The USS John McCain has been monitoring the Kang Nam, a North Korean cargo ship that was given "special interest" designation after it took to the seas on Wednesday.
The destroyer plans on intercepting the vessel, according to published reports, initiating a delicate diplomatic confrontation that North Korea has warned could lead to war.
The ship will be the first to be intercepted since the United Nations passed a resolution last week banning North Korea from transporting any weapons other than small arms.
The UN sanctions only allow the US to hail a North Korean ship and demand to be allowed to conduct a search, but not forcibly board it. North Korea has said a forcible search would be regarded as an act of war.
[...]
If the North Koreans refuse to allow a US crew to search the ship, the US could order it into the nearest port. Failing that, the USS John McCain could closely follow the ship until it reaches a port. The US would then be entitled to demand, under the UN sanctions agreement, that that country inspect the ship.
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, told reporters at the Pentagon yesterday: "Without going into specific details, clearly we intend to vigorously enforce the United Nations security council resolution."
This is a breaking news update. More soon.
-- Stephen C. Webster
Gulf of Tonkin II, the Electric Bugalloo? Since we're technically at war with them, so that should simplify the whole process.
I keep hearing how they "might" have weapons on board. They might have midgets on board too. They might have zebras on board, or pretty butterflies. The thing is, they don't know what's on board, and saying they might have weapons is propaganda.
What if North Korea did that to US?
A forced boarding would absolutely be an act of war. Even the UN recognizes that, that's why it is forbiden by the resolution. This is all just a bunch of Pentagon propaganda BS. All they can do legally is follow the ship to the next port. But the BS will keep the FOX viewers happy.
Roosevelt had wish list of 8 wanna do's, by his top thinkers, during WWII on how to tick off the Japanese. He used all 8. Pearl Harbour was the result.
Should the U.S. board & search North Korean boats suspected of proliferating weapons even if it risks war?
http://www.youpolls.com/details.asp?pid=5563
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Hooray! WWIII here we come! FINALLY!!
Interesting day. The biggest question of the past century may be settled soon, so maybe we need a war to distract us from it.
See: http://www.margieburns.com/blog/_archives/2009/6/18/4226173.html
Nobody wants a war with the crazy N. Koreans to distract us from anything... you conspiracy nuts!
China won't rein in it's little man and now it's time for one of his young, hot-headed sons to take over and show that he has a bigger d*ck. Anybody who has ever had an unruly child can see that's exactly how N. Korea has to be treated. We've ignored their poor behavior long enough. Now, it's time to smack them down (NOT put them in time out).
There's a nut here alright her name is justama. Now is the time to dismantle the empire to save the republic!!
NOW THIS IS CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN!!!! YEAH RIGHT !! The O'Bushma Administration is insane.. GET OUT OF the NATO WAR Mongering US..
justama sounds like uber EuroZionist pig, Fallus Admirer. Like Fallus, he advocates others to commit crimes on the behalf of the US corporate elite's interests. Dude, why don't you rent a boat and go out there on the high seas and intercept the N.Koreans yourself??????
Hmmm this is coming as exercise Amalgam Dart '09 is winding down off the Oregon Coast. The weather forecaster pointed out a cloud of chaff showing up on radar passing over Portland.
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123152249
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/enviro/DTI_EA/12_Appendix_A.pdf
I didnt know we named a navy ship for the songbird. Didnt know traiters had ships named after them.
Notorious Kelly-- North Korea did apprehend a US military vessel in international waters and held the crew for 11 months and tortured them before releasing them. This was the Pueblo Incident of 1968.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Pueblo_(AGER-2)
Time to call their bluff.. Waiting will just enable more of this threatening banter and more time to produce more nukes. I hate war and I believe it will be better to nip this in the bud before it gets worse.
McLean, Virginia -- This may (may) turn out to be the acid test to prove Obama really does have a pair.
Paul Matthews
We need to get along with the North Koreans but this has not been the case since the Korean War.
The Western World, and in particular the USA has been threatening N Korea since the Korean War.
As you may recall McArthur wanted to Nuke them.
