Why the desire to pull the troops out of Iraq in the first place?

*posted first on Friday Feb. 10, here*

In the Australian today:

NO sooner did President Barack Obama welcome home American troops from Iraq and laud that country’s stability and democracy than an unprecedented wave of violence across Baghdad and elsewhere revealed the severity of Iraq’s political crisis.

Unfortunate, yet hardly surprising, even to the most casual of observers.

And whilst I can understand (yet not agree with) the Left’s position not to send troops into Iraq in the first place – an argument, largely moot, for another day – what I don’t understand is their fervish desire to pull the troops out.

It always smacked of idealism, ideology, rather than hard-nosed practicality.

After all, what was so bad with having a US troop presence there to help maintain Iraq’s fragile democratic stability?

One could argue that I am biased because a) I am centre-right politically and b) because I live in South Korea, a nation that has had a US troop presence – some 37,000  28,000 or so currently – since the armistice between North and South Korea and have seen what a permanent US troop presence looks like.

I am happy to accept those labels and can gladly tell you that such a presence ain’t that bad.

By and large,  US bases in Korea – and Japan for that matter – haven’t been a problem.

Sure, issues pop up from time to time, but if one looks at the big picture, then a strong US presence here can only be seen as a good thing, a safe option, a pretty darn good insurance policy against North Korea trying anything major on.

Almost 60 years we’ve had US troops over here without any major problems. In fact, many major problems (a full-scale Nork attack comes to mind) have arguably been averted thanks to this presence.

So, why the rush to leave Iraq essentially free of any US military  before even a decade is up and before, as is clear now, the job is done?

OK, so perhaps it’s a bit like comparing apples and oranges. US troops in Korea, aside from those stationed at the DMZ, aren’t on active duty as they were in Iraq.

However, it’s not a completely dissimilar situation. Perhaps a good analogy would be to compare mandarins and oranges.

US troops not only provided safety and stability in the fledgling democracy that is Iraq – a country still steeped with sectarian and tribal rivalries – but surely they also provided a deterrence to anybody or any groups who want to destabilise the nation.

What takes years to build can take mere seconds to destroy, and I fear a lot of hard work is being undone on the whim of a flawed, feel-good, ideology.

So why?

The only practical reason that I can see for Obama pulling his troops out of Iraq is that with an Iranian confrontation looming which includes action needed in Syria, Iraq frankly isn’t important enough any more or at best, an impractical option for a potentially over-stretched military.

Of course, Obama – a man of the progressive Left – can’t actually come out and say that but it is reasonably well-known to those who don’t just get their news from the MSM that Obama is actually more of a war-time president than Bush was, having committed more troops to both Iraq and Afghanistan, and for a longer period of time.

So whilst the MSM might play along with the “bringing the troops home” narrative, the evidence indicates this simply isn’t the case.

Some 20,000 marines, seamen and air crews from half a dozen countries, a US nuclear aircraft carrier strike group and three US Marine gunship carriers are practicing an attack on a fictitious mechanized enemy division which has invaded its neighbor. It is the largest amphibian exercise seen in the West for a decade, staged to simulate a potential Iranian invasion of an allied Persian Gulf country and a marine landing on the Iranian coast. Based largely on US personnel and hardware, French, British, Italian, Dutch, Australian* and New Zealand military elements are integrated in the drill.
Bold Alligator went into its operational phase Monday, Feb. 6, the same day as a large-scale exercise began in southern Iran opposite the Strait of Hormuz. This simultaneity attests to the preparations for a US-Iranian showdown involving Israel behind the words on Feb. 5 of US President Barack Obama (“I don’t think Israel has decided whether to attack Iran”) and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Feb. 3 (“The war itself will be ten times as detrimental to the US.”).

(*BTW, I don’t recall Aussie PM Gillard highlighting that one.)

And this:

As the US and Israel carried on bickering over the right time to strike Iran’s nuclear sites, their war preparations continued apace. debkafile’s military sources report that flight after flight of US warplanes and transports were to be seen this week cutting eastward through the skies of Sinai on their way to Gulf destinations, presumably Saudi Arabia, at a frequency not seen in the Middle East for many years.

Add into this mix reports that China will reportedly help Saudi Arabia build a nuclear bomb, and that both China and India have started paying Iran for its oil in gold thus helping thwart current US/UN sanctions (more of which were recently thwarted by Russia and China), then we see a stage set for a showdown and we see the reality that rhetoric aside, Obama won’t be bringing many troops home at all.

