[Arktwo] Did it happen?

[Bruce Beach]

Wow, I thought -
it is time for Beach
to get his tinfoil hat
and join the black helicopter crowd.
Readers questioned me about
the sinking of the North Korean ship.

I had been sent the story
so many times during the previous ten days
and had looked at a variety of sources
about it -
that I just took it as a given
that people knew about in the news -
sort of like the current stock market activity,
and was only mentioning it in passing.

So -
back to the sources -
to be able to refer them -
and the sources were GONE!

Over two hours of searching,
and I discovered facts -
of sunken ships
of missing ships
of concerned families
of possibilities of pirates -
material enough to write
dramatic plots of intrique and mysteries.

	http://tinyurl.com/2esyaf

	http://tinyurl.com/yq65p7

	http://tinyurl.com/29wzfq

	http://tinyurl.com/24p7fh

Were these the facts
that led to the story?
And another mystery -
where was the story?

Seemingly non-existent.
My links were gone.

Then finally:

	http://tinyurl.com/yogz92

S. Korean ship sinks in Iran waters
Sun, 15 Jul 2007 08:41:04

A South Korean cargo ship has sunk in the waters off the southeastern
Iranian port city of Chabahar, leaving 13 crew members missing.

An official with the Iranian Shipping and Ports Organization announced the
26,000-ton South Korean 'Orchid Sun' had been carrying iron to Iran from
China and had sunk due to a leak.

"Ten of the crew were saved by the passing vessels and 13 others are missing
in the Oman Sea"., added Masih Momeni.

The identities of the rescued crew were not immediately known, but of the 23
members on board, 8 were South Korean, 13 were Phillipine, and 2 were
Chilean.

-----------------
Still not the story that I had seen -
that involved two ships -
one being boarded
and one being sunk.

Finally another source
quoting some of the same
disappeared sources
I had seen earlier.

US Sinks North Korean Ship Bound for Iran
"How close were we to seeing an armed nuclear conflict?"
July 23, 2007
by PJ Paulson, ACG-CIS
with additional reporting from The Lekarev Report; DebkaFile

(Vancouver, BC) -- "How close were we to seeing an armed nuclear conflict?"
That is the question being asked as Syrian nationals temporarily vacated
Beirut, Lebanon and the Jordan Valley during mid July according to sources
close to ACG-CIS. Many security and intelligence officials believe that this
behavior may have been related to the US sinking of a North Korean ship
approximately 100 nautical miles from the coast of Iran.

It was not immediately clear why, around July 10, 2007, the Syrian
nationals, primarily engaged in construction, trades and agricultural
occupations, should have vacated Lebanon without notice.  The nationals were
noticed to have returned to Beirut and the Jordan Valley by July 21, 2007.

ACG-CIS is of the opinion that the approximate 10-day absence may have been
in part due to a warning system alerting the nationals to the possibility of
an impending military or terror strike against Israel and other western
interests in the region.

According a number of news sources, officials and clerics from Syria and
Iran met during this time period reportedly to draw plans and scenarios for
proposed attacks and increased activity against western interests in both
the Mid East region and elsewhere. Those talks ended last week with no
official announcements from any of the participants.

ACG-CIS, based upon further analysis, believe that the nationals were warned
of an apparent military style strike or strikes as Hezbollah was reported to
be moving missiles in civilian populated areas throughout southern Lebanon.
This movement along with the involvement of the Iranian president, an
adamant believer in nuclear technology and development, lead to concerns
about the possibility of a military style "dirty bomb" nuclear attack or a
ballistic missile attack involving nuclear weapons purchased from North
Korea.

It was reported earlier this month that while the North Korean 2006 test
demonstrated the viability and reliability of North Korea's Scud- and
Nodong-class systems, it left open the status of the three ballistic missile
systems that the Korean People's Army (KPA) recently placed, or is placing,
into service as testing on North Korea short-range missile systems has been
quietly ongoing.

In reports first published by DEBKAfile, American naval and air forces
intercepted two North Korean vessels clandestinely en route for Iran with
cargoes of enriched uranium and nuclear equipment in the past month. The
shutdown of Pongyong's nuclear facilities has made these items surplus to
North Korea's requirements and the Islamic Republic was more than willing to
pay a hefty price for the goods.

