This is more of a rant, based on the fact that I am a college student, of the younger generation, and thoroughly upset at the American (and international) Music Industry. First they ban Xerox machines. Then they ban Mp3 downloading. Then they go after Guitar Tabs and Lyrics. Now, they're going back to their roots - assaulting people who "illegally" download files via file-sharing networks. 8000 people in fact - mainly uploaders who upload files to websites so they can be "illegally downloaded."

Now, don't get me wrong. I believe in the rule of law like any conservative. And as such, I do not condone the downloading of "illegal" music files. However, I believe the law is stupid, and that something should be done to change the law - something that doesn't involve breaking it at present.

I can somewhat understand the argument for Mp3's and Xerox machines - although admittedly the bans will never work, because people will just do what they want to anyway. Tell a bunch of teenagers not to do something, and they most assuredly will. It's just dumb.

So, while I'm not advocating breaking the law, I'm advocating changing the law. The current laws about Music do no justice to the fans of music, and to those who would like to become more engrossed in their music experience by playing some of their favorite tunes on their own.

That, and copyright laws are stupid. At present, I believe it is about 50 years after death that copyright on material will finally expire. When this country was founded, it was 10 years after copyright when the copyright expired - unless a new lease was gained. In the modern world, 10 years is a bit too short. But 50 years post mortem? What does that accomplish? And why should dead people have rights to things?

Argh.

Japanese and South Korean officials announced today that rogue nuclear power North Korea may be preparing a second test. This comes after sanctions were passed at the UN calling for the disarmament of North Korea, and their return to the negotiating table.

This also comes after American intelligence finally confirmed that the blast was indeed nuclear. However, it is also apparent that the blast was either a misfire, or a very weak nuclear weapon. No nuclear weapon has ever been detonated at less than a kiloton of explosive power - that is until the NK nuke was launched.

This would give them two motives for a second test. The first, is to defy the United Nations and show that they do not care about sanctions (which they have already begun doing by claiming the US is involved in an "act of war" against North Korea. The second reason, would be to develop an even stronger nuclear weapon - an even greater danger for the US and the "international community."

The Japanese expressed concerns over events that prompted them to cast a "very sensitive eye on the matter," as one Japanese official put it. South Korean officials have seconded their concern, echoing that North Korea may be preparing for a second attack.

Right. I haven't posted in a few days because I've been busy with a paper I'm writing, but now I'm back. I'm glad the UN passed a resolution unanimously against North Korea, though I am unhappy that it did not authorize military force in case of non-compliance, and I am frustrated that our supposed "allies" on this matter, South Korea and China have already stated they will not enforce the embargo against North Korea, because - get this - they fear the North Korean navy... North Korea can't even feed their own people. They are a bankrupt nation, and all their existing funds go to fund nuclear weapons, or other fetishes of Kim Jong Il. Just how tough can their Navy be? I'm sure a well armed Chinese battleship would easily deter a North Korean attack.

The truth is, this is the final chance for the UN. If they cannot deal with North Korea correctly, then we absolutely cannot trust them to deal with Iran when the time comes. Indeed, we may not be able to trust them now, but I am open to the possibility for their redemption. However, they must act, and they must act swiftly and harshly to totally cripple North Korea. If they cannot, then the resolutions will be worthless.

Russia and China collectively announced today that they oppose the tough sanctions the US has called for in dealing with a nuclear North Korea. Furthermore, they say they want time to work out more "moderate" responses to NK's nuclear grandstanding.

China, of course, opposes any mention of Chapter 7, which can be used to authorize economic sanctions, military actions, and naval blockades. China and Russia would rather see sanctions designed to halt North Korea's weapons programs, specifically their nuclear weapons programs.

They further object to the wide range of economic sanctions imposed on North Korea, as well as a provision authorizing (but not requiring) the inspection of all imports and exports to and from North Korea. They are concerned that this would lead to military responses by the North - something they don't want.

