[TheRealThing]

Seeing as you are looking for a civil discussion, I will respond to YOU. War is only an option if you don't care for millions of civilian casualties. And NOONE with any sense is ok with that option. NK WILL NOT strike anyone, on purpose. It only shoots missiles to stay a viable threat.
ALSO: Trump (whose never served a day) willingness to run his mouth is only making things worse not better. When you say "if they do this, then we will do that" is a terrible non strategy. If war was an option, it would have happened by now.

War an "option" huh? When war is an option, and I'm talking about whether one is the victim of a surprise attack or whether credible threats of imminent attack against the US are being broadcast world wide, the duty of our federal government is to protect the citizens of this land. The threat as it existed 8 years ago was not pleasant, but it was manageable. Well, we sat on our hands and now NK is nuclear and so is Iran. Both sworn enemies of the US. Pacification NEVER works with one's enemies and as both World Wars have amply demonstrated, those enemies only grew stronger and more determined to visit the horror of war upon the doorstep of those they hated. The time for strategic patience (code for, 'I'm too chicken to do my job" ---Barack Obama) is long past.

Back in 2010 I said NK was a threat the US was taking too lightly. So as we assess the threat faced now, if NK does get off a couple lucky shots and cripples the power grid of large portions of this land, or if we are by treaty drawn into war to protect our allies, the option then becomes as Benjamin Franklin once rightly observed. "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." ---Ben Franklin

Well, we've given up a lot of liberties of late. As we have given up a lot of safety. Those of the left, devoid of the courage to lead, but obsessed instead of the tenets of progressive liberalism, have frittered away the US Treasury and US prestige in order to purchase time. They bought off our enemies until now we find ourselves in a position of having nowhere left to retreat. And no money left to fund a military campaign when war inevitably comes to call. But hey, free cell phones are everywhere.

The options then, thanks to inept and chinless leadership, no longer exist. The threat is far more existential than during the days of the cold war when we were at least led of real men and were militarily prepared.