To someone who doesn’t know any better, it’s as if Russia, India, and China – all wannabe first chickens to the trough – are ganging up on America.**

PS Who wouldn’t love to be a fly on the wall listening in to what the US is really saying about China? Their ever-expanding use of soft power is in many ways, stuffing it all up for America. China must surely be becoming an ever-increasing pain in the neck.

This leaves Australia in an interesting position. Our main export partner is China. Our main ally is the US. We send China our goodies to help them get rich and rival America. We practice shooting our guns with America to help keep America on top.

And yet China and America are also so deep in each other’s pockets. America buys China’s goods. China buys America’s debt.

Fun times.

** I highly recommend reading The Lucifer Principle by Howard Bloom. Part of the book talks about the pecking order of nations.

No more counting Russia’s missiles

Republicans blame Democrats. Democrats blame Republicans. I blame global warming.

Paying Unassimilated Muslim Immigrants to Leave

The tide has shifted. Even many liberal-left Democrats are beginning to tire of government enforced, “cultural diversity” when the subjects in question are Muslim immigrants who refuse to assimilate, and do nothing but breed on the dole and threaten their hosts with violence… and often enough, act out on those threats.

Sweden, a country I love – OK, I really love the women – and have lived in, is paying the return trip for asylum seekers who have been turned down. Note that the countries listed are all Muslim countries, that a higher percentage are now being refused, and that applications are also dropping as the people back home get word that the public teat is running dry.

Denmark is going that one better, as they are paying unassimilated Muslim residents about $20K US to… ahem… get the fuck out. The something that is rotten in Denmark is the unassimilated Muslims, and the natives want them gone.

Expect this to spread. Peace-loving citizens of western nations – who will readily self-identify as libertarians if the terms are properly defined for them – are fed up with this malignant ideology parading as a religion, and they bloody well want their countries back.

Here in the US, the solo terror attack by Nidal Hasan is being called a terror attack in newspapers that were formerly allergic to the word. Deniers are being shouted down, and even their hearts aren’t into their arguments anymore.

Not only that, but there are now calls for the abjectly ridiculous Clinton-era gun ban for military bases and posts to be rescinded. This is major big progress. I grew up a military brat on Air Force bases in the 60’s and 70’s: My dad carried a .357 revolver around with him whenever he was flying, and nobody ever gave it a second thought. It’s a military base for fuck’s sake! Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines are supposed to be fucking goddamned ARMED! Expect this to change, and soon. Even lilly-livered generals don’t like to be caught with their pants around their ankles while their unarmed soldiers are mowed down by lunatics.

There will also be an end to this kind of malfeasant shit. Hasan’s superiors wondered if he was a bleeding psychotic nut-case, but nobody wanted to take the heat for accusing a Muslim of being a danger. A hearty fuck that to that noise. That’s gone soon as well, and three cheers.

Westerners are long-suffering because we’re civilized, and we’d like more of the world to share in our prosperity and standard of living, but if you invite a dog into your house and he refuses to stop shitting on the carpet, well, you’ll rid yourself of the cur sooner or later, no matter how much you wish he’d shape up.

That’s what’s happening now: Muslims have been shitting on the carpets of western countries too long, and the owners of those carpets are tired of cleaning up after them. We’d like to walk on those carpets barefoot without worrying about stepping in a pile of Muslim shit.

Perhaps in another few centuries Muslims will be ready for civilization, but they aren’t now.

Send them back to their bat-shit filled caves and their flea-infested sand dunes. That’s where they belong.

Let the Muslims shit on their own carpets.

Will Israel attack Iran soon?

Well, not so much ‘attack’ as take out their nukes and some other military targets.

Lubos Motl’s post, here, suggests that it’s highly likely (probably shortly after the latest UN junket) and ‘kind of a good idea’…

Agreed. Especially after Ahmadinnerjacket’s disgusting rant at the UN.

H/T Breitbart and TT over at Blair’s.

Iranian Air Force: Epic Fail

I found this story about the crash of Iran’s only AWACS jet at a celebration of Iran’s military might thigh-slappingly funny.

“On Tuesday, I reported that a plane had crashed in Iran and seven people had been killed. Defense News is reporting that the plane that crashed was participating in Tuesday’s military parade in Tehran, and that it was Iran’s one and only AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System)…

The Simorgh collided with one of the Air Force’s Northrop F-5E Tiger II fighters over the area of the Imam Khomeyni Shrine, southern Tehran. According to eyewitnesses, the crash occurred immediately after the parade. Apparently, no mayday call was issued.”

