North Korea Makes Bang-Bang
In case anyone missed it: North Korea conducted a nuclear test overnight. It’s estimated to have had an explosive yield of 6 to 7 kilotons – or between 1/3 and 1/2 the yield of those used during World War II.
Even China was not amused, and reportedly summoned the North Korean ambassador to their foreign ministry for immediate consultations.
Perhaps the UN will actually grow a pair and impose meaningful sanctions this time. As the kid in “Angels in the Outfield” said: “Hey, it could happen!” – but I’m not holding my breath.
No word yet on when the hermit state plans to begin growing sufficient food to feed itself, or to provide a reasonable standard of living for their proletariat.
Category: Foreign Policy, Military issues
Two points.
First, when you read “North Korea,” you should see that as “North Korea/Iran.”
Second, Obama’s piss-poor, man-gina response was to call the test “highly provocative.” He is a feckless moron.
This test was illegal. “Highly Provocative” is how you describe thier language or a dress worn by Lady Gaga, Professor Obama. “Illegal” is how you describe a nuclear test that violates the very agreements that your nation signed witht them.
As a bonus, let me ask this: Why is there no comments from Madeline Albright or Jimmy Carter in any of these articles?
Signed:
Pissed Off Again
And Bath House Barry sent them a sternly worded letter. The theatre of the absurd. And he wants to diminish our response capabilities.
Apparantly even China is getting sick of NK’s crap.
Next we’ll send John Kerry to throw a sternly worded reprimand over their fence
And BHO still wants to cut our nuclear weapons over half as well as continue to cut from the defense budget only.
So ronery…
Obama was angrier over the Israelis building a few apartments in East Jerusalem than he did about this.
Technically the UN is still at war with N. Korea. No treaty of peace was ever signed, a ceasefire agreement has been in place since 1954. I would think that a deliverable thermonuclear device would be sufficient provocation to negate the ceasefire.
The only thing we lack is testicular fortitude. And boy, do we lack that!
5.1 magnitude quake in Sungjibaegam, North Korea
Event Time
2013-02-12 02:57:51 UTC
2013-02-12 11:57:51 UTC+09:00 at epicenter
2013-02-11 20:57:51 UTC-06:00 system time
Location
41.302°N 129.066°E depth=1.0km (0.6mi)
Nearby Cities
23km (14mi) ENE of Sungjibaegam, North Korea
35km (22mi) WNW of Hau-ri, North Korea
43km (27mi) NNW of Kilju, North Korea
52km (32mi) WSW of Hoemul-li, North Korea
378km (235mi) NE of Pyongyang, North Korea
Here’s the shortcut to the USGS report: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usc000f5t0
The two previous tests registered on seismometers, just as this one did. This is the strongest detonation so far, 1/3 the strength of the Hiroshima bomb. This test took place in the previous testing area.
I’m just waiting to see if they violate the above-ground test bans, too.
Anybody know exactly what sanctions can be meaningfully imposed on a self-isolated, starving country with nukes?
I was going to say, what good does it do to take away something from a country that already has nothing?
The Chiner card is the only one of value in this game.
@12 This may be the only time I’m glad China holds our debt. They stand to lose if we get hit, so just maybe that is enough to make them deal seriously and expediously with NK.
NHSparky: North Korea engages in more foreign trade than you might think. Trade between North and South Korea alone was close to 2 billion USD last year. North Korea’s 2008 total foreign trade was about 5.6 billion USD.
If Ronald Reagan were president today, he would have simply walked up to the microphone stand and said “A U.S. Navy carrier group has received new orders to proceed directly to the Sea of Japan. I will not be taking any questions. Thank you and God bless America.”
If he does anything, B. Hussein 0bama will probably apologize to the Norkies for provoking them into testing a nuke!
Not “Mediumly provocative” but Highly Provocative! You tell ’em bad azz Barry!
@ 15 … ain’t that the truth!
This was their response to US military policy allowing female operators.
6-7 KT would suck for anyone standing underneath it, but frankly, their delivery systems leave a bit to be desired yet, and their triggering for all we know consists of someone lighting the fuse and running like a sumbitch…
@20 The person they assign to the position of fuse lighter is any individual who spoke out against the regime.
I hope the Chinese are thinking “well, they may not be able to get a missile all the way to the US, but they’re right across the border from us” REALLY hard about now. The Norks have never been shy about shitting in anyone else’s hat.
BREAKING NEWS:
The UN Security Council has opened emergency talks on North Korea’s nuclear test, as world powers made calls for “swift action”.
The 15-nation council passed a resolution last month threatening “significant action”.
The meeting comes after North Korea confirmed on Tuesday that it carried out a third nuclear test. UN monitoring agencies had earlier reported an “unusual seismic event”.
Definitions:
“swift action” – hold a meeting and vote.
“significant action” – order take out food from French restaurant on the upper eastside based on the vote.
“unusual seismic event” – any sound or vibration louder than someone yelling for food, sounds and vibrations made by any type machinery and/or engine of industry, more than 10 to 15 automobiles or trucks operating at once.
“Unusual seismic event” — yes, see my post #9 above. It registered 5.1 on the seismometer.
That could also have been the result of all the Norks applauding at the successful test.
#23: Exactly. “Emergency action” at the UN means convening a hasty reception before the baked brie is 125 degrees and the chardonnay is allowed to breath for 5 minutes.
I would like to know if we have any means of knocking a long-range missile, nuke or not nuke, from the Norks out of the sky, short of the deer-cooking ammo and plane-crashing bullets, and of course, Superman and Green Lantern, who ain’t got nothin’ on me.