No we do not want N Korea to have Nuclear weapons but this also includes all countries possessing them like USA, Russia, China, Britain, France, Israel, Pakistan, and India.
The UN resolution is the result of US pressure in particular, and does nothing to secure a positive outcome.
You all are fucking crazy.
This blog is generally further left than my personal beliefs, but I still read it every day for perspective. I feel everyone should read views from the other side to get a balanced view. At the very least read the WSJ and NYT editorial pages every day.
Back on point. Folks, at some point things are going to come to a head with N. Korea, whether we like it or not. Can we actually risk allowing them to export nuclear weapons or nuclear technology to extremists of any kind? I do not think anyone would consider them a stable nation, and no one knows what will happen when his son takes over. Yes, we have nuclear technology, but I don't think anyone believes the U.S. government is going to sell a nuke to a neo-nazi or kkk group (essentially our version of extremists).
Many argue, and I agree, we prematurely went into Iraq. However, those who advocated the United Nations route are seeing what that is with N. Korea. It is years of playing cat and mouse that never leads to any long term progress. They continue to blackmail the world for aid, agreeing to halt their nuclear program. Yet, it's like deja vu; we keep coming back to the same place with them testing a nuke or firing a missle over Japan, and nothing ever happens.
I am not a warmonger, and I don't believe we should declare war based on a United Nations Resolution. Only the Congress has that authority in my opinion. But we are going to have to make a decision, and it looks like it's approaching quickly, about what we're going to do about N. Korea. War should always be the last option, but after decades of failed diplomacy, what options do we have if they are going to consider our inspection an act of war? The status quo is not sustainable. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any possible scenario where this ends well.
We dodged a bullet with Iran and the scumbags Bush/Cheney who were ready to start a war to save their pathetic, evil asses. Now, it looks like blowbama the puppet is going to do it for them. Cheney must have some kinda smack on his stupid ass, starting a war of distraction. Why now? Isn't the timing a little strange? Why not before? Because we are closing in on the cyborg and his crew.
Man, that first two weeks was like a vacation from all the bullshit, with the promise for a possible future. Not anymore. Blowbama needs to be impeached. I'll bet the Japanese are going apeshit right about now, because it's their country that is going to take the first nuke. Fuck you Barack, you fucking warmongering loser. Is it going to take a nuke to finally wake Americans up?
How many kids are going to die in this one? They have taken your jobs, your homes, your money and self-esteem and now are readying a THIRD war to suck in and kill your kids. And they arn't going to die "..so that we can say our piece," holy shit I couldn't believe that one, or "...for our freedom" either. Incredible the shit these coward parents come up with so they don't have to look the murderers right in the face and then have to do something about it. Disgusting, squirming cowards, so afraid for their own pathetic carcasses if they revolt they send their kids to die for madmen. Go ahead now and give the rest of your kids to Blowbama and another illegal war (that is if you have any left). Then you can sit around and cry croc tears into each other's coffee while regurgitating the cowards code of honor: "They died so we can say our piece, they died for our freedom." What a crock of shit. Burn in hell you fucking sheep. You should be rioting in the streets right now. But noooo. It's safer just to send your kids to their death.
Robert S. Finnegan
United States Marine Corps
seanwes1@yahoo.com
Jakarta, Indonesia
prepare for a sudden influx of nk refugees...
So, JAF. When was the last time the U. S. Congress declared
war on ANYBODY ? And how many "wars" have we been involved
in since 1945? Congress is a whipped puppy.
If NK were to ever use her weapons she would be destroyed. Since we don't know what the ship is carrying and the resolution calls for the country where the ship docks to inspect the cargo, let's see which country, if any, will let the ship dock.
@grennels: the most recent times were both wars in Iraq, and the war in Afghanistan. Admittedly, we've been in "conflicts" as the govt would term it. I disagree with that, as I think I stated. I'm just saying the North Korea conflict is going to happen sooner or later. In a utopian world I would like to be pacifist. It's just not the case in this scenario. I don't serve in the military, I have the utmost respect for what they do, and thank them every day for their service. But can we allow the proliferation of nuclear technology throughout the world? I don't think so, but that's just my opinion.
