Pentagon warns North Korea: You are 'very close to a dangerous line'

[Generic Other]

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey, who also took part in the briefing, offered his own views on the matter, noting that these questions about North Korea come on a day where the Pentagon rolled out its defense budget “absorbing hundreds of billions of dollars in reductions for the good of the American people so that the United States of America can get back on a more solid economic foundation."

“And what is Kim Jong-un doing? He’s starving his people with a military-first policy,” General Dempsey added, referring to the fact that North Korea funnels much of its gross domestic policy into weaponry, rather than agricultural development when most of the country is malnourished. “It’s pretty hard for us to figure that out.”

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military/2013/0410/Pentagon-warns-North-Korea-You-are-very-close-to-a-dangerous-line

I am struck by this comment that came out of the Pentagon today. It made me think of glass houses and wonder who was delusional.

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. I am sorry, but we are not, for the most part

Losing millions to starvation.

[Generic Other]

4. hungry children are everywhere

As many as 17 million children nationwide are struggling with what is known as food insecurity. To put it another way, one in four children in the country is living without consistent access to enough nutritious food to live a healthy life, according to the study, "Map the Meal Child Food Insecurity 2011."

http://abcnews.go.com/US/hunger_at_home/hunger-home-american-children-malnourished/story?id=14367230#.UWZc7lc4HKU

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. I am not telling you there is no food insecurity

Last edited Thu Apr 11, 2013, 03:52 AM - Edit history (1)

There is...half of my county population is food insecure. There is a difference with unknown millions dead, and more eating grass.

[Generic Other]

6. The irony of the general's statements are evident to me

Military spending is out of control in both countries. That's all I am saying. Of course, hungry Americans can eat cat food, so I guess that does make them way better off than North Koreans eating grass.

We have too many citizens who are hungry, unemployed, or sick, and our misplaced priorities in terms of military spending are largely to blame. We can deny that we act like North Korea, but in some critical ways we clearly do.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. It breaks at multiple points

Yes, military spending is out of control...

But...

Military members in the DPRK are on the first line to get food aid, followed by families.

Military members in the US get three squares, especially among the lower ranks families go hungry.

NK factory output is almost all military related in underground bunkers.

While our civilian output has gone down due to globalization, we are not at 95% of all factory production being military.

I am not saying we don't need to cut defense, we do...but if we were even close to the military first policy of the DPRK half the country would be in the armed forces, and that would be your way to survive regular starvation periods, where millions have died.

It is so bad the NK are two inches shorter on average than South Koreans.

Perhaps it breaks when you know these details.

Now if we were spending the amounts we are, and it looked like the Great Depression, you would be close, or if the whole country was in the dire straits of Appalachia.

Do we have pockets of deep poverty? Absolutely...but...

Now what we need to make sure is that our spending gets under control...but you know what? If and when we do that, short term...it will be damn painful due to the civilians that depend on DOD related jobs (800,000) that will lose jobs.

Oh by the by, military first...what is the percentage of the population of 325 million?

[Generic Other]

12. Just because I see similarities between the two countries

does not necessarily imply that they must be absolute equivalencies or the comparison breaks down. Saying that the two countries don't have similar militaristic attitudes is ridiculous given the current chest pounding war of words the two sides are playing.

How many join our military to get out of poverty? Or simply to earn money for college? I have taken to asking the current crop of vets I encounter in my job why they joined. I have yet to hear any of them talk about some strong sense of patriotism. Instead, I hear stories of lack of alternatives.

I think we act a lot like North Korea. We award our military with special job consideration, compensation beyond their service. We celebrate their service as if it was the ultimate sacrifice more significant than the service of any other citizen. We rattle our sabers, engage in pre-emptive strikes, start illegal wars, bankrupt our treasury, steal the wealth of our citizens and deny ourselves affordable healthcare, education, and housing in order to maintain a massive, bloated and wasteful military that strains our budget and forces every citizen to sacrifice our health and wellbeing to pay for it.

