North Korea set to test missile capable of hitting America, says Russian politician

a reply to: gps777

Japan said they would not shoot it down If it passed over n-Japan. Japan actually said that they wont shoot down any missile that fly over Japan. It could be looked upon as a act of war by NK.

a reply to: spy66

Not only that they're passing over Japanese airspace, so it could set a precedent that could be interesting.

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: midicon

Also using terminology such as mature to describe a nation that has only been around for 241 years is tenuous at best not to mention the fact that said nation has essentially been at war for around 230 of those 241 years.

Seems to me America was built for war not that my own nation is any better.

It used to be that empires would build forts and castles to maintain control over conquered nations. Now we have the modern equivalent, American bases. One only has to look at the USA's military budget to see that is 'built for war'.
A nation awash with guns, flooding the world with weapons and armaments.

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: midicon

Also using terminology such as mature to describe a nation that has only been around for 241 years is tenuous at best not to mention the fact that said nation has essentially been at war for around 230 of those 241 years.

Seems to me America was built for war not that my own nation is any better.

Ummm...C'mon...Andy...You know as well as I do...that the human race was built for war...

Look at all of our sports...with the possible exception of water ballet...all confrontational...all...us versus them...

Take a peek through the way back machine...Follow Sherman and Mr Peabody...into the past...Wars and rumors of wars...
The whole of history...rife with conflict...

Did you think that because we now fly and explore space...Drive an Audi and catch a show...that we shed our territorial nature...?
It's merely suppressed...that's why we watch and participate in cage matches and rugby...That's also why we go to war...to crush the enemy...
Humans are designed for conflict...that's why we excel at it so wonderfully...it's an art form...A pastime...A genetic compulsion written into the very fabric of our code...

Once you accept that little truism...then it's cathartic...and an epiphany...
Then you get to appreciate every moment in all it's stark and striking clarity...
Sit back...swirl that rye around the tumbler...hit that bong or vape or hookah and cherish each moment as it fleeting glides by...
Enjoy those moments...each and everyone...repeat after me...it's GOOD to be alive...



YouSir

a reply to: YouSir

It's an attitude i also shared back in the day YouSir, but once you have children and settle down somewhat, you kind of start to question where this Human race thingamabob is all headed and why we refuse to learn from our past mistakes not to mention why we seem to have a penchant for destruction that seems unrivaled by any other species on the planet.

Time to grow up as a species me thinks if we intend to be around for a while else it will all end in tears, irradiated tears that is.

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: YouSir

It's an attitude i also shared back in the day YouSir, but once you have children and settle down somewhat, you kind of start to question where this Human race thingamabob is all headed and why we refuse to learn from our past mistakes not to mention why we seem to have a penchant for destruction that seems unrivaled by any other species on the planet.

Time to grow up as a species me thinks if we intend to be around for a while else it will all end in tears, irradiated tears that is.

Ummm...these are the conversations that I love...

I've been where you are now...I've spent time in the Buddhist monastery...in full ZEN mode...The best times of my life...
I've chased the tail of every single contemplation there is to be had...and do so continuously...
The greatest lesson I ever learned was to accept all of the multitudinous facets of what it takes to be human...all of the perspectives...all of the considerations...all of the aspects...
I've accepted that within me lives a saint...and a demon...A man of peace and compassion...and a warrior...
These aspects are no longer in conflict within my psyche...rather...they are merely equal parts of an singular whole...

Yes...Life is good...each and every moment miraculous...those moments would still be just as good if I were forced into or chose external conflict...

This is what it means to be centered...to exist at the equilibrium of internal unity...
This is harmony...

I don't see irradiated tears in our species future...I choose to see an outward expansion...claiming and using the resource of the asteroids as the building blocks of even greater endeavor...along the way there will be conflict...that too will fuel expansion...Perhaps one day those destructive energies will be harnessed in defensive only postures...

It's nice and good to contemplate Utopia...to imagine great enlightenment's...never at the expense of honesty though...never at the expense of harmony...

Potential doesn't exist as a unidirectional concept...it is instead...as multifaceted as our imaginations...

Enjoy each moment...let it be as amazingly brilliant...as intoxicatingly wonderful as it already is...
Be alive in every breath taken...every tick tock of heartbeat...

It only gets better...