US Ambassador to the UN, John Bolton got it right: "We're certainly in favor of keeping all the diplomatic channels open, but we also want swift action, and we shouldn't allow meetings, and more meetings to be an excuse for inaction," he said earlier today.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin had this to say: "The international community will easily understand if on the matter of this gravity and importance, the Security Council will take a few more days to have a reasoned and united response to the challenge we face from this explosion in North Korea."

I'm sorry Mr. Ambassador - but I'd rather see a response now. The "international community" doesn't have time to waste here with worthless meetings that amount to nothing. Haven't we had enough of that with Iran already? Do we need to have endless, worthless discussions with North Korea too? Didn't the lessons of Iraq and Iran teach you anything? Like, that rogue dictators will do what they want, and that they don't care at all about your dumb sanctions!?

Of course Churkin has to attack the US too, criticizing our characterization of North Korea as part of the Axis of Evil. Take this item: "And we know that in this problem, in this part of the world, some strong statements made by others than the Security Council have hurt the entire thing and have aggravated matters. So we do not want to repeat this on the level of the Security Council."

The "High level of the security council?" A dead toad has a higher level of diplomatic integrity than the Security Council does. North Korea is part of the Axis of Evil, and the fact that they are a rogue regime with nuclear weapons proves it. They are evil - and they have nukes. Now is not the time to stand around discussing angry letters that we can send to North Korea. Action must be taken, and it must be done now before it is too late (if it isn't too late already).

The US has begun to circle a draft resolution against North Korea. The resolution will authorize non-military sanctions only, caving to a key demand by the Chinese, who do not want conflict near their borders.

It would however, allow for sanctions such as economic penalities, breaking of diplomatic relations, and banning air travel for members of the Korean government and their families. So, the resolution is not a total loss, because it does provide for some element of harsh measures against the North Korean government.

Unfortunately, the resolution does not implement the arms embargo the US has been pushing for. This, to me, is an extreme failure. Think about it - why would any power sell North Korea weapons? They are a rogue nuclear power? Why should selling them weapons be an issue at all? The weapons will, of course, make them more dangerous - why should any power be against it?

But then again, China is - they do not want a total arms embargo to North Korea. This definitely raises some important questions about the Chinese - and where their loyalties lie. Or rather, it proves that the loyalty of China, is above everything else, to China. Now this is fine under most circumstances (and the same is true with most other nations), but because China is looking only exclusively for its own interests, they will never implement policies that, though they may hurt China in the short run, will benefit not only China but the world in the long run.

This is the difference between China and the United States. The US is willing to take a short-term loss, in order to secure a long term gain. This is why we have survived, and this is why we are a superpower. This is why we won the Cold War, and this is why we will eventually claim victory over islamic fascism.

The UN resolution, while not completely worthless, is far from the extremely tough resolution we have been lead to believe would be passed. It has a long way to go before it will meaningfully hurt North Korea - not that it will matter anyway. North Korea really doesn't care at all what the "international community" does.

This is a great story in the midst of Foleygate. Foley is a sick man, and an annoyance. He resigned from Congress, and is under investigation by both the legal system, and the House Ethics committee. What more could be asked for? What else could Foley, or anybody else do better than what has happened? They can't. This is the bottom line, but Democrats will not let it go - even though they fail to realize that there is no issue here.

Republicans share some of the blame. Even with a nuclear North Korea, something that should be on the forefront of every Republican Senator's mind going into the November elections, Foley is still being talked about. It's time to DROP FOLEY, and find something else to talk about. Foley resigned, and there is an investigation. That's enough.

The Democrats won't drop Foley, we know that. And that cannot be helped. The Republicans must come back with logical and well-reasoned arguments about important issues, like Immigration, Taxes, and the Global War on Islamic Fascism. The Republicans SHOULD NOT BE TALKING ABOUT FOLEY. There are much more important things for Republicans to talk about.