This is the funniest part.

“Eye witnesses reported that the flaming planes landed on the mausoleum burial site of the Islamic revolution’s founder Ruhollah Khomeini, a national shrine.”

D’OH!

Of course, this leaves Iran blind just as the moment of truth approaches for them vis-a-vis a potential attack on their nuclear facilities by Israel.

Let’s add this up: Iranian Air Force is embarrassed when two of their aircraft collide at a military parade, one of those aircraft was the only AWACS airplane that Iran has, and the flaming wreckage landed on the shrine-tomb of Khomeyni. Either Allah hates Ahmadinejad, or the God of Israel is more powerful than Iran’s moon deity. decide for yourselves, but I know where I come down among the various possibilities implied there.

Oh, by the way, Iran flies American-made F4’s – Vietnam era aircraft – which would be a laugh-out-loud joke in the face of current Israeli F-16’s.

The more I think about this, the funnier it gets.

The Incredible Lightness of Being Obama [updated]

Our president is a flyweight boxing with heavyweights. He’s totally outgunned and outclassed.

Not to mention, Obama is a fucking moron with a sub-basement level IQ.

“The Obama administration will scrap the controversial missile defense shield program in Eastern Europe, a senior administration official confirmed to CNN Thursday.

The comment followed similar statements from officials in Poland and the Czech Republic — where key elements of the system were to be located — but was the first confirmation from an American official.

Vice President Joe Biden earlier refused to confirm to CNN that the George W. Bush-era plan was being shelved.

But he did explain the logic of doing so, saying Iran — a key concern for the United States — was not a threat.”

And as for Biden, my turds have more brains than that pathetic imbecile does.

I’m sorry Poland, I’m sorry Czech Republic, I apologize to all of eastern Europe: I didn’t vote for the guys.

Here’s Obama’s new plan to defend eastern Europe from Russia and Iran.

Awesome display of presidential “gravitas” no? Contrast and compare.

Obama-Biden haven’t got a chance against this guy because they haven’t got a pair of balls between them. Having the greatest military in the history of human civilization means nothing with garbage like these guys in power.

Well, the leftards have a few million south-east asians’ blood on their hands after Vietnam and the ensuing Pol Pot, so what are a couple of million more eastern Europeans?

On, and don’t get me started about how far out in the cold Israel is now.

I would be a better president than Obama, and trust me, that is one shit-suckingly sad state of affairs.

I could fucking vomit.

UPDATE – bing

For in depth analysis of the Obama photo, look no further.

Fascinating View Inside of North Korea from a Defector

In what has to be one of the most illuminating looks inside of North Korea ever, a high profile defector speaks to FOX News.

“Now a visiting fellow with the Washington, D.C.-based Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, Kim is described by veteran analysts as the first English-proficient defector ever to escape the Hermit Kingdom.

Trim and sharply dressed, his bushy head of hair dyed jet black, the 42-year-old Kim, once an English professor at a computer college in Pyongyang, speaks polite and fluent English, albeit in a halting style and with a heavy accent.

An interview with FOX News in late June marked Kim’s first with an American TV news channel. Kim recounted his extraordinary experiences working for the Northeast Asia Bank and Korea National Insurance Corporation, where he handled accounts worth hundreds of million of dollars.”

So, this guy had an insider’s view, and here’s what he saw.

“He described two economies in North Korea: one administered by the North Korean Cabinet and nominally oriented toward serving the needs of the people; and a “Royal Court economy,” financed by illicit enterprises worldwide and providing the stream of hard currency that keeps Kim Jong Il, and his cronies, ensconsed in power and luxury.

“Kim [Jong Il] himself enjoys a lavish lifestyle,” said Kim Kwang Jin. “He is giving gifts to his associates: the Mercedes-Benz[es] and whiskeys, first-class room and [air]fare from Japan. Everything’s provided to his aides….Kim Jong Il himself is now ruling the country with [the] dollar, hard currency….Without hard currency they cannot rule the country.”

Kim Kwang Jin described a society in which bankers demand bribes from clients, doctors from patients, professors and teachers from students.

“Everybody tries to make use of their position, their authority…to survive,” Kim said.

