North Korea claims hydrogen bomb test was 'perfect success,' 6th nuclear test

I'm so thankful we do not have a Democrat administration right now. Though I still want to be as optimistic as cartoonist Mike Ramirez.  TD

Our years of fasting and prayer are being answered.As we continue in prayer today, this National Day of Prayer, may we look to El Elyon, The Most High God:I will go before you and level the exalted places,I will break in pieces the doors of bronzeand cut through the bars of iron,I will give you the treasures of darknessand the hoards in secret places,that you may know that it is I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who call you by your name.   ~ Isaiah 45:2-3 [ESV]

Though this promise was made to the Nation of Israel, one hopes that in spite of the efforts our nation has gone to in hopes of erasing knowledge of the God of Creation, that He will somehow find mercy toward us in the coming months. TD

Fox News  "North Korea said on Sunday it detonated a hydrogen bomb, possibly triggering an artificial earthquake and prompting immediate condemnation from its neighbors -- despite the rogue regime calling the test a "perfect success." 
"The blast, carried out at 12:29 p.m. local time at the Punggye-ri site, triggered a magnitude 6.3 earthquake in North Korea that was detected 55 kilometers north northwest of Kimchaek, U.S. Geological Survey reported. Officials in Seoul initially said it was a magnitude 5.7 quake." . . . Video.

Analysis - Analysis: Tunnel collapse at nuclear site is clue; Analysis: Decoding the Kim warhead photo; Analysis: China's 'nightmare neighbour'

"The executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation, Lassina Zerbo (above), says that it is up to the international community to decide its response to the latest North Korean test, but that the current range of sanctions did not appear to be working: "The [UN] Security Council has dealt with many sanctions and the sanctions seem to not be stopping [North Korea] from going beyond the acceptable in terms of their nuclear weapons programme. "'Where do we go?' is probably the million-dollar question, but I think many of the states today in their remarks have urged a political and diplomatic solution to this problem.' "

"Pyongyang's pride at bomb test:  North Koreans gathered in front of a large screen outside Pyongyang Station and applauded as state television broadcast a special announcement confirming the hydrogen bomb test. Speaking on North Korean TV, Shin Seok Chol said: "I feel great pride in how much our nuclear warheads have advanced in their precision. We can now perfectly rely on our operational ability, and it is astonishing how greatly our nuclear weapons technology has progressed." Another man, Jang Guk Hwan, said he was "cheering with pride and honour to call myself part of the people of our great and respected leader, Kim Jong-un's nation". "

Japan 'may target North Korea's oil'  Japan will work with the US and others to implement existing stringent UN Security Council sanctions resolutions on North Korea, in addition to pursuing the adoption of a new, stricter resolution, says Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, according to Kyodo News.

"Mr Suga - the government's top spokesman - said that imposing restrictions on North Korea's trade in crude oil and oil products is "one of the options" Japan might seek.

"But he said it would require the agreement of China and Russia, the permanent members of the Security Council with economic ties to Pyongyang.

Trump Condemns 'Appeasement' of North Korea After Hydrogen Bomb Test

. . . "It was the latest signal that Trump is losing patience with the international community's response to the increasingly belligerent regime of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Last week, Trump tweeted that "talking is not the answer" in terms of dealing with Pyongyang." . . .

Defense Secretary Mattis and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dunford Deliver Statement on North Korea…  . . . "Secretary Mattis said: “Any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam or our allies will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming.”

"Mattis said Washington was not looking for the “total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea. But as I said, we have many options to do so.' ” . . .

North Korea: China's 'nightmare neighbour' does it again

BBC

Chinese President Xi is, again, dealing with the crisis while in the middle of hosting an international summit

In the small Chinese city of Yanji, the ground was moving. This Korean-speaking region sits on the border with North Korea and soon local bloggers were posting images on social media of things shaking.

What they could not have known was that this earthquake was man-made.

Not far away, the government in Pyongyang was soon declaring the successful test of a hydrogen bomb - its most powerful to date.

The timing was a clear slap in the face for Beijing.