The continuous apologizing and promising investigations is not working. It is supposed to show the American people that the Republicans are not corrupt. Whether this is true or not is irrelevant. Most Americans believe politicians are corrupt anyway (myself included most of the time). The Republicans would be better served by pointing out why they are the better party on issues as wide ranging as Social Security reform, to warmaking. By continuing to bring up this Foley nonsense, the Republicans are only shooting themselves in the foot.

There is so much to talk about in these days leading up to the election - both domestically and internationally. The Republicans should step away from Foley, and start campaiging on the real issues. Above all, most Americans are sick of Foley. When the Republicans drop it, and the Democrats keep bringing it up, it will hurt Democrats.

But as long as Republicans continue to obsess over this issue, it will only hurt them. And with all the problems facing Republicans in November, drawing added attention to bad things is NEVER a good idea. The Republicans need all the help they can get - and Foley is not helping. The War on Terror helps. Immigration reform helps. Taxes help. But Foley does no good to anybody. GET OFF FOLEY.

Harry Reid is apparently caught up in an interesting scandal. The Senate Ethics committee is investigating him, and whether he failed to properly account for some interesting business deals - deals that allowed him to make $1.1 million windfall profits on property he doesn't even own.

Again, I do not see how there can be two sides to this story. Harry Reid got money from a property he doesn't own - essentially a gift of 1.1 million dollars. Then, he fails to report it properly. This is a mistake on his part, no question about it.

Reid reported the 2004 sale of the land as a personal sale, never mentioning the fact that he had sold the same piece of land for $400,000 in 2001. Furthermore, the deal was brokered by Jay Brown, an ex-casino lawyer whose name has surfaced this summer in congressional bribery investigations and ties to organized crime.

First off, why does Reid have any contact with these people? Secondly, why is he making money off property he doesn't own? Why can't I do that? I want to just make random millions off property I haven't owned for 3 years. It makes no sense - why is an investigation needed. There is simply no excuse for his behavior.

Now I'm not calling for Reid's resignation. He's an annoyance to be sure. He's a far-left partisan hack, and he's wrong on almost every issue. And now we see he's corrupt. But if we had him resign, how much of Washington would go with him? Who ISN'T corrupt? That's the bigger question. Now I'm also not buying into these theories that all politicians are evil.

In fact, I wouldn't even bring up this mess with Reid if it weren't for the Democrats and the left's insistence on dragging the Foley issue out over weeks until the election. I really don't care about either Foley or Reid. It's irrelevant. I care about the war on terror, and policies that help to win it. Yes, some senators and representatives are corrupt. The Representative is even a sick man. He resigned, and he's under investigation that's good enough for me. Reid is also under investigation - again, good enough for me. I don't personally care.

Except that the Democrats continue to bring up Foley. So the Republicans must not only counter with actual issues, we must counter with the Reid mess, because the Democrats will be absolutely scared to comment on the issue. You don't see them demanding Reid's resignation - even though Republicans forced Foley to resign.

I tell you, I would rather see the parties argue about the issues that are important to this country - like a nuclear armed North Korea, and how best to win the war on terrorism. All this nonsense about Foley and Reid is just headache producing, and it doesn't accomplish anything.

This is ridiculous. Many Democrats, in response to the recent nuclear provocations by North Korea, have called on the Bush administration to engage in direct talks with North Korea. They believe it is the easiest way to deliver a "forceful" message to North Korea, and the most likely way to get them to disarm.

This is baloney. It is too late to get North Korea to disarm. Once somebody has something, you cannot say "you cannot have that." Yes, we could take away their nukes, but this implies that we could get inside North Korea long enough to find and destroy their nuclear weapons - an unrealistic notion.

The proper course of action, would have been to stop North Korea before they acquired and successfully tested nuclear weapons. And who was president when NK was building its nuclear stockpile? You guessed it, Bill Clinton. Madeline Albright is seen smiling and shaking hands with Kim Jong Il - less than a year before KJI would totally flout the agreement and continue to test and develop nuclear materials.

