[Hoot Gibson]

Because that's what world powers do. They build their countries up, and that includes the military. Go look at any PRC news and you'll see that they're getting sick and tires of NK's retardedness. This is not 1951. It's a different time and we're a different country. An attack on Taiwan or any kind of Chinese-American conflict would be horrible for their economy and bad for ours. It won't happen, and if it does it won't have anything to do with NK.

It does have nothing to do with us. They're doing it because they call SK a "puppet" to the U.S., which is exactly what they are to China. I meant that if SK does do anything, it won't involve us. They have more than enough capability to take on anything NK can throw at it.

What I meant by it is that this is nothing to big to worry about for the American people. If something was started up, China and the U.S. would interrupt in a hurry and get something worked out to stop the conflict. Either that, or NK quits on their own.

Personally, I think within the next week NK will send a few more arty rounds South Korea's way, and SK will respond with a few airstrikes that will absolutely dominate whatever they hit, and NK will get the hint and it will be quite for another 12 months until NK does something like this again.

I think this is a threat that needs to be dealt with now, whether it's a joint China-U.S. op or South Korean. We can't have a country like that just doing as they please and the only punishment they get is a few mean letters.

You make some excellent points but I think that it is a mistake to assume that China's views of North Korea are similar to our's because China is an emerging super power and the US is a super power. China is still governed by a brutal totalitarian government that tightly controls its media. News reports published by the Chinese media should not be taken at face value.

China already has a military more than strong enough to defend against any potential threat in the region. The focus on its recent modernization has been its missiles based in eastern China and its navy. The Chinese government clearly perceives the US as its adversary in the region and is focusing the development of its military capability accordingly.

The only reason that, from China's perspective, might cause them to influence North Korea to stop provoking South Korea and its allies is the fear that a new war would create a massive flow of NK refugees across its border.

I would like to see the US pass a law making it illegal for any American citizen or government agency to provide any kind of aid, including fuel oil and food, to Pyongyang. Great nations do not submit to blackmail in conducting foreign policy and we should be demanding payment from North Korea for all of the aid that was given that regime in exchange for North Korea's pledge to suspend its nuclear program. Nothing will ever be achieved through negotiations with North Korea without a credible threat of force and we no longer have credibility in that area. The leaders in Pyongyang do not fear or respect strongly worded speeches read from a teleprompter.