Green Light. . . Green Light! . . . GREEN LIGHT!!!!

Once again, the United Nations, and to a lesser extent NATO, are proving just how worthless they really are. Consider that their stated goals are to provide peace and human dignity. For the UN that means the globe and for NATO that means North America and Europe. Incidents like the Rwandan genocide and the Darfur attempted genocide are just recent examples of how badly these groups are at achieving their stated goals.

The Korean situation is just the latest example.

For over 50 years, South Korea and the United States have been subject to the whims of a madman running the North. This alone is reason enough to go in and take him out but the question must be asked. Aren't the humanitarian reasons enough of a reason to go in there? Every defector that is lucky enough to make it out of there reports rampant starvation and lack of civilized living conditions. Cannibalism and infant death are terms frequently used. Nobody really knows how bad things are in there because the Communist government has somehow managed to impose a communication barrier that worked better than any other that's ever been tried. Probably easier to do when the country hasn't imported any new technology since 1945.

Fate would seem to have given the civilized world a perfect opportunity to ease the suffering of millions when North Korea for reasons known only to the Supreme Leader, sunk a South Korean military vessel, killing many sailors. The world now had a nation that was openly waging a war of attrition against it's own people, becoming outwardly aggressive in unpredictable and lethal ways all while holding the nuclear threat over the world's head. Surely a nation that was this poisonous to the human condition was the exact sort of problem the UN (and NATO given the role of the United States) was designed to handle. Starvation, genocide, nuclear proliferation, unprovoked aggression. It was all there, the perfect excuse to finally end this atrocity. The world's response?

chirp . . . . chirp. . . . . . chirp.

Nothing. Nothing at all.

South Korea says they won't take revenge for the attack. Some UN nations speak of sanctions. The North Koreans are starving to death already. Some reports show their million strong army sleeping during the day to stave off dying of starvation. What can you sanction? Kim Jong-Il's $ 1500 a bottle cognac? His palmade for that pompadour? Ridiculous.

Why has there been this disgraceful lack of leadership? The main reason is that China props up the 4th world country and they get a veto on the security council making the chances of UN approved military action nonexistent. At some point the rest of the world powers have to make a decision. They can either continue to hide their lack of action behind the dastardly Russian and Chinese veto in the security council or they can simply work outside that framework. Those two nations have very clearly poisoned the intent of the UN and they simply use their seat on the security council as their way of keeping the rest of the world away from their interests. If the UN or its members ever want to be taken seriously, if they care about human dignity at all, they have to finally break free the China/Russia ball and chain and finally make a difference. This would be the perfect place to start. Their army is starving on it's feet and has outdated weaponry. Even the French and Italians could kick ass through that defense.

And what of the United States? We certainly haven't heard anything from our reps in the UN. We could make a case for taking military action through the NATO framework since we have 39,000 troops in the line of fire in South Korea. Yet we hear nothing and the answer is at the very top of government. Outside of George W. Bush, we haven't had a President who was really willing to use the military since Nixon in Vietnam. Ford didn't really have time. Carter blew the whole hostage situation and its rescue attempt. Reagan was so busy with the Soviets he neglected to respond to attacks in the middle east. Bush I, pulled up short in the first Iraq war, ignored terrorist attacks. Clinton was timid during the Black Hawk Down affair and non-existent after it including during Rwanda. Bush II, used the military liberally. Now we have Obama who has clearly stated he has no interest in using the military for any reason. He barely wants to continue the Afghan war which was the war even Democrats got behind in the elections. The good war. No way is he going to commit combat troops to a Korean conflict even though 39,000 of them are already there and the enemy is weak.

Looking at the situation, it's hard to blame South Korea for this mess. The world community assured the South that they would keep the peace. Troops were put on the front lines and big talk was given by world leaders. Now, South Koreans are dead for no reason and millions of North Koreans are simply running out the clock until they starve or freeze to death. As has been the case so many times before the response has been insultingly quiet. All the civilized countries of the world, the United States included, need to either take meaningful action to stop this never ending atrocity or just admit to themselves and the world that they don't care about these types of human calamities around the globe. Never have and never will. That may finally expose humans as nothing more dignified than wild animals but at least it would be honest and prevent people from getting their hopes up in vain.