North Korea attack the South

[Dodds]

BBC News - North Korean artillery hits South Korean island‎

[Angry Citizen]

As much as I hate wars of aggression... if ever there was a country to attack, it's North Korea.

[DavidSupreme]

Holy shit, I was just thinking of a real war attack from someone other then ourselfs. Well, its sad that so many innocent North Koreans are going ot be killed if it escalates and if we get invovled, the innocent men woman and children we are going to rape and murder, as our "brave soldiers" seem to take pride in doing, are truly a loss.

[rmnunez]

North Korea is a fine example of a justification for war. The corrupt nepotistic dynastic system should be removed, violently, just to set an example. The only reason any government recognizes North Korea's is because it made some sense back in the Cold War power balancing days. Now, it would be a fine example to show the world what sort of things will not be tolerated and the conditions for which international organizations and sovereign nations should cease to recognize regimes.

I'd advocate giving China the responsibility of cleaning it out and South Korea the job of rebuilding and integrating it. North Korea is not a military challenge, its nuclear technology is weak and unreliable, missiles are flimsy, air force is obsolete, navy insignificant and the army more likely than not just a lot of exaggeration.

All sorts of dramatic scenarios have been conjured by military analysts, in part to justify the massive US military deployment along the DMZ. They envision a tremendous artillery barrage that would decimate the densely urbanized south, to be followed by a veritable human wave of smartly uniformed and well-equipped ultra nationalistic young North Koreans marching double-time to patriotic tunes, that would quickly overwhelm the entire southern peninsula.

I think the North Korea's military would easily manifest its flaws. Its a conscripted force, so more than a few really don't want to be there. Its a closed system with no outside interaction, no oversight or supervision, at the first possible chance there will be discipline problems. They are not all as well equipped as the ones who march in the May Day parades, I think their army is a hollow shell.

Seems a bit of an exaggeration to claim your (US) "brave soldiers" take pride in raping and murdering innocent women and children. I'm sure this does happen, war is chaotic sometimes and there are soldiers who lack adequate discipline and may get 'carried away' in certain circumstances, but I don't think the US armed forces are particularly notorious for their raping and murdering of innocents, in fact they seem a bit better behaved, more supervised, trained in cultural sensitivity and the media follows them around wherever they go.

[Apeman81]

the innocent men woman and children we are going to rape and murder, as our "brave soldiers" seem to take pride in doing, are truly a loss.

We? Will you be taking place in these rapes?

Do rapes ever occur in war? Sure, just like they do on your neighborhood streets.

Stating that our soldiers take pride in doing so? Well that just makes you a complete ass with not a clue.

Reaction to stupidity aside, where the heck is the President on this? Where’s his verbal condemnation?

Letting Gibbs make some general statement is sure to give North Korea pause.

[Chris the Chees]

where the heck is the President on this? Where’s his verbal condemnation?

I recall reading earlier today that the White House has already made a statement.

[Apeman81]

I recall reading earlier today that the White House has already made a statement.

President Obama is not the White House. Nor is Robert Gibbs.

This attack by the North on our ally the South deserves a response as clear and as public from the President of the United States to match the one made by the leader of North Korea.

[Dodds]

All times in GMT and from this link.

BBC News - As it happened: Korean artillery clash

0938: The White House says it "strongly condemns" the North Korean attack on South Korea, adding it is firmly committed to the defence of South Korea, regional peace and stability, Reuters reports.

1333: The US special representative to North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, says he has talked with Chinese officials in Beijing about the shelling of Yeonpyeong. "We both share a view that such conflict is very undesirable, and I expressed to them the desire that restraint be exercised on all sides and I think we agree on that," he adds.

1336: Mr Bosworth also says he had a "useful" discussion in Beijing about the North's recently-revealed uranium enrichment facility. The discovery prompted the US to rule out the resumption of six-party talks on nuclear disarmament that Pyongyang abandoned two years ago. "We agreed on the essential need for us to continue co-ordination and consultation on this issue. We agree that a multilateral approach to the problems of North Korea remains essential."

1538: US defence department spokesman Col David Lapan says no additional US military assets would be moved into the region following Tuesday's incident in South Korea. It is also "too soon" to discuss ways the US might deter North Korea from another attacks, he adds.

Seems the US government has made many a stand on this issue.

[Chris the Chees]

Don't be silly Dodds, if it doesn't come from Obama's lips immidiately then any statement by the US government is but nought. Funnily enough the rightwingers didn't have the same view when it came to Bush's reaction to 9/11. Funny that.

[Dodds]

Have to admit you are bang on there Chris. Any reason to criticize someone despite all evidence to the contrary.

[Apeman81]

Don't be silly Dodds, if it doesn't come from Obama's lips immidiately then any statement by the US government is but nought. Funnily enough the rightwingers didn't have the same view when it came to Bush's reaction to 9/11. Funny that.

A rather disingenuous comparison. Not unexpected. "Bush did it too" is a most empty argument. However:

Bush made a speech within 30 minutes of the second plane hitting the towers. The 2nd plane demonstrated the first not to be an accident.

As well, the responsible parties were as yet unknown,

No such problem exists in this attack. It is known that North Korea attacked the South.

And no response from Obama. There is no ambiguity here. No special circumstances to ponder. No need to identify the culprits. A few words of condemnation of the act would serve notice to the North Koreans that this better stop now.

[rmnunez]

I think the South Koreans should retailiate and attack the North, push back. There is no reason to tolerate this abusive despotic regime and South Korea has a powerful ally which guarantees to support them 100%.