Oh, if we're counting unintentional deaths, that's a different story.
They may not have been deliberate, in the sense of "I want those people dead", but they were certainly intentional. The effects of radiation poisoning have been known for a long time.
I just see the current nuclear standoff as basically absurd.
I do too. But the absurdity is what scares me. The US' desperation has gone so far that we're likely to see nuclear war with small potatoes "rogue states" whereas two decades ago it took a global superpower to bring us this close to the brink. I shudder to think of what will happen when China starts to flex, or when the EU becomes more independent.
On the one hand, you've got a known psychopath who has already killed a bunch of people running around with a machine gun. And people freak out because a dude who's been charged with assault a few times procures a pistol. Obviously, we don't have either guy to be armed, but it doesn't much change the balance of power.
I understand what you're saying, but I try not to let anti-imperialist doctrine cloud my thinking. Kim is every bit the psychopath that Bush is, and probably has a lot less influence to keep him from doing something really stupid (like confronting the most powerful state in human history, for instance).
Not only do I not want North Korea to have nuclear weapons for their own sake, and for ours, I don't want them to have nuclear weapons for fear of the US' response. Both states are far too unpredictable, and both are increasingly desperate.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-10-10 07:32 pm (UTC)I do too. But the absurdity is what scares me. The US' desperation has gone so far that we're likely to see nuclear war with small potatoes "rogue states" whereas two decades ago it took a global superpower to bring us this close to the brink. I shudder to think of what will happen when China starts to flex, or when the EU becomes more independent.
I understand what you're saying, but I try not to let anti-imperialist doctrine cloud my thinking. Kim is every bit the psychopath that Bush is, and probably has a lot less influence to keep him from doing something really stupid (like confronting the most powerful state in human history, for instance).
Not only do I not want North Korea to have nuclear weapons for their own sake, and for ours, I don't want them to have nuclear weapons for fear of the US' response. Both states are far too unpredictable, and both are increasingly desperate.