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May 18, 2005
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North Korea: nuclear threat
Sam Krause
The Clackamas Print
For a long time now, North Korea has
been a threat to the United States, its own
citizens and the world.
North Korea has been building its nucle
ar arsenal since 1993, according to the
C.I.A. Now, in 2005, it is rumored that
North Korea now has six nuclear weapons
and they are ready to test.
South Korea, Russia and China tend
to side on a lenient approach to the threat
North Korea poses.
South Korean officials who have met
with the hostile nation, and claim „North
Korea has no plans to test any nukes. But
even Ministers and state-controlled media
outlets in North Korea have neither denied
nor admitted to any wrongdoing.
Nevertheless, U.S. satellite images show
construction equipment in the northeast
area of the country. U.S. intelligence specu
lates that North Korea may be planning
underground tests of nuclear devices.
I don’t know about anybody else, but
why in die world would the United States
redeploy troops stationed at the demili
tarized zone on the 38th parallel to Iraq?
More so, why does the Bush administra
tion downplay any problems that might be
occurring within North Korea?
Using George W. Bush’s own plan of
action (according to the Bush doctrine), dog, estimates that about a quarter of North
we should already be in North Korea; not Korea’s population has been killed or
only that, but North Korea is part of the starved to death by the Democratic People’s
president’s “axis of evil.”
Republic of Korea.
But where is the president spend
The chairman of Korea’s National
Defense Commission (the highest
ing the United States’ time,
money and energy? The
position of authority in North
Korea), Kim Jong H, has
answer, of course, is
been the direct or indi
the Middle East
rect contributor to
and the War on
his people’s suffer
Terror. Oil and
ing. Kim labels
profits
are
people with the
worth more
level of political
than us, the
threat they are
meager sta
I to the govem-
tistic read to
| ment, making it
Geòrgie at
nearly impos
9 p.m. after
sible for those
he hasn’t
labeled to get
read
the
work.
Presidential
The govern
Daily
ment at one time
Briefing.
sported the pur
Besides,
chase of over 500
North Korean
Mercedes-Benz,
missiles will be
and they have a use
able to reach the
less army that has more
Blue States before
they will ever be Illustration by Jeff Sorensen Clackamas Print than 1 million troops.
Food, money, and petro
able to reach the
leum given in aid to North Korea have been
nation’s capital or New York City.
More than just a threat to the United recklessly dolled out, ill spent and wasted
States, North Korea has been the cul by the country’s upper class and govern
prit of serious human rights violations. ment officials.
But wait, there’s more! North Korea has
Globalsecurity.org, an international watch
High cafeteria prices call
for desperate measures
rush, the objects within usually aren’t more
than 15 minutes old. Yummy.
The other criticism I hear is that I don’t
| The Clackamas Print
know what people have done to the food.
“Oh, gross dude! Someone could have
I like just about everything at the cafeteria totally spit in that!” they say.
here at Clackamas. Quality, selection, ser
I have never in my life seen anyone spit in
vice, cleanliness - it’s all there, but one thing their food and then throw it away.
I don’t like is the prices. Luckily, I’ve found
A lot of people who eat leftover food
a great (and perfectly legal) way to enjoy describe themselves with hipster terms such
cafeteria food without the steep prices.
as “freegan” or “dumpster diver,” but I will
Now don’t get me wrong, because I think just as readily answer to “guy who eats out
the staff at the cafeteria does a terrific job, of the garbage.” Likewise, these people will
but I’ve never felt the justification in some often imbue their garbage-eating tenden
of their prices. About midday, though, with cies with political and social commentary,
hunger gnawing at me, not enough change in bandying about statistics of how much food
my pocket, and Haggen’s a long walk away, Americans waste and how many people in
I’ve got to eat something. What’s a strapped- the world die of starvation. That’s all fine
for-cash college student to do? Well, I’ll tell and dandy, but in the end it comes down to
you what I do:
me being hungry. Free food in the garbage =
I eat out of the garbage.
full stomach.
