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I have thought about this exchange of posts and I will let you have the last word after this post. I think we are both getting angry and we are not really getting anywhere.

I agree that America has the right to move it's troops, I took offence at the casual manner in which some posters demand that US troops be moved around without any thought to the consequences. These knee jerk reactions anger me because I feel they undermine the people conservatives (should) want to help (in this case conservatives in SK) and support those on the left of the political spectrum (the fools running around tramping on US flags). I am convinced that this does not apply to you, or to Jumper.

I will agree that SK should be able to deal with NK. Sk does need real guarantees against China. It is hard for me to see a stand alone SK military that does not have nuclear missles to deter the Chinese.

I think that their is much less difference between Japan and SK than you do. I live in SK and have been to Japan many times and that is what I think.

I also don't see any real difference between China and NK. China is NK's keeper and protector; the things NK does are done with China's knowledge and blessing. I realize that this is an old example but, Kim Il-sung met with Mao Tse-tung in May of 1950 to get permission to invade the South. I don't believe that in the last fifty years, as NK becomes more and more dependant on China, that China's influence has lessoned. I also believe that China is cut way to much slack for it's misdeeds and it is past time for China to be called on them. I'll site the Chinese holding the US spy plane's aircrew hostage (April 2002 if memory serves) as an example. What country other than China would be allowed to get away with that crap.

I respect your position, and am not angered to find at the end that we agree to disagree.

You are right that knee jerk reactions are poor instruments of policy. I don't view our actions in SK as such. But depending on how they are portrayed by the different sides, you are right to point out that SK conservatives could be undercut by the moves.

Until the early 90s we had nukes in SK. Bush I pulled them out, with SK's emphatic blessing. I think our strategic nuke umbrella should suffice for deterring China, but if SK wants nukes - especially if NK pursues them - then they can pursue getting them (on their own or from us).

You may be right about the distinction between Korea and Japan. My view is based on living in Korea for only a couple of years.

China does influence NK, but I stand by my view that our policy should be very different given their very different political, social and economic structures.

I thank you for the exchange. I do hope that our allies that are currently led by "blame America first" liberals come back to their senses. But I do think in the mean time reminding them that their animosity doesn't give them a vote in our policies or actions is "a good thing."