Great opinion piece as Krauthammer compares the North Korean nuclear issue to the Cuban missle crisis and describes two types of deterrence that the US has issued to North Korea.
What Will Stop North Korea by Charles Krauthammer
He concludes with making a great case for why we should "step-up" our effort to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear technology.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Political Stunt by Raj Bhakta
The former 'The Apprentice' star and now political candidate , Raj Bhakta demonstrated the total lack of border security by having elephants, led my a mariachi band, cross back and forth into the US.
The Brownsville Herald - Online Edition: "If I can get an elephant led by a mariachi band into this country, I think Osama bin Laden could get across with all the weapons of mass destruction he could get into this country," Bhakta said."I LOVE IT!!! Creative way to make a point. I loved Raj when he was on 'The Apprentice.' This is just the kind of stuff that communicates complex problems in clear, concise ways.
Friday, October 13, 2006
"NO WAY, DADDY"
Our sweet, precious little girl is a little over 2-1/2 years old. She is currently going through a "sassy"-stage where she feels that she has the right to talk back and be generally defiant towards her mother and me (she is an angel for everyone else). This is a big issue for us, because Erin and I expect respect from her. We also understand that dealing with this issue right now is vital for her long-term character development. If she will not honor her parents who she has seen, how can she honor God who she has not seen? We have tried various methods to stem this wave of disrespect including "penalty-spot", light-swats, taking toys away, etc... with very little long-term impact on the problem.
It is our belief that we have not found a consequence that scares her more than she loves the sin of dishonoring her father and mother. Once we devise a consequence that is harsh enough her behavior will change.
This same issue is being mirrored globally as the world wrestles with how to discipline North Korea for her defiance and disobedience. Just as Kim Jong Il assumed would happen when he set off his alleged nuclear explosion earlier this week, the consequences of his actions aren't amounting to much. The US has been forced to offer a compromised UN resolution that is devoid of any military sanctions. It only contains "punishments" like travel restrictions, economic restrictions, and the breaking of diplomatic relations. Mere "hand-slaps" and "penalty-spot" type consequences. The whole scenario reminds me of an old Monty Python sketch in which the police are trying to apprehend a criminal. The criminal, of course, shows comedic disregard of the police who are armed only with their nightsticks. The police then only have one course of action: to say "Stop! or I'll say stop again!" (I couldn't find a clip of it online).
This is because we can't convince China or Russia to sign on to any military action. Which makes some sense, at least from the Chinese perspective. If military action is part of the resolution, and the situation escalates to the needing of that action, whose troops will make up the lion's share of the UN force that removes Kim Jong Il from power? Why, the US's, of course. That means that the US will have troops in a country that borders China. China wants to keep the US out of North Korea so that we don't have a place to stage a land force against them. China could swat North Korea like a fly if it wanted to, but then it would have to occupy North Korea. They don't want to do that for the same reason...we have troops in South Korea and have a strategic location for staging a land force against China. Right now, North Korea acts as a buffer that keeps US and Chinese troops from being too close to one another.
I'll admit that I don't see or understand why Russia is against the idea of military action against North Korea. I don't know what their motivation is for protecting North Korea from a harsh consequence.
I do know, though, that since Erin and I have the same goals for our daughter, we will be able to teach her respect for us, respect for others, and, ultimately respect for God. I've seen families where the parents disagree over the goals for their children and those houses are chaotic places to be...you know...that whole "house divided against itself" thing.
The same principle hold true globally. If the "Super-powers" of the world are divided on this North Korea issue, then it will not matter what the US does and the world will be a place of chaos. North Korea will have permission to continue acting like a defiant 2-1/2 year old.
It is our belief that we have not found a consequence that scares her more than she loves the sin of dishonoring her father and mother. Once we devise a consequence that is harsh enough her behavior will change.
This same issue is being mirrored globally as the world wrestles with how to discipline North Korea for her defiance and disobedience. Just as Kim Jong Il assumed would happen when he set off his alleged nuclear explosion earlier this week, the consequences of his actions aren't amounting to much. The US has been forced to offer a compromised UN resolution that is devoid of any military sanctions. It only contains "punishments" like travel restrictions, economic restrictions, and the breaking of diplomatic relations. Mere "hand-slaps" and "penalty-spot" type consequences. The whole scenario reminds me of an old Monty Python sketch in which the police are trying to apprehend a criminal. The criminal, of course, shows comedic disregard of the police who are armed only with their nightsticks. The police then only have one course of action: to say "Stop! or I'll say stop again!" (I couldn't find a clip of it online).
This is because we can't convince China or Russia to sign on to any military action. Which makes some sense, at least from the Chinese perspective. If military action is part of the resolution, and the situation escalates to the needing of that action, whose troops will make up the lion's share of the UN force that removes Kim Jong Il from power? Why, the US's, of course. That means that the US will have troops in a country that borders China. China wants to keep the US out of North Korea so that we don't have a place to stage a land force against them. China could swat North Korea like a fly if it wanted to, but then it would have to occupy North Korea. They don't want to do that for the same reason...we have troops in South Korea and have a strategic location for staging a land force against China. Right now, North Korea acts as a buffer that keeps US and Chinese troops from being too close to one another.
I'll admit that I don't see or understand why Russia is against the idea of military action against North Korea. I don't know what their motivation is for protecting North Korea from a harsh consequence.
I do know, though, that since Erin and I have the same goals for our daughter, we will be able to teach her respect for us, respect for others, and, ultimately respect for God. I've seen families where the parents disagree over the goals for their children and those houses are chaotic places to be...you know...that whole "house divided against itself" thing.
The same principle hold true globally. If the "Super-powers" of the world are divided on this North Korea issue, then it will not matter what the US does and the world will be a place of chaos. North Korea will have permission to continue acting like a defiant 2-1/2 year old.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Back on Synthroid
I went to the endocrinologist today and my blood work showed that, following the radioactive-iodine treatment for hyperactive-thyroidism, I had moved to hypoactive-thyroidism. I am back on Synthroid. I am so excited. I should be feeling so much better in a couple of weeks.
North Korea nuclear test failed...maybe?
On my last post, I made sure to make it clear that it "appears" that North Korea had successfully set off a nuclear warhead. Obviously, one can not believe any information released by the North Korean government.
I also, wondered, though, how I would know for sure if they had really accomplished the task. If the US agreed that North Korea had been successful, that is a pretty reliable report. However, if the US says that the test was not successful, can I truly believe them? If any of our allies also report the test was not successful, can we be sure that the heads of these states have not colluded to mis-report the results?
Well - now we have France reporting that the test was either a failure or non-nuclear explosion. Since France is not a friend of the US and works against us, I tend to use that information to think that probably the Heads of state are NOT colluding.
The big problem I still have, though, is Russia has confirmed that test was successful. How does a peon, a regular-Joe, really understand these results and get to the truth of the matter?
As of this writing, I can't find an official response from the US government validating or denying the North Korean claim.
I also, wondered, though, how I would know for sure if they had really accomplished the task. If the US agreed that North Korea had been successful, that is a pretty reliable report. However, if the US says that the test was not successful, can I truly believe them? If any of our allies also report the test was not successful, can we be sure that the heads of these states have not colluded to mis-report the results?
Well - now we have France reporting that the test was either a failure or non-nuclear explosion. Since France is not a friend of the US and works against us, I tend to use that information to think that probably the Heads of state are NOT colluding.
The big problem I still have, though, is Russia has confirmed that test was successful. How does a peon, a regular-Joe, really understand these results and get to the truth of the matter?
As of this writing, I can't find an official response from the US government validating or denying the North Korean claim.
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