The Real Deal With North Korea

Many Americans know the name Kim Jong Il, but not Kim Jong Un. Well they should know the latter soon. At least that’s the way North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Il would like things to go. That’s because Kim Jong Un is his 26 year old son, and chosen successor. Kim Jong Il had at least five children with three women; three sons and two daughters. Kim Jong Un, 26, is the youngest with his older brothers being 38 and 28. This very young age and lack of political experience may explain why the North Korean Dictator is acting crazier than ever lately. His recent stroke and health problems have forced him to reveal his successor earlier than he probably would’ve liked. Now he is trying to leave his son a Nuclear-Armed North Korea. Something he believes would give 26 year old Kim Jong Un instant credibility despite his age.

There is only one known photo of Kim Jong Un outside of North Korea, and it is from when he was 11 years old. Not much is known about the future Dictator. Intelligence reports say that the North Korean successor is very much like his father. “We picture a charismatic young man, authoritarian, politically astute and precocious and ambitious,” said Cheong Seong-chang, a researcher at the Sejong Institute, near Seoul. “We picture Little Kim Jong-Il.”

North Korea’s intentions may be to create nuclear weapons in order to garner respect for their future leader. They may have no intention of actually using them. However, the United States and its Allies in the United Nations cannot take that risk. Not with Kim Jong Il at the helm. Making matters worse, the North Korean Dictator may be planning to launch a missile towards Hawaii in early July, some Intelligence Reports have cited. The missile most likely would not reach Hawaii, but just the act of firing a missile toward the United States is a message in and of itself. It would be extremely difficult for the United States not to react with some measure of its military if that occurred. Even if it was just to shoot the missile down. And who knows what reaction that would conjure up from North Korea’s Kim Jong Il.

The good news for the U.S. and South Korea is that both China and Russia are pressuring North Korea to reengage in talks. A statement issued by Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev pressed for a peaceful resolution of the Korean standoff and the "swiftest renewal" of the now-frozen six-party talks involving their countries as well as North and South Korea, Japan and the United States. Another good sign is that top U.S. and Chinese military officials will meet next week to discuss North Korea and maritime conflicts with the aim of improving cooperation between Beijing and Washington, the Pentagon said on Friday.

It is in the best interest of all parties involved if North Korea comes back to the table and ceases their crass military actions. In the meantime, President Obama has the right attitude and approach on the situation, and seems to have hit the proverbial ‘nail on the head’ while speaking at the White House with the South Korean President by his side: Obama said that, in recent years, North Korea's provocations have been "rewarded" as Western countries offered fuel, food and loans in exchange for promises of good behavior that are eventually broken.
"We are going to break that pattern," Obama said. North Korea "will not find security or respect through threats and illegal weapons."

Mark "Marky Mark" Grimaldi
Executive Producer
The Leslie Marshall Show
"The Only True Democracy In Talk Radio - Of, For And By The People."
http://www.lesliemarshallshow.com/

Health Care Legislation... "Now or Never??"

The President says we need to have health care legislation passed now, this year or it will never happen. My vote is, (call me Pollyanna!) it will never happen. This is not a negative reflection on the President or my party, the Dems. This is an opinion based on reality.

Reality: there are six health insurance lobbyists per senator.

Reality: if the u.s. government forces the private insurance companies to lower their rates, (which they will if the government expands Medicare or has a seperate plan for lesser cost), then you know what flows down hill and some how, some way, someone will have to pay. That means the doctors. This will reduce the quality of care and ability for doctors to spend the time to give the proper diagnosis. Also malpractice insurance is not addressed in the current reform proposals nor are the pharmaceutical companies who have their lobbyists and their billions as well.

It would take much more than 4 years to fix this problem, and, in my opinion, more than the 6 months we have left in 2009 to draft legislation specific enough to address everyone's needs. Example: If you pay blue cross $1000 a month for health insurance and the goverment's plan costs you $200; but to offset that cost, you have to pay more for your prescriptions, or any dme (durable medical equipment), or xray, or hospital stay, etc. you pay the same or more in the long run. And how does everyone get covered? If you cant pay for the government plan, you're in the same boat.

If the current mortgage/rent prices arent adjusted, how will a small business owner be able to afford to offer this for his/her employees, or even their own families? And if the issues which drive these health care costs through the roof, other than the ceo's at United Health Care, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna, etc's greed, arent addressed? What are we left with? We saw what happened with the auto industry when they sacrificed quality for quantity; they failed, miserably.

Those are auto BODIES...what about human BODIES? If the abuse of litigation in our nation against doctors, the cost of pharmaceuticals, the need for extensive tests for a doc to cover their butt against litigation, the ability for docs to actually treat their patients, medical personnel making decisions at insurance companies or for the government as opposed to greedy bureaucrats, our abuse of the emergency room, ambulances, etc., until that is addressed, we're doomed. Just my two cents....uh, I mean $12 for a couple of Tylenol (which i'm sure you'll need after my gloom and doom philosophy of our nation's healthcare!)

Leslie Marshall, Host
The Leslie Marshall Show
"The Only True Democracy in Talk Radio - Of, For and By The People."
http://www.lesliemarshallshow.com/