Oh My God, We Are So Ready to Standby. Honestly, I don't want to know what comes next. Hopefully, they'll stop at Standby.

We've got bigger and better ones.

ready to go!

North Korea may get a shot off, but in the long run it will be over for his family's regime.

that's not to say he can't inflict some damage before the Kim dynasty comes to an end. Mostly on his own hapless people, but some on the South as well.

about to get real.

And when I say "bring it on" (as in North Korea firing the first shot) the peace noogie crowd here goes postal and seems to think it's wrong for South Korea and the US to defend themselves if the North Attacks.

The only way to win is not to play.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

I haven't seen that in a few years.

...because he hasn't known a life other than one of infallibility and invincibility. His grandpappy was born into poverty, and his dad was born the son of a military man (kinda like McCain). Jung-un, however, has always been told he is the most important man on earth. THAT must mess with his melon enough that he thinks he'd actually WIN in a confrontation with the ROK and, by close extension, the US.

I really doubt the Swiss were so deferential to him.

NK shot a defenceless passenger jet out of the sky some years ago without provocation. Killed everyone... over 200 I think??? It seems they will shoot when they decide it's time to be stupid.

Don't expect logic; their ideology is way beyond that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Air_Lines_Flight_007
NK gov gave some excuses for their belligerence afterwards.

But Guess what, the US did the same thing a shorter time ago in 1988 and killed even more people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655
The US gov gave similar excuses for their belligerence when that happened.

I'm not sure if that is the best example to show one Government is more belligerent than the other. As for the OP, NK forces have artillery pointed at American forces? That is great because the American forces have artillery pointed at them. It's a wonderful situation all around.

I have my disasters out of order. 007 was shot down by the Soviet Union. KAL 858 was a bomb planted by NK.

I never said anything about comparing belligerent behaviour of different governments. Not sure where you got that from. I'm talking about willingness to act compared to sabre rattling. I'm comparing them to themselves.

But I'm not sure I made a good point anyway.

In a way, it mirrored the conundrum around using drones today. Thru a 2-dimentional CRT (or LCD monitor today), targets cannot be completely ID'd until it's too late.

In the case of Flt 655, the crew aboard the USS Vincennes had a case of "scenario fulfillment"; after practicing procedures used when an attack from the air might be imminent, they got a form of "buck fever" and started shooting at anything that was flying towards them.

These guys are cartoon characters.

but I live in the upper left-hand corner and that loony might be able to hit us.

...is a different matter, however. I really don't think anything North Korea launches is much of a danger to long range targets like Alaska or Hawaii. That's just my guess. Japan and closer targets (including, obviously, Seoul) are much more in danger.

PB

See himself on Cable news.

But the fact we're doing B-52 fly-overs indicates it's more than PR.

No B-52s mentioned. We haven't overflown the North, unless you count satelittes.

Story at CNN, WSJ, here: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/03/18/u-s-flies-b-52-bombers-over-south-korea/

Those of us with a vested interest *(and still have our TA-50 packed) know
that this is a very serious matter.

The North has a tradition of testing new South Korean leaders, and people die when they do.

Now we have both a new South Korean President, and a new North Korean leader- so the risk is double past experiences in leadership changes.

If they wanted, the North can do a LOT of damage. Let's not encourage them to try and find out.

I've spent a bit of time on the Korean Peninsula. Not a great place to think about fighting a war. Trust me on that one.

My understanding is that a North Korean assassin killed her mother. I wonder if she might be more willing to see the balloon go up than some of her predecessors.

Sinking SK warships and shelling SK territory will be answered in kind has been the public position she took to get elected.

A knowledgeable post.

The US and the DPRK may be on the brink of war just when there may be a renewed presence in Afghanistan. It is not funny.

Every fixed artillery piece you have, every missile launching site you have,
and every military plane you have will be gone w/in 10 minutes of you
starting a war w/the south ....... your computers will be down, you will
have no way to communicate with your forces, and your entire command
structure will either be dead or in hiding too.

BTW this time China will not have your back either.

For the love of God please do what your dad and grand dad did ... just ask for
food from the West.

Glimpse of North Korea's plan of attack on US?

North Korean state media issued two photos Friday that, either by accident or design, appeared to show plans for striking the US mainland, as well as details of the North's military strength.

The pictures, released by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), both showed leader Kim Jong-Un sitting at a desk in what looked like a dedicated military operations room.

The photos accompanied a KCNA report on an emergency meeting with top army leaders in which Kim ordered strategic rocket units to prepare for a possible strike against US mainland and Pacific bases.

One picture showed Kim amongst four uniformed officers, but the main interest lay in the background. The left of the picture showed a map with the unambiguous title: "Strategic Forces' US Mainland Striking Plan."

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/world/glimpse-of-north-koreas-plan-of-attack-on-us/story-fnddckzi-1226609165555

What if Kim desperately thinks he has to show he's a bigger bad-ass than his daddy, and is willing to be led into pretty much anything to prove it?

Those of you who are blowing off the current situation are naive to the point of idiocy, given the recent history of the U.S.......