Action should have been taken long ago to prevent NK from ever acquiring the tools necessary to create nuclear weapons. That it was not, is a serious problem, because now the world is forced to reap (once again) the consequences for Clinton's failed defense policies.

Talks with North Korea will not work. And it is certainly not the easiest way to deliver a forceful message. Indeed, the easiest way to deliver a forceful message is to scrap the message altogether, and focuse instead on forceful action. North Korea doesn't care about words. They don't really care about actions either, but at least the actions get something done. Nothing is accomplished with talks - and North Korea most certainly won't disarm now with a successful (or was it) test of a nuclear weapon.

The notion that we can talk with these people is one I guess I will never understand. It has no basis in reason or logic, or any other form of rational human thought. It makes absolutely no sense, to talk to terrorists. Kim Jong Il isn't a terrorist - he's a rogue dictator. However, we can't talk to him either, because he is so fanatical that he won't bother to listen.

And this is obvious to anybody who so much as spends 30 seconds learning about the man. He is mentally unstable (i.e. completely and unremittingly insane) and he is so fanatical that he will not modify his delusional positions regardless of any action taken against him.

With this in mind, the US should prepare for harsh measures against him, because even if he does not submit, he will still be hurt by tough sanctions, or military action (which, despite what the UN says, cannot be pulled totally off the table).

What the North Korean situation shows, above all, is the failure of diplomacy with terrorists and fanatics. They don't want to talk. They just want to do whatever it is they do - for terrorists, kill Americans and Jews. For Kim Jong Il, just.. grandstand. No matter what the US says, and no matter what the US does, they will not change or modify their position. So the only way to get them to stop, is to make it so they are unable to - by sanctions (a weak show of force), or military action (a strong show of force). The US must now choose between the two (and I pray to god that they choose between these two, and not some sissy alternative option).

That the North Koreans exploded something underground - a conclusion under dispute in the first minutes of the breaking story - is now beyond dispute. What is now up for dispute, is whether that explosion was a nuclear one or not.

Let's look at the facts. The first US explosion of an atomic bomb - that over Hiroshima in August 1945 - had the explosive power of 15 kilotons of TNT - enough to destroy almost an entire city instantaneously. The second bomb, that dropped on Nagasaki, had the equivalent explosion of 22 kolotons of TNT. The first Soviet bomb was equivalent to the Nagasaki bomb.

By comparison, the most powerful bomb ever detonated - Tsar Bomba - by the Russians, had an explosive power of 100 Megatons of TNT, however it was intentionally reduced before testing to 50 Megatons (that's 1,000,000 tons per Megaton, or 50,000,000 tons).

The North Korean test was sub-kiloton. It is estimated at being anywhere between 200 and 900 tons, which would make it an extremely weak bomb by nuclear standards - 30 - 50 times weaker than the first American & Soviet bombs.

So, there are ongoing questions about whether the North Korean "nuclear" test was really nuclear at all, or whether they faked it with conventional explosives - which could be done, though 500 tons of dynamite is a substantial amount.

If the US could prove that the test was faked, it would be a big boost to us worldwide. First it would help re-establish our credibility among the runaway nations of Western Europe. Second, it would prevent leftists from calling us warmongers. Also, it would totally destroy any remaining credibility North Korea thinks it has.

Whether the test was fake or not, the UN and the US should carry through with our sanctions, because it is the thought that counts. North Korea had every intetntion of being extremely provocative, whether they faked the test or not - and for that provocation, the US and the UN cannot sit lightly. They must collectively take action against North Korea regardless, in attempts to dissuade others from pulling similar stunts.

For my part, I'm starting to doubt the test was nuclear. US Intelligence has still not been able to confirm that the blast was indeed nuclear. And, with the exception of Russia, no nation has yet been able to confirm that the blast was nuclear. So, there is still the possibility that a nuclear explosion took place, but it is increasingly unlikely.

Regardless, action must be taken.

