Silent Retribution

The North Koreans have been ascertained as the destroyers of a South Korean patrol boat, with the loss of life of 46 crew men. Now, they threaten war if any retribution is sought. Sinking another nation's ship is not an act of war?

The patrol boat was apparently sunk by a North Korean submarine. North Korea has several submarines, the most modern being several Soviet Whiskey-class subs from the 1950s.

A just retribution would be the silent disappearance of those submarines, easily accomplished by a modern Virginia-class submarine designed to operate in littoral or coastal waters as well as "blue water" of the deep ocean. Use of force is authorized under our treaty to protect South Korea as well as the state war the Chinese and North Koreans refused to terminate in their negotiations to end the Korean Conflict.

Just retribution would be to disappear all of North Korea's submarines, silently, no publicity, no embarrassment. It lets the Great Leader know that he cannot order the sinking of a South Korean ship with immunity, and, should he wish to escalate, he is out of his league. Everyone seems to know that except him, and his own are afraid to tell him. The US Submarine Service isn't.

Failure to Fire

First the shoe bomber, then the crotch bomber, now the Times Square bomber. Al Qaeda has an ignition problem, and writing about it doesn't breech security. They know, and they WILL resolve the difficulty.

We seem to be having problems of our own, and they aren't as easily solved, especially if Napolitano thinks the system is working. To be absolutely fair, she specified the system worked as designed AFTER the crotch bomber was apprehended by a Dutch passenger. Once al Qaeda solves the ignition problem, the NTSB will no doubt work well, too.

So far, we've been lucky, but luck seems a poor long-term strategy. Our incompetency is not only scary; it's embarrassing.