Disclaimer #1: Regarding the title question--NO! Or at least, it's highly doubtful that North Korea or anyone else considers Moses Lake an upcoming target. But if you read the measly 4 paragraphs in this article, you'll understand the reason for the title.
Disclaimer #2: Regarding the following article--The years have been changed to protect the innocent...and the youthfully aging author...And yeah, that's as close as I could come to having a sense of humor when dealing with something so serious.
When I was ___ years old, still in grade school, I had a panic attack because I was afraid the Gulf War was going to come to Moses Lake, Washington and kill everyone I knew. It surely sounded absurd to a grownup, and probably even to a less intense elementary schooler, but to me, it seemed perfectly plausible. In one of the most compassionate parenting moments that I can recall, my mother posted a 3' world map in the hallway next to my bedroom and marked it with places we should talk about: Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Washington DC, New York, LA, Seattle, and Moses Lake. Her main point was to show me that the military action would probably never reach little ol' Moses Lake.
Granted, it didn't prevent me from crying about all the people who would lose their lives in the Middle East, or from worrying that someone else (apparently like Iraq) would topple the U.S. government in D.C. and change the way we all live as Americans...Again, I realize that probably sounds ridiculous to most Americans now...But her map did in fact comfort me every morning and night as I passed by.
Somehow though, here we are some ___ years later, discussing North Korea's potential nuclear attacks on American soil. Specifically on the contiguous 48. And even more shocking to the elementary version of me, potentially on the pacific northwest where my mom's map taught me how unimportant Seattle, and Moses Lake, would be in a military attack strategy. But it seems that Seattle might in fact be within North Korea's nuclear strike range! And on top of that, I now have friends and family in Seattle, CA, NY, and D.C., and practically every other part of the USA. So I find myself actually trying to understand how things might play out in the coming year. I've started looking through a variety of hopefully reliable sources (as all good researchers, and English teachers would tell you to do!) so I know that even the experts have conflicting conclusions about how likely an attack is here in the great PNW, or on U.S. soil at all.
And even though the adult version of me has learned to steady the nerves that wracked me ___ years ago, the child version of me is still likely to pop up at some point when dealing with a topic this intimidating. So I figured I'd be proactive and start collecting resources that will help me understand what is possible vs probable regarding our current tensions with North Korea, and what steps we should take to be prepared in case anything should happen. If I find any sources with potentially interesting, insightful, or helpful ideas, I'll post them here. And if anyone out there is willing to share your resources with me, you're welcome to pass them on and I'll post them here as well.
Disclaimer #3: Regarding the invitation to share your links--This is not an open invitation to create arguments about what should or shouldn't be happening in a political sense, only an opportunity to educate people about what might or might not be taking place. A place to post logistical considerations. Thanks for helping us stay on topic. (Sincerely, your former neighborhood English teacher)
Disclaimer #2: Regarding the following article--The years have been changed to protect the innocent...and the youthfully aging author...And yeah, that's as close as I could come to having a sense of humor when dealing with something so serious.
When I was ___ years old, still in grade school, I had a panic attack because I was afraid the Gulf War was going to come to Moses Lake, Washington and kill everyone I knew. It surely sounded absurd to a grownup, and probably even to a less intense elementary schooler, but to me, it seemed perfectly plausible. In one of the most compassionate parenting moments that I can recall, my mother posted a 3' world map in the hallway next to my bedroom and marked it with places we should talk about: Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Washington DC, New York, LA, Seattle, and Moses Lake. Her main point was to show me that the military action would probably never reach little ol' Moses Lake.
Granted, it didn't prevent me from crying about all the people who would lose their lives in the Middle East, or from worrying that someone else (apparently like Iraq) would topple the U.S. government in D.C. and change the way we all live as Americans...Again, I realize that probably sounds ridiculous to most Americans now...But her map did in fact comfort me every morning and night as I passed by.
Somehow though, here we are some ___ years later, discussing North Korea's potential nuclear attacks on American soil. Specifically on the contiguous 48. And even more shocking to the elementary version of me, potentially on the pacific northwest where my mom's map taught me how unimportant Seattle, and Moses Lake, would be in a military attack strategy. But it seems that Seattle might in fact be within North Korea's nuclear strike range! And on top of that, I now have friends and family in Seattle, CA, NY, and D.C., and practically every other part of the USA. So I find myself actually trying to understand how things might play out in the coming year. I've started looking through a variety of hopefully reliable sources (as all good researchers, and English teachers would tell you to do!) so I know that even the experts have conflicting conclusions about how likely an attack is here in the great PNW, or on U.S. soil at all.
And even though the adult version of me has learned to steady the nerves that wracked me ___ years ago, the child version of me is still likely to pop up at some point when dealing with a topic this intimidating. So I figured I'd be proactive and start collecting resources that will help me understand what is possible vs probable regarding our current tensions with North Korea, and what steps we should take to be prepared in case anything should happen. If I find any sources with potentially interesting, insightful, or helpful ideas, I'll post them here. And if anyone out there is willing to share your resources with me, you're welcome to pass them on and I'll post them here as well.
Disclaimer #3: Regarding the invitation to share your links--This is not an open invitation to create arguments about what should or shouldn't be happening in a political sense, only an opportunity to educate people about what might or might not be taking place. A place to post logistical considerations. Thanks for helping us stay on topic. (Sincerely, your former neighborhood English teacher)
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