My question is how come Obama hasn't spoken out publicly about this. The administration is saying they will pursue all possible channels, but that's it. I have to wonder if he talk real delicately to Kim Jong Il about this or if he'll let the U.N. handle it. If the U.N. handles it, that will take forever.
I don't see where anything can be done.
The US has become a toothless tiger and has no bargaining power.
Obama and the other politicians hope
that China will do something, impose some sanctions on NK, but we cannot MAKE China do anything because China now owns us!!
We have been humbled before the nations of the world as a super power, not just because of Obama, but because of decades of our elected leaders kowtowing to China in the interest of greed and free world trade.
Years ago, we should have taken a stand about human rights with China, but we never did, we just opened up the flood gates of free trade with them in spite of their human rights violations (Normal Permanent Trade Relations Status signed January 2002), all in the interest of greedy politicians (both sides of the aisle) and now here we are. :tear:
Its a shame, but you're probably right about that. I just have to wonder, North Korea described them as committing a "grave crime". If they are being convicted on entering a country illegally, wouldn't NK want them out of their country? It would make sense. I think they are being used as human barganing chips.
Rather than relying on China to negotiate their release, I would sooner use South Korea. At least we have a much better relationship with them than the Chinese.
Do you all remember a couple of years ago when Laura Ling's sister, Lisa Ling, went to North Korea posing as part of a medical team to treat people's cataracts?
I do.
I saw her report on television and it was horrible.
Her work with National Geographic in exposing the atrocities going on in North Korea were a revelation to a lot of people.
I remember watching the people who could now see because of having their cataracts removed bowing and worshipping the pictures of their government leaders.
I know that Kim Jong-il has a larger agenda by doing what he's done with these two American reporters, but a smaller agenda he has is spitting in the face of Lisa Ling - who cast him in a very bad light to the rest of the world.
I'm sure that Al Gore can afford to cough up several million dollars to bribe Il to release the two reporters. The only downside to that is if he pays more money, then the North Koreans will have more money to play with to build more nukes.