Defending America

The United States is moving missile defense systems to Hawaii, as news reports indicate North Korea may be planning a ballistic missile launch toward the islands.

In a different age, when a nation carried out a military attack against another, a severe response (usually war) was the result.

We have been "dumbing down deviancy" for a long time on the international stage, such that attacks against America have not resulted in a vigorous response by us. Recall in 1993 when George H.W. Bush visited Kuwait, Iraqi agents attempted to assassinate him but failed.

Our response? We lobbed some cruise missiles at Iraq without much impact. With such ineffectual responses to acts of war, we should not be surprised when other nations learn the lesson that they don't pay a fearful price for attacking, or attempting to attack, us.

If North Korea does launch a missile toward Hawaii, we should respond vigorously. One place to start is to board their ships on the high seas that we suspect of shipping weapons. Or by striking back at the site of their missile launch.