Does North Korea's missile test represent a real threat to the United States?

No

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by Jerome Stillson

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North Korea's recent test was of a sattellite platform. It was not a missile, and the test was not successful.

If the test was, in fact successful and we secretly shot it down, then it was a successful test of our anti-missile technology and the North Korean response to this act of war (shooting down their missile) has been nothing, rendering the question moot.

What the North Korean launch DOES signify is a complete and utter failure of diplomacy, and in many ways, our very Democracy.

North Korea has been vilified as a Communist State. Since the Korean War, our Nation has touted itself as the bastion of freedom and personal dreaming. Meanwhile the current economic crisis proves beyond doubt that our current system is as corrupt, in as obvious a manner as the Communists always said it was. Capitalism isn't about freedom, it is about the benefit of the few at the expense of the many. No successful Capitalist made it all alone as an individual. It usually takes lobbying, multi billion dollar marketing campaigns, and nefarious barely legal transactions that push the boundaries of decency in order to carve your niche in the annals of American success.

Most, if not all, Americans wish peace. They fervently ask for this again and again, and even have this desire in their hearts when they enlist in the military, knowing full well that the business of an Army is to kill human beings. For more than 50 years, foreign policy "experts" have been claiming to know more than mere citizens can comprehend as a rationale for perpetuating and inflaming diplomatic tensions across the globe. These people, the Macnamara's and Rumsfeld's, made decisions based upon their best guess as to what was in everyone's best interest.

By doing this, they also closed their ears to any valid critique, they ignored the will of the people, and they oversimplified other members of the human race into a binary "friend or foe" generalization. North Korea is run by a despot. Kim Jong Il did not arrive by accident either. He is certainly no worse than leaders who were overtly placed into power and supported by our own government over the years. What is it about Capitalist Dictators that is so much more appealing than Communist Dictators?

By posing the question, "Does North Korea's missile test represent a real threat to the United States?" the reader is left with a choice that makes no sense. It is either a threat or it is not. The way we have been conditioned in this society is to react to a threat with unilateral action. We must crush any threats. That sounds completely logical in this country. The reality is far more nuanced.

The "real" threat to the United States, is the state of mind of Mr. Kim Jong Il, which actually is completely dependent upon our actions and the intentions of our leadership. it must be a foregone conclusion that having a weapon is the only way to get our attention and be treated with a modicum of respect. Many nations were pretty much ignored until they achieved "nuclear war capable" status, but if you look just under the surface, you would have seen many previous attempts to make contact.

Justice demands that we exercise humility and speak truth to power. The 'elected' leaders of this country have exercised their power on your behalf for very selfish reasons and human dignity has never really been a consideration. The whole Communist scare has actually prevented real development in this country in health care and economic policy for decades. It is alarmingly easy to trace the money trail from taxpayers who are suffering to the friends of politicians who benefit handsomely.

Having weapons manufacturers own major media outlets is worse than anything Communists have been accused of because it is intentional misrepresentation and manipulation of the human psyche. Spreading cancerous messages like "We fight for your freedom." is psychological manipulation plain and simple. Over the years a growing number of people have come forth to expose what actually goes on behind those closed doors to the boardroom of corporate and governmental power. Their stories are horrifying if you believe in liberty, truth or justice. It has not produced a safer world and we as a Nation could be a whole lot farther ahead if we took the world's reflection to heart before rejecting it and dropping more bombs on innocent people.

If the US reacts to North Korea's satellite test at all, it will be at the expense of a larger truth, that we produced the environment and tilled the political soil from whence Mr. Kim Jong Il sprouted.

What is the solution?

Often times, in an argument, the other party is trying to create a change in you. A change toward their perspective. Once this is accomplished any reason for argumentation dissipates and deeper truths often emerge. There are a number of things that we can do as a society that would have long lasting ripple effects including taking the wind out of Mr. Il's sails, while winning us many friends and positive collaborators.

1. Admit to the clandestine actions and assasinations conducted by covert operators to destabilize other nations, including those with democratically elected leaders that "we just didn't like". Osama Bin Laden listed a few demands before officially launching his "anti-western" campaign which basically consisted of demands of respect for a different culture. He specifically asked that US soldiers be removed from Saudi soil and that western meddling cease. Strange as it sounds, every 'terrorist' has actually asked for very reasonable things. It is the terrorists that end up becoming politicians that do really messed up stuff. The Taliban is not a terrorist organization, nor was the Hagadah. They perpetrated terrorist actions but ultimately they are political organizations that became despotic after gaining power with US dollar backing. It is arguable that destabilizing other Nations has cost us dearly from outright warfare to immigration problems at home. The solution is to ensure that your neighbor and their neighbors are happy and successful.

2. Publicly embrace the aspects of Communism and Socialism that provide benefit to our society. All of the most prosperous and 'advanced' nations on Earth share socialist aspects of their public policy from health care to criminal reduction policies. Tolerance in a society for divergent ideas is not a weakness. This has been stated often and it is true. The reed that bends, lives long. A rigid reed that snaps will not be able to survive long. By taking input from other systems, we can always remain at the cutting edge of being 'best in breed'. Becoming a wall, only gives rationale to opposition that is violent in nature.

3. Liberate innovators, inventors and true entrepreneurs by recognizing that creativity is a commodity that cannot be generated with cash alone. Supporting innovative thinking is a win-win situation. This kind of support should include access to public media and educational opportunities to generate a culture of dialogue-driven problem solving along with the resources to actualize solutions.

4. Create and demand a respect for the public airwaves. The public should have access to communications tools and those who would use them for selfish purposes must be watched closely and NEVER allowed to place information into the public psyche that claims objectivity. Whenever the public is shown an advertisement for bullet makers that is labeled "News" a crime against humanity is sure to follow. When bomb makers control what information is shown about who that bomb killed, they will get to sell more bombs. This will produce mass schizophrenia and homocidal psychopathology. No rational being can be produced form this environment.

5. Permanently and completely divorce the connection between food supply, politicians, and chemical factory lobbyists by providing a set equal and controlled amount of money, publicly provided, for the campaign of all candidates for high office. Quid pro quo is the way this country has been built but it is immoral and with an adulterated food supply, the young generations cannot develop properly, and the old generations cannot remember enough wisdom to pass on.

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