Yeah, you heard me. I rummage through
Actually, I do happen to agree with these
the garbage at the cafeteria and eat people’s “freegan” folk. The United States is the most
leftover food. OK, honestly I don’t do that gluttonous, slovenly nation on the planet, but
every time; sometimes people just leave their I’m not going to discourage you from throw
food on the table for me to eat. Hey, I’m not ing away your tray of french fries. More for
picky.
me, right?
It’s not like I eat food
people have chewed on
either. Taking a peek at the
garbage bins during lunch
reveals trays of uneaten, and
most likely untouched, finger
foods like french fries, onion
rings, and chicken tenders. *
It’s a veritable goldmine of
free food, and it’s all mine for
the taking.
I can already envision the
reactions of most people who
are reading this:
“That’s totally disgusting.
You are eating out of the
GARBAGE.”
Society has this really
weird stigma about the gar
bage; everybody believes that
for some reason a garbage
can, even with a fresh plas
tic garbage bag, is infinitely
dirtier than its surroundings.
If something merely grazes
the liner of a garbage bin, it
is forever banished. I pro
claim that a garbage bin is
only as dirty as the objects
inside it! And considering
the garbage bags in the caf
eteria are changed with high
Photo illustration by Shannon Armstead
frequency during the lunch
4^.
and Jeff Sorensen Clackamas Print
been a trafficker of many different
ics to the world, using diplomatic ù
nity as a means of protection, especial
China, Japan, Taiwan, and the Russia,
East. Many of their government ofl
have been apprehended with volum
amounts of Rufinol, heroin, or met
phetamines.
Now sit back and take all this inf
tion in. What is the difference behveei
andNorth Korea? Answer: the United!
knows that North Korea has nuclear
bilitics and Iraq was no immediate |
For Christ’s sake, people are dying b
millions; political leaders live lives ofl
parties, private casinos and anything
could ever possibly want, while the avi
North Korean has to bow the propaj
and worship a leader that oppresses
just to get their pittance of rice.
Don’t get me wrong, Iran has the p
tial to build nuclear weapons, but at
they let the International Atomic Er
Agency in for inspections. North J
booted their inspectors out years ago
with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Tt
and has been unnervingly uncooperati
the Six Party Talks.
The priorities of our country aren’t
pletely skewed. Bush has an opportun
do something right. All these morals
Geòrgie Boy likes to preach from the]
would come in perfectly for this sita
Safety is our duty, as Americans, tt
world.—
Letter to the editor
Filibuster needed tool to keep
majority in check
GJ Ciaramella
I
I am writing in response to last week’s commentary pi
dece by
Shannon
annon Armstead entitled “Filibuster needs to go ‘nuclei ;ar.’”
In the piece, Shannon refers to the filibuster as a “fickle tech-
nicality.” Though she is correct in stating that it is based off of a
rule that allows a senator to have the floor as long as they wish,
it has developed as a senate tradition for a reason. It is the only
tool that the minority party has for stopping the majority party
from doing whatever they see fit. In our last election, 51 percent
of people voted Republican. This is only a very slight major
ity. If there was no filibuster, then the majority in the House
of Representatives and Senate would be able to pass any laws
requiring only a simple majority. This would mean that nearly
half of our citizens would have no effective representation in
Congress.
Quite possibly, in the next four years, up to four out of the
nine Supreme Court judges will be chosen to serve. These judg
es, most likely, will be with us for the remainder of their lives.
Needless to say, it is a crucial decision for whom to appoint to
these positions. If we are to let the majority party decide, then,
again, 49 percent of Americans will have no say in this.
What the filibuster does is allow the minority party to exclude
those who they think are too radical. Remember, the presi
dent nominates the judges while the senate confirms them. So
regardless, the Republicans will be able to appoint a judge they
approve
rx
- of.
When you completely silence the minority party, you get dan
gerously close to something that Alex de Tocqu*
Tocqueville called “the
tyranny of the majority.” We should not allow huge decisions to
...t.:— of the majority, ...1.
.
majorj(y jn
be left up to the whim
whoeve
power might be.
Randy Thrall
CCC student
■
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