What Does China Want With North Korea?

Chinese leaders undoubtedly have a strategy with respect to North Korea and the West, although it is also likely they have hard-liners and moderates creating dynamic tension.

This piece describes the North Korean strategy, with the familiar point that the North Koreans have an ongoing crisis of legitimacy and believe they need their nukes to stave off a US overthrow (Libya and Qadaffi are mentioned here, although She Who Must Not Be Named is omitted as the architect of that venture.)

But a key point is made in the discussion of what it might take to soothe the fears of the North Korean rulers:

The High Costs of a Deal

Any agreement that North Korea would be likely to consider minimally acceptable would come at huge cost to the United States and its allies. North Korea would be likely to require:

■ A tacit acknowledgment of the country’s right to retain its existing programs.
■ A declaration that the United States considered the North Korean government legitimate and would not seek to topple it.
■ The lifting of sanctions.
■ The withdrawal or reduction of the American military commitment to South Korea.

“They want to see the end of that alliance,” said Joshua H. Pollack, the editor of the Nonproliferation Review, suggesting that North Korea has drawn inspiration from the way that the United States broke with Taiwan in order to normalize relations with China in the 1970s.

Mr. Pollack emphasized that North Korea probably saw this as a long-term goal to be accomplished over many years, rather than something to demand up front and all at once.

Still, he said, North Korea may see this as the only way to reduce the existential threat that its weapons program is meant to curb.

Any partial or full American withdrawal would risk sending the American relationship with South Korea and Japan into crisis, empowering North Korea and weakening American influence in Asia.

Hmm, breaking the South Korea/Japan/USA alliance and booting the US out of that part of the world... who else might benefit from that? China, maybe a bit?

Which suggests that as much as we exhort China to bring Kim Jong Un to heel, there are surely Chinese hard-liners arguing that in the longer run, North Korean and China have a broad overlap of interests. Troubling!

But then again, in what is presumably a signal to those North Koreans, the Chinese leadership has allowed some moderate dissent:

Criticism of Beijing’s North Korea Policy Comes From Unlikely Place: China

By Chris Buckley

BEIJING — When China’s best-known historian of the Korean War, Shen Zhihua, recently laid out his views on North Korea, astonishment rippled through the audience. China, he said with a bluntness that is rare here, had fundamentally botched its policy on the divided Korean Peninsula.

China’s bond with North Korea’s Communist leaders formed even before Mao Zedong’s decision in 1950 to send People’s Liberation Army soldiers to fight alongside them in the Korean War. Mao famously said the two sides were “as close as lips and teeth.”

But China should abandon the stale myths of fraternity that have propped up its support for North Korea and turn to South Korea, Mr. Shen said at a university lecture last month in Dalian, a northeastern Chinese port city.

“Judging by the current situation, North Korea is China’s latent enemy and South Korea could be China’s friend,” Mr. Shen said, according to a transcript he published online. “We must see clearly that China and North Korea are no longer brothers in arms, and in the short term there’s no possibility of an improvement in Chinese-North Korean relations.”

Whoa! It's hard to imagine that China would be willing to accept a re-unified Korea under South Korean leadership as part of a Western alliance. On the other hand...

China’s “traditionalist view that views the U.S. as a much greater threat than North Korea is deeply entrenched,” Bonnie S. Glaser, an expert on Chinese foreign policy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said in an email. “But the proponents of change are vocal, too. They argue that North Korea is a growing liability.”

What China really wants is stability and calm:

Mr. Shen has gone much further than other scholars in calling for a reset.

“The fundamental interests of China and North Korea are at odds,” he said in his lecture. “China’s fundamental interest lies in achieving a stability on its borders and developing outward. But since North Korea acquired nuclear weapons, that periphery has never been stable, so inevitably Chinese and North Korean interests are at odds.”

With Obama in office the Chinese were never really worried that the US would do something daft, so placating North Korea and annoying the US was the lower-risk path. George Bush, of course, was mired in Afghanistan and Iraq. Bill Clinton had his own distractions, some in Iraq and some closer to the Oval Office.

But Trump? There is a guy who can play the 'crazy' card with as much gusto as Kim Jong Un (I always thought that was a modest talking point in favor of the McCain Presidency, for what that was worth).

