Those who forget history . . .

According to the Times of London, "the world's intelligence agencies and defense experts are quietly acknowledging that North Korea has become a fully fledged nuclear power with the capacity to wipe out entire cities in Japan and South Korea" (FNC). Even though North Korea has been testing nuclear devices for a few years, they were deemed unwieldy and unable to be mounted on missiles. "Now North Korea's supreme leader, Kim Jong Il, has the potential to kill millions in Japan as well as the South, and to lay waste U.S. bases and airfields in both countries. It will force military strategists to rethink plans for war in Korea and significantly increase the potential costs of any intervention in a future Korean war" (FNC).

I was just thinking of a time when I was in line for the Kalahari River Rapid ride in the Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World. My sister (who is of Chinese descent) and I were standing behind two Asian men when the older of the two looked at me and said, "Hey, lady, are you Korean?" I was slightly taken aback by his forwardness, but I replied that, yes, I was Korean. He immediately recognized my sister as being Chinese, and then informed us that he and his son were Hmong. For the rest of the forty-five minute wait, I listened to the man talk about Asian unity and how Asians would be so strong if only there wasn't the language barrier, if only they'd set aside their differences and unite, because Asians are Asians. If only I'd have recorded that conversation. I could have shipped it off to North Korea.