DEVELOPING: S.Korean ship sinking, torpedo by North suspected

Again, in our lifetime. Sorry for people like spnited who were alive in 1953.

I'm guessing by the name that Angus is not in his late 50s.

 

Forget 9-11. There are about 5,000 other events in my lifetime - ie., since 1975 - that have been bigger than this. Now, if it was a torpedo, and if it turns into an actual military confrontation and not just saber-rattling that's happened 200 other times the last 50 years between the countries, and if the U.S. gets involved and if it turns into a regional war, then, yes, it will enter the conversation.

 

Happened in 1976.

I'm working the 18-34 demo.

 

I was 10 when the Axe Murder incident happened. My knowledge of the Koreas at the time was limited to MASH. And yes, I was referring to North-South Korea on the remembering "anything of this magnitude" bit. Again, "remembering." Do YOU remember the Axe Murder or did you learn of it since?

 

Won't somebody please Google "USS Pueblo"? Thanks.

 

I was either not born or less than 9 months old when the Ax Murder incident happened. Never heard of it until this thread.

 

The Pueblo was an American ship caught up in the conflict. I was 2 but learned of it in a history class in high school or college. One or two casualties on our side, crew beaten and released, ship still in Korean hands.

OK, how's this: If it's determined this was a deliberate act by North Korea, it could be, depending on how many of the 40 missing sailors are rescued, among the most significant incidents of naval conflict between the two Koreas -- in terms of South Korean casualties -- since Lizzie Jong-Il took an axe and gave South Koreans forty whacks.

 

I was old enough to vote for Ford in 1976.

A question was asked on the thread:

"Does anybody else remember anything of this magnitude in their lifetime? I don't."

I gave my answer. That's all.

 

The 'forty whacks' in 1976 were delivered to two United States Army officers:

They also observed the KPA guards at KPA#8 (along the UNC emergency egress road) exhibiting strange behavior, in that one guard would take an axe and go down into the depression for a couple of minutes and then come back up and hand the axe to another guard who would repeat the process. This went on for approximately 90 minutes until the UNC guards at OP#5 were informed that Lt. Barrett was missing, at which time they informed their superiors about the KPA activity in the depression. A search and rescue squad was quickly dispatched and found Lt. Barrett had been attacked with the axe by the North Koreans.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axe_Murder_Incident

 

Reason Nos. 1 and 1A why appeasement usually works, despite the neocons' screams of "Neville Chamberlain!" any time it is suggested.

 

Doing research on this time period for a different subject, I found that in the year between Sudetenland and Poland, most on the Allied side were realistic about the tactic of appeasement -- they knew war was inevitable, and giving Hitler what he wanted only bought them some time.

That extra year for Britain to prepare its air defenses, in hindsight, might've made all the difference in 1940. Chamberlain gets slagged for his "peace in our time" pronouncement, but on his action I can't really fault him. Britain wasn't ready to fight in 1938 and it really wasn't in 1940 either.

 

And a blockade and secret missle sites in Turkey weren't exactly capitulating to the commies. I would say we came out pretty much ahead on the deal.