The former banker said the regime’s largest source of hard currency comes from the clandestine manufacture and sale of weapons of mass destruction. After that comes the regime’s multibillion-dollar insurance fraud business, in which the authorities stage arson and bogus accidents to collect multimillion-dollar payouts from international banks and insurers.

“The state — Kim Jong Il himself — controls all these funds,” said Kim Kwang Jin. “It is funneled to him. And then he’s using all these revenues according to his regime’s priorities, which are now the missile program and nuclear weapons development.”

Kim Kwang Jin believes the North Korean government has never negotiated in good faith with the United States and its allies at the Six-Party nuclear disarmament talks.”

Is anyone surprised by this? Except the left, I mean. You really need to read the whole enchilada.

“Unimaginable Horror in Tehran”

“Iran has executed its Tiananmen Square. Baharestan Square has become synonymous with barbarity, cruelty, massacre and inhumanity.

An Iranian blogger (whose URL I will not publish) live blogging from Baharestan Square in central Tehran today captures but brief glimpses of the unimaginable horror that took place today. Bus loads of protesters were stopped and unloaded from their buses by “black-clad police” and literally herded. When the massing was sufficient, as the barely controllably distraught Tehran caller to CNN described first hand, hundreds of the regime’s Basij thugs poured out of an adjoining mosque and commenced a massacre with axes, clubs, guns and gas.

From the live blogger’s eyewitness account:

>More than 10.000 Bassij Milittias get position in Central Tehran, including Baharestan Sq.
>Army Helycopters flying over Baharestan and Vali Asr Sq.
>The streets, squares and around BAHARESTAN (Approx. South-eastern of Tehran) is swarming with military forces, civilian forces, the security motorists
>The croud have moved to the south of baharestan, the situation is bad, the shooting has started
>In Baharestan Sq. in the Police shooting, A girl is shot and the police is not allowing to let them help
>In Baharestan we saw militia with axe choping people like meat – blood everywhere – like butcher

This is the Iranian regime, wading into its own unarmed people and axing them to death, bludgeoning women (seen as the greatest threat to the regime) and throwing them to their deaths from pedestrian bridges. The same Iranian regime whose embassy officials are invited to American embassies around the world to celebrate on July 4th, of all things, a successful revolution.”

You should read the whole enchilada, but be warned: There is a particularly gruesome image of a dead man with an ax wound in his chest.

Also, the Iranians have been uninvited from the July 4th celebrations. I’m still pissed that these pieces of shit were invited in the first place.

I posted in a blog comment a few days ago that unless the Iranian protestors overran police and military positions and armed themselves, they would eventually be slaughtered. Sometimes I really hate being right all the time.

So, the masque is off the mosque vis-a-vis the Iranian thugocracy now, so what will happen next? I’m not sure yet, but my outlook is not sanguine. The Mullahs obviously read the Chi-com text book, and what worked for the communist thugs may very well work for the Islamist thugs too.

Unarmed populations seldom succeed at revolution, which is why being armed is a fundamental human right. As Aristotle said, “The true measure of a people’s freedom is whether they are armed or not.”

H/T Glenn Reynolds, who has some PJTV video at the link.

UPDATE: Much more at Gateway Pundit via Jawa Report.

BingBing, Please Answer the White Courtesy Phone: NorK Attack “Imminent”

Things may have reached a tipping point with North Korea.

“U.N. Security Council resolutions are almost always a waste of time, but not always, and yesterday’s resolution presents North Korea with a major problem, and represents an escalation point in the continuing crisis. Just a few days ago, when the resolution was presented before the Council in draft form, North Korea issued a new threat, using the words “offensive” and “nuclear” in the same sentence maybe for the first time:

“Our nuclear deterrent will be a strong defensive means . . . as well as a merciless offensive means to deal a just retaliatory strike to those who touch the country’s dignity and sovereignty even a bit,” the state-run Minju Joson newspaper said in commentary carried by the official Korean Central News Agency…

* For these reasons, it is possible that North Korea’s economic situation is now so desperate, that North Korea is willing to go further than ever before in forcing the U.S., China, and others to pay up. Another nuclear test — or perhaps a military strike or other kind of attack against some nation — could be imminent.”

You really need to read the whole enchilada.

It is high time this dastardly regime was toppled, IMO. What’s the mood in the south, Bing?

Obama Says Iran has a Right to go Nuclear: Good Luck New York

So, our president – who, as is becoming increasingly clear, lives in a fantasy world – says Iran has a right to have nuclear reactors.

