North Korea and the Threat to America

North Korea and the Threat to America

As a child, this writer grew up fearing Russia and its nuclear weapons. Knowing America possessed the same weapons to destroy them, offered little comfort to a 10-year-old. As an adult, that feeling of discomfort is creeping back.

How much of a threat is North Korea to the lives of Americans?

This question is one that needs to be answered. What happens if North Korea launches a missile. armed with a nuke, aimed for North America? Is the United States prepared for such an event? How will the government respond? Will an event, such as this become WW III? The number of questions seems endless, but where are the answers?

Obviously, sanctioning North Korea is not working. Kim Jong Un apparently does what he wants, without fear of repercussions. His behaviors are troubling, worrisome, and his threats to America can elicit a myriad of emotions, including fear and anger. Each missile test brings him one step closer to his goal of annihilating the U.S.

The threat is real, but life seems to go on for Americans unaware. Are the people ignoring this threat? Are they too busy with their lives to worry what someone halfway around the world is plotting against the U.S., or are people too wrapped up in the drama of the White House and this presidency?

Is this administration going to be the downfall of all Americans? For this writer, it is a relevant question considering Kim professes a hatred for President Trump without any hesitation.

If a nuclear weapon is launched from North Korea and strikes Alaska, what happens afterward? What will be the trickle-down effect of this incident?

First, is the loss of life. Next, comes mass hysteria, radiation poisoning, and the spread of the radiation by the wind. How far will the radiation spread? It will affect crops, causing food prices to skyrocket. Then, the stock market will collapse, recession will ensue, and widespread crime will breakout. In a civilized country, it will look like a third-world comic strip.

How many Americans truly ponder the implications of the threats from North Korea? Can U.S. residents overcome an attack from a nuclear weapon? The American Spirit has survived the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and natural disasters, such as hurricane Katrina but can it survive nuclear devastation?

Or, is the threat just that? A blank threat. Will Kim send Americans back to a time like the Cold War; a time when the threat was always there, looming, but no one ever does anything because world leaders know the potential for world obliteration will bring the total destruction of the human race? Will the threat ever advance into a reality?

If the threat becomes real, what will the people do? For now, it seems that many choose not to think about that possibility. In many neighborhoods, the county fair is in full swing, neighbors are arguing about money, and there is an ambulance blasting its siren on the way to the hospital. For now, it is just another day in America.

Opinion by Jacob Kasztalski
Edited by Jeanette Smith

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Thomas Hawk’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License

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