China today joined the other world powers, in calling for punishment against North Korea. Until now, China has been the staunchest ally of North Korea, supporting them financially, holding up their economy, and defending them on the world stage when other nations refused to do so.

"I think that there has to be some punitive actions." the Chinese ambassador to the United Nations said in a press conference today about North Korea.

It definitely seems that China has finally realized the threat posed by a nuclear North Korea, and has determined that it cannot afford to ignore this threat to both China and the rest of the world. The fact is, North Korea is extremely unstable, and could almost as easily attack China as anybody else. Nobody has any idea of precisely what North Korea is trying to do - including the Chinese, neghibors to the rogue nation.

Furthermore, the Security Council permanent members - France, Great Britain, China, Russia, and the United States - have all called for tough and quick sanctions, as have a host of other powers including South Korea and Japan. This is good, because the UN is more likely to get something done (something that will actually do some good, as opposed to the usual UN incompetence). This push for sanctions is in spite of the fact that only Russia has been able to confirm that the blast was indeed nuclear.

Unfortunately, neither nation (Russia or China) has yet said they support the use of military force. This is all well and good at the moment - China and Russia never support the use of military force for any reasonable action. However, if military force becomes the only viable solution sometime in the future (sooner rather than later at the rate things are going), they must be willing to support military action.

This will be the ongoing topic of international diplomacy in the next few weeks, and it is an extremely important issue. For me, it illustrates the UN's one final "final chance." Though the UN has had many "final chances" in its 58 - odd years, this one is truly the last straw. The UN was organized for just this purpose - world peace. An unstable, undemocratic, evil regime in control of the most destructive weapons in existance is definitely a threat to world peace. If the UN can resolve this situation adequately, then maybe they are not beyond redemption.

As such, I will withold my usual calls to send the UN to Haiti, until I realize that the UN will again fail.

I try to keep a positive outlook that the UN will succeed, but then I remember their miserable history, and I become discouraged. Maybe I'm putting my hopes in an unrealistic and false scenario - which, I will admit, is most likely the case. That said, I do hope that the UN can resolve this situation because the UN has a noble goal - it just does not work as an organization.

Iran, because of all the coverage North Korea has been receiving lately as a result of their proposed, and then completed nuclear tests, is anxious to get their name in the news again - and so they have issued an official statement about their theory of the tests.

"Not only did the United States not lift the sanctions it had imposed on North Korea, it even increased the diplomatic pressure. Such pressure finally led North Korea to conduct its nuclear test," Iranian state-run radio said in its broadcast today.

Their official statement clearly reflects one extremely important thing. It shows that Iran definitely supports North Korea. This is extremely troubling because Iran could get the atomic know-how from North Korea, and they would become a nuclear much sooner if that were the case. The fact that the Iranian statement so clearly reflects the North Korean's official statement is also troubling.

It clearly shows the alliance between North Korea and Iran - and this is something that should be stomped out by the US or the "international community," before it can come to fruition by sharing nuclear secrets. Iran must not be allowed to have the bomb. North Korea is the single greatest chance for Iran to acquire a weapon - or at least the technology to build one.

This cannot be allowed.

Bush announced this morning that he has talked to the leaders of Japan, China, and South Korea, and that they all reaffirmed their desire to see a nuclear-free North Korea. This news is important, because China had previously been North Korea's staunchest ally. Condemnation from their allies will certainly help the global cause to disarm North Korea.

Bush also said that the US is pushing for an extremely tough Chapter 7 resolution against North Korea, and the US seems to have support in this. Great Britain will certainly support the US, and China seems to be onboard (for the moment.) Russia as well seems to be in support of sanctions, though France has yet to release a statement (go figure).

Whether these countries will remain allied with us is for the future to tell, but at the moment they seem to be in support of harsh sanctions.

For their part, the North Korean's are playing the game of world opinion (and failing miserably, thank god.) North Korea's ambassador to the UN announced that the world should be applauding and congratulating North Korea on their efforts to "the maintenance and guarantee of peace and security in the peninsula and the region."