“LONDON — President Barack Obama reiterated that Iran may have some right to nuclear energy _ provided it takes steps to prove its aspirations are peaceful…

Iran has insisted its nuclear program is aimed at generating electricity. But the U.S. and other Western governments accuse Tehran of seeking atomic weapons.

“Without going into specifics, what I do believe is that Iran has legitimate energy concerns, legitimate aspirations. On the other hand, the international community has a very real interest in preventing a nuclear arms race in the region,” Obama said.”

Yo, Obi-One, no nation that has leaders who proclaim that they want to wipe Israel off the map, and that also has ICBM’s that can reach New York City, has any right to anything nuclear. In fact, sanctions forever are all Iran deserves.

Hey New Yorkers, how does this make you feel? If you thought 09/11 was bad, imagine what NYC would look like today if 09/11 had been a nuclear attack instead of just a couple of airliners laden with jet fuel. It’s not hard.

Good night. Sleep tight.

That parallel

Yep, the 38th one again.

NORTH Korea staged a ‘successful’ underground nuclear test today which was more powerful than its previous test.

If only Truman hadn’t ordered McCarther to pull back.

UPDATE

It’s the top story on CNN. They ran it for 12 minutes on the 10pm bulletin.

More here.

squirrel helicopter

On the results page for a Google image search for “squirrel” it sometimes says :
“Related searches:  squirrel helicopter”.

The results for “squirrel helicopter” are a bit of a disappointment. But fixable.

We can rebuild him. We have the technology. Better than he was before. Better, stronger, faster.

Few things say “keep your hands off my nuts” like a gatling gun.

(Note that two contrarotating rotors eliminate the need for a tail rotor. He’d look pretty stupid with a tail rotor on his tail and the main rotor sticking out of his head.)

Europe: give us money, give us more soldiers

Hey Strasbougians!

…

What? No good?

Hey, climate change! We care about that. We love you Europe!

Europe! Please help!

Bush couldn’t sell it, but you love me, right? Guantanamo? Torture? Aww shucks. I knew you’d come on board!

Right???

Lessons of the past? Naww, mistakes!

Young ignoram1, come to Obama!

PS I know half of you couldn’t understand me, but shucks I’m handsome… just ask the Korean girls!

Early Link (apparently he mentioned something about nukes in there somewhere)

Video will come when available – was just live on CNN

UPDATE

Good or bad, he HAS gone without the teleprompter in the Q & A section of this townhall meeting.

UPDATE

He finishes it up by again calling on the Europeans to step up to the plate with regards to Islamic terrorism.

Overall, I have to give him the thumbs up. Look, at the end of the day, he just might succeed on getting the Europeans on board finally with regards to Al Quaida.

Hey, he DID plead for cash re the economic crisis but his crunch definitely was terrorism. He’s selling it well.

Ooops, he’s one more point…

When that video’s up, it’ll be up here.

UPDATE

Gotta go out. Hopefully the vid will be up when I get back. In the meantime, enjoy the soothing sounds of Air Force One’s approach into Strasbourg.

Oh great: North Korean nuclear news

Old news but being reiterated today; North Korea has between five and eight nuclear warheads. This is according to Daniel Pinkston, of the International Crisis Group, who quotes un-named agencies (but probably the US). The missiles can be loaded onto Rodong missiles capable of reaching Japan. If true, Japan may go nuclear, too.

(H/T). US Congressional report here (16-page PDF).

Is this one of the international crises Biden was referring to?

One query: the first link in this post is from 2006, and quotes US sources. The second link quotes un-named sources. Anything to declare, President Obama?

Space weapons; to ban or not to ban

Thoroughly interesting article by Instapundit having a dive into the future of space weapons.

Critics might argue that a ban on space weaponry would just breed complacency among law-abiding nations, while giving cheaters the advantage of surprise. On the other hand, a crude improvised system probably wouldn’t be that useful, while a more sophisticated space-based weapons program (one that went beyond maneuvering exploding satellites close to their targets) would probably require a fair amount of testing, making cheating difficult.

…

The result of any such attack would make space as unusable for the attacker as for the target. In the next decade or two, the biggest threats are likely to come from rogue nations with some space capability, like Iran (which last week launched a satellite on its own), or North Korea—countries that have the ability to attack spacecraft from the ground, but not a lot of their own satellites at risk. Perhaps Obama thinks that a space-weapon ban among the spacefaring nations will encourage them to close ranks against rogue states that are a threat to everyone. That would certainly be a positive development.