If - yuge IF - forced to acknowledge that their current path leads to a potentially disastrous confrontation China might yet try to walk a different road. My ongoing hope is that they try to preserve North Korea as an independent buffer on their border under sane new puppet leadership provided by the son of the recently-poisoned legitimate heir. Such a great deal can be worked out!

Comments

[lyle]

Well. Whadyaknow...

[narciso]

Max fisher, Shirley, why were sanctions reimposed and rosen was stalked like will Smith, because they didn't live up to their last deal.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Oh sure. Just before we get to 2000 TM pulls the plug.
All that pain with nothing to show for it. :(

[henry]

China needs a low cost work force to stay competitive... the Norks have one that would be thrilled with a bowl of rice a week. Just get rid of the idiot in Pongyang and his silly army.

[narciso]

Its just. Like when they fit the Andromeda key at wildfire at the last minute.

[Captain Hate]

China needs that mentally unstable fatso like a third nut.

Slick and not-at-Albright were complete idiots on dealing effectively with the Norks.

[Threadkiller]

Last page:

http://justoneminute.typepad.com/main/2017/04/what-does-china-want-with-north-korea/comments/page/99/#comments

[Old Lurker]

Makes you cry or laugh "On Wednesday, Ryan, in London, said Republicans are putting the “finishing touches” on a health care proposal."

[Old Lurker]

The Bushes didn't help with the Norks either.

[lyle]

(I always thought that was a modest talking point in favor of the McCain Presidency, for what that was worth).

McCain might have a touch of bellicosity left in him towards bad world actors had he become prez but he would have sold us out for considerably less than 30 pieces of silver.

[-peter]

So now is the weekend over?

[narciso]

Wait what, the reason the us broke with Taiwan, was in part because they saw china as a counter weight to the soviet union.

[jimmyk]

I don't see how a China that is content to stay within its own borders could see the US as a threat. So supporting fatso seems counterproductive and unnecessary. But if they still see the US as a threat, it likely means they want Taiwan back. That's a problem, even if we did stab Taiwan in the back under Nixon.

[exdemocrat]

janet - thx for your 8.15 on the last thread; it's much better than good, imo.

[Davod]

"I don't see how a China that is content to stay within its own borders could see the US as a threat."

China is not content to stay within its own borders.

[exdemocrat]

jimmy - maybe DJT should propose that Taiwan gets 'China' back ;-)

[daddy]

Good Morning!

Chaffetz Texts Utah Radio Host ‘I Might Depart Early’ From Congressional Seat

House Oversight Committee chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R., Utah) told a Utah radio host via text message on Thursday that he may not complete his current term, one day after he announced he would not seek reelection to his seat in 2018...

...Chaffetz wrote, "Thanks for having me on yesterday, I appreciate it. I will continue to weigh the options, but I might depart early. The state needs to figure out how this works."

That last sentence referred to whether there would need to be a special election or gubernatorial appointment to take his place. Chaffetz has served in his current seat since 2008.

Get out, shut up, and turn over your extremely important position to someone who cares about doing the job.

[Old Lurker]

Yep "Get out, shut up, and turn over your extremely important position to someone who cares about doing the job."

DLTDHYITAOTWO.

Somebody here taught me that one.

[Buckeye]

DLTDHYITAOTWO

Hint??

[-peter]

Door and ass

[henry]

door and ass are involved buckeye

[Old Lurker]

It was a Kev-ism, Buckeye.

[Account Deleted]

Good Morning Viet JOM! (Shadoobie)

All right ...in the spirit of TMI that you become accustomed to from Chez Kev high atop Grizzly Peak overlooking Angel Island and the Golden Gate, six miles as the crow flies from Baghdad by the Bay....

Virgin bloody mary and marimba music this morning. Mrs. K gotta Carmen Miranda fruit hat goin on, teasing me widdit.... where ya goin?

Warriors smack Portland. Deservedly so. The team should move. LOL

Meme grows about the carrier battle group was in Singapore and *NOT* in NORK! The horror. Must mean DJT and Co are confused and mismanaging *EVERYTHING*.

Ya. Whatevz. Thinking of sending the lot of em a bicycle with no seat. Take the edge off and calm down.

Seen the Snap On Tools speech by DJT yet?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVsj_uN1t3s

Signal-rich: bringing back vocational ed.... bout damned time. CETA, JTPA and all the other bastardos shite-canned the Voc Ed Act which put this valuable industrial capacity building form of training in high schools across the country.

Tremendous! Simply tremendous.