He also said that any UN resolutions passed against North Korea would be "useless," and that North Korea would not comply with anything passed. This requires the US and the UN to impose sanctions that North Korea cannot refuse. If we use the same empty rhetoric, and do not push for action, North Korea will get to squeak by - and perfect their nuclear program.

However, if the US and the UN can impose extremely tough sanctions - total embargo's, and a total blockade of anything exiting or entering North Korea, under punishment of military action should they refuse to comply - perhaps North Korea can be deterred.

Make no mistake - deterred and disarmed are totally different things. North Korea can be deterred from making war with the US, or any of the countless other nations in the immediate area. They cannot however, be persuaded to disarm. So, while diplomatic - albeit harsh diplomacy - measures can ensure that North Korea does not make war against other nations, it will go nowhere towards disarming North Korea.

North Korea will only be disarmed by a show of military force, one which the US and the UN must not be afraid to use, if only in limited amounts for the sake of disarming North Korea. Supposedly, North Korea has enough plutonium to make 6 to 10 atomic bombs. Well, one is out of the way, so that leaves 5 - 9 more. We cannot take the chance that a rogue nation with an insane leader is sitting atop 5 or more nuclear weapons - and developing delivery systems capapble of reaching the United States.

It is a chance we cannot afford to take.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Maps/10/125_40.php

The US has confirmed that there was indeed an earthquake in North Korea. The link above takes you directly to their site (link received courtesy of www.drudgereport.com ). US intelligence has still not confirmed the test, but now the US Geologic Survey has confirmed a quake at the exact time and the exact place the test was supposed to have occured.

It is appearing more and more likely that North Korea has successfully tested a nuclear weapon - and this is a serious problem.

More updates coming. 

A little bit more breaking news in the last 45 minutes. South Korea has issued several reports.

-They say there was a magnitude 3.6 tremor detected - reliable evidence of an underground nuclear explosion. Here's the link.

- North and South Korea say that China was given a 20 minute warning, and that China passed this on to the US. The US has confirmed this story, that China was indeed given a 20 minute morning.

- The US has still not confirmed the test, though evidence is mounting that it did indeed take place.

- South Korea has raised its military alert level. This could signal the beginning of an arms race. Japan too will likely start arming itself.

- North Korea claims that the test will "Contribute to defending the peace."

What peace? The peace has been defended for 50 years, since the Korean War was over. And the US has been responsible for this, not North Korea. This is likely to do anything BUT make peace.

North Korea announced that it has successfully tested a nuclear weapon underground today. This story is breaking - barely 10 minutes old. The US has failed to verify this story at the moment, but South Korea independently verified that the test took place - the US is still working on it. NK previously announced that they would test a nuclear weapon this weekend because of the immintent threat posed by the US. There were many arguments over the weekend whether North Korea would actually follow through with the test.

The UN took an unusually tough stance on North Korea late last week, when they called for NK to immediately halt its nuclear testing, or face consequences. The US too warned North Korea of the dire consequences should they test a nuclear weapon.

I want everybody reading this to understand the utmost gravity of the situation. I was almost ready to fall asleep - I have to get up early tomorrow morning, and there are sick people in the house. This story is so incredibly important that I got out of bed to type this post - and I'll probably be up a good portion of the night following the news and learning what North Korea has done.

This test makes North Korea a nuclear power. Since it is led by Kim Jong Il, an insane maniacal dictator (and communist) North Korea having nuclear weapons is even worse then Iran having weapons. North Korea can now open up the war again with South Korea - and hence the United States. If North Korea can develop a missile to reach US soil, they could attack the United States directly - with a nuclear weapon.

The world must go into overdrive now. The UN cannot flounder this chance - they have waited too long with Iran. Now, we know they have waited too long with North Korea. Still, they must act as best they can to salvage the situation - or else the US must take action unilaterally. North Korea cannot be a successful nuclear power - they must be sent back, either by force or by "diplomacy."

