Bruce, you omit saying, as did all the usual press & TV coverage, that the initial shelling was from the South Koreans, who shelled an area of sea claimed by North Korea.
This was supposedly for “practice” but was probable a deliberate provocation, having been warned by the North not to do it.
Why they should do so is anybodies guess but was most likely on the instructions of the US.
Possible to take the heat off a more sensitive area?

it's like dealing with a neighbour who has a history of psychopathic and bizarre aggressive actions. He is probably certifiable, but his wife and kids are the long term victims.

How far does he have to go attacking his neighbours before they get together and put him in a straightjacket where he belongs and liberate his wife and kids?

Maybe to a headcase like this, patience and forebearance are taken as signs of weakness and thus grounds for greater violence because he knows he can get away with it.

But one day, he may just find that he was very wrong, and behaviour such as his will no longer be tolerated by his civilized neighbours.

One thing about the artillery shelling of the S Korean island... the N Koreans apparently fired somewhere between 150 and 170 shells at the island, yet more than half of these fell into the sea. They must be rotten shots, to fire from one fixed position to another (i.e. not like naval ships which not only move, but roll) and have greater than 50% of shells miss not only the island, but the military installations on the island which were the presumed targets!

Bruce, unless you want to purposely fool others, but this time the initial shelling was from the South Korea through military exercise at disputed area. So the provocation is from SK and US.

My view is this, after financial crisis, and further money printing via QE2, some country needs to maintain the confidence to the US dollar. So it needs to create the crisis elsewhere to show that your money would better to stay in safe place. Hence we see the Dubai crisis, PIGS crisis, Ieland crisis, China-Japan crisis, now Korea crisis. There is a shadow behind all these crisis. Someone is working hard to drive other countries into crisis so the money can go to America to buy their paper money.
Lately Russia and China have agreed to dump US Dollar in their trade. I see this as the downfall of first domino block, let's just wait and see how Americans plan their counter-attacks around the world, crisis to be countinued..

Kingfish, right on. You have hit the nail on the head.

Yes, it's the South's fault. Poor North Korea.

Just in case you can't tell, I am being sarcastic.

South Korea carried out military drills but not aimed at the North: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11818005
Yes, it takes a little bit of faith to believe this but why would the South start an incident like this? They carry out drills all the time.

The North shelled a populated island in reponse to a drill; a drill that really shouldn't be that unexpected.

http://currentglobalperceptions.blogspot.com/

jorge,
The North is a disaster but the South is a US lackey and they would have only been carrying out the US instructions.
Of course the US is such a peace loving, caring nation that they would not consider stirring up a bit of a storm to divert attention away from their precarious financial predicament.
That’s why they have hundreds of military bases all over the world, to keep the peace of course, not to control other countries.

sarnian,
It may be that the US orchestrated all of this, we can wait for WikiLeaks or until documents are declassified or leaked. But to step out of conspiracy world for a second, there is also the issue of North Korea's leadership succession. It is fairly plausible that the internal machinations of the North Korean army and/or Kim Jong-il's annointed son are responsible for this attack.

And while you worry about the US and its countless bases all around the world (which I have to agree is a fair issue to worry about), do you worry about growing Chinese influence in Asia and Africa? China is not known for its free and open society, yet it has its sights on Africa: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jWSJHcF7aZsE17_jF6psdccw0r0Q?docId=CNG.53075ad2350ca0616102f4e994a06283.41

http://currentglobalperceptions.blogspot.com/

Iraq and Afghanistan are draining the American economy. China knows it.
Ask yourselves why North Korea who knows it cant match the American nuclear armaments and hasnt got the sophistication of the South's weapons and better army would want to jeopardise its future in provoking armed conflict as it did in the Korean War (1) when it gained nothing.
It makes no sense unless one looks at the larger picture.
After North Korea the Americans are sure to turn its attention to Somalia.
The greatest threat to the world is the Islamists controlling the nuclear weapons in pakistan which is the underlying aims.
The fall of Saudi Arabia is another nightmare ready to unfold.
socratease

Sarnian,

The US has bases all over the world ? Sure, it has plenty, but none in Africa south of the Sahara (correct me if I'm wrong), and none in South America south of Colombia, except perhaps a huge air field in Paraguay (perhaps not: that may have been closed down by the new government), and a refuelling airbase in Ecuador (ditto).

Apart from South Korea, I don't think it has any bases on the Asian mainland around to Pakistan (does it have any in Thailand ? I don't know) and across the Indian Ocean to Diego Suarez.

South America, phooey, you might think: but South America stretches from the Antarctic to level with Vietnam. In fact in the entire southern hemisphere, where does the US have any bases, apart from the three or four in Australia ? None in New Zealand.

Okay, American Samoa.

I'm not saying it should have all that many anywhere, but let's get our sense of proportion right. The US is the devil, but it's not such an imposing devil, sort of a Devil of Oz.

Joe