Ready For Another War in North Korea? Podcast 626

North Korea continues to test missiles and make threats. The United States sends ships and rattles the saber. Time to talk about North Korea and War on the Korean peninsula in Ready For Another War in North Korea? Podcast 626.

Korean History

Korea has a rich history. Japan ruled Korea from 1910 to the end of World War II. In 1945 Koreans hoped for self determination. Didn’t work out that way. Russia and China supported the North. The United States supported the South. The peninsula was divided at the 38th parallel.

Costs Of The Korean War

In June of 1950, supported by Soviet weapons, Kim Il Sung invaded South Korea. Three years of war cost the United States 33,000 military deaths. Estimates of civilian and military deaths in the North and South during the war, range between 1.2 million to 2.5 million.

North and South Are Still At War

July 1953. Panmunjom. A cease fire agreement ended the fighting but not the war. 25 million residents of Seoul, South Korea live today under the threat of mass artillery attack from the North.

The North Is A Nuclear Power

North Korea has had a nuclear research effort since 1956. Since the 1980’s efforts to prevent proliferation of nuclear weapons have included posturing, threats, aid, agreements, negotiation. All failed. North Korea today is a nuclear power. It is researching development of ballistic missiles. Currently they have only about a 1500 kilometer range.

Trump’s New Direction

President Trump has appears to have taken a more realist approach to foreign policy. What does this new direction mean for the US and the world? Will there be a positive effect to pushing the North Koreans beyond their resources? What are the scenarios for a potential regime change? Does the administration have a plan?

Americans In The Dark. Again

If the US becomes involved in a military conflict on the Korean peninsula what will the costs be? What happens if the current regime is removed? In the rush to report on ships and planes, military capabilities, and the latest back and forth, once again we’re not being given key information by the media. In Ready For Another War in North Korea? Podcast 626.

Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul and X Government Cars

Ready For Another War in North Korea? Podcast 626

 

The Strange Case of Susan Rice and Other Mysteries-Podcast 619

Different Mysteries Left and Right

Susan Rice is the leaker. A political Flack. Running an operation to discredit the new president before he took office. Rice is at least guilty of a felony. At least that’s the story the right wing commentators are telling. In The Strange Case of Susan Rice and Other Mysteries-Podcast 619.

On the left it’s a different story. National security became a top concern after someone hacked the DNC computers. The Russians did it. The Russians did it because Trump did some kind of back room deal.

Opinion Is Not News

In America’s increasingly partisan media most people only want their beliefs confirmed. There’s no chance a political point of view different from my own can be right. Is there? A sea of information. Where opinion masquerades as fact and personalities beat the drums. We’re supposed to dance to their rhythm.

We Know Nothing…yet

Real Facts? In The Strange Case of Susan Rice and Other Mysteries-Podcast 619 we’ll see there are few facts. Russians hacking the DNC? Not so fast. Trump making deals behind the scenes with Putin? Obama ordering illegal surveillance of a president elect? Maybe. Maybe not.

Tin Foil Hats Anyone?

Evidence supporting claims of the right and left in this case is thin. All of it has the classic elements of conspiracy theory. So we’ll take a moment in The Strange Case of Susan Rice and Other Mysteries-Podcast 619 to detail the known facts. You can draw your own conclusions. Mystery lovers beware though. We’re along way from wrapping this one up in the final chapter.

Basic Framework

Is Susan Rice a political operative? What is the legal framework regarding National Security Agency intercepts. Why did the Trump administration leak NSA documents to a congressmen? What provoked the president to tweet he was ‘wiretapped’ in the first place? Is there a difference between a wiretap and an NSA intercept? Who gets to see intercepts? What are the significant legal justifications for executive orders in 2011 and 2017 allowing sharing in the first place. Lots of questions.

Where There’s Smoke

One thing is true. The dust kicked up by the Susan Rice story obscures real developments. North Korean Missiles. Syrian chemical weapons. Congressional action on the ACA, Tax Reform and Immigration. We’ll talk about it in The Strange Case of Susan Rice and Other Mysteries-Podcast 619.

Sponsored by Brush Studio and X Government Cars.

Podcast 563-Bob Davis Podcast Radio Show-49

Podcast 563-Bob Davis Podcast Radio Show-49. Father and Son Collaboration. New segments for Podcast 563-Bob Davis Podcast Radio Show-49. Original content for Bob Davis Podcasts Subscribers. In this show, you’ll hear discussion of the election so far. With the next scheduled state by state poll roundup podcast at the end of October and again just before the election we try to deal with substance in this show. Trump’s response in the debate to Chris Wallace’s question about abiding by the results of the general election on November 8th doesn’t come up. While we reacted to the statement in the debate, we’re both so focused on policy we didn’t think to talk about it in the show. The explosion of election and democracy issue the last few days shows the hysteria surrounding simple statements made by candidates. If you attempt to clarify a statement suddenly you’re “in the tank” for one of the candidates. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are adults and they can defend themselves without so called journalists, surrogates and talking heads telling us what the candidate ‘intended’ to say. Live from Los Angeles we talk about Los Angeles city issues, Trump’s foreign and economic policy and Andrew’s reaction as a Millennial to both candidates in the debate. While Trump is two or more points below Clinton in some of the key states, I bring up the wild card probability for the New York Developer to win the election. Could the pundits and the pollsters and so called ‘experts’ be wrong? We also look at Clinton and Trump claims concerning the economy, foreign policy, and their approach to governing. Political junkies should find welcome relief in this podcast from rhetoric because we deal with substantive issues. Old thinking, New Thinking, foreign affairs and policy, defense policy, economics and and rhetorical flourishes of the candidates. Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing of Saint Paul and Hydrus Performance.