When I was in the USAF in the 50s and 60s, many AFSCs did not rotate overseas for a full 4 year enlistment period. Volunteering for an
overseas assignment meant a 6 to 12 month delay before the assignment would come through. That is not the case today. For family men (and women)
frequently separated from spouse and children, this is potentially disastrous. I’ve said all that to say this, we do not have the necessary manpower
to strike North Korea and all the more, to strike Iran. To even talk about stinking China is preposterous.
4 years ago the US had 38,000 men stationed in South Korea. I do not know and have not heard how many remain there today, after the drain on manpower
in both Afghan and Iraq. North Korea occupies 45,000 square miles, close to Mississippi in size. NK has 23 million people per the CIA estimate for
2006. The GDP per person was set at $1,700 in 2005. South Korea OTOH has 37,200 square miles - a bit larger than Indiana - and has 49 million people.
Their GDP per person is $22,600. I have posted elsewhere that SK is willing to bring NK into a united Korea as West Germany did for East Germany in
the 1990s. Which, by the bye, is not over yet. I read the major block to that move is the 150,000 members of the DPRK Communist Party, and the 75,000
members of the Secret Police that enforce Kim Jong Il’s regime. South Korea does not want to set loose 225,000 people who would want to usurp the
government or to stage a coup. Mao Zedong solved a similar potential problem with landowners when the Chi-Coms gained control of mainland China and
collectivized the farms. A 7.65 mm bullet in the head. 3 million landowners no longer posed a potential issue. End of problem. But alas, today we are
more humane.
Uh, one cautionary note, Mr 1C, the prevailing winds blow west to east in the Northern Hemisphere, so any a-bombs on NK will bring fallout to the US
of A in 48-96 hours. Oh, there is no such thing as a “clean” a bomb.
[edit on 12/16/2006 by donwhite]