When Alfred Nobel created dynamite he thought it was so powerful it would end conflicts throughout the world because of its destructive impact. We think the same way about nuclear technology now, but you have to put history into context. As years pass, what is once seen as outrageous becomes accepted. We, as humanitarians, have to strive to halt nuclear proliferation.
I don't want to see American service men and women injured or killed in combat. However, the world can not allow all nations to obtain these weapons because sooner or later they will be used. Any of our soldiers affected via war is tragic, but we do have to have the forethought to consider future generations. If even one nuclear bomb is launched, then we don't have WWIII, we have a nuclear holocaust and the end of civilization as we know it. The more nations who acquire the technology exponentially increases the chances of that nightmare scenario.
It's too bad old Chimpy McFlightsuit blew all of our credibility on the genocide in Iraq. We might have been able to do something about this real threat to the peace. The Chimpster didn't have the balls to go up against an army. He'd have lost anyway. JAF: don't forget that we are the only nation who has ever released nuclear holocaust on another people and 75% of the weapons proliferated are "Made in USA."
Hey Finnegan, N Korea does this at the start of every US administration. All of our other presidents have given them several $ Billions and they leave us alone. Let's see if Obama gives him the money. I'm sure he will, as NK always picks a time when an administration can least afford one more problem. I've been expecting this for months....I'd would rather just turn N Korea into a smoking hole and be done with their BS.
@Atilla:
1) To your point on the "chimpster" would have lost a war against a better army: wrong. The United States military will not lose a war to any army in the world right now. I'm not talking about a "nation-building" war like those in Afghanistan and Iraq where we have to be PC about everything. I'm talking all out war. Not the Russians, not the Chinese, no one. Our technology is far superior, our troops are highly trained, and our Navy and Air Force are superior to all other countries in the world combined. That's not opinion, that's a fact.
2) I don't think anyone has forgotten the US is the only country to drop a nuclear bomb. However, we didn't know the repercussions of dropping those two bombs back then (e.g. radioactive fallout) that would affect future generations of Japanese citizens. Moreover, once we realized that, we never used another one - even though many hard-liners wanted to employ them in the wars in Korea and Vietnam. Not to mention the nukes today are so powerful it would take a full blown sociopath to start a nuclear war. Let's be honest, the Bush Administration was one of the most extreme Administrations in history, full of hard-liners, and even they didn't come close to dropping a nuke on another country. Can you say the same about Iran or N. Korea definitively? I can not because I simply do not know.
3)To your statistic on 75% of the weapons being made in the USA, don't just pull numbers out of thin air and call them statistics. If that's a legit stat, reference it. If not, it only diminishes the legitimacy of your previous points. Granted, US companies make an ungodly amount of weapons and weapons systems. But so do the Russians (quite a few AK-47's out there aren't there?), so do the Chinese, the British, the French, etc.
Atilla - you got it. My uncle bought it at Chosin in the '50's. Since the "appeasement" was signed we have had countless opportunities to starve these bastards into submission before they had nukes. Now, if the U.S. takes more casualties in this fucked up would-be "war" it is time to take a stroll down memory lane to Chimpy McFlightsuit's first "term" in office. The blame fits squarely with his criminal ass. More needless deaths. And JAF, you don't know what you are talking about.
The Inmun Gun (N. Korean Army) continually take casualties in training. They are in superb shape and would probably beat the U.S. in a conventional war. And that is due to Chimpy destroying our military. So your "facts" are indeed opinion. Don't let your zeal for patriotism and flag-waving get in the way of the truth. I know it's a terrible thing to contemplate, but the U.S. military is now tighter than a banjo string and ready to snap. Look at the suicide rates, and the real numbers are being covered up. Morale is rock bottom and retention rates for SNCO's and officers are at the lowest in history - so many getting out while the getting is good - that there is no core of experience for enlisted kids to draw on. The "leadership" in all services sucks. All this ads up to more deaths, and the North Koreans are no pussies. They are tough, fanatical and well trained. The U.S. cannot at this time stop them conventionally. It will take nukes.
http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/MilitarilyInsig.html
Robert S. Finnegan
United States Marine Corps
seanews1@yahoo.com
Jakarta, Indonesia