I dint know DJT sent Paul Ryan to talk to NATO. There is a vid of Eddie Munster giving a speech in Britannia on YT. Dint check it out. But there he is.

Love the way DJT tells Eddie: "Tell NATO to pay their bills. They're behind."

Gives orders in public. Don't try to fuck him over, Eddie. Reprogramming Eddie. New book coming out?

All I got fernow.

Stay Tomahawk Strong, JOMbreros.

Have a great day y'all.

Agent K.E.V. is O.U.T.

[lyle]

Foxnewsdotcom:

Marie Harf, Meghan McCain debate the Iran nuclear deal

KMN

[Buckeye]

door and ass are involved buckeye

should have known that one, story of my life:)

[Old Lurker]

I got that one too, Lyle!

[lyle]

:-)

[JimNorCal]

"hit" and "way out", as well, one suspects :)

[Old Lurker]

"Marie Harf, Meghan McCain debate the Iran nuclear deal"

How many monkeys with how many typewriters and how many years before a Shakespeare Play will appear?

[henry]

how long will the fries go uncooked?

[Old Lurker]

Since today is the day for wise old sayings, what does this headline provoke?

Fox "Report: CIA, FBI launch manhunt for WikiLeaks leaker"

Hint...a Barndoor is involved.

[Porchlight]

manhunt = sexist. Somebody pass me a feather.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Yes, OL, but his leaks embarrassed the spooks whereas the Trump leaks were BY the spooks so who do you think they're going to investigate?
Shitcan Comey, NOW!

[Old Lurker]

Trump must have a reason for keeping Comey and Koskinin this long. Love to know what he plans.

[Captain Hate]

DrJ & jimmyk might want to rethink those alumni contributions:

http://tammybruce.com/2017/04/leftist-mag-compares-carbon-dioxide-to-syrian-gas-attack.html

[Comanche Voter]

Marie "Heifer" Harf debating Meghan (you know who my daddy is) McCain?

Why do I think I'm seeing a remake of the movie Dumb and Dumber?

[daddy]

Without mentioning Kirsten Powers by name, Rush in Hour 1 made the point of how ludicrous it is to be hearing her on CNN discussing what a bad guy Bill O'Reilly is when she herself used to date Anthony Weiner.

Great judge of character there, Kirsten.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Back from my excusrsion to the bowels of the Feeral Bureaucracy.

First of all, yes I can apply for divorced spouse benefits, but I have to have been divorced continuously for 24 months. So I cannot apply until March of 2019.

Is this on their web site? No. Is it in the pamphlet y sister got? No.

There is no recourse and no appeal. So, for the next 2 years I will get $515 per month out of which I must pay my Medicare supplement and prescription drug coverage, as well as my phone.

Lovely.

AND, if my creep ex-husband had just settled 2 years ago instead of fighting to keep me from finding out how much money he had, I would probably have gotten the divorce finalized close to 2 years ago and could apply.

Oh, well, Maybe I can get food stamps.

Meanwhile, the place was full of grifters on canes filing for disability.

I did get a library card and got Trump's book "Crippled America" plus some gardening books for planting a vegetable garden and ideas for cheap landscaping.

My sister took me to Shapiros to console me with corned beef and cheesecake.

And now I am home and poured myself a tall glass of wine.

I am off to inform my attorney about events.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

This cheered me up:

Donald J. Trump‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump 4h4 hours ago

Failing @nytimes, which has been calling me wrong for two years, just got caught in a big lie concerning New England Patriots visit to W.H.
141 replies 390 retweets 1,295 likes

[Porchlight]

Love it

Here's the context if you didn't see it.

[Porchlight]

Gmta, MM!

Sorry about the disappointing news today.

[Captain Hate]

The ewok has an outstanding post on this article, which should be stapled to the foreheads of every nitbrain planning on attending the White House correspondents circle jerk:

http://thefederalist.com/2017/04/20/did-the-fbi-use-garbage-opposition-research-to-spy-on-an-american/

[Buckeye]

MM

Sounds like you need to 1) visit the local tattoo parlor, 2) stop at an old folks home and steal some guy's cane, and 3) go back to SSA and apply for disability benefits:)

[Account Deleted]

MM--

You know your way around eBay right? I need some expertise in that area.

How can we communicate privately about this?

Big believer in doors opening as others close.

Kapitalisto Kev

[daddy]

"On Wednesday, Ryan, in London, said Republicans are putting the “finishing touches” on a health care proposal."