We have also been involved in massive arms build-ups as long as most of us have been alive. Sure, we don't march down the street showing off our missiles and troop strengths in gaudy goosestepping displays, but we sure do glorify our military in every other way. We also absolutely refuse to admit we have lost a war even when we leave a country in full retreat. Vietnam and Iraq come to mind.

Of course, I think North Korea is a danger to peace and stability in the world; however that does not negate the fact that we are as much a threat if not more so. If I were not an American, I would be as leery of us as I am of the North Koreans because we all know that if NK gives us the least provocation, we are likely to blast them into the stone age.

Like I said, I see a lot of similarities. About the only difference I see is that our propaganda machine spends more money than theirs.

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. And being married to a military veteran

I call bullshit on the privileges and all that.

In the US we talk a good game (support the troops), but once they leave the service they are treated like crap, starting with the same government they serve, which they gotta fight every inch of the way to get some disability, for example.

I invite you to go talk to veterans and see how real those privilidges are.

[Generic Other]

17. And having been the daughter, sister, mother and spouse of veterans in every branch of the service

I also know of their struggles.

Veterans are given lifetime free health benefits at the VA no matter how long they serve, they get preferential treatment in hiring, they have 100% of their healthcare paid for if they stay in until they retire. They receive a retirement pension after twenty years. No one dares to challenge their "entitlements" because we must all support the troops because we are told we owe them a special debt for their service -- more than we owe police, firefighters, teachers, and medical personnel. We dedicate holidays to celebrating the sacrifices of those in the military even when only 1 out of every 12 veterans ever serve in combat. Everyone else is in a support position. But they also demand the same treatment for their "sacrifices."

I talk to returning veterans every day. And I know many are struggling with the VA, with disabilities, with transitioning back into civilian life.

It doesn't negate the fact that we are a culture that glorifies war and acts like warmongers ourselves. That is how we are seen by the rest of the world. They have not forgotten Iraq and the Bush/Cheney years. Neither have I.

I have no respect for war cheerleaders no matter which side. That's what the soldiers in my family taught me.

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. Congrats for confusing the troops

With warmongers.

You are right, we are North Korea, who knew.

[Generic Other]

23. My father fought in the Korean War

My family knows what war with Korea means. We know that the Cold War mentality that spawned that war never ended. Instead, we built up our nuclear arsenal and flexed our muscle for decades. No one wants to acknowledge that they enabled the government to heighten paranoia and convince citizens we needed to sacrifice our own welfare to promote a constant state of war. And then, we pretended the wars were justified. Ask the Vietnamese or the Iraqis whether invading their countries under false pretenses fits the definition of warmongering. I was educated in Department of Defense schools. They did not teach me to put on blinders. Neither did any of the soldiers in my family.

I believe General Eisenhower warned us all of the growth of the military-industrial complex. Call him what you like, but he was no warmonger. Bush and Cheney were. We own them all. Sucks to be us sometimes.

[nadinbrzezinski]

25. Bush and Chenney are chicken hawks

Please learn the difference

[Generic Other]

27. What came first the warmonger or the chickenhawk?

Warmonger is a pejorative[1] term that is used to describe someone who is eager to encourage people or a nation to go to war. Monger is an old word for a peddler.

I believe chickenhawks are warmongers first. That is why we call them chickenhawks. Wouldn't you say Bush and Cheney were both?

[iemitsu]

2. Fortunately for the General, our "free press" doesn't

inform the citizenry about the size of the Defense Budget.
And we don't often hear of how many Americans go hungry each day so I suspect that most, in the General's audience, won't catch the irony in his statement.

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. Gee, not looking hard, articles on the defense budget

http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2013/04/11/hagel-dempsey-face-congress-over-defense-budget

And look, handy chart

http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/defense_budget_2012_3.html

Ah yes, here from Brookings


http://www.brookings.edu/research/topics/u-s-defense-budget

And from WAPO


http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/04/10/the-4-6-trillion-difference-between-the-white-house-and-house-republicans-budget/

So yes, the American press, and others do cover it. This is from the first page of google.

