I know, I know, the crazy guy in Pyongyang threatens the South total destruction every other day. It's nothing new.

What is new, however, is that, because that South Korean ship was proven to have been sunk by a North Korean torpedo, the United States has, for the first time in a long time, talked about military readiness in South Korea.

According to the BBC article (see the link), the White House has issued the following statement:

The president has directed his military commanders to co-ordinate closely with their Republic of Korea counterparts to ensure readiness and to deter future aggression.

It sounds like we are finally calling the North's bluff. South Korea has severed all ties and trade and completed killed the ineffective "Sunshine Policy". They are resuming psychological warfare at the DMZ and referring the sinking of the ship to the UN Security Council. Of course, we know China would veto anything that would effectively punish the North, but the situation is such that a few jittery soldiers could accidentally start a major, devastating war.