“The army and people of the DPRK will start a retaliatory sacred war of their own style based on nuclear deterrent any time necessary in order to counter the U.S. imperialists and the South Korean puppet forces deliberately pushing the situation to the brink of a war” – North’s National Defense Commission
Sacred: devoted or dedicated to a deity or to some religious purpose; consecrated. In the DPRK, the “deity” is Kim Jong-Il. Their official religion of Juche recognizes the father (Kim Il-Sung), the son (Kim Jong-Il) and “the revolutionary spirit.” Seriously.
Interesting that they have now dropped “nuclear” twice in the past 24 hours. To be honest, it sounds a little desperate. They may be showing their bluff hand a bit too soon here. Then again, it could be a cry for help. “Please come over here and kick the door in … we’re destroying our own people and we don’t know how to stop unless you make us.”
First off, I certainly hope we can get through this without any sort of nuclear exchange. Second, the degree of decay in the North is beyond measure. Everyone points out that they have a massive, spring-loaded retaliatory response readied against the South, including a significant artillery barrage of Seoul. Well that may be. But they probably haven’t tested many of their systems in quite some time – who knows if they even still work. I’d say there’s at least a mild chance that the DPRK lights off its “massive retaliatory response” and finds that it fizzles rather quickly. (Should that happen, it’s game over; as long as the Obama administration has the intestinal fortitude for the exchange. If you throw your best punch and miss, it’s open season.)
Then again, hostilities may also reveal a lack of commitment from DPRK troops. What are they fighting for? Friends & family who are starving back home? A government that puts itself ahead of everyone else – including them? They may just melt away from the battlefield.
In the South and the US we know what we’re fighting for. We know the blessings of freedom. Except for the privileged elites, we also understand the cost of not having freedom. We see it in images from the North. We hear it from refugees who have escaped. We hear tales from across the oppressed world through the missionaries we’ve sent. We have a reason to stand and fight – and it’s not vain self-interest.
Freedom at Bethsaida 