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World "outraged" by North Korea's latest nuke test
 The U.N. Security Council called an emergency meeting Monday after world leaders reacted with outrage to North Korea's latest nuclear test.Yeah. They did that after the last one, too. North Korea earlier said it had tested the weapon in an underground explosion, provoking an angry response from the world's governments. "Oh, we're just so angry!" It had threatened to conduct the test if the U.N. Security Council did not apologize for imposing sanctions on North Korea after it tested a rocket April 5. Well, now they're really gonna get it, you betcha! The Security Council called on its members to discuss the reported test Monday at 4 p.m. ET. Good idea. That way they can meet over cocktails. The White House -- which less than three weeks ago announced a new diplomatic effort to restart stalled talks with North Korea about its nuclear program -- said the test was in "blatant defiance" of the Security Council. Still pretending the UNSC means squat, are they?  "North Korea is directly and recklessly challenging the international community," the White House said. "And the International Community® will let them to continue doing so." "The danger posed by North Korea's threatening activities warrants action by the international community."
While the test was not a surprise, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it showed Pyongyang was becoming "increasingly belligerent."  We could tell that from the stomping stomps of thousands of goose stepping stompy feet, the 30 foot banners with pictures of little fat men on them, and the spittle flying by the gallon.North Korea announced its underground nuclear test a little more than an hour after the U.S. Geological Survey reported a magnitude 4.7 seismic disturbance at the site of North Korea's first nuclear test. There was no immediate information on the yield of the weapon used in Monday's test. The Russian Defense Ministry said the explosion was between 10 to 20 kilotons. The U.S. State Department said it was analyzing the data. "Hmmm... What do you make of this, Bob?" "I dunno, Albert. What time is it?" "2:30 a.m." "Well, let's wait another half hour before we call Madame Secretary."  Mullen said it would take a couple of days to verify the reported test, but he added, "there's no indication that it wasn't as they say.""We can't say it didn't take place, since it taking place was what clued us that it took place. I think." The North's state-run Korean Central News Agency would say only that the latest test was safely conducted "on a new higher level in terms of its explosive power and technology of its control." "Yes! We have the bomb! A big bomb! And we painted it red! Yah-hah-hah-hah-hah!" U.S. intelligence estimated the first North Korean test, in October 2006, produced an explosion equal to less than 1,000 tons of TNT. The low yield was a fraction of the size of the bombs the United States dropped on Japan at the end of World War II. Intelligence analysts had predicted North Korea would conduct a second rocket or nuclear test. I predict that, having laboriously lost their nuclear virginity, they will now become nuclearly promiscuous.  The North threatened to do so after the Security Council voted unanimously to condemn its April launch as a violation of a 2006 resolution that bans North Korea's ballistic missile activity. One wonders, if it wasn't that, what he hell was it? North Korea insisted the rocket was a communications satellite. "That's right! It wuz... ummm... something else!" It retaliated by threatening to walk away from the six-party talks aimed at disarming the country of nuclear weapons. "And this wasn't a nuclear weapons test. It was a test of a communications bomb." The North also expelled international inspectors from its nuclear sites, "Get out! Out, the lot of youse!" announced plans to restart the reactor that produces plutonium for its nuclear weapons, and threatened to launch more rockets and another nuclear device. "Nobuddy can stop us! Nobuddy, y'see?" Monday's test was conducted "as part of the measures to bolster up its nuclear deterrent for self-defense in every way," the North Korean news agency said. "Nothing self-defends like nukes, I always say!"  "They think this will enhance and embolden their diplomatic capability to deal with the other countries," said Han Sung Joo, former South Korean ambassador to the United States. "Of course, it may be working the other way. But from their point of view, this is their lifeline, which they want to maintain."Lunacy as a diplomatic strategy? It's been tried before, hasn't it? China's government "expresses firm opposition" to the test, in which North Korea "disregarded the opposition of the international community," according to a statement from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "We're not gonna do anything about it, but you don't get no firmer than our opposition!" North Korea's latest move could clear the way for the United States and the other members of the six-party talks, minus North Korea, to impose new punitive measures against a country desperate for food and energy assistance. The six-party talks minus Nork make it five-party talks. My guess is that they're not gonna cut food or energy assistance because of the suffering of the populace. If they do, it'll be until maybe winter sets in. Sending food and energy will allow the Kim dynasty to continue oppressing the populace and will free up cash for use in developing more and nastier weaponry. At some point in the indefinite future they will take offense at not receiving an apology from the UNSC or the Pope or the Queen of England and they'll incinerate someone, possibly Guam, maybe Honolulu. At that point the International Community will have to either defecate or decommode. My guess is it'll be constipated. For now, however, the North's nuclear arms program is not a major security threat, analysts say. "Yeah, sure. Y'got nuthin' to worry about. And remember, what's true today will be true next year and ten years from now." The country has yet to build an effective bomb or develop an effective delivery system to a target country. Last year, North Korea acknowledged producing roughly 88 pounds (40 kilograms) of enriched plutonium -- enough for about seven nuclear bombs. Posted by: Steve White 2009-05-25 |
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