TRACES Spring 2013 | Page 42

goes they have the largest standing military with around 3,000,000 personnel, what they gain in manpower they lack in technology. China lacks a strong naval and air forces. Any war between us would be Nuclear or a stalemate as they lack the navy to get to mainland USA and if the US were to attack China on their soil, US forces would be severely outnumbered. Keep in mind this is just a hypothetical war, which is unlikely to happen.

In all likelihood China will get North Korea in check before North Korea attacks the United States. If they don’t they most likely would break their treaty with North Korea and join the United States against North Korea as they have too much to lose economically otherwise.

North Korea knows they will be destroyed if they use nuclear weapons against the United States. What is happening right now is most likely an attempt by their leader, Kim Jung Un, to show his people that he is brave and played the biggest game of chicken with their mortal enemies and the US reacted first. This is also part of an annual cycle when North Korea threatens in order to get food and financial needs to support their country. Unlike previous fits thrown by North Korea they have not listened to China and backed down. It seems as though they will fulfill their promise to launch a missile, whether it be nuclear or not. While it pales in contrast to the Cuban Missile Crisis of the early 1960’s, the Korean Nuclear Crisis could be considered the biggest nuclear crisis since the latter. In the end it is highly unlikely North Korea will succeed in a nuclear attack on the United States, we are well prepared to protect ourselves from a nuclear attack as technology has greatly improved in the past 50 years..

will succeed in a nuclear attack on the United States, we are well prepared to protect ourselves from a nuclear attack as technology has greatly improved in the past 50 years..

his article and what there lies within are the sole beliefs and views of the author and in no way represents the views of the Penn-Trafford School District.

“The thoughts filling my mind, eating away at me, slowly taking my sanity. I killed them, all five of them, they were innocent and so young. They were just sitting in class when their day came to an end with the bullets I released. Do I regret it? No, but their faces... their faces... Living a life in a cell with nothing but these thoughts would be too much. I would rather take my life..”

When dealing with a criminal of this extent, the courts could either sentence them to a life

in prison or they could take their life completely; but is taking their life really the better way? The

death penalty should not be used, for any reason. This is because they do not have the right to

take one’s life innocent or not, and also because at least half of the suspects out there would

choose death over prison any day.

The death penalty is in no way justice! Justice is the act of giving someone something that they

that they deserve, and letting a serial killer take the easy way out by death is definitely not

justice!

Death: The Easy Way Out

By: Kayla Yancey