Today in Testing

I am not sure if Kim Myong-chol is a variation of our own Kevin Barrett, but North Korea gave him a PhD just like UW Madison gave one to Dr. Conspiracy. Most sources refer to him as Kim Jong-il’s “unofficial spokesman” so it is worth notice as he writes today about the Dear Leaders intentions.

Why Pyongyang is going nuclear: Unlike the other so-called "axis of evil" states, North Korea is a nuclear-weapons state and has the will and capability to torch urban US. … Since his country is now a member of the nuclear club, Kim has lost any appetite for talks with the US. His interest is in how to settle the long-standing scores of the Korean people with the US.

Other sources term Kim Myong-chol a “freelance propagandist” but the party line being peddled is a specific threat to nuke US cities. During the missile test frenzy last July, there was speculation all this bellicose rhetoric is mostly for internal