We, the staff members of El Vaquero, are alarmed at the Bush administration’s handling of the North Korean nuclear program controversy. While the search for weapons destruction in Iraq has so far produced only a small truckload of evidence, we must ask why there was such a rush to attack Iraq unilaterally with little or no diplomacy but such a gracious willingness to do whatever it takes to work with North Korea.

Though the Iraqi government did not give access to U.N inspectors immediately, they did eventually allow them almost complete access to their munitions cache. When North Korea was asked if they were reprocessing plutonium they admitted they were and that they were planning to use it to produce nuclear bombs. They even tested their munitions by firing a rocket that coincidentally flew over Japan, their archenemy, before landing in the Pacific Ocean. Iraq never claimed to have a nuclear bomb nor did the Bush Administration ever accuse them of having one.

Iraq never claimed nor was known to have a nuclear plant. North Korea on the other hand, let the world know the day they reactivated its largest nuclear plant. Two weeks ago, it was reported in the L.A. Times that a Pyongyang envoy said that the North Koreans “have two nuclear bombs and have reprocessed enough plutonium for many more.” What was the Bush administration’s reaction to these developments? Was the dictator of this country given 24 hours to leave the country or face the wrath of the U.S. military? No he was not. He was given more time.

Through his spokesperson Bush said, “the solution to this will be achieved through diplomacy. And diplomacy is a process. It takes time. Even an issue as serious as.nuclear weapons.is an issue that takes time to deal with.”

When did George Bush become so tolerant of “rogue nations”? Especially those that are part of his so-called `evil axis.’

As was mentioned in this paper before, the issue of oil cannot be ignored. Our nation is unavoidably dependent on oil. As is well known Iraq is a wellspring of this precious commodity. Are there any natural resources in North Korea that we are dependent on having? Not one. They are dependent on us.

Are those we have chosen to represent us lying to us? It would appear to be so.

We, the El Vaquero believe this contradictory behavior by the Bush administration concerning their solutions to threats imagined or otherwise deplorable. They raise suspicions for us as to the true intentions of our elected leaders.

We must also question why there is no opposition within the legislature to these decisions. Who will have the courage to stand in opposition to this potentially deadly farce?

We demand action. If there is none, our democracy is in peril, and we will be the most powerful yet despised nation in the world. We don’t believe that was the dream of our forefathers. Not even close.