Sept. 28, 2004
So far this year the non-event that caused the most thought for me was the nuclear test by North Korea on Sept. 9. Two things (at least) worry me about this test and they do not include the fact that PRNK can make a nuke because there are at least 25 countries who could if they were so inclined (including Canada).
Thing 1: With a mushroom cloud 4km wide this was not only a nuclear test, it was almost certainly a thermo-nuke. Conventional warheads at around 20 kilo-tonnes tend to generate mushroom clouds around 1 kilometer in diameter. Sites exist that detail almost every nuclear test in the last 60 years and thermo-nukes stand out like sore thumbs. Imagine Kim Jong-Il's glee when he found out that the bomb they put under a mountain still managed to break through and make a big-ass mushroom cloud! Oh the power of Dear Leader! Just wait 'til the rest of the world gets a load of this...
Thing 2: And not only does the test show up as a mere footnote in the media, but the US (and others) deny that it was even a nuclear test! Yikes. At the very least we should have been tracking wind patterns to ensure that our children are not ill-affected by potential fallout. Even if it really wasn't a nuclear test, our "lack of knowledge" of the event would have made that a prudent course of action. If it was a nuke, then Dear Leader has just become a much more dangerous man, and ignoring him is just going to make him "up-the-ante". He desires adulation and acknowledgement; I just want the truth before he up and does something really stupid...
Oct. 25, 2004
Update: A distinct and oppressive lack of media feedback on this issue has forced me to consider that this may in fact be an Israeli-style pre-emptive strike on the part of either the Chinese or the US. The fact that this "explosion" was only some 30 kilometers from the Chinese border and we have heard absolutely nothing from them on this issue leads me to believe that they know EXACTLY what happened. Picture if you will a similar event happening in the US within 30 kilometers of the Canadian boundary. The Canadians almost certainly would not rest until they knew the circumstances. Oh well, we can only hope that SOMEONE has learned a lesson...
©2004 Robert Farries