----- Original Message ----- From: "Keith Addison" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <biofuel@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Monday, February 24, 2003 22:54 Subject: Re: [biofuel] Just one man's observation! Was: Looking at the RESPONSE ... too all that's going onin the world.
> > I wouldn't bank on it. I'd say they're able enough, not half-starved, > and that the great majority are true-believers. While they many or all may be true-believers, it is due to the way they have been treated by their own government. All the TVs and radios, have been altered by the government, so that the only broadcasting that will be picked up is the there own governments, they have no internet, no communication with the outside world at all, other that what their own government allows them (even China, is broad open in comparison). As to half-starved, it's true, many of the troops joined because of the way the food is rationed, virtually all of it goes to the government and the military. The North Korean troops are on average 3-4 inches shorter than their South Korean cousins. This is a big change from 50 years ago, and I doubt that it is due to genetic drift. The South Koreans > also think that, and they're in a position to know. Both sides are as > tough as nails. I was talking to some South Koreans a couple of weeks > ago, military reservists. They were describing the rigours of their > army training, incredible - and deemed necessary if they're to > counter the North. You had better believe the South Koreans are tough as nails, and it's not just the way they train. For a while, my father was the USAF Senior Security Officer in South Korea, and he told me about a couple of reports, that came across his desk. In one report, it seems a South Korean officer came across a combined outpost ( combined being jointly manned by a South Korean and an American ) and found both of the men were sound asleep, the South Korean officer quietly awoke the American and sent him back to his unit, then after the American left, shot the South Korean in his sleep, for dereliction of duty. In the other report, an South Korean that was backing a fuel truck up next to an American F-16, bumped the wing. While it did put a small dent on it, it did not affect the operational status of the aircraft ( it could still fly and fight if necessary ). The driver of truck got out and looked at what happened, shook his head pulled the truck forward a bit, then got on the radio, then got out of the truck and stood at attention. About 45 min. later ( the truck driver had been standing at attention the entire time ) a South Korean NCO showed up on a bicycle, looked at the aircraft, and then started chewing the driver a few new ones. After about 10 min. of chewing out the NCO reached down grabbed the pair of wheel chocks for the aircraft (at about 30 lbs. each ), and slammed them into the side of the drivers head, dropping the driver were he stood, dropped the wheel chocks, got on the bicycle, and left. The driver was out for the better part of an hour, before someone showed up and took him away. > > >I > >have heard that some UN people consider as it stands now, there is no clear > >cut winner. > > That's about right. The numbers difference is probably made up by the > South's better equipment. What happens when two ace fighters, highly > skilled, superbly fit and evenly matched, fight to the death? Not > nice to watch. > Agreed, it comes down to who makes the first unrecoverable mistake, a matter of luck I guess. I will admit, that if it was not a life and death issue, the skill displayed, would be a thing of beauty. > It's a powder-keg, another one, and very much best left to the locals > to sort it out - South Korea, Japan, China. Blundering superpowers > with all the diplomatic skills of a bull terrier who think it's a > useful sideshow very much NOT REQUIRED, thankyou. > Unfortunately I think that that fact that we have such an large exposure in that part of the pacific is drawing us in, not to mention our alliance with South Korea. Have we been the long term victim of another slick willey attempt at trying to look good? Perhaps. I think that what he did, certainly didn't help make things any better for the future. Now we have to deal with it. The question is, "How?" Do we cave in like Clinton did? I think that would be a bad example, and set future precedent for blackmail of the worst kind. Do we work with the local nations? A good chance of working I think. China does have influence with North Korea despite what they say. I have heard some people say we should give China a free hand with North Korea in exchange for leaving Taiwan alone. I don't know, perhaps South Korea would prefer China as a neighbor as apposed to North Korea. I think the people of North Korea would be better off with China in charge. It seams to me that China is better in the humanitarian dept. and being open with other nations, than North Korea's current government, but then again my opinion is based on what I understand about the two nations. Greg H. Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://archive.nnytech.net/ Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
