rant about North Korea

[william.scherk]

On 7/2/2018 at 11:15 AM, william.scherk said:

"Trust, but verify," said someone.

'Twixt cup and lip ...

-- from FoxNews:

What now? Pompeo exits North Korea emptyhanded, leaving US with three options -- all of them bad

Quote

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo seemingly failed to gain a single concession from North Korea after meetings Friday and Saturday in the communist nation’s capital of Pyongyang to discuss America’s demand that the North get rid its nuclear weapons.

In fact, it seems both sides can’t even agree on what was discussed or how the talks went, with the North now even threatening to walk away from its vague pledge to denuclearize.

Following Pompeo’s talks with high-ranking North Korean government official Kim Yong Chol, North Korea accused the Trump administration of making a “unilateral and gangster-like demand for denuclearization” that was “deeply regrettable.”

In marked contrast, Pompeo called the talks “productive” and said: “These are complicated issues, but we made progress on almost all of the central issues.” However, Pompeo did not specify what progress was made.

Tellingly, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un – who rules with an iron fist and is the only one with the power to approve substantive concessions to the U.S. – did not even meet with Pompeo Friday or Saturday, although he has met with Pompeo before. That alone is evidence that Pompeo walked away from the talks largely emptyhanded.

This disappointing trip by the secretary of state can only mean one thing: The Trump administration has reached the same point that every other U.S. administration – Democrat and Republican – has reached with North Korea. When negotiations get to the point where North Korea must make concessions on its nuclear program that are substantive, officials from the North cry foul – and walk away.

[...]

 

[Brant Gaede]

1 hour ago, william.scherk said:

'Twixt cup and lip ...

-- from FoxNews:

What now? Pompeo exits North Korea emptyhanded, leaving US with three options -- all of them bad

 

Ho, hum. The (Trump) beat goes on.

--Brant

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

The hostile fake mainstream news comes to a conclusion, so that must be the truth, huh?

   

What? The peaceful denuclearization of an entire country run by a mad man isn't happening fast enough for everyone?

It's like everyone is wondering: what's wrong with the remote control? 

   

Dayaamm!

 

Michael

[william.scherk]

The art of a deal ...

On 7/2/2018 at 11:15 AM, william.scherk said:

"Trust, but verify," said someone.

The relationship between the North and South is where the action is, I think -- in all the little details of their mutual dance, which are not lead items in the news over this side of the Pacific^**.  I figure a little bit of Deng Xiaoping Thought in action would go a long way to raising the North out of poverty -- so I think this is what China would be pressing on Kim -- the 'magic of the market.'  In the interim period, China is holding fast so far to an economic programme of carrot and stick. I believe Xi holds the carrot of "if you want us to resume our previous level of trade, we suggest doing X, Y, Z."  

China has put a squeeze on imports from and exports to the DPRK.  That isn't nice. That is probably why Kim had a second visit to Beijing and Xi. According to some reports (featured at the DPRK-whisperer site Asiapress.org) the level of trade this year is down almost 90% from a year ago.

The stick.

So, given Trump's confidence, and given Xi's strategy of economic siege on the DPRK, I don't think China has applied 'negative pressure' on the entente in Singapore.

(on the other hand, does Lindsey Graham know something we don't?
 

On 'Fox News Sunday,' the S.C. Republican said China is using North Korea to force the United States to back off on trade issues.

"We are in a fight with China," he said. "They cheat and President [Donald] Trump wants to change the economic relationship with China so if I were President Trump, I would not let China use North Korea to back me off of the trade dispute. We've got more bullets than they do when it comes to trade."

 

I think not. I don't think he is aware of the Chinese economic pressure on the DPRK)

In any case, the harsh propaganda wording about "gangsters" and " should not conceal this little bit from two days ago:

KCNA: "We still cherish our good faith in President Trump. The U.S. should make a serious consideration of whether the toleration of the headwind against the wills of the two top leaders would meet the aspirationsof the world people as well as the interests of its country."

_________________

** see, eg, Economist Who Fled North Korea Says South's Plan Falls Short and These Maps Show How to Unlock North Korea's Economy

 

[william.scherk]

 

22 hours ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said:

23 hours ago, william.scherk said:

Twixt cup and lip ...

-- from FoxNews:

What now? Pompeo exits North Korea emptyhanded, leaving US with three options -- all of them bad

The hostile fake mainstream news comes to a conclusion, so that must be the truth, huh?

It's an opinion piece from FoxNews. Should the entire entity FoxNews now be gated into the Big Bad Blob?  Perhaps the writer,  Harry J Kazianis, is a dupe of Deep Faye ... but it isn't evident at first glance.

