Escalation: Sanctions and stern disapproval have no effect on Kim Jong Un

North Korea has long been considered the loudmouth at the bar of foreign nations.

But things changed Sunday when the rogue dictatorship detonated a nuclear device in a test that caused an earthquake to register between 5.7 and 6.3 on the Richter scale.

That is a lot of power. And a bold statement.

The back-and-forth between President Trump and Kim Jong Un has escalated and de-escalated time and again over the last few months, and phrases like "fire and fury" and "enveloping fire" have been tossed about more often than the little guy has pitched missiles into the sea.

Now though, the U.S. must ---- and will, according to a statement released by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis Sunday ---- consider all options in a preemptive strike against the northern peninsula before countless lives are lost in a chest-pounding contest between two national leaders who like to talk tough.

The escalation of words in this case will likely result in more than a couple of bruised egos and political black eyes. Lives are on the line ---- millions of them.

Sanctions against China, North Korea's largest trade partner have, to a point, been effective in the past. But that seems no longer to be the case. The serpent is out of the bag and dancing to its own tune.

The next bite just might be the one to draw blood.

Published in Editorials on September 3, 2017 7:28 PM