What If Israel Strikes Iran? - WSJ.com

aux.link.: What If Israel Strikes Iran? - WSJ.com

Young, Stupid Liberals Think Iraq Still An Enemy

aux.link: Poll: Iran, Iraq, China Top US Enemies

Well this is pretty telling even if it's of no real surprise to you and I... excellent.

"Gallup first asked the question in early 2001, before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. At the time, Iraq was seen as the biggest foe, followed by China and Iran.

Iraq has remained one of the most frequently named ever since, even though Saddam Hussein was overthrown and the current Baghdad government is backed by the U.S.

Republicans are more than twice as likely as Democrats to see Iran as the top U.S. enemy, while Democrats are likelier to name Iraq. Older people and those who say they closely follow world news are less likely to cite Iraq than the younger and less informed."

Recon: The Nightmare World Of North Korea

aux.link: Strict rules for visitors - The Sun

Interesting read- I love 'behind enemy lines' North Korean recon stories like this with footage.

Aussies Bomb North Korean Drug Ship

Credit LiveLeak.com: After being caught trying to smuggle drugs into Australia, the Pong Su was sunk by two 2000-pound (900 kg) laser-guided bombs dropped from an RAAF F-111 aircraft. The deliberate destruction of the freighter was said to deliver a strong message to international drug smuggling rings that the Australian Federal Government would take all measures necessary to stop illegal drug importation.

Consumer Confidence Skyrockets, For Now

Gas prices are starting to sink below $2.00/gal. in various spots nationwide, two months ahead of some forecasts. People are starting to smile again (except those that work in the oil and gas industry). And now news like this that, obviously, consumer confidence is climbing even more than it was earier this year?

Hold on to your keisters, everyone... if this sticks, I'll make a forecast of some record-breaking retail sales this upcoming fourth quarter. And that in turn boosts the economy even more, shatters the DJIA record (I predict by October), and makes Republicans look better to vote for. Conspiracy theorize all you want in ignorance; it's still easing my concern for the mid-term elections.

Consumer confidence skyrockets - Yahoo! News

BUT WAIT! That's not all! While this is great news, it's largely short-term for a matter of months due to speculation that the hurricane season took a year off from all its hard work in 2005, and that economic sanctions will not be brought against Iran. On the former, the season could be rested up in time for 2007. On the latter, that can mean only two things: will they cooperate and stabilize the oil and gas industry, easing speculators? Or will they not, as we're forced to bomb their reactors? And will North Korea become more of a threat at the same time? And what effect will these turn of events have on our booming economy?

The Justification Of Pre-Emption

Think the U.S. is the only country that 'goes it alone' in the face of terrorism and general threats to security? Think again. Japan, disappointed by slow multilateral talk progress, is now considering taking out North Korea's guided missile bases in a pre-emptive motion. It's quite simple, really:

"If we accept that there is no other option to prevent an attack ... there is the view that attacking the launch base of the guided missiles is within the constitutional right of self-defense. We need to deepen discussion," Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said.

Same justification reason - among several others - used by U.S. led Coalition forces to rightly invade Iraq and kick Saddam out of power by force. International talks with an immature dictator down to UN sanctions failed in that example too. "Well, somebody's got to do something if that didn't work for some reason... it's not like the problem just went away," would be my thinking. There seems to be a pattern here... a pattern of common sense used by more nation than one.

America's stance toward enemies like North Korea isn't hard-line enough (likely because our hands are more tied than ususal at the moment one might assume), much like our stance toward 'Palestine'. So countries much closer logistically like Japan and Israel are taking matters into their own hands to step up offences to protect themselves, and at least consider pre-emption if not practice it in the present. And for politics and public relations internationally, it's a boon for The Bush Administration, Tony Blair and others, to show that we're not the only ones out there with seriously high regards about self-defence for the sake of our citizens and other people around the world. When diplomacy absolutely fails, you don't just give up. Unless you're a pansy-ass liberal, pre-emption is naturally the next step taken. Duh.

Such a strike by Japan, could actually save American lives this time around.

Chew on that...

Japan Considers Strike Against N. Korea