YouSir

a reply to: YouSir

For a significant percentage of the people of the world, things can only get better considering the state of affairs in which we find ourselves never mind the socioeconomic oblivion of our own creation most nations are in these days.

Just a thought.

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: YouSir

For a significant percentage of the people of the world, things can only get better considering the state of affairs in which we find ourselves never mind the socioeconomic oblivion of our own creation most nations are in these days.

Just a thought.

Ummm...that's because they place worth externally...It's more due to their choice to exist in such a small world...than it is in the size of the world they exist in...

One always has choice...if one is trapped by circumstance...or by socioeconomic factors...then one has simply handed control over to these concepts and forgotten who that arbiter was...

Externalizing blame and aquiescence to social cast...merely excuses responsibility...
Entrepreneurial creativity doesn't require subjugation...or acquescence...nor does it require huge injections of capitol...

You spoke earlier of enlightenment...enlightenment is personal reflection...not societal...
Each transformative insight is individual in nature...it's only an exponential collective set of personal transformations that then transforms socioeconomic or governing principles...

Thus the conundrum of enlightenment...it can never be compelled...it must instead be nurtured individually...
If enough desire such change...then they will become the mechanism for it's realization...



YouSir

a reply to: YouSir

I think there may be a few million starving weans in Africa never mind a lot of other places that don't exactly share your view.

Fact is that circumstance generally dictates where you will end up in life and the choices you have in said life.

No suggesting rags to riches is not a possibility for some but the fact of the matter is that you play the cards you're dealt and changing them out can somewhat be an impossibility depending on circumstance.

originally posted by: spy66
a reply to: gps777

Japan said they would not shoot it down If it passed over n-Japan. Japan actually said that they wont shoot down any missile that fly over Japan. It could be looked upon as a act of war by NK.

I wonder how the Japanese citizens think and feel on the matter, I see it as reckless endangerment, also wonder if Japan would be paid off to allow it by NK in one form or another.

And like Zaphod said could set a precedent.

originally posted by: midicon
Ken might be a loose canon but he isn't stupid. The only thing that might protect him from that rogue huntsman is his capability to fight back.

Oh I think Ken is pretty effin stupid. If we take your view, Ken is a giant bully slicing and dicing people apart, so he decides to draw attention to him in the near exact same way the other corpses did but doubling down on their stupidity.

You know who isn't stupid...Chad.
You never hear much about Chad, do you (the country, not a guy named..)
Little jackass nations need to be more like Chad and less like deadville middle east warlord country if they are truly smart.

a reply to: gps777

I can understad why Japan would say this. But i dont think the US will let this go on to much longer.
Japan dont really have the capability protect them selves from a massive missile attack from NK. Or to retaliate against the missile systems in a firm way.
The US are present to protect Japan and will probably do so.

a reply to: spy66

Japan has both the PAC-3, and Aegis BMD, and are working on getting Aegis Ashore. Both PAC-3 and BMD will stop anything short of an ICBM class missile.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: spy66

Japan has both the PAC-3, and Aegis BMD, and are working on getting Aegis Ashore. Both PAC-3 and BMD will stop anything short of an ICBM class missile.

My brother has worked on a lot of the radar systems for the last 15 years. He has done a bit with the SBX-1 (Sea based X-band radar, used to support BMDS systems) He has also just a few days ago gone to Qatar to tune things up and yesterday was sent to Japan where he frequently goes to work on their phase array systems and other installation he can't talk about.

It is unusual for him to do a split trip like this, typically he does one job and then is stateside for a while before heading overseas. Usually bouncing between Vandenberg AFB and other places in and Around AZ, TX that he can't discuss.

Sounds to me like things are really heating up or we are being very cautious these days,

a reply to: evc1shop

SBX will be tied into Aegis, so it's pretty important that it is operational and ready to go.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: evc1shop

SBX will be tied into Aegis, so it's pretty important that it is operational and ready to go.

Per our various security clearances he can only tell me so much and I can only mention so much of the work I do so I am not sure where all of the pieces fit for the radar so if the Aegis is the BMDS he mentioned to me then thanks for filling that in for me.

a reply to: evc1shop

Aegis BMD is an intermediate missile defense system. It's designed for theater range missiles, what are essentially medium range missiles. Eventually, it's going to be upgraded to be able to defend against ICBM class missiles. So it was designed to tie into the ICBM defense net, which includes SBX, as well as the radars in Alaska.

