Should the U.N. punish N. Korea for its actions?

[canon docre]

Best would be like in the good ol' days, to send an assassin over to do the job quietly.

Darn, didn't CIA have this as a job qualification programm?

[markfiend]

Didn't the CIA also have a plan back in the 60s to assassinate Fidel Castro by poisoning his mistress's bidet?

[Badlander]

Didn't the CIA also have a plan back in the 60s to assassinate Fidel Castro by poisoning his mistress's bidet?

They've had hundreds of plans to kill him.

[Planet Dave]

Ozpat, get real, if we don't have nuclear testing how the hell do you intend to create Godzilla??

[DeWinter]

Didn't the CIA also have a plan back in the 60s to assassinate Fidel Castro by poisoning his mistress's bidet?

Shame it didn't succeed, really. I have no idea why Fidel is such a darling of the left-wing, the man is every bit as much a mass-murderer as they claim Bush and Blair to be today. I suppose as long as you thumb your nose at the Americans, anything's acceptable..

(For what it's worth , I voted "no" on punishing NK)

[markfiend]

I have no idea why Fidel is such a darling of the left-wing, the man is every bit as much a mass-murderer as they claim Bush and Blair to be today.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend". Global realpolitik has always made for some strange bedfellows.

[canon docre]

Ozpat, get real, if we don't have nuclear testing how the hell do you intend to create Godzilla??

FFS, Ravey, you're right.

B E S T - C O N T R I B U T I O N - TO - T H A T - T O P I C - E V E R

[eotunun]

Wasn´t Godzilla originally a prehistoric monster frozen in polar ice? Then radiation has noshing to do with it...
That´s global warming then. So we need more cars to set Godzilla free, which the north Koreans can´t afford as KYI spends their money on A-bombs. That makes my vote a "yes" then. Boy, it took me long to find a good decision about that one!

[Badlander]

Wasn´t Godzilla originally a prehistoric monster frozen in polar ice?

Definitely not. He was created by some nuclear explosion a short while after WWII. Of course I'm talking about the original Japanese Godzilla, and not its most recent US incarnation.

This guy is so cool :

[James Blast]

It's a guy in a bad suit, get over it

[markfiend]

To explain: the 0.8 kT yield measured is way short of the expected 10-15 kT for a simple "gun-type" warhead. (See Wiki-clicky. It is assumed that North Korea doesn't have the technology to build an implosion-type warhead yet.)

Actually, it looks like I was mistaken on this point. A gun-type warhead will only work with Uranium 235 -- which North Korea doesn't have anywhere near enough of.

It's actually more understandable that an implosion-type weapon (using Plutonium 239 -- which can be manufactured in a nuclear reactor) would go wrong. If the shaped-charges setting the implosion off don't go exactly right then the nuclear explosion will "fizzle" -- which is what appears to have happened to North Korea's test.

[itnAklipse]

i'd like to see UN punish US for its ill-adviced and counterproductive destruction of Iraq first...or how about punishing Israel for something they've done in the past 58 years?

And i understand the desire of nations like N-Korea to have nuclear weapons, they need them to arm themselves against threats from bullies like US and Israel and the "civilized countries" in general which are nothing but their workhorses under very thin disguises.

If UN wasn't what it is, they would've thrown out and condemned countires like US and Israel long ago.

N-Korea has done NOTHING.

All US and Israel want is to arrange the world so that everyone best serves their interests. i respect countries like N-Korea and Iran and Malaysia and Bhutan that stand against true terrorism.

[markfiend]

I'd hardly say that North Korea has done nothing. It has possibly the worst human rights record in the world.

[itnAklipse]

The worst? The one you hear the most about, more like it. US violates human rights on daily basis, as well as any other rights there are, and just about any law of any nation they can get away with. They are sorry when they get caught and always have a lot of excuses wehreas countries like N-Korea don't pay that much attention to PR in western media.
And whatever is in their media is of course just evil propaganda anyway.

So i don't know what worst means in this context.

But of course, when N-Korea or China violates human rights or someone's basic freedom, that is EVIL but when US and Israel do it it's in the best interest of all great civilizations.

