North Korea threats hit home in Alaska

Normally this space is reserved for opinion regarding local interests. However, with North Korea testing rockets that can travel as much as 4,000 miles, Alaskans can’t help but be a little edgy since that makes us and the Hawaiians possible targets if things go haywire between national leaders.

As this is written, a U.S. warship is tailing a North Korean freighter suspected of hauling “illicit” weapons to Myanmar.

Several members of the international community have started to turn the screws a little bit tighter on North Korea, including the possible boarding of ships thought to be carrying sophisticated weaponry.

Kim Jong Il, North Korea’s ill and looney leader, has said if the U.S. tries to board any of that nation’s ships for inspections, he will consider it an act of war. Apparently, he has missiles capable of hitting Hawaii and Alaska.

Americans in the know say the Koreans don’t have the capability to put a nuclear warhead on the business end of a missile, but let’s face it, our intelligence gathering in Iraq was suspect to say the least.

Maybe the blue bloods in D.C. aren’t concerned because they aren’t in the crosshairs.

Why Kim Jong Il, or his anointed successor, would want to hit Hawaii is the question. Probably the body count would be higher there, but Alaska is a richer target if you want to disrupt commerce and cause an environmental catastrophe that would make the Exxon Valdez spill look like an ink blot.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has ordered more security for Hawaii over the July 4 weekend that the Koreans said would be the test date for a long-range missile. But what about us?

Our fates are in the hands of some guys in California who would fire an interceptor rocket that’s effectiveness has so far been proven to be hit and miss, so to speak.

The U.S. destroyer tracking the Korean ship is the USS John S. McCain, named after Gov. Palin’s running mate’s father.

McCain, being the warrior he is, has said the U.S. should board the freighter with or without permission from North Korea.

If Kim Jong Il is a man of his word, the sable rattling will be over and war will be at hand.

And that could spell trouble for the 49th and 50th states.

If you are one of those people who generally don’t follow international news, this would be a good time to start. There’s a lot at stake as the international community tries to stop North Korea from supplying weapons to nations that don’t have our best interests in mind.