Just after I get done complimenting Oh My News for actually writing a decent article which is posted below, I click on the next story and read this:

President George W. Bush is regarded by many as a quasi-fascist dictator. This is thanks to both his domestic policy, in which the state assumes it has to right to spy on all citizens for whatever reason, and to his foreign policy, encapsulated in his infamous “war on terror” campaign.

For those with some interest in history, his quick stopover in Hungary last week further enhanced this image, as his visit to Budapest seemed to mimic that of Hitler to Paris 65 years ago. Not only were both visits very short, but the locals were also kept well away. In essence, the streets were completely deserted; it was like a visit to a ghost town.

People this is why Oh My News is garbage.  How in the world can anyone compare President Bush to Hitler?  I didn’t care much for the Democratic party but I would never compare them to Fidel Castro or other leftist dictators.  As those who read this blog regularly know, that I don’t really care for the Korean President Roh Moo-hyun either, but despite differences in opinion in how to handle North Korea, I would never compare him to Kim Jong-il.  Plus the domestic “spy” program is not for spying on all citizens for whatever reason as claimed.  The program is only for phone calls entering and exiting the US from suspect phone numbers.  The government is not listening to someone from California talking to Aunt May in Oklahoma.  For example if a military unit in Iraq finds a sattelite telephone number after a raid in a terrorist’s address book, that number will be logged by the NSA who will then listen to any calls from that number entering into the US.

Articles like this one are absolute garbage.  I didn’t even bother reading the rest of the article because reading these first two paragraphs tells me that whatever else the author is writing is probably also exaggerated and untrue.

Well at least someone likes Kim Jong Il these days.  I have to agree with the Chosun, I don’t think they plan on talking about a kimchi export agreement:

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a fierce critic of the United States, said Saturday he will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. Observers speculate that ideas for cooperation between the two countries could include an oil-for-missiles deal.

Chavez, who has mentioned plans to visit North Korea several times, told reporters the trip would be about bilateral agreements in technology and science. He did not specify a date.

Oil for missiles.  I wonder if the Democrats will come out and say we need to bomb Caracas as well?

Of course Marmot has more as well.

The US Air Force has a new toy to play with in Osan:

The U.S. Air Force has deployed an updated version of its U-2 spy plane in South Korea, but a military official said on Monday the move was previously planned and not related to a possible North Korean missile launch.

In recent days, U.S. officials have said evidence such as photographs from spy satellites indicated that North Korea might be preparing to test launch a long-range missile.  Washington and others have warned Pyongyang that such a launch would pose a grave danger to regional security.

A USAF statement said that an improved U-2S Dragon Lady had arrived at Osan Air Base in South Korea on June 14.

The Australian national soccer team is hoping to repeat the magic that the 2002 South Korean World Cup team used to beat Italy that year:

Few people gave the Koreans any chance of beating the Azzurri four years ago, but the co-hosts defied the odds by pulling off a miraculous 2-1 win with a golden goal.

The Socceroos are viewed as similar outsiders but coach Guus Hiddink, who was in charge of Korea in 2002, said there were some similarities.

“It’s difficult to compare these two games but from a starting point I think it might be the same in that they (Italy) are 100 percent favourites,” Hiddink said.

“The strong point about the Australian team is that even when we are down, and unfortunately we’ve been down in all our games at this tournament, the team always reacts and never gives the impression that it’s lost.

“That’s the main quality of this team.”

After watching the US play Italy I really hope Australia knocks them out.  Italy is bunch of actors and whiners who constantly flop and look for calls from the referee.  Then again most soccer teams do that too.

I posted last month about the News 21 team coming to Korea this month and speculation was made that they would write anti-USFK stories like past visiting journalists to the country.  Well they are in Korean and have been blogging way about their trip to Korea and have talked to many USFK leaders and soldiers, as well as seeing first hand last weekends protests at Daechu-ri, and even talking to anti-USFK leader Father Mun Jeong Hyeon.  Go check out their blog and draw your own conclusions.

Here is a article from the S&S remembering the World War II Battle of Okinawa worth checking out.  Over 14,000 US soldiers and Marines lost their lives fighting for that island.  Worse over 150,000 Okinawan civilians, a third of the island’s population lost their lives as well.

The Stars and Stripes is running an article featuring USFK servicemembers sharing their views of the current missile “crisis”.  Here is my favorite quote:

If it’s not on SportsCenter, I’m not going to watch it, said Spc. Travis Craven of the Special Troops Battalion headquarters company. You hear (saber-rattling) all the time. Why worry and have all this anxiety all the time when it never happens? If it does happen, then we’ll react.

You can always count on the E4 Mafia to tell it like it is.

The leftist environmental group Green Korea has now filed a lawsuit against the Korean government over the alledged USFK base pollution on the closed bases that USFK wants to hand over to the government.  Green Korea is suing to have the Korean government hand over all information concerning pollution on the closed bases.  Some of the “shocking” pollution charges are for example higher than normal lead levels were discovered on a firing range!  Can you believe it?  Higher lead levels on a firing range, who would of thought that?  Or that benzene levels in the ground have been found to be higher in areas where there a motor pools and maintenance bays.  Absolutely shocking I tell you.