Yet they're mad Trump doesn't spend enough time in the White House.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

If someone knows KK's email and has mine, please send it to him. I don't want to post mine here due to trolls.

[Clarice Feldman]

Quit your bitching: http://thehill.com/regulation/329720-study-trump-has-eliminated-86b-in-regs#.WPj1wrKYutE.twitter

[Account Deleted]

Re: Comey and the Cork Soaker Koskinen....

A firestorm if he lights them up and sends them packing.

Sweating them.

And when they are hanging by a thread he'll make them a deal that they cannot refuse.

Imagine Corky Koskinen having to *FIRE* all those weaponized IRS agents himself.

A slow screaming political death for Corky.

Imagine Comey Alone having to turn over *ALL* the skeletons from the RAT era to AG Sessions.

He'll do it too because his hook is a "deep need to be the greatest figure in FBI history."

Just theories. Popcorn please.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Guess who had dinner at the White House last night!!

http://www.sarahpalin.com/behind-scenes-photos-awesome-evening-white-house/

Special guests TED NUGENT and KID ROCK!!!

Huge nuberof pictures guaranteed to trigger SJW's!!!

There is a GREAT picture of Palin talking to Jared Kushner. Bwahahaha!

[Buckeye]

Quit your bitching: http://thehill.com/regulation/329720-study-trump-has-eliminated-86b-in-regs#.WPj1wrKYutE.twitter

Clarice stops by to bust our balls.

She reminds me of the house mother at my buddy's frat house when we were in school. She didn't take any prisoners either:)

[Account Deleted]

To All My Tech Squires at JOM:

Way the [redacted] off thread. But....here goes.

Have a Toshiba Sattelite PC.

It's gone black screen on me.

Dint have time to mate with it when it turned on me.

Went out and bought a replacement.

It will start but not boot.

What are my best options?

Cannot risk turning it over to an outside party.

Please Hep me.

Kev

[daddy]

Since today is the day for wise old sayings, what does this headline provoke?

Fox "Report: CIA, FBI launch manhunt for WikiLeaks leaker"

How come they're not blaming it on the Russians?

[glasater]

Ambassador Bolton thinks there could be a reunification of N & S Korea down the road.

Could be a pipe dream, tho..

[daddy]

"Marie Harf, Meghan McCain debate

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

glasater,

I wonder if South Korea is prepared to care for millions of malnourished, psychologically damaged people.

I once saw a video of some schoolgirls who were supposed to be putting up banners of the Dear Leader. It fell to the ground and they went into a panic, sobbing uncontrollably and desperately trying to pick it up. It was obvious they feared extreme punishment for their error.

How do you get millions of people to recover from that?

[matt, deplore me if you must]

Apparently Jamie Murdoch, heir extraordinaire, wants to re-shape Fox News and has had it in for Ailes and O'Reilly for many years.

Also, Fox didn't bother to hear the defendant's sides of their stories.

I sense a business opportunity approaching. JOM News, anyone?

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

daddy,

HA!

It's like a real life Saturday Night Life skit, plus funnier!

[glenda]

MM--thanks for posting the Huntress photos--heh heh...the dodo birds of the left and right are attacking her "wardrobe", still unaware she's baiting the hook--works every time 😂

Jared seems pleased, too 💄What a world--MAGA

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

matt,

I always thought it would be interesting to have panels on news shows composed of regular people rather than pundits and "experts."

For example, let's put up one of Paul Ryan's stupid videos about the Better Way and then hear from 4 people from his district. (One has to be GUS, however.)

Let's see what the guy who owns the supper club in Kenosha thinks. Maybe add in the dairy farmer and a guy who works on the line at Snap-On.

I think that would be REALLY interesting, and would sure beat Krauthammer and Will.

JOM News: Real News for Real People!

[daddy]

Bill O'Reilly critic Kirsten Powers:

Kirsten:I briefly dated Anthony almost a decade ago after meeting him at a postcampaign party for the 2002 New York gubernatorial race, during which I had worked as Andrew Cuomo’s press secretary. The relationship didn’t last, but we stayed friends. While we were dating, he traveled with my family to Costa Rica for Christmas, and years later I spent Thanksgiving with his when I was stranded in New York City because of work. He was a strong support when my father died suddenly from a heart attack seven years ago. When a relationship I had been hopeful about ended in 2006, he cleared his calendar to spend a Saturday with me and reassure me about my decision. We only dated for three months, and he was for the most part a doting boyfriend and my family was very fond of him.