Whereas my opinion might be pretty much to the contrary. If the Czarist Russia would've been more vigilant against the horrors of bolshevism and been more terrible in punishing treason, that is, violated the basic rights of certain ppl in order to secure the its own existence, bolshevism would've never gotten a foothold. Or at least it would've taken a longer time..

Freedoms are always marketed and controlled by those whose agendas benefit from them.

The whole idea of 'human rights' is a ridiculous concept and could only have been conceived in order to LIMIT individual rights and to control them.

Now that we have human rights defined, no one can complain when those that are defined haven't been violated, and when those defined have been violated they can make reasonable excuses, whereas without predefined human rights the kind of society we have would be branded inane and inhumane.

Should China and N-Korea just watch as dissidents of certain persuasion wreak havoc and spread western propaganda?

i see no evidence whatsoever that western way of life would somehow make happier and better people than the system in Czarist Russia, or Emperial China.
Sure, they were not perfect systems, but it seems to me that our society suffers from exactly the same problems.

Anyway, that's it for my part. Genuinelly, i'm not that interested in politics or history, sometimes i just can't keep my mouth shut when i really don't understand what the fuss is about.

[markfiend]

WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

[canon docre]

i see no evidence whatsoever that western way of life would somehow make happier and better people than the system in Czarist Russia, or Emperial China.
Sure, they were not perfect systems, but it seems to me that our society suffers from exactly the same problems.

if you think so very little about Democracy, try to live in North Korea or China. System criticism like you just did could lead to death penalty in the worst case, whereas you're pretty free to say what you like over here. Even if it's utter bollocks.

Anyway, that's it for my part. Genuinelly, i'm not that interested in politics or history, sometimes i just can't keep my mouth shut when i really don't understand what the fuss is about.

sometimes a little bit of interest would be benefitial to form an opinion.

[nick the stripper]

CD, it’s a shame we don’t live in a democracy, democracy would not be what we are spreading, and that the USA’s spreading of “freedom� is actually it attempting what The British attempted, what the Romans attempted, and every other “superpower� attempted: to take over the world and have the world run to their rules, regulations, and advantage.

No, they should not be punished. But personally I dislike the idea of having another nuke in the world. I would like for all of them to be disarmed.

[nick the stripper]

FREEDOM IS SLAVERY

Freedom is a spook in everyone’s head. No one wants total freedom, they only want freedom from - i.e. absence of - some things. If you wanted to be totally free - i.e. totally absent of everything - you’d have killed yourself long ago.

Yes, the goal for total freedom is actually slavery, you’re serving a spook, an idea that does not benefit you, but benefits the spook.

Freedom for itself is not a good thing. Freedom from some things is, however, good. Just thought I’d mention that, not to get off topic or anything.

[markfiend]

While I would agree that our parliamentary system has its faults, I'd rather have the limited freedoms we do than live in a totalitarian system like North Korea.

If you wanted to be totally free - i.e. totally absent of everything - you’d have killed yourself long ago.

I try not to think about that

[weebleswobble]

It's a guy in a bad suit, get over it

Is.It.F*ck.

[9while9]

It's a guy in a bad suit, get over it

Is.It.F*ck.

zillaGODzillaGODzillaGODzillaGODzilla James fears the name......

[weebleswobble]

It's a guy in a bad suit, get over it

Is.It.F*ck.

zillaGODzillaGODzillaGODzillaGODzilla James fears the name......

Just don't mention Godzooki, he sucked donkey dicks

[a.r.kane]

FREEDOM IS SLAVERY

Freedom is a spook in everyone’s head. No one wants total freedom, they only want freedom from - i.e. absence of - some things. If you wanted to be totally free - i.e. totally absent of everything - you’d have killed yourself long ago.

Yes, the goal for total freedom is actually slavery, you’re serving a spook, an idea that does not benefit you, but benefits the spook.

Freedom for itself is not a good thing. Freedom from some things is, however, good. Just thought I’d mention that, not to get off topic or anything.

[eotunun]

Ha...ha.. achhoo!

[ruffers]

For failing to detonate a nuke ?
If they did violate the non-proliferation treaty, of course they should be punished. But so should other countries.

IIRC they withdrew from that treaty in 2003 - difficult to violate a treaty you're not part of I'd have thought?