Now before you starting jumping up and down and demanding that USFK should clean up this “shocking” pollution remember that the Koreans agreed to the clean up costs knowing full well that a rifle range would have higher lead levels and are now backtracking on a signed agreement:

Army officials boil the issue down to two main points: money and sticking to an agreement.

When the base handover agreements were completed by a previous South Korean government, that government agreed to take the land ¿as is,¿ including all buildings and infrastructure at no cost, military officials have said.

Further cleanup efforts beyond what the United States already has done should be handled by the South Korean government as ¿the price of peace,¿ some Army officials say.

USFK has even offered to conduct more clean up on the bases than what the military is even obligated to do:

In an interview earlier this year, USFK commander Gen. B.B. Bell told Stripes that the U.S. sought to compromise, offering to remove all underground fuel tanks on all camps and underground water table remediation on five camps. South Korean officials rejected the offer, Bell said.

This whole base pollution is issue is simply about just keeping the issue alive and simmering while the Camp Humphreys base relocation issue also continues to simmer.  It is not about the environment.  These groups are hoping that eventually if they can keep enough issues simmering that they can continue to demagogue to death to the Korean public than maybe eventually the Korean public will in mass come out against USFK and the Camp Humphreys base relocation.  These groups don’t care about the environment in Korea.  If they did they would be running a Trash Tuesday awareness program instead of Nomad.

It is all about stopping the base consolidation and the pollution issue is just a tried and true tactic to bash USFK with.  If the base consolidation is stopped, you can pretty much kiss the US-ROK alliance goodbye.  The US will not stand for the current status quo in Korea.

For those who have been stationed in Korea can tell you, the USFK camps are like an oasis of green and trees in a polluted urban jungle in Korea.  In fact there has been speculation to turn Yongsan Garrison in Seoul into Seoul’s “Central Park” once it is closed down.  I don’t think the city government would consider turning a polluted trash heap into a park.

The Korean War started 56 years ago and is being commemorated by US Forces Korea.  Also the South Korea has finally come out and debunked Bruce Cummings theory that South Korea actually started the war by invading North Korea.

The study published ahead of the 56th anniversary of the Korean War by Prof. Jung Byung-joon of Mokpo National University is titled, “The Korean War: Confrontations at the 38 parallel and the formation of the War.” It concludes that the Korean War started indeed as a sudden surprise invasion of the North in accordance with a directive from Stalin. The academic says the Haeju attack had been drawn up as part of regular defensive planning in March 1950 by the Korean Army in accordance with Operation Command 38. The directive ordered a decisive offensive to the north of Haeju to disperse North Korean forces if they attacked in the direction of Seoul but was not an order for a preemptive attack on North Korea.

Basically Cummings believes that this contigency plan that the South Korean military had drawn up was executed on the morning of June 25th, 1950 thus provoking a North Korean counter attack.  Militaries draw up contingency plans all the time to deal with possible scenarios that may occur.  Documents from the former Soviet Union have clearly showed that Stalin ordered the attack plus military records from North Korea clearly show that the North Koreans in fact started the war with a highly organized invasion plan.  The South Korean government did try to execute the Haeju plan after the North Korean attack but it failed because the units in that area of the DMZ had already been crushed by the North Koreans.

Refugees Flee Across the Han River After the Start of the Korean War

Lost in all of this which no one should forget is the extreme loss of life from the Korean War:

In the three years, one month and two days until the armistice was signed, some 149,000 South Korea troops, 294,000 North Korea troops and 36,000 allied troops from countries including the U.S., the U.K. and Turkey died in the Korean War. The war also claimed some 244,000 South Korean and 406,000 North Korean civilians. More than 1,000,000 civilians are still missing.

If you haven’t been to Korean War Memorial in Yongsan before, now is a good time as any to see this outstanding musuem and learn more about the Forgotten War.

UPDATE:  Well Korea is officially gone, France beat Togo 2-0 and is moving on to the round of 16.

______________________________________________________________________________________

It sucks that both the US and Korea have been pretty much knocked out of the World Cup.  Korea was just defeated by Switzerland 2-0.  They played like crap and the Switzerland goal keeper played well and I have to say that it appeared the Swiss wanted the victory more.  I’m sure people are going to whine about the offsides call that wasn’t, which led to a Swiss goal, but I don’t think it matters because the Koreans couldn’t score one goal anyway.  With all the good calls the Koreans have been getting the last two World Cups they were bound to eventually get a call that went against them.

South Korea’s only chance to advance lies on Togo to defeat or tie France which isn’t likely.  If Togo allows Korea to advance I think the Korean government ought to give the Togo players the pay raise they have been demanding.  I doubt Dick Advocaat will be making to many more trips to Korea anytime soon though if Korea is eliminated.  I’m sure Guus Hiddink comparisons are being thrown around Korea at this moment.  Speaking of Hiddink, if Korea is eliminated I guess I will have to cheer on the Socceroos for now on instead.