I don't think the NK missiles could be just intercepted so easily. We don't know what exact tech they have. Some said in NY Times - Ukrainian missile tech. Nobody knows. Moreover, Kim has hundred of short range missiles.

USA cannot count only that its missile defence wills top 100% of potential nuclear attack. After the repeated threats and especially tests, if NK does what its minister warned in the UN, namely atmospheric nuclear test in the Pacific, for USA will be no other option than to attack preemptively all missile sites of the North.

Unfortunately in such scenario not all sites are known, including underground ones. As Putin said, not everything could be accounted in a closed country. In other words, NK may fire back directly at US mainland. And if THAAD fails...we get an EMP.

That makes even more urgent for USA to use all measures available to prevent it. I understand in that way the recent tweets of Trump. He is not just in a bad mode on Saturdays. He is the president adviced by the top generals the day before. Unlike the Cuban missile crisis when there was the rational Khrushchev on the Russian side, here we don't have a rational counterpart on the NK side. One cannot use harsh words that KCNA uses ALL THE TIME FOR YEARS, (such as to turn the US mainland into a lake of fire), and still to be considered rational. And that person to jump over a word of Trump when he started to play the same game of words. As if Kim is a medieval emperor who starts a war because of personal offense of the other king. "Rocket man" is not even offensive, it could be a compliment, as Trump later explained. Von Brown was also a "rocket man". We deal with a completely different psyche that is ready to sacrifice millions of own countrymen lives in order to pursue unknown goals. Suicidal may not be the exact term of Kim. He wants to strike USA. And he must be prevented on time.

If Kim has now 20-50 nukes, after two years he will have 2-3 times more. In that I agree with Trump that 25 years were lost in failed diplomacy that NK didn't fulfill its obligations. (It cheated for the uranium enrichment for example). it is a risk to attack a nuclear country with 50 nukes (or more), but it will be much bigger risk to have a war two years later when NK will perfect also its rockets. By now, NK already have two satellites with unknown cargo.

The Soviets were predictable. The Cold War was a stable equation of mutually agreed borders of interests that neither side trespasses. What are the red lines for Kim? He advances each next month more and more. He defies the UN in the face. He rejects the Chinese position as well. What will stop the man who killed his own uncle, and possibly step-brother? if he has the capability of hitting the US, he will do it.

If Hitler was not appeased by Chamberlein, perhaps the WW2 would start one year earlier, but would not involve a continental-scale might of Nazi. They should've been restrained before they occupied Czech, Poland...At that time the fate of France and North-Western Europe was sealed as well, and only the luck saved the British isles from land invasion. If Hitler didn't breach Molotov-Ribbentrop pact but attacked Britain instead, the result would be different.

The only solace here is that Kim does not possess the strength of Hitler...wait a minute, Hitler didn't have hydrogen bomb, although he made progress in the atomic research, and his missiles couldn't reach USA...

Perhaps Kim and his clozse circle have their own motivations, their own fears and so on. However in the face of a thermonuclear threat, their motivations remain something as dangerous as listening Wagner's opera by Hitler while planning the next blitz operation.

It is wise the Russian position to stay at least neutral. That guarantees Armageddon to be postponed this time.

China said it will not defend NK if NK starts the war first or endangers US territory (of Guam, at the time of declaration).

So may be it is better to get rid of Kim as soon as possible and not to appease him any longer. The price now will be lesser than after 6 months.

Notice how the aggression isn't so much against South Korea?

That's because it'll be their decision ultimately to act/react. Kim doesn't want to provoke them quite so much as foreigners.

imo, the SK/US/JPN allied powers must act now, and not in a ~Desert Shield~ kind of way. This is a serious threat to civilized culture. Making an example out of Kim will help with the other "Axis of Evil" situations.

a reply to: 2012newstart

Of course it won't, but right now North Korea only has a few ICBMs, so it would only have to stop a limited number of missiles, launched at the US. As for the short and medium range missiles, they wouldn't stop them all, but even stopping half of them would be a big help for the people in the target area.

As for the Ukraine help, it seems to be in the rocket engines, which isn't going to help a lot with avoiding interception.