It's time to untie Korea from the US apron strings

South Korea sustains North Korea with food, currency, jobs. I guess these folks aren't really enemies any more. I say, its time to cut a deal.

The US should go to North Korea and provide this bargin: If you (North Korea) will sign a peace agreement with South Korea then the US will leave the Korean peninsula. Lot, stock, and barrel. Face it, the South is not going to really buy into the sanctions stuff.

Frankly, the xenophobic leader of the North depends on the largesse of the South to prop up his country. If the North attacks the South, all of that bounty goes by the wayside. That's better insurance than all of the US soldiers that we have along the 38th parallel.

The US needs to develop a different strategy other than either the Cold War approach or the preemptive strike doctrine of the current administration. There is a third option.

Shhh ... Here's how to get out of Iraq

The prize in Iraq is being able to brag that was able to kick the US out. This neighborhood is not kind to benign governments. The present government will never survive unless it is able to demonstrate strength against the occupiers.

So... its time for the US to take one for the team. What needs to be done is a bit of secret collusion with the Iraqi government to stage a way for that government to tell the US to leave, and that Iraqis will take care of Iraq. It needs to be a big production, full of indignation and resolve.

Remember Vietnamization? We attempted to do in Vietnam what are are suggesting in Iraq. But despite all of our efforts, the South Vietnam government could not produce the political juice of what it would take to survive.

If the US decides to leave (even if things appear to be stable), this government will fall, and the country will become a haven for terrorists. If the US is told to leave by the elected government, it may be possible for that government to generate enough enthusiasm to sustain it. It won't be pretty, and Iraq will have to slog it out for a while, but we may get a decent result from all of this grief. They should even have a national holiday for the day when the occupiers left.

But don't tell anyone!

Is this how Iraqis celebrate Ramadan?

Considering Ramadan (رمضان) is supposed to be a time to cleanse the inner soul and free it from harm, and that Muslims were supposed to refrain from anger, envy, greed, lust, sarcastic retorts, backstabbing and gossip, I found it curious that this month in Iraq was so bloodied by those professing to be adherents of Islam.

Perhaps the American elections were more important to them than their faith.

Small Voices Need To Be Heard

It would appear that the world is run by politicians, terrorists, xenophobic tyrants, pundits, media moguls, entertainers or haters of one group or another. True, these folks do make a mess of things for the rest of us. But perhaps it is time that we ought to stop acting like lemmings and take charge of things.

Let the small voices be heard!