Kirsten:"In short, he was a friend whom I cared for very much."

[Old Lurker]

Look how much trouble West Germany had assimilating the East Germans...and they had more going for them than NK offers to SK, seems to me.

Aside the the relatives on one side or the other and the removal of the constant threat, what's up there worth the price? Sort of like why we would want Mexico?

[sbw]

JOM-ST3000 or JO-MST3000.

[Old Lurker]

Clarice "Quit your bitching: "

Until you see her pistolas, she's all talk.

[cathyf]

Hauling this over from the other thread:

Since we've been talking about Coulter, a reminder of the brilliant simplicity of her health care plan:

Congress passes a law, pursuant to its constitutional power to regulate interstate commerce, that says: "In America, it shall be legal to sell health insurance on the free market. This law supersedes all other laws, taxes, mandates, coverage requirements, regulations or prohibitions, state or federal.”

No. No. HELL NO!

Insurance cannot exist without the full power of the state enforcing contracts. Without the government forcing insurance companies to pay legitimate claims, AND the government protecting the premium-payers' money by preventing free-loaders from waiting until they get sick to start paying premiums, the FREE market for health insurance is that it doesn't exist.

I know I'm a broken record here, but it's still true: for health insurance to exist, the government has to govern properly and competently. It's not like most things where if the government just gets out of the way everything will be fine.

[Old Lurker]

Kev...about your computer, be nice to DrJ.

[jimmyk]

"China is not content to stay within its own borders."

That was my poorly explained point. Since the US is only going to oppose China if it tries to expand, then Nina seeing the US a threat basically means they want to expand. And that means Taiwan, I presume. We'd be more than happy if China overthrew Fatso.

[jimmyk]

"DrJ & jimmyk might want to rethink those alumni contributions:"

Sorry, CH, not an alum, just a fan of the teams from growing up nearby. Juan Cole has been a blight on the place for decades.

[narciso]

I'm a fan of good spy fivtipn, that's why I'm getting started on court genrty's latest and the dossier doesn't even work at that level, barvikha I remember from dryden was where the svr col grew up.

[daddy]

let's put up one of Paul Ryan's stupid videos about the Better Way and then hear from 4 people from his district.

Well I'm just glad that Paul Ryan isn't making the mistake he made the first time around of saying the plan was almost complete but never putting it out to Jim Jordan and others to have a chance to look at and kibbitz about and discuss etc before releasing it upon an unexpected House vote to stink up the place like one of Nelson's turds and make Ryan and the Repub's look like incompetent laughing stocks, all to great Media and Dem hilarity. I'm excited to hear he's learned that lesson, and I'm glad that over there in London where "the finishing touches" (AICEY*) are going in he has wisely decided to bring all sides in for input and let them contribute and hash it out so that it won't be unexpectedly dumped out in an unexpected fashion for an unexpected vote that unexpectedly goes nowhere.

BTW, anybody seen his plan, just absent "the finishing touches" from London parts?

*AICEY-Am I Cynical E'nuff Yet?)

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Obama has endorsed Emmanuel Macron in the French election. This tweet has video of a phone call between Obama and Macron.

https://twitter.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/855129811144118274

[glasater]

MM @2:36

No question the general population of NK is in terrible shape in every human aspect of life.

Thinking back to the famine in the '90s. The damage that event did to the intellectual/mental capabilities of the ordinary person there, is something that I would think NK couldn't recover from.

[Old Lurker]

Cathy "Insurance cannot exist without the full power of the state enforcing contracts. Without the government forcing insurance companies to pay legitimate claims, AND the government protecting the premium-payers' money by preventing free-loaders from waiting until they get sick to start paying premiums, the FREE market for health insurance is that it doesn't exist."

OK, but all of that works if the court system works and if insurance companies can have the freedom to charge what a risk is worth. So if an insurance company defaults on a contractual claim, sue them. If a freeloader shows up with pre existing conditions and no previous insurance, allow the company reject them or charge them according to the risk. We don't need the government "protecting policy holder money" from that risk. Car insurance and Homeowner Insurance and Commercial Property and Business Insurances all seem to work just fine without the system having to be government run.

The only insurance which is F'kedup is Flood Insurance and, wait, that is government run.

