Enterprise Dispatch

Serving the communities of Dassel, Cokato, Darwin, MN, and the surrounding area

Ivan Raconteur Column – 04/08/13



There are times when it is difficult to know if one should be concerned or amused.

The recent antics of Kim Jong-un, the dumpy little goofball in a baggy uniform who has been running the show in North Korea since December 2011, are certainly amusing.

The ridiculous little twerp has been slinging all sorts of abuse and threats against the US and others.

His actions appear to be some sort of tantrum that began after new United Nations (UN) sanctions were imposed against the against North Korea in response to a nuclear test in February.

North Korea has also shut down its hotlines with the US, South Korea, and the UN, which seems like a symbolic bit of nonsense.

There is, however, a serious side to this circus.

North Korea is apparently bent on developing a nuclear arsenal.

In a speech before the central committee of the Workers Party of Korea, the absurd little leader reportedly said, “It is on the basis of a strong nuclear strength that peace and prosperity can exist and so can the happiness of people’s lives.”

There’s nothing like a stockpile of nuclear weapons in the hands of an unbalanced dimwit to make one feel happy and at peace.

He has also been quoted as saying “the greater the nuclear attack capability, the greater the strength of the deterrent against an invasion,” and “Our nuclear strength is a reliable war deterrent and a guarantee to protect our sovereignty.”

In response to the threats from North Korea, the US has taken some precautionary steps, including positioning a warship off the Korean peninsula.

This is where it starts to get dangerous.

Even if we think him ridiculous and question North Korea’s nuclear ability, the US and others can’t dismiss the threats entirely.

When nations start making threats and posturing, rather than negotiating, things can easily escalate out of control.

It is not unlike a situation that arises when a couple of blockheads have been anchoring barstools and swilling beer too long. If the volume of liquor is great enough, and if the participants are foolish enough, they begin by exchanging verbal abuse.

One of the geniuses threatens to kick the other’s backside, and the other responds by saying he is going to beat the party of the first part to a pulp.

Then, maybe one thing leads to another, and one of them pushes the other. The one who was pushed feels obligated to return the favor and retaliates.

Of course, whatever passes for pride in their alcohol-addled brains prevents either one of them from backing down unless they can find a way to save face.

Eventually, unless clearer heads intervene, somebody is bound to do something stupid, and someone will get hurt or killed. It might be one of the drunkards, or it might be some innocent party who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It’s the same way with countries, except there is a lot more at stake.

We don’t seem to learn much from history, because we keep making the same mistakes.

Part of the problem, when it comes to disputes between nations, is that the ones who are doing the threatening and pushing are not the ones who end up getting hurt.

It is usually not the average citizens who are spoiling for a fight. Generally speaking, I think most people would prefer to be left alone and go about their business.

It’s the politicians and government officials who make all the trouble, but it’s the ordinary citizens who get sent into the danger zone to fight and die, and it is the taxpayers who end up paying the bills.

I don’t think the people of North Korea are looking for a fight with the US. I don’t think the people of most countries want to go to war.

Maybe if the people who start wars were required to be the first ones on the front lines, rather than hiding in a safe office somewhere, they would think a lot more carefully about things before they started cranking up the military machine.

I hope this thing in North Korea gets resolved soon. I’m not even sure what they are trying to accomplish, but I hope whatever it is can be resolved before things get out of hand.

We have spent too much money on ambiguous conflicts in far-away places, and too many people have been hurt or killed in senseless disagreements.

It gets increasingly difficult to be amused, and all that is left is concern.

We need cooler heads and clearer thinking running the show. It is difficult, in view of history, to have much optimism, but a person must at least cling to hope.





































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