UPDATE (16/01/09)

More on North Korea’s so-called ‘space program’ here. If their new missiles actually worked properly, they could theoretically now reach Alaska.

So True It Could Be Left Unsaid

So true

Received this in an email from He Who Frollicks Underground, and it’s so true that it’s spot on.

That said, now I want one! Give me one right now! **stamps foot like two-year-old**

McCain’s Perfect Choice for a Running Mate: Governor Sarah Palin

While most of the pedantic, two-dimensional, inside-the-box-thinking, conservative political hacks are touting Tom Ridge for the slot (Not a bad guy, but…), David Freddoso notes a far superior choice has been proposed: The Republican Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin.

I believe this is a truly inspired idea. Gov. Palin ran as an anti-corruption outsider, and handily defeated a corrupt and entrenched Republican political machine. Plus, at 44, she would almost totally wipe the “age issue” McCain has off the slate, and since Obama is only two years her senior, there is no way they could attack her for her youth and inexperience: She has much more executive experience than Senator Obama has.

Not to mention the fact that, she’s a gorgeous woman who exudes mass quantities of charisma…

and has a super-solid family life.

Dibs on the eldest daughter! LOL!

This inspired choice would allow McCain to actually capitalize on his “maverick” persona, as Gov. Palin shook Alaska politics to the core: She’s a charming, charismatic woman, but she can also play with the big boys and kick ass.

What say ye?

UPDATE: Things are looking optimistic!

UPDATE II: Welcome to all 4500 8000 40,000 in the past few hours (so far!) people visiting us from Google. We’re a fairly opinionated right-wing blog, and you might like to take a look at our “About” page. You might also be interested in our other coverage of Sarah Palin and whether she becomes a prospective Vice President of the United States. You can find this coverage here and here. Personally, I hope she does, but you can feel free to debate the idea in comments below. All first comments are moderated, but unless you either insult or use severe profanity (and I mean severe by my standards, which generally only means the C U Next Tuesday word or the implication that someone has had a rather enjoyable erotic experience with someone who has borne a child), however if you come up with a new one, I may simply delete your comment. I, and all other contributors to this blog are more than fair in what we permit.

UPDATE III: Nayr Drahcir, don’t bother even trying. You will not be published.

UPDATE IV: A lot of people must like Palin.

UPDATE V: More coverage of Governor Sarah Palin and a theme song here.

UPDATE VI: Funniest observation on the announcement yet: “Put Obama and Palin on a basketball court one on one. Winner takes all!”

UPDATE VII: [spot_the_dog] No, we do not have any pictures of “Sarah Palin + Naked,” nor do we have any of “Sarah Palin + Swimsuit.” In the past 24 hours, there have been 157 separate searches on this site for “Sarah Palin Swimsuit,” and 161 separate searches for “Sarah Palin Naked.” I repeat, we have no bathing suit, swim suit, bikini, or naked pictures of Sarah Palin. What kind of people do you think we are, anyway? 😉

UPDATE VIIa: [spot_the_dog] Ace has noticed a similar search phenomenon on his blog and has a theory…

UPDATE VIII: A well-rounded view of the selection of Sarah Palin for the Vice President Nomination can be found here.

UPDATE IX:  We got it!  YES!  Nude photo of Sarah Palin right here!  (C’mon.  You know you want to click.)

UPDATE X: Feel free to visit our main page and read the latest posts we’ve written.

Conundrum

There is perhaps no better example out there of such. Bush is making one last ditch effort to make some kind of progress on the North Korea conundrum before leaving office – mainly what to do about the North’s nuclear program. But let’s face it, not much will come of it. Here you have a country, total population perhaps hovering around the 23 million mark with a combined active and reserve military force of about nine million. And it would take their missiles just 12 minutes to reach downtown Seoul. The Seoul National Capital Area is the second largest metropolitan area in the world with a population of almost 25 million.

Best of luck with that chit chat, Obama.

(PS … and you wonder why I live in the deep south of the country next to an airport…)

PPS Here’s a documentary on North Korea. It’s a few years old but I highly recommend you watch it.

PPPS But are we, in a necessary yet still tragic cross-cultural irony, witnessing death by a 1000 cuts?

But what other ’solution’ is there?

What would China do?