"Just hours after the underground nuclear test, President Xi Jinping was due to make a speech as the head of state for the nation hosting the Brics summit, which would welcome delegates from Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa to Xiamen." . . .

'The S-word': how young Americans fell in love with socialism

UK Guardian  "At 18, Olivia Katbi was answering the phones and emails in a Republican state senator’s office in Ohio. Then the legislator threw his weight behind a particularly contentious anti-abortion law. “I realised that the party I’m working for is evil. After that I identified as a Democrat but I wasn’t really happy with their policies either,” said Katbi, now 25.

"Back then, she couldn’t articulate her reservations about President Barack Obama. There were the drone strikes, and the limitations of his healthcare reforms. But mostly it was a frustrating sense he wasn’t serving her interests so much as those of a monied elite. So in the 2012 presidential election, Katbi voted for Jill Stein, the Green party candidate. But that didn’t change the world.

"It was only last year, when Bernie Sanders made his run under the banner of democratic socialism, that it all started to fall into place.

“ 'My politics were to the left of the Democratic party but I didn’t realise there was an entire ideology, an entire movement that was there. It had never occurred to me,” said Katbi. “Bernie was my introduction to the concept of democratic socialism. It’s not like I associated it with the cold war. It was a new concept to me completely. That was the case for a lot of millennials, which is why the movement has grown so much.' ” . . .

Jill Stein? Really? Has everyone heard her ideas and realized the silliness in them? Think of "occupiers" defecating on the American flag and on police cars, the mounds of debris and property destruction they left in their wake, the violence they perpetrate on those daring to express disagreement with them?

To sum up, I see silly leaders being followed by silly supporters, feared only for the damage they can wreak on civilized society.

Have college professors not taught about the seven decades of misery young socialists following Lenin and Marx inflicted on Russia and the nations conquered by that country? Have they not seen Venezuela and her socialist makeover that ground a prosperous nation into economic wreckage?

The Tunnel Dweller

Case in point: Jill Stein Blames North Korean Nuke Actions on U.S. ‘Economic and Military Domination’   . . . "Stein said the first step to solving the North Korea situation is to “freeze the war games” in exchange for a freeze on the North Korean missile and nuclear programs in addition to removing the THAAD missile shield. She called for “negotiation not escalation.' ”
Well, it has worked so well in the past.

Why Trump Was Right to Reverse Obama’s Policy on Military Gear for Police

Heritage  

. . . "Equipment provided through this program is currently being deployed in Texas to save lives in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Such equipment also resulted in lives saved during police operations in response to the terrorist attacks in San Bernardino in 2015 and at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in 2016," says Heritage expert John Malcolm. " . . .

John Malcolm, Vice President, Institute for Constitutional Government

The Onion reports: Antifa Organizers Announce Plans To Disrupt Neo-Nazi Rally Or Whatever Else Going On That Day

Legal Insurrection reports that Antifa is becoming an object of ridicule  "If you’ve watched any of the footage of Antifa over the last year, one thing is clear. They’re serious. They think their form of activism – if you could call it that – is serious, too. They have little to no sense of humor about themselves."With that in mind, it has been quite remarkable to watch them become an object of ridicule in venues which are known to be liberal." . . .

The Onion

"BERKELEY, CA—Vowing to derail whichever event it is by any means necessary, local Antifa organizers announced plans Monday to disrupt an upcoming neo-Nazi rally or whatever else is going on that day. “We will stop at nothing to prevent these vile f--king neo-Nazi hatemongers from gathering, or, if not them, someone else,” said Sarah Jackson, 26, adding that the only way to end the spread of fascism is to physically confront Nazis, peaceful right-wing protesters, or just random people going about their daily lives. “We need to tell these Hitler-loving f--ks or whoever else is standing there, ‘Get out of our city!’ Remember, we’re talking about white supremacist terrorists, people running errands on their lunch breaks, or a group of tourists, so if we have to throw a punch or two, then so f--king be it.” At press time, black-clad Antifa demonstrators screaming “Fascists, go home!” had swarmed a Scandinavian street festival."