My mother called my cell and woke me up. I was at Mississippi State Univeristy. I walked into my dorm common area and everyone was just dazed.
I think the North Korea situation is entirely different. One, they haven't attacked us, and two there is currently diplomacy working to correct the situation. Ever heard of the multi-party talks they are having? I think a lot of people overestimate North Korea and their intentions. They are like a child, and they play with their missiles anytime they don't get what they want. But, that's all they do. Throw a tantrum. It pisses Japan off to no end -- and the US -- but I really don't see NK as that much of a military threat. TOO many people want that area to suceed and be stable. Including China.
As we saw today, NK is nowhere nearing ready to launch missiles at the US. And, I really don't think they will ever launch at Japan. There's too much for them to lose even though they don't have much. Kim-Jong just got pissed that his drug funds and weapon export funds got frozen. That's the root of the "current" flare-up. So, he's gonna pitch his little tantrum, we will throw him some cash and some food, and then he will go back to being a dumbass. You think China wants nukes that near their border? You think they want bad relations with the rest of Asia or the world? They WANT to keep NK in line, and they certainly have as much to lose if not more than Japan or the US.
Should we allow NK to develop nukes? Absolutely not. However, there is irrational fear being spread that they are days away from nuking LA or Tokyo. That's not the case in the slightest. Virtually all of NK's GDP is going to fund the military and their weapons programs. This is currently the only way (testing missiles) that they can get some aid thrown their way. Sure, that gives them more time to develop their weapons, but it also gives way to more creative diplomatic solutions. I think the UN, Japan, the US, and China are taking this situation seriously. The American public, however, need not be so concerned. There's bigger threats -- namely economic ones -- and natural disasters.
I think there's a current ploy in this country of overselling military rhreats to the public. We shouldn't be living in fear. We already did that during the cold war. What we should be doing is continuing to pressure NK, China, and others to continue the talks and reach a resolution. If anything, I compare the situation to Castro/Cuba. Did he ever launch or allow the missiles to remain? Nope. Kruschev pulled them back, and Castro has been suffering ever since. But the "Cuban" threat was massively hyped for YEARS. Now, there's hardly an American scared of Cuba. We just need to continue what we are currently doing and seek a diplomatic and economical solution. Being trigger happy isn't going to help us.