22 hours ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said:

What? The peaceful denuclearization of an entire country run by a mad man isn't happening fast enough for everyone?

I hope that Kim gets the message from China:  get with the programme, get the deal underway, give some verifiable indications you will obey the 'contract.' If not, then your economy will  crater, in no small part due to our reduction in two-way trade. "We aren't needing your coal at this time, thank you, and we don't think you deserve to import necessary goods at the 2016 level.  Try to get your head around the notion that your country is fucked without China's economic support."

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

44 minutes ago, william.scherk said:

It's an opinion piece from FoxNews. Should the entire entity FoxNews now be gated into the Big Bad Blob?

William,

Fox News is better than the others, and a few of its talent are far, far better, but it is still, basically, mainstream crap.

I could list my own grievances, especially about the format of having two opposing guests constantly yell at each other rather than plumb the essentials of an issue (WWWWWH, for instance), but it's there in the blob and we watch it. Covert manipulations and all. We also breathe pollution because it's there.

It's a hassle combing through alt media, but when you get someone you can more or less trust and watch enough of them to learn their weaknesses so you can filter their content through your reason, it's a far better experience than the mainstream fake news media. Just the lack of anxiety you feel compared with the fake news is worth the effort...

As to the Norks, I notice that a whole lot of people who have been content with NK's previous status for decades--because they didn't know what else to do about the increasing danger other than call it unfortunate--are now suddenly experts in what President Trump is doing wrong to denuclearize the peninsula. That would be OK, except they are too gleeful in pointing out that implementation is taking too long for their precious timelines and/or is not going according to what they think should happen.

These are nukes, for God's sakes. Where are they going to snark if one drops on their heads? President Trump does not have a reputation for abandoning projects in the middle or letting them go to hell the way his predecessor did with the Arab Spring. He has the opposite reputation. He's a closer and builder. So, they should swallow their glee a bit--even if only for the sake of keeping their own sorry asses alive--and  give the guy in the arena some room to let him finish getting the job done. 

Michael

[Peter]

When I was stationed in South Korea, in 1968 and 9, the people truly yearned to hear from their relatives across the border. It was tough for them. I seem to remember mail with "checks" made it across the northern border, but they may have been forwarded from Red China. What color is China now?  

[william.scherk]

Are China-US trade issues^** impacting its influence in the DPRK? I mean, is China tying its "squeeze" on China-DPRK trade to a new, better, comprehensive trade 'deal' with the USA? (I should mention that the Chinese media has been instructed to criticize the USA, the national administration, but not President Trump.

Is this evidence, one way or another?

On 7/9/2018 at 11:02 AM, william.scherk said:

I hope that Kim gets the message from China:  get with the programme, get the deal underway, give some verifiable indications you will obey the 'contract.' If not, then your economy will  crater, in no small part due to our reduction in two-way trade. "We aren't needing your coal at this time, thank you, and we don't think you deserve to import necessary goods at the 2016 level.  Try to get your head around the notion that your country is fucked without China's economic support."

Reality bites North Korea. From my read over the last few months of 'inside' DPRK voices, Kim's nuclear amibitions and military-first drive made him the 'fat boy' figure of derision and mistrust -- Kim as murderer (of his own family) deepened a certain disgust.  The military-first stance meant every other sector of the economy suffered from nil investment, and recent reports I have flagged above suggest that the China-trade squeeze is squeezing the diets of military members. 

So, to my mind, the Kim dynastic horror-show is going to either go Deng to some degree -- or revert to the 'state of insanity' that surrounded its last retrenchment after the last previous "diplomatic breakthrough."

The pressure on Kim to live up to his own bullshit is high on both sides of the DMZ ... in my humble opinion.  Quoting this bit with links in case folks want to dig a bitter deeper, to see if my opinion has any warrants for its assumptions.

On 7/9/2018 at 8:41 AM, william.scherk said:

China has put a squeeze on imports from and exports to the DPRK.  That isn't nice. That is probably why Kim had a second visit to Beijing and Xi. According to some reports (featured at the DPRK-whisperer site Asiapress.org) the level of trade this year is down almost 90% from a year ago.

The stick.

So, given Trump's confidence, and given Xi's strategy of economic siege on the DPRK, I don't think China has applied 'negative pressure' on the entente in Singapore.

_______________________

** The next round of tit and tat are scheduled:  China indicates it will respond to the latest US imposition with fresh impositions of its own.  This is the point where things get all trade-war-ish, and penalties begin to bite.

