US Media Keeps Hyping Phony Korean Missle Threat

US Media Continues to Hype Phony No. Korean Missile Threat

Karl Rove isn't the only one sitting (as Murtha so aptly put it) "on his fat-backside" in an air-conditioned office taking up space that could be much better utilized. Take the mainstream media "journalists" and "editors" who can't even be bothered to take 30 seconds to do a simple kilometers to miles conversion or (heaven forbid!) three minutes to do an Internet search that would net some useful background info.

Instead, the entire scenario being fed the public is based on dark, unsubstantiated "predictions" by Bush's operatives in the State Department, notably Thomas Schieffer, the ambassador to Japan. Schieffer is one of Bush's bestest good ole boy pals. This is from his biography: "In 1989, Ambassador Schieffer was an investor in the partnership led by George W. Bush and Edward W. (Rusty) Rose that bought the Texas Rangers Baseball Club. He was designated as Partner-in-Charge of Ballpark Development in 1990. In January 1991, he was named President of the Club reporting directly to general partners Bush and Rose. He was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the club as well as the building of The Ballpark in Arlington, Texas. When Bush was elected Governor of Texas in 1994, Ambassador Schieffer assumed Bush's duties as General Partner. " So what better guy to hype your latest lies?!

Bush has been handing Schieffer porky "pay off" jobs for which he is totally unqualified ever since 2001. For example, his first Bush reward job was as Ambassador to Australia, where he "coordinated efforts in the war on terrorism, Afghanistan, and Iraq, working closely with Bush's other good pal, PM John Howard. Schieffer was named Ambassador to Japan (a coveted cush job) in April, 2005. Here's a 2004 photo of Bush and Schieffer pallin' around at Prairie Chapel Ranch.

http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101040112/bushranch/7.html

What better guy to pick to make statements like the following when ya need 'em: North Korea is continuing to fuel a long-range ballistic missile could launch it at the US "at almost anytime!!!!!!

http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/international/news/20060619p2g00m0in016000c.html

And of course, while the totally unqualified Schieffer is one of the big sources for this "BE VERY AFRAID" Bush campaign, the media is totally ignoring input from people who acutally know what they are doing - like the real experts (not Rummy and crew, of course!) in the Defense Dept.

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=1874542&C=airwar

So even though the Taepodong-2 missle ALLEGEDLY under development (not to the launchable point) by North Korea has a range of at most 6,000km - which is 3,728 miles - and can only carry a light payload with a pretty poor accuracy, here's what the US media have concluded: North Korea is preparing to launch a missile at the US capable of hitting the mainland. A conclusion that is half conjecture (the "launch" is based on the siting of a trailer that may or may not have carried a missile and evidence of a partly constructed launch pad), half totally wrong (the only part of the US that the Taepodong 2 missile could hit with reasonable certainty is Alaska. It could hit Hawaii, but experts say it might even have trouble hitting Japan, given its accuracy. But if you just go with 6,000 kilometers and pretend its miles, you can also pretend the missile could hit Seattle (about 5,180 miles from Seoul).

So with the White House and its goons in the media trumpeting headlines like this, it is little wonder that North Korea is now making statements like this: ""The Korean army and people will do their best to increase the military deterrent with sharp vigilance to cope with the moves of the US, which is hell-bent on provocations for war of aggression on the DPRK ( Democratic People's Republic of Korea)"

In short, Bush, using the media, is trying to create a "standoff" where there is none. The whole idea is to create an alternative "crisis" to Iran, which doesn't seem to be working out for him the way he'd hoped. And, as always, the media is right there to help him out, NO QUESTIONS ASKED