Honoring The Threat

Wizbang’s Jay Tea:

Of late, I have been noticing a common thread in certain circles regarding certain potential threats. In regards to Florida, North Korea, the Palestinian Authority, and Iraq, a remarkably similar defense is being proffered.
In Florida, seven men are under arrest for allegedly plotting terrorist attacks. Some say that it is all a ploy by the government, that they were “just talking,” that they were too inept to do more than plan, that they had no actual weapons or explosives, just talking big.
In North Korea, Kim Jong-Il is likely to be testing his first intercontinental ballistic missile. While many consider this a grave cause for alarm, others see it as no big deal. It isn’t likely to work. And if it does, he probably doesn’t have a functional nuclear warhead to put on it. And if he does, it’s too primitive (read: too big and too heavy) to fit on the missile. And even if it does fit the missile, he’s not crazy enough to fire a single nuke at the US. . . .
If someone who you know wishes you harm threatens you, you damned well better presume they have the means to carry out that threat until proven otherwise. Respect your enemy. Assume that they are intelligent and competent, and would not make a threat that they are not prepared to carry out.
This is not a call for paranoia. Threats are not deeds, and should not be grounds for retaliation. But it is a fool who hears the threats and ignores them.

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