When madmen cheer

‘Success of all successes’ they call it

THERE’S A difference—a big difference, sometimes a life-or-death difference—between men of action and men of words, and only words. Of course, men of words are not to be sneezed at. It’s only when they are men of only words, and don’t back them, that they may become weak. Imagine Theodore Roosevelt if he only spoke softly. Imagine Winston Churchill if he only gave speeches. Or imagine the United Nations.

Leaders—of men, of towns, of nations—sometimes have to back their words. And not draw red lines that turn pink then disappear altogether. A good example of the difference between men of action and non- was told in Whittaker Chambers’ Witness, all these years ago. On a trip to Siberia, a group of political prisoners and criminals had to stop to allow the snow ahead to melt. One by one they began to tell their stories:

“Then there was a criminal. He was a grown man. When his turn came, he said that he had no story. ‘ Why?’ we asked. ‘Didn’t you agree to tell the story of your life?’ ‘There is nothing to tell,’ he said. ‘I killed a man. They sent me to Siberia. In prison, they beat me. With another convict, I escaped. We got lost in the taiga. We were starving. I killed my comrade and ate some of his flesh. If I had not killed him, he would have killed me. I went on. I met a bear. He attacked me. I had no knife, so I choked him with my hands. I ate some of the meat. So at last I escaped. What is there to tell?’”

The United Nations—and the current occupant of the White House—might never be confused with action. Not when inaction is an option. And it always is. On word that the North Koreans had launched a long-range missile from a submarine last week—essentially giving it a first-strike ability almost anywhere— the United States and the United Nations insisted on immediate discussion.

The UN held an emergency meeting—requested by the U.S. and Japan— to consider issuing a statement. The Security Council’s current president told reporters that “there was a general sense of condemnation by most members of the council.” And that the United States was drafting a statement! Eventually, after hours and days of backand-forth, the UN “condemned” the launch and “deplored” all of North Korea’s “ballistic missile activities,” which, by the way, will be “closely monitored.” Pyongyang trembles. With laughter. After last week’s sub launch, Kim Jong Un—North Korea’s pudgy little dictator—was all smiles. He called it the “success of all successes.” For those who might think that success in North Korea might mean feeding the people there one day, remember that North Korea’s philosophy has always been Military First. And it’s showing the world it means it.

The papers say that having missiles launched by submarines could give the North Koreans the ability to attack South Korea and even Japan—and United States bases in both countries. But why stop there? Why not L.A. or Seattle or Miami? The United States has trouble enough following cargo ships between Cuba and North Korea. What’s to keep a little submarine from going unnoticed in the seven seas until it creeps close enough to these shores?

SOME OF the braver reporter types had the opportunity to interview a few North Korean civilians for the story. And the civilians dutifully praised their leaders. After all, who wants to come out a head shorter after talking to the press?

“This shows that our national defense strength has reached a new level,” said a factory worker named Choe Kum Chol, who knows what’s good for him. “We are a nuclear power and everything is ready, so we have nothing to fear.”

Nothing to fear. Which scares a lot of us.

We’ll go further than the UN. What North Korea is doing isn’t just troubling. It’s frightening. What if that country, that regime—which has nothing to fear, remember—sells this kind of technology to terrorists? Complete with a nuke to go with it. It could make 9/11 look minor by comparison.

Does the rest of the world have to wait until that day before the navel-gazers at the UN are able to come up with something besides “condemning closely monitored missile activities”?

People of action aren’t always good guys. Sometimes they’re all smiles in Pyongyang. And need to be challenged, resisted, by people of action with more sane designs for the world.