From Bloomberg:
North Korea vowed to continue missile tests after yesterday’s firing of seven rockets, saying it doesn’t have to notify the U.S., Japan and other countries about launches that are part of its regular military training.
“As a sovereign country our legal rights do not violate any international law’’ or any accords with countries including Japan, the official Korea Central News Agency said. “Our military will continue such missile tests to continue to build our deterrent capabilities.’’
Japan, which says the tests violated a 2002 agreement on freezing long-range missile launches, yesterday banned North Korean ships from crossing its maritime borders. It proposed a resolution in the United Nations Security Council demanding a halt to North Korea’s missile testing and a return to six-nation talks on ending the North Korean nuclear program.
In 1998, North Korea fired a long-range Taepodong 1 missile that flew over Japan before landing in the Pacific Ocean. It has test-fired short-range missiles since then, including a test of two missiles in March.
There wasn’t any talk of “punitive measures’’ among Security Council members, Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s UN ambassador, said yesterday. Security Council members will resume discussions on a resolution at 10 a.m. New York time today.
“We are making it clear to North Korea this has been a deplorable development, and we should work toward a diplomatic resolution,’’ Churkin said. Japan’s proposal asks governments to block money, goods and technology intended to support North Korean programs for weapons of mass destruction.
[…]
China’s President Hu Jintao said his nation is committed to maintaining peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and is opposed to any actions that may intensify the situation, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on its Web site today. Hu made the remarks in a phone conversation he had with U.S. President George W. Bush this evening.
China is willing to communicate and negotiate with the various parties, Hu said in the statement, and expressed hope for a resumption of six-nation talks, the statement said, adding that Bush said the U.S. will stick to its commitment to resolve the Korean Peninsula issue through diplomacy.
North Korea meanwhile warned it will take “physical measures’’ if it is put under pressure over the test program.
And here you thought Jimmy Carter’s only legacies would be cultivating national guilt and self-hatred, and frantically warding off a giant water bunny with a boat oar. While wearing a sweater.
It’s possible that North Korea is poised to try something desperate, though I cling to the belief that Kim Jong Il can still be distracted from making some totally crazed decision by a perfect round of golf, or a screening of Scarface.
But if not, perhaps somebody can convince Madeleine Albright to doll herself up and see if she can’t tango North Korea’s potentially nuclear-tipped long-range missiles down off their launch platforms.
Meanwhile, throw this into the mix, why don’t you?
Oh, yeah? I like my measures to be physical. Must be the scientist in me.
But if you mess with me, dudes, I’m going to open up a can of rhetorical whupass that you’ll never forget.
From what I can tell, they need to keep testing. Their launches haven’t been all that successful…
Japan seems to be growing weary of all this – and this makes me wonder why China is reflexively throwing out it’s “nobody do nuthin’” position again. If I saw that, and I was on the Chinese Politburo, I’d be screaming for a new pair of Depends and that NK back down.
So ronery.
Now they’re really pissed. Act II is going to be a nuclear tipped missile test.
Which will promptly explode after launch, obliterating Pyongyang and ending this farce. I wish.
Maddie might not can tango the missle down from the platform, but she can make it as limp as the ones test fired the other day.
Don’t we still have some old Ukranian warheads that we bought to keep off the market? Did we get ‘em all?
If not, perhaps one could find it’s way onto a ship bound for NK. Hey – accidents happen, y’know.
OT & BTW:
What’s the deal with the poodles, anyway?
SB: sent
and sentsability
Well, if she were in North Korea, Kim Jong Il would be eating Hamsher’s poodles.
If he didn’t have one of those instant Poodles ‘n Noodles.
With a nice glass of Jack Spaniels.
While wearing a sweater
Don’t forget the yellow booties he wore at 3MI ‘nook-yoo-lar’ reactor.
Yes, kids, that’s the way Carter said it
TW: Oh, no, he didn’t.
Yes, just like Chimpy!
But then, Bush wasn’t a nuclear engineering officer in the Navy.
Amazing.
Someone on DU boasts that the NORK per capita income is $1,700.
Per the CIA’s FactBook,
South Korea’s is $20,400.
The US is $41,800.
Hell, Sudan had a PCI of $2,100.
I’m speechless.
If nothing else ol’ Kim Jong Il is a lousy salesman. Like Chevy trying to market the Nova in Mexico (no va = won’t go), he’s not going to strike much fear in American’s hearts with his nodong missile.
Valerie Plame is an undercover agent. Bwahahahaha!
Madame says we mustn’t make fun of North Korea’s failure to get their missile up.
“Is your Taepodong limp and hard to manage?”
SB: word
up
While waiting for the head’s up (and grant money) from DHS to create the first human wall from sea to shining sea using handcuffs, pink parasol hats, terrorist-appeasers, and GITMO detainees (utilitarian performance art!) – as a public service for the common good, Renfield offers to send Maddie to ronery Kim via airmail for a quickie hot time in the palace dust.