British Apocalypse

Here’s a compelling read by Peter Hennessy and Richard Knight on the UK’s last line of defence – the nuclear-armed HMS Vanguard.

The weapons engineering officer then takes the trigger that will fire the missiles from a small safe above his console. It’s the handle of a Colt 45 pistol…

And then the weapons engineering officer squeezes the trigger to the most devastating weapon ever devised. It clicks softly.

‘One away,’ he says — and with that the missile would be gone. It cannot be destroyed inflight. It will travel too far, too fast for there to be any hope of interception. Once you hear that click, as one senior submariner told us, ‘you’re no more than 30 minutes from the end of the world’.

The Human Button, a show about all this will air on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday, December 2 at 8pm with a repeat on Sunday, December 7 at 5pm. Note, times are London times.

HMS Vanguard

Meanwhile, in other Trident news from across the Atlantic, the US military is still pushing to have a prompt-global-strike system using their Trident missiles, albeit with conventional warheads. However, they’ve had to do a bit of wrangling “after Congress blocked plans to use conventionally armed Trident submarine-launched missiles armed with conventional warheads.”

Huffington Post Political Writer Stabs Ex-Lover 220 Times…

… with a Phillips Head Screwdriver, Attempts Coverup, Fails Epically, Then Commits Suicide.

When leftist lesbians lose it.

Call me a heartless bastard – I’ve heard it all before – but this story strikes me as highly tragi-comic. In fact, stereotypically so.

Obama’s got to be hoping they voted early.

White Supremacist Knuckle-Draggers Plot to Assassinate Obama

It’s a good thing these sub-human morons are so head-up-butt stupid.

“DENVER (CBS4) ― CBS4 has now learned at least four people are under arrest in connection with a possible plot to kill Barack Obama at his Thursday night acceptance speech in Denver. All are being held on either drug or weapons charges.”

Tharin Gartrell

That’s right, this troglodyte was nabbed in a routine traffic stop for driving a rented pickup, “erratically.” Probably high on some of the drugs they seized.

“Sources told CBS4 police found two high-powered, scoped rifles in the car along with camouflage clothing, walkie-talkies, a bulletproof vest, a spotting scope, licenses in the names of other people and methamphetamine. One of the rifles is listed as stolen from Kansas.”

Here’s hoping The Idiot Tharin spends a long, long time in a Federal Prison as some huge convict’s punk-ass bitch.

Present Requested

Alright, who’s volunteering to buy me a weasel?

Russian jets attack Georgian town

A wounded Georgian woman lies in front of an apartment building, damaged by a Russian air strike, in the northern Georgian town of Gori, on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2008. Fighting raged in breakaway South Ossetia for a second day Saturday as Russia sent hundreds of troops into the separatist province, threatening to bomb more Georgian military bases to stop the bloodshed Moscow said has claimed 1,500 lives. Georgia, a staunch U.S. ally, launched a major offensive Friday to retake control of separatist South Ossetia. Russia, which has close ties to the province and posts peacekeepers there to protect citizens with Russian citizenship, responded by sending in armed convoys. (AP Photo/George Abdaladze)

Ivan

If you click on the picture, it will view in a larger image. The wounded woman, is laying on a dead man.

BBC

Drumming fingers waiting for the Anti-War crowds to show. Surely they will, I mean it does involve their emotional ties to a Mother country, Georgia that is. Right?

P.S. Sell the Georgian’s the upgrade Stinger Missiles, GWB. I don’t think the Ruskies and Vlad have figured out why they got their asses kicked in Afghanistan, yet. Beside the fact that Vlad is still porking his new wife.

Oh, Hell Yes! Christian Bale as John Connor in New Terminator!

Amazing. Bale has reinvented Batman, and now he’s going to reinvent John Connor in Terminator: Salvation.

To watch the teaser trailer video at the link, you’ll have to download the newest version of Adobe Flash Player 9, as I did, but it only takes a couple of minutes, and it’s well worth it (Flash 9 ties up less processor power anyway, so everybody ought to have it. God, I’m a geek!).

Of course, I have ALL of the existing Terminator DVD’s, I saw the original when it came out, and I… er… “have” all of the Sarah Connor Chronicles episodes courtesy of a notorious P2P site (My sat company would have made me wait thirty days to get the channel!!!). Screw ’em.

This, I’m really looking forward to. The last one with Kristanna Loken just about gave me fart hailure.

Memo: Kiwis. All your base are belong to us.

Well, why not?

h/t Andrew Bolt