ihateaaron

That is true. The younger generation has been more integrated and seems to have less of a pre determined stereotype in mind. From what I am hearing there could be some Mulsim/Shiite ties to the brothers. At this point though, any information brought out by the media should be verified independently before believing it. The coverage of this story has been appalling.

This does not help... http://dailycaller.com/2013/04/16/head-of-extremist-muslim-group-happy-to-see-the-horror-in-america/ http://www.mrconservative.com/2013/04/12048-muslims-celebrate-terrorist-attack-in-boston-by-praising-allah-and-handing-out-candy/ http://www.jihadwatch.org/2013/04/hamas-islamic-jihad-hizballah-celebrate-boston-terror-bombings.html There is a difference between a Muslim, and a Muslim extremist. Unfortunately, the majority of American's do not seperate the two. So this will only help to stir hatred and anger.

I was preparing to come and rant... DeathMerchant covered all my points... So yeah. The news media sucks. It is all about sensationalism and ratings.

It appears to be almost exclusively speculation at this point, at least in the media. Whatever information our Intelligence agencies have they are keeping tight lips on it. Which is good. I always cringe when I see the news reporting things that should be OPSEC...

No. Sorry, I was in a hurry as I typed that. The idea is that IF NK launched a nuclear EMP device following the same orbit that they used to launch the satelite, it would approach from the direction of the South Pole, which is apparently a direction that we are least protected from. This would be a space bound rocket that would come back into orbit to detonate. The estimation was somewhere over Omaha, Nebraska. If an EMP device, of the size they estimated could be flown up by the same type of rocket used for the satelite launch, were to detonate it could potentially put out an EMP wave from coast to coast of the United States. All of it is, of course, someone crunching numbers and making best guesses with the information available, but it does put a scary scenario out there. Imagine the power grid in the US going down. That means no computers, no phones, no refrigerators/freezers, and no internet. Amongst many other things. It would take years to recover from that sort of hit, assuming the blast is strong enough to actually damage transformers and other intregal power grid components (which are not protected from EMP type attacks). It would probably be the most feasible way to do serious damage to the country. Edit: Why do I have to edit in my paragraph breaks...

I honestly would not expect them to give warning. It would not follow history, nor the precedence currently being set. Un seems to be stuggling to prove himself to the upper echelon of the military powers in NK. I heard an interesting tactic, that has been used in other places, of making offerings of political asylum and money to upper level military staff willing to defect. Bonus cash for those willing to stay and pump reliable information on to us. The general idea is that the offer is put out there and zero acceptance is expected, but it puts the doubt into peoples minds. Put stress on the relationships within the military leadership. It was an interesting thought, and I would be curious as to how that would work out. Also, I cannot find the article now, but CNN had something about an EMP style nuke being the attack expected from NK. A missile fired on the same flight path they used to launch their satelite would be able to approach the US from the South Pole, which if detonated at 300 miles of altitude could potentially affect the entire country. It would also be difficult to defend against due to the direction it would come from. The expert of the situation said it would require shooting the missile down right at the launch.

I think you are on the mark Dom. In the end all of this bluster will eventually cool down (I really hope it does) and we will see steps taken to get aid into the country. It may take years, but NK cannot continue to have an arms battle with vastly superior forces. There really is not a scenario where combat works out for them. And only a few where everyone loses.

It is actually a bit different in your examples of Ireland, Africa and England. You say all the people, which is unrealistic. Despite what you might think it was only referring to war crazed Americans and not all Americans. It would be different if I said "All you Americans are war crazed". instead it is only referring to war crazed Americans who assume it is war. That and I said it half jokingly, I never expected people would get offended. I was replying to the implication of the building from your post. Each post escalated the general idea. For me it gets old that people want to bash America for we live, yet most people who do forget that at some point they asked, some even begged, for our help. As a military person I got to see that in person. I have been to countries where our presence was requested, and the people have protested, shouted at, and even spit on me. So I may be a bit quick to jump on that. Back onto the topic. North Korea has put themselves in a position that might be a no win. All appearances seem to show an extreme internal conflict, and Kim Jong Un is having a difficult time imposing his will. All the blustering has them in a position with their military setup to launch a missile that will be seen as an immediate threat by several of the surrounding countries.

I agree with that for the most part. The leadership of that country has done such terrible things that it is hard to believe...

Yet to call Americans "war crazed" is asinine. It is like saying everyone in England has bad teeth. All Irish people are always drunk. Everyone from Africa is from a spear throwing tribe. It is a narrow minded view based on a look at the extreme minority. Look at how many wars have been disapproved of by the general public. While the list contains some wars and conflicts I disagree with, there is a lot of times where it has either been necessary or justified. Is America perfect? Not by any means. Do we have corrupt politicians? Yes, and so does every other country. You can say that America is prone to use military force when it is viewed as necessary, but take your closed minded view elsewhere. My seven and a half years in the military, and over thirty years in this country, have shown me that most Americans do not want war, and would prefer to avoid it. If it is necessary though, we will bleed, we will die, or do whatever is needed to preserve our way of life, and the freedom of those we call friends.

Crevice

I think my favorite is the propoganda video where the pilot is sitting in his jet and talking of burning America to ashes. The jet you ask? A relic from the 60's area of jets. A great plane during its time, but against modern technology it has almost zero chance. There is also the video where they show "how Americans live today". How Americans live today - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7Kq78G2nxA I can't find the other videos now, but that one is a classic.

Wait... Let me get the camera first. That would be the video of the year!

I read the same thing. In my opinion the diplomats will stay unless war actually breaks out, or becomes imminent. They will be the flag that means it is getting real. That video was not that informative. The expert gave a very rudimentry look at what the military tactics would be. North Korea could fire these missles. The US & SK coalition would then blow up the launch sites. Specific targets would be taken out to limit NK's capabilities. That is basic strategy. The real fun will be the precision Tomahawk strikes, the laser guided bomber runs, and the American and South Korean special forces running through military targets in North Korea. His timeline seems right though. I would expect three to four days before the North is basically immobilized. That is when the real trouble will start. Like was stated above... Who wants that mess post war?

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Awesome resources, and great points. TW has a very valid point as well. Assuming that North Korea's maximum damage radius is 1 mile from the detenation point does limit their capabilities. However, suicide bombing with a nuke could be an option. Perhaps a truck driven at the enemy and detonated that way to get as far into enemy territory as possible. It really depends on what they think they are capable of, what the actual capabilities are, and what the level of desperation to obtain whatever goals are driving this nut bag.

felon

hair

Very good analysis DeathMerchant. It would be over almost as soon as the go order was given. The biggest thing will be what the North is willing to do and if they are looking for an attack to cause maximum casualties.

Dog

TW pretty much summed that up for me. Thanks. North Korea is spouting a lot of talk. Their capabilities are currently unknown, but I seriously doubt they pose a threat, especially to the mainland here. The biggest threat is to South Korea. Potentially they could be the victims of a strike, convential or nuclear, from the North. However, it appears to be talk and internal power struggles. I think it is more of a show that is displaying Kimg Jong Un's power to his own people. He has yet to earn the "admiration" of the people like his father. Also, the sanctions are obviously hurting. If they did not hurt, then North Korea would not be reacting and throwing a tantrum about them. They are suffering for their recent decisions. Of course, not the ones making the decisions, but....

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