Kim Jong Il cannot be allowed to control nuclear arms. North Korea is extremely dangerous already. If they have a nuclear weapon, it could spell a nuclear holocaust for the southeast Asia. Japan is in immediate danger, as is South Korea, and the US forces stationed there. China is also in the region, and though they are allies, generally, of North Korea, they too opposed the nuclear tests.

This is a preview of what is to come with Iran. The second Iran gets a nuclear weapon, imagine the current situation - 10 times greater. Iran is definitely the more dangerous power if armed with a nuclear power. At the moment, North Korea is more dangerous, simply because they have the bomb. Once Iran acquires it, it will become much more dangerous. How the world - and particularly the US - handles this situation will give us an idea of how the US and the world will handle the Iranian nuclear weapon. Hopefully, our leaders will learn from their mistakes, and increase their resolve to refuse Iran a nuke.

However, we must maintain a sense of doubt here. North Korea has announced they tested a nuclear weapon, as has South Korea. However, the US Geological Survey has detected no seismic activity - expected for an underground nuclear test. So, we are not positive North Korea has tested, it seems more likely then not - at least to me.

And if it has... I fear for the world. The US must lead the world and take a stance against North Korea. Sanctions won't do all that much good - the sanctions are already crippling the country. Imposing more won't cripple it much more - it will just waste resources. There has to be another solution, and it will likely involve military force. North Korea is a member of the Axis of Evil, and rightly so. Now that they have a nuclear weapon, they become the most dangerous and imminent threat on the globe.

This story is ongoing, and frequently updated. I will put up new posts each time more important information is available. Check back frequently for more information.

Sudan, if not a member of the Axis of Evil, certainly deserves to be a junior partner in the Axis. The horrific human rights abuses that are taking place there are the first (and hopefully only) genocide of the 21st century. Roughly 400,000 people have been killed in 3 years of deadly fighting, and yet still the "international community" does nothing.

The UN has said they will put a peacekeeping force in the region. This would be a good chance for the UN to redeem itself partially in the eyes of the world, but again they have failed. While promising 20,000 troops, the Sudanese government has said any entry by UN troops will be seen as a foreign invasion - yet amazingly, the government still claims it has nothing to do with the fighting that is going on there, and that they are working diligently to stop the violence.

The UN should force itself upon Sudan. 20,000 well-armed UN forces could go a long way to securing peace in the region. This is perhaps, one of few places where liberals and myself agree - the genocide in Sudan must stop. It has gone on far too long, and the "international community" is totally unable to do anything about it.

Which is why I believe the US should step in. We need not use many soldiers - we could have the UN do that. What we could do, is take out the helicopters and fighter jets that are being used by the Sudanese to slaughter their own people. This would eliminate the greatest tools the enemy has to slaughter people. The US could also attack the Sudanese rebels and anybody supporting them with airstrikes, while the UN peacekeeping force moves in to enforce peace in the region.

And the Sudanese government is totally complicit in this. They should be immediately kicked out of the UN, and given rogue-nation status until they shape up and help quell the violence. Considering UN troops foreign invaders is insane. I'm no fan of the UN, but one thing they are not is "invaders." Not only do they rarely go anywhere, but when they do, they are usually incompetent. This may be one situation where the UN might actually be able to do some good - if, like the other situations, they grow some balls and just do what needs to be done.

I'm definitely not a fan of Kofi Annan. He is a smarmy, untrustworthy, corrupt, and unable man, who cannot or will not allow the UN to do the job it is supposed to do. However, when he speaks of Sudan, he is largely on the right track - at least when he talks about the problems. As usual, he fails to propose any reliable solutions, but at least he got the nature of the problem right this time.

The situation in Sudan has grown bad enough that it must absolutely be dealt with, and I see the only solution as a forceable intervention into the country, either by the UN, or by the US. The US does not have the manpower for ground forces, so at the very least an alliance much be reached with another country to insert men into the region. US airpower is certainly more than adequate to eliminate many of the Sudanese rebels.