The recent events in North Korea are unsettling to say the least, but I feel that when you take a few steps back there are some goods things that have shown themselves through this. What gain did NK possibly hope to achieve by conducting the missile test's they did? Other than show the world that their long range capability is still far off from being a sufficient threat to the US West Coast. Kin Jung Ill's only success through all of this was to garner the worlds attention. Which I feel is exactly what he wanted in the first place.

Bare with me for a moment. In the comparison between Iran and North Korea, there is something very different that shows up. Oil. Iran is sitting on 20%-30% of the worlds available oil supply while North Korea does not posses commodities anywhere close to that. Possibly whatever natural resources they once had more than likely have been consumed as a result of the trade and economic sanctions imposed on them over the years.

So here we have Kim Jung Ill watching CNN and seeing all the focus of the West set squarely on Iran, while they were relegated to a second tier role. What to do to get some of the spotlight. Conduct missile test to show that they are more of a threat than Iran is. Sure Iran is working towards getting nuclear weapons, but North Korea already has them. Sure Iran is trying to develop long range missiles that can reach Israel, but North Korea already has missiles that can go further (when the don't explode after launch).

It seems that America has inherited a spoiled child that gets angry when someone else starts getting Daddy's attention and throw a fit in the process. The good that I mention above is an a belief that the economic sanctions are actually working to force a change. If not a regime change, then at least forcing them to come back to the negotiating table. In the case of Iran, China and Russia will not agree to impose any sort of sanctions for fear of having their petroleum supplies interrupted. But China does not have the same situations with North Korea. In fact there was a direct command from China to North Korea to not test any of its missiles

We must not underestimate any intentions that they are displaying towards the US and the world. Regardless of common belief that Kim Jung Ill is a "nutter", I fell that only viewing him with this filter in place is a bad idea.

Well, hope there is room on the Bandwagon for one more.

Thanks to Hugh Hewitt, the guys at Powerline, Mary Katharine Ham, Austin Bay and to some extent James Lileks (not sure why), and all the other bloggers that I have read via links and whatnot.

Time to take a stand.

As I sit here contemplating what grandiose topic to discuss, one that will bring me to immediate prominence with those that have been blogging for years, I am lead to two thoughts. One, whom I kidding and two, every journey starts with one step. I used to groan at the motivational calenders and posters that seem to find themselves plastered on the inside of cube farms across the nation. You know, the ones with the eagle flying and some slogan about doing your best, or the one with the sail boat and some drivel about teamwork.

But the more that I think on this the more that I realize that the journey that I am on is not just one of my own, but rather one that interacts and intersects with everyone around me. From my family and friends I go to church with, to those that I come into contact with at work. And I have two choices before me, I can remain standing in the same area that I am and watch the world pass me by, or I can get up and start walking.

I hope to be able to use this blog as a guide as well as a point of reference to where I have been and who I have met along the way.

So, here goes the first step...