By Forrest Murray Santa Monica
Mr. Elan Journo in a guest column suggests that negotiations and deal making with North Korea are suicidal (SMDP, June 22, page 5). He speaks in rather bellicose terms, his language speaks of unilateral muscle. But he offers no solutions. The logical extension of his column is military action against North Korea, and given his shrillness, maybe he thinks thermonuclear devices should be used. It all sounds like Dick Cheney’s 1 percent credo. Act massively based on supposition. Proper process is too time consuming in this day and age. A couple of facts need to be remembered. The news reports I read say that the Korean missile could reach not even Alaska, but the Aleutian Islands, not a third of the way to the U.S. continent. The missile itself can’t carry the weight of a nuclear device. It’s one thing to try and shoot down their missile with our system that has been only a very expensive failure. It’s quite another to figure out what to do with Mr. Kim’s million man army as it wreaks havoc on South Korea and our troops. Got any ideas Mr. Journo? I’m not suggesting that Kim and North Korea are angels. But I do believe that negotiations are vastly more interesting than assuming us into another war.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 28, 2006. Read the original PDF.