On July 12, the second intercepted North Korean freighter was sunk in the
Arabian Sea by torpedoes fired from a US submarine 100 miles southeast of
the Iranian naval base-port of Chah Bahar. Delivery of its freight of
enriched weapons-grade uranium and equipment and engines for manufacturing
more fissile material including plutonium in its hold could have
jump-forwarded Iran's nuclear bomb and warhead project, lopping off at least
a year of work. For this Iran's rulers were ready to reportedly pay out a
cool $500 million.

A few hours earlier, President Bush received an intelligence briefing on the
vessel, its freight and destination. Apparently the shipment was brought
forward by several weeks to evade detection by UN nuclear inspectors
scheduled to visit Pyongyang this week to verify the dismantling of its
nuclear facilities.

US airplanes had been tracking the freighter and picked up signs of
radioactivity, indicating the presence of nuclear materials aboard.

President Bush had the option of ordering US Marines to board the vessel or
to sink it. He decided on the latter - both because the North Korean
freighter was approaching an area patrolled by Iranian naval units and
seizure of the vessel by American marines might have provoked a clash;
secondly, it was the better choice in order to avoid exposing US troops to
radioactive contamination. American naval and air units in the Persian Gulf,
Middle East and seas opposite North Korea were ordered to go on a high state
of readiness and the torpedo the North Korean vessel was accomplished
without delay.

After the attack, US warships raced to the spot where the ship went down
where they picked up three lifeboats. Most of the North Korean sailors
aboard were either injured or dead. Twenty in all died in the attack. They
all bore symptoms of contamination. After the episode, the area was cordoned
off and underwater equipment dropped to salvage the cargo from the sunken
ship.

All the parties to the incident, the United States, North Korea and Iran,
have kept the incident under wraps as the situation in and around the Gulf
is inflammable enough to explode into a full-blown Iranian-US clash at the
slightest provocation.

There was also the danger that North Korea might decide at the last moment
to abort the closure of its nuclear facilities.

	http://tinyurl.com/2caaqa

-------------
Still another source:

On July 12, the second intercepted North Korean freighter was sunk in the
Arabian Sea by torpedoes fired from a US submarine 100 miles southeast of
the Iranian naval base-port of Chah Bahar.
~
After the attack, US warships raced to the spot where the ship went down
where they picked up three lifeboats. Most of the North Korean sailors
aboard were either injured or dead. Twenty in all died in the attack.

	http://tinyurl.com/ysfs7n

------------
So -
was any of it true?

I know not.
I never know about any of it.
There is so much disinformation.

Has Syria really built fortifications
inside of Lebanon?

Are hundreds / thousands of missiles
in Syria really aimed at Israel?

Does Iran have / not have a nuke?

Are US Navy Seals and Army Rangers
really making forages into inside of Iran?

Has Iran really shelled Northern Iraq?

Has the US actually captured bombs made in Iran
that were being shipped to Iraq?

Are the US B2s being equipped
with special bunker busters?

Are the Iraqi leaders
and wealthy Iraqis getting out of Iraq
or sending their families on vacation
for the next month
in anticipation of the events?

Is the US Congress standing down -
while it is on vacation -
so that Bush can do his thing?

Is there a build-up of US forces -
along with those of allies -
taking place in preparation for
an attack on Iran in August or September -
or is it just rotation of troops -
and continued practicing and posturing?

I don't know for sure
the answer
one way or the other
to any of the above questions.

I hear arguments on both sides
and some interpretations
seem to me
more reasonable than others.

There are dozens of stories
that I receive each day -
many of which I outright reject
and others in which I have
a high degree of confidence.

However,
I have to admit that
I have a pretty low filter.
It has to be that way.
Troop movements are not always
that readily confirmed by the government -
and even if they are -
there is often a lot of
intentional disinformation.

I think that in reality -
there is a LOT more going on
with the placing of arms in space -
the positioning of advanced weapons
in the Middle East
that I know nothing about -
the massive build-up of troops and supplies
beyond which I cannot even imagine -
but then -
that may just be me -
talking through my tinfoil hat.

Peace and love,
Bruce
DawnSayer@webpal.org