“Let me be clear. Only the president and the executive branch can speak for the United States.” – Secretary of State Madeline Albright at the UN, Jan. 31, 2000, after Sen. Helms dared defend America there.
/ DHS, send blood, money, blood money (Renfield asks for bugs, please).
Off to join a Code Pink rally (w/ eye patch, pot, spoon, Depends, “OKLAHOMA-OKLAHOMA-OKLAHOMA!”).
Is that
wrong?You think Chimpy explained to him that we considered the continued launching of missiles to be quite intensifying?
Hmmm…
I wonder how the “Get rid of the lousy, smelly Americans” camps in South Korea and Okinawa are feeling about right now?
Clearly though, we should have listened to the military genius of John Murtha though and moved our “Middle-Eastern Quick Reaction Force” to Okinama so Lil Kim would have a bigger target to rattle his saber at.
Then please visit our web site and see for yourself our brand new, flesh colored…”Launchagra”
http://potfry.blogspot.com/
I’ll bet the left is grumbling over Japan’s fairly strong reaction – banning all NK maritime traffic, pushing for harsher resolutions, etc – and siding with their ideological brothers in mainland China.
It’s not like NK would do anything with their missiles. C’mon, they’re just being saucy, and defiant/provocative. And in a world twisted by the greed and imperialist machismo of Amerikkka, it’s justifiable.
Japan really shouldn’t intensify anything, and they should be careful that their careless diplomatic brinksmanship doens’t result in a catastrophe! Because then Bush and his Nipponese cronies would have more blood on their hands.
Bushitler!
Mojo, poodles are very smart dogs and are mostly white meat.
TW: This confirms, once again, that “leaders” from the party of the Clinton Administration and their strategy of spineless appeasement should not be trusted with the security of this country for at least another generation.
Lil Kim best not mess with the Japanese.
They’re led by an Elvis Impersonator and I hear he does a mean hip swivel.
This is of course why I’m in charge of nothing beyond making sure the BBQ grill works at the Dovetonsils Compound… but if I was in Dubya’s boots, I’d announce: “You know what? We’ve decided to start pulling our troups out of S. Korea and Japan, and let YOU assholes negotiate your way through this mess. See if you can get Hans Brix to help out, while you’re at it.”
“And watch out for Kim ‘s ‘jaguars,’ while you’re at it. Vicious little bastards.”
The full text of Pyongyang’s news release is here:
http://imdb.com/title/tt0372588/quotes
I’m so Ronery
So ronery
So ronery and sadry arone
There’s no one
Just me onry
Sitting on my rittle throne
I work very hard to be number one guy
but, stiwr there’s no one to right up my rife
Seems rike no one takes me serirousry
And so, I’m ronery
A rittle ronery
Poor rittle me
There’s no one I can rerate to
Feewr rike a biwd in a cage
It’s kinda siwry
but, not reawry
because, it’s fiwring my body with rage
I’m the smartest, most crever, most physicawry fit
but, none of the women seem to give a shit
Maybe someday, they’wr awr notice me
And untiwr then, I’wr be ronery
Yeah, a rittle ronery
Poor rittle me…
I was reading her the comments on her page the other day, and she was explaining to her serfs how one of the dogs developed diarhea while she was driving them all over the country, she had just gotten back from the vets about it. One of the serfs recommended only giving them bottled water on the road, and the Hamster patiently explained that her dogs only drank bottled water even at home.
I swear to God.
Oh my. Her poodles talk to her. And they call her “Mom”.
Sorry, I got nothin’. Nothing, after reading that.
MEAT-RACIST!!!
Hans Brix!
SDI! And to think that the peace-loving socialist euros (and our own charming variety here at home) said Reagan was going to blow up the world. Have these people ever been right about anything?
Uh. I assume you mean besides fries and toast.
TW: Frankly, having watched some recent telecasts of the Tour de France and World Cup, Euro’s are looking more than a few IQ points short of a shirtless Packers fan in December.
I’m looking forward to the inspirational Oliver Stone movie about North Korea’s space program… I Aim for the Stars… But Sometimes I Hit Pusan.
I believe there are novels that are shorter than the story about Jane Hamsher driving to get a story about somebody I’ve actually heard about.
She’s way past her 15 minutes. Let’s send her to NK to dance with Kim. Heck, let’s send Al Gore too. It could be an Oliver Stone Musical.
Y’know, if I were an utter bastard and worked for the government (and I do not work for the government) I’d recommend having some spokesman “let slip” the secret that we knew, beforehand, that the Taepodong was going to fail due to a staging malfunction.
The idea of North Korea’s secret police looking for traitors and spies among their engineers pleases me.
“Like Chevy trying to market the Nova in Mexico (no va = won’t go)”
Swen,
As much as I like this one, it seems not to be true. At least according to Snopes (and if we can’t trust Snope…). Your overall point remains valid of course, at least within the yesdong community.
RK