 

China 'shocked' by $200 billion tariffs from CNBC.

[Peter]

Aggressive tariffs? Non Monsieur. Mais retaliatory tariffs, mon ami?

Here is a silly question for youse French speakers. Are "Amie" and "Ami" enough? Don't the French need a way of describing friendly homo/pan/trans citizens?   

[william.scherk]

Who can turn the world on with her smirk?
Who can take a know-nothing day
And suddenly make herself seem a jerk?

Who put the passivity into passive-aggression ...

31 minutes ago, My Opinion On Trade Wars Is Missing said:

Are "Amie" and "Ami" enough? Don't the French need a way of describing friendly homo/pan/trans citizens?   

"You have sixty-four unanswered questions on the Order Paper, Honorable Member from Wet lands.  The junior minister is bemused by your question in the absence of prior engagement."

For those who wonder why an imp might not satisfy his own curiosity ... this is unknown. Some are passive in the face of the Tree of Knowledge, hoping others have climbed and will thrown down the pears, cherries, figs and dates. 

About the least-unpleasant pleasantry that can be said about the member from Wet's engagement, to augment a John-The-Tender-ism, is:

Eres un imitador atroz e irreflexivo de una persona racional.

 

[Jon Letendre]

Fuck off, Billyboy. Why don’t you go away and engage in some traditional leftist-Democrat-progressivist pastimes?

 

 

 

 

 

De Blasio administration employee, 29, is arrested for 'having 3,000 photos and 89 videos of child pornography depicting children as young as six months old'

 

 

 

 

12:09 AM · Jul 11, 2018

[william.scherk]

Although unconvincing, a case is made for me to f the effing F off ... that, er, blandishment notwithstanding, given stunned silence regarding Trade Warring between the two giant economies ...

2 hours ago, william.scherk said:

Are China-US trade issues^** impacting its influence in the DPRK? I mean, is China tying its "squeeze" on China-DPRK trade to a new, better, comprehensive trade 'deal' with the USA? (I should mention that the Chinese media has been instructed to criticize the USA, the national administration, but not President Trump.

The contours of the next round are clear as Kentucky sipping bourbon.  Up the ante, in hopes of a big pay-off in the final set of cards?  We can but speculate ...

This is from the presumably leftist lying and or deranged scumbags at Fortune:

Quote

[...] Less than a week into the trade war with China, President Trump is already thinking about levying more tariffs against goods imported from that nation to the U.S.

The White House said it was considering additional tariffs of 10% on $200 billion worth of Chinese exports. This would be the third round of tariffs on Chinese goods imposed by the Trump administration and comes shortly after a tariff of 25% went into effect against $34 billion of Chinese goods. While the tariffs wouldn’t go into effect for at least two months, they would be much more aggressive in the range of goods they’d apply to. Here’s what makes these different.

Consumer goods
The round of tariffs that went into effect last Friday mainly applied to raw materials imported by American companies. Only about 1% of the items on the list were consumer goods. This round targets a larger number of consumer goods as varied as fish, luggage, tires, dog leashes, baseball gloves, furniture, clothing, mattresses, and some electronics. The Trump administration has tried to limit the impact of the trade war on consumers and any backlash that it might prompt, but the scale of these tariffs make it next to impossible to protect them.

Targeting total exports
A senior White House official told CNBC that the reason for the $200 billion figure was that it’s “roughly equal to their exports to us.” Adding $200 billion in goods to the list of existing tariffs would bring the total value of tariffed goods to $450 billion—just shy of the $505 billion in exports that China sends to the U.S. Trump had threatened this level of escalation as early as last week, before the current tariffs even went into effect.

Made in China 2025
As with previous rounds of tariffs, the new list takes special aim at “Made in China 2025” products. The Chinese government’s industrial strategy to make its goods competitive on the global market, in place since 2015, seems to have been one of the key instigators of Trump’s trade war.

Domestic criticism
Many Americans—even those the tariffs are ostensibly intended to help—quickly came out against threats of additional tariffs. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said that although he’d supported the previous tariffs, the latest round seemed “reckless.” In addition, the National Association of Manufacturers said this round could undercut the competitive advantage U.S. manufactures have gained by way of tax and regulatory reform in recent months. “The last thing America’s manufacturing workers need is an escalating trade war,” NAM CEO Jay Timmons said in a statement. “America has China’s attention, so instead of more tariffs, the U.S. and China should immediately begin working toward a fair, bilateral, enforceable, rules-based trade agreement to end China’s market-distorting activities. We can’t afford to wait any longer.”

[...]