[Generic Other]

19. Breaking it down in numbers we can understand

According to a new report issued by the National Priorities Project, of every tax dollar the federal government collects, 26.5 cents goes to the Pentagon one way or another. By comparison, a single penny goes to science, 1.4 cents to transportation, 2.1 cents to energy and the environment, and 3.5 cents to education.

That means of every tax dollar, just 8 cents gets channeled into those four important categories. Combined, it's less than one third of the total revenue the Pentagon absorbs.

http://yubanet.com/opinions/David-Elliot-On-Tax-Day-Consider-the-Hidden-Costs-of-War.php#.UWcZSkpn3Kc

[nadinbrzezinski]

22. And if we were under the Dear Leader

This would not be accessible to you. But yup, we are just like North Korea...

[Generic Other]

24. I see I leave you using the "dripping with sarcasm" smilie

but I don't see the sarcasm in your comment. I lived 8 years under "Dear Leader" Bush and Cheney. We all did. We no longer hold the moral high ground in discussions about the actions of our military. I am not happy to say that, but what choice do I have? Electing Obama did not erase this sorry fact. I wish it could.

I am not trying to fight with you Nadin, I just happen to disagree with you.

[nadinbrzezinski]

26. As bad as those two were...

We are far from being to the ankles of the total state that is North Korea, or with the State religion.

Your comparison was offensive, and I am not all for saying how wonderful the US is.

It is not, but the comparison is just plain out offensive.

As to the actions of the US military, congrats for waiting up...those wars under little boots were those chickens coming home to roost. We have been doing less than nice things for decades.

[Generic Other]

29. I think being able to be self-critical is very important

I don't find it offensive. I find the actions of saber rattlers and warmongers far more offensive.

I don't trust the motives of the Pentagon. None of that changed because Bush went home to Texas.

Of course, my point of view will be drowned out in the heat of anger.

What I see is two combatants standing foot deep in gasoline preparing to light matches and throw them at each other. Not my analogy. That was how Paul Newman, as progressive as he was talented, once characterized the Cold War. So I don't think I am being all that original in what I sense I am witnessing.

[nadinbrzezinski]

30. If we wanted war, like for real,

You would have countdown to conflict on insert network here

[leveymg]

3. Kim is in perfect position to rake it in as bogey-man. Defense cuts? Just deposit another $500 mil

in a numbered Swiss bank Act, and the Korean Peninsula appears to be on the verge of nuclear war. Cheap, by comparison to peace.

Just late night speculation, but . . .?

[Generic Other]

7. Yes too late for me to be up

We should not have to always be so suspicious of their motives. I don't trust my leaders. Anymore than I trust NK. And that is the real nightmare that keeps me awake nights.

[FirstLight]

8. sooooo f'in true!!!

thanks for saying it out loud

[joshcryer]

11. If Kim goes so does the regime, imo.

They might be able to push a new successor in or even keep Kim alive eternally somehow, but it'd be a rather dramatic shakeup in the top there. I'm assuming that Kim wouldn't take the deal without also taking a chunk of his family with him, of course.

With the regime in tatters I think that you'd be looking at war or civil uprising anyway.

[DeSwiss]

10. Delusion is how we ended up here. n/t

[NCTraveler]

15. Kind of lets you understand their mindset a Little more.

"absorbing hundreds of billions of dollars in reductions for the good of the American people so that the United States of America can get back on a more solid economic foundation."

They really don't want these cuts. Does that mean their interests don't lie with the good of the American people.

[Generic Other]

20. +1000

We are their personal ATMs.

[bigtree]

16. NK to Pentagon

. . . 'booga! booga! booga! booga! boo!

Pentagon: 'Oh yeah, NK, that's the stuff!'

[winter is coming]

18. Well, at least no one's called them liberals... n/t

[Mr Dixon]

28. SMH

Smell's like the same ol BS, protect the people my ass. What is really sad is that some people are falling for the shit again SMH