Forbidden Donut

I'm of the opinion, and mind that I know very little about the situation, that Journalists probably shouldn't go 'investigating' North Korea unless they expect this kind of crap. Especially if you're American.

They were probably hoping for a Pulitzer on their story about NK refugees and human trafficking, but now they're the story, and I have little sympathy for them.

That said, N. Korea seems to be almost exclusively interested in pushing our buttons lately. Add this to the list, and get a little upset with Il for being a dicknozzle, and with the Journalists for single-handedly turning what has been a tightrope walk of foreign policy into a tightrope walk across the grand canyon. And the rope's on fire. And the canyon is full of broken glass. Adding an element of urgency is really shitty...

I hope we don't make any further concessions regarding their nuclear program to get them back, as I think that's EXACTLY what NK wants. I do however hope we can find a way to get them back sooner than 12 years without putting a troop on their soil, a plane in their skies, or a nuclear arsenal in their lap.

Think of Kim Jong Il as a 6 year old who mumbles a lot and will push his bowl of cereal off of the table when he's upset. Except it doesn't matter if he's REALLY upset, though. It's a show with him and he's trying to see how much he can get away with. But just like parenting problems this has a myriad of solutions, all of which will have long term effects on our relationship with the rat-bastard and his progeny.

We need to tread carefully, but Obama can't politically afford to take a hit over this for the rest of his stay as Presnit... He's in a position in which he'll more than likely make some attempt to get them back, presumably first through negotiations. I'm curious to see where he goes from there.

Fingers crossed that he's smart enough to not take the bait, but crazy enough to think of a way to solve everything. I'm not especially optimistic about this one...

The Latest

"I don't think that there should be an assumption that we will simply continue down a path in which North Korea is constantly destabilising the region and we just react in the same ways, we are not intending to continue a policy of rewarding provocation." - Obama

I think he's wise to the Nuclear game, which is good. Let's see what happens I guess.

There are obvious issues with North Korea, and some of those concerns are international in scope and scale. However, two Americans imprisoned for breaking their laws is not really anywhere remotely close to the top of that list. I don't think the fed has the duty nor authority to respond, but that surely hasn't stopped them from doing so in the past!

It's my suspicion that they are more than likely innocent of any legitimate crime. The detention they received was for "suspicions of illegal entry and hostile acts." Which, while potentially true, depending on their definition of Hostile Acts, is not something you typically get thrown into a work camp for over a decade for. This is walking a thin line between legitimate use of laws and kidnapping. But we know plenty about that already... and frankly, don't have any room to complain about it when it happens to us.

send in the SEALs