[narciso]

Autocorrect is indeed dark magic, macron was being touted in that upscale mag town and country

[henry]

macron is the one that married his school teacher?

[narciso]

The odd thing , Juan Cole was a fairly inciteful analyst on shia Islam issues but he lost his (redacted) over Iraq.

[glasater]

We miss Dryden, don't we Narciso :-)

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

henry,

I believe so. She's like 20 years older than he is.

Of COURSE this is who Obama would endorse.

[lyle]

“Climate scientist James Hansen has described our current emissions as like setting off 400,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs each day, every day of the year.”

I'm no physicist nor a math ace, but my loose calculation of this many A-bombs (assuming a one kiloton bomb) comes out to 400 million tons of dynamite each day detonated each day.

And this [redacted] is still a go-to expert on "climate change"?!?

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Well, this is disturbing. The Norks have two satellites in orbit which could be used for an EMP attack.

http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2017/04/could_north_korea_destroy_the_us.html

[narciso]

Yes that's the one, who calls Algeria colonization a 'war crime' but is still considered the sensible candidate. In that
crazy corner of eurabia

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2017/04/19/steve-harvey-trump-keeping-his-promise-on-inner-city-housing/

[Captain Hate]

North and South Korea, like Germany, were only separated since 1945. It isn't so much a matter of how difficult the leveraged buyout was in Germany as it was a forced partition that most people didn't want. At least they share a common language.

Mexico can just fester away until they demonstrably are ready to act civilized, which means never.

[Not a problem in German re-unification.]

Because of generations of childhood malnutrition, North Koreans are actually stupider than South Koreans. This is not in the genes and would be resolved with a couple of generations of adequate childhood nutrition.

[jimmyk]

Obama has endorsed Emmanuel Macron in the French election.

I expect that will be as effective as his endorsement of the Chicago Olympics. And of Hillary. Though it's France, so who knows.

[That perfidy was much resented in Albion.]

I hope that has the same effect as Obama's non-endorsement of Brexit. It is possible to think that reaction to the overbearing Obama swung the vote.

[jimmyk]

Insurance cannot exist without the full power of the state enforcing contracts.

cathyf, I don't see how that refutes Coulter's proposal. A free market requires a government to enforce contracts. That's one of its two functions even according to libertarians (along with national defense). No one is proposing anarchy here. But that's all the government needs to do, not set rates, impose mandates, etc., etc. In other words, let health insurance operate like life insurance, property & casualty insurance, etc., etc.

[Old Lurker]

MM, you missed the key word "if" and the silent phrase "if they wanted to be turned to glass" in that link:

"Both satellites -- if nuclear armed -- could make an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack that could blackout the U.S. electric grid for months or years, thereby killing millions.

Think about it. NK would not explode the EMP over the US without at the same time invading SK. Worrying about NK invading the south is the only thing stopping us from turning NK to glass. So that sequence, painful as it might be if they could do that and did do that, would be suicide for them.

[Death Brains.]

The only rational thought in Hansen's head is his pro-nuke one.

[jimmyk]

I should add: Coulter is well aware that some people won't be able to buy/afford health insurance under a free market scheme. She has a "Step Two" in which government can separately have a welfare program that addresses those issues.

[narciso]

Another active huguenot incident in Paris,

How do we know they are not nuclear armed?

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Link to press conference with Italian PM Gentiloni. Supposed to start around 3:50.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiPRImrTD4I

[Old Lurker]

Man, Narc, those Methodists just won't quit, will they?

[All play and no say makes Beast's a dull day.]

I'm not sure of the physics, OL, but I doubt that a powerful enough EMP attack can be launched from two satellites. Powerful enough to disable our grid for very long.

Front and Center Beasts; need technical advice here.

[lyle]

I don't know, OL, this one looks like the works of the Zoroastrians...

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Little Boy was 15 kilotons, lyle, so need to do a bit more math.

[Old Lurker]

Zoroastrian was the religion of peace before the religion of peace replaced it, right Lyle?

[Who needs democracy among the elect.]

Puritans, lyle, Musselman ones.

[lyle]

Dammit, Ig!

[Civil matters shatter.]

I'm working on Mazda Maniacs Matter but can't get a good second line.

[Old Lurker]

Iggy, I get lost in the zeros but I think 400,000 bombs at 15 kiloton each = 1.6 Billion tons of dynamite every day.

Okey Doke.