Today's Headlines!

• N. Korea fires missile into Sea of Japan
• Iraq insurgents continue wave of violence
• Israeli troops raid Palestinian town
---------------------------------------------------------------------
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=2&u=/ap/20050501/ap_on_re_as/japan_north_korea

By SOO-JEONG LEE, Associated Press Writer

North Korea test fired a short-range missile that plunged into the Sea of Japan Sunday, the White House chief of staff said, adding he wasn't "surprised by this," noting Pyonyang had conducted similar tests in the past.

The U.S. military told the Japanese government of the suspected missile launch, which was believed to have traveled some 65 miles off the east coast of North Korea, according to media reports in South Korea and Japan.

Card told CNN's Late Edition he had heard about the test Sunday morning.

"I don't know an awful lot about it. It appears that there was a test of a short-range missile by the North Koreans and it landed in the Sea of Japan. We're not surprised by this. The North Koreans have tested their missiles before. They've had some failures."

Japanese officials expressed concern last September that North Korea was preparing for a test launch, but later backed off those assertions.

The missile launch came on the eve of a critical conference at the United Nations to reassess the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, with U.S. negotiators urging action against suspected atomic weapons programs in North Korea and Iran.

North Korean test launches are often considered moves to strengthen its hands in dealings with critics. It test-fired short-range land-to-ship missiles into the ocean on at least three occasions in 2003 during an international standoff over its nuclear weapons program.

Japanese and military officials in Tokyo said they could not comment on the reports. An official at South Korea's National Intelligence Service, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there were signs of a launch from North Korea, but Seoul was still trying to confirm it.

Word of the test came just days after a top U.S. military intelligence official told a U.S. Senate committee that North Korea has the ability to arm a missile with a nuclear weapon, a potentially significant advance for the communist state.

Vice Adm. Lowell Jacoby, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, in testimony on Thursday, did not specify whether he was talking about a short-range missile or a long-range one that could reach the United States.

Two defense officials later said that U.S. intelligence analysts believe North Korea is several years away from being able to mount a nuclear warhead on a missile that could reach the United States from the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea's missile development program has spurred Japan to join the United States in putting together a joint missile-defense system. North Korea startled Tokyo in 1998 by launching a long-range ballistic missile over the Japanese archipelago and into the Pacific Ocean.

The Japanese Cabinet in February approved legislation that would allow the defense chief to order the military to shoot down incoming missiles.

Six-nation talks aimed at persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions have been stalled since last June. Washington's top envoy on the issue, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, said on Thursday in South Korea that the North's refusal to return to the talks is a problem but they are still the best way to resolve the matter.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

The world is making steady progress toward WWIII and it is complete insanity like I have never seen since Vietnam, now you guys know why the hippies were right then and why anti-war activists are right today.

 

Anthony,

Now I can understand the debate on both sites in Iraq and Israel but you can't just sit back and let that crazy dude in N. Korea alone. Actually I believe we've been giving him to much leeway. If anyone in your headlines is leading the world towards WWIII it would have to be him if left alone.

 

China is behind him, so are we going to start WWIII in the Pacific with them as we have threatened over Taiwan also?

 

Taiwan is a different situation, they still consider them to be part of China. They don't want a crazy dictator in their back yard anymore than any other country would. Right now China isn't supporting N. Korea, they are just not actively doing anything to control the situation. That's the main reason we are working with Japan, China and others in that region to take the lead in getting N. Korea to straighten up.

 

China is behind him, why do you think the USA asks China to put pressure on him

 

Cause neighbors have a special relationship?

 

China is a major World Power guys and we have to deal with their increasing influence on the world stage, economically they have the USA by the balls at this time, our nation owes them big money as they finance our government deficits and they are a giant weapons exporter along with North Korea.

http://www.gigablast.com/search?k6o=842280&q=China+North+Korea+allies&n=10

They have the industrial might that America once had and are the fastest growing economy in the world with our own companies rushing to invest Trillions to manufacture there.

Our own leaders and business executives have sold the American people down the tubes and as Warren Buffett said we will be a nation of Sharecroppers and slaves for the Chinese and Japanese soon as they are our largest financiers of government debt, we all owe them money.

 

The US is asking China to put pressure on them because it's their neighborhood, they have supported him in the past and are familiar with them, and most importantly, the US is already so deeply involved elsewhere that they do not have the resources to deal with the situation.

If the Far East doesn't do anything, you can bet we will as it is only a matter of time before those missles he's lobbing into the Sea of Japan or the nuclear material they are manufacturing via there "power plants" wink wink, start getting closer to things that do concern the US

 

Well said Anthony, something that springs to mind recently is the car manufacturing industry. General Motors and Ford report huge losses, while on the other hand Toyota and Nissan are booming

The Japanese are even willing to look after thier competitors

 

Bridgestone Tire of Japan has already bought the Firestone brand (long time American company) long ago, so it would not surprise me if they (Honda or Toyota) ended up buying or owning a large part of GM or Ford.

Continental of Germany bought General Tire (long time American Brand) years ago, I know, I grew up in the "Tire Capital of the World", Goodyear is the only one along with Cooper Tire that is American Owned.

Mercedes Benz owns Chrysler already.

 

Akron Anthony? Must say hi then to another Ohio guy!

All these purchases are just an offshot of the so-called global economy. Happening every day to the point where it is almost impossible to know who owns what anymore.

 

My name isn't mercedes or benz, but I own chrysler. 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000001 % in shares.

Don't you?

 

Man how did you know, you from Ohio too

 

Born and raised in Lorain. Moved away 10 years ago for greener pastures after Ford and US steel went to pot and put the local economy in the dumps

 

Yeah Cleveland was one of the manufacturing capitals of the world at one time, it is sad that Cleveland is now rated the poorest Big City in the nation with most living under the poverty level.

There is a hell of a lot of money still there but not in the City of Cleveland, it is all in the Suburbs just like any other major Northern Industrial City.

It goes to show what offshore manufacturing has done to this nation, Cleveland is just the canary in the mine my man.

What the hell are you doing in SD beside freezing your ass off in the Winter time

 

You're right about the Cleveland area, growing up everybody worked in heavy industry and manufacturing and now that's pretty much gone.

I moved to SD for a job and basically fell in love with the area. Schools are great, no traffic, cost of living is unbeatable and the winters aren't any worse than in Ohio other than it gets a wee bit colder at times and the wind can be something else as there are very few trees to stop it.

 

Sure it is nice up there, when I was a kid my parents took us all to California and on the way we stopped there, Mt Rushmore.....and......TheBADLANDS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badlands

http://vivisimo.com/search?v:sources=Web&query=Mt+Rushmore+&x=49&y=15

 

You got the Badlands, Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse and if you're a hunter we have some of the best pheasant hunting in the world, I know that for a fact as I taken out quite a few myself with my car

 

Yeah when Lever (of the UK) wanted to know where to go on holiday I told him about the "BADLANDS" and he wanted to hit that and the Grand Canyon, I guess we all want to, if I had the time and money I would do it again

 

And if you ever want to see a state double it's population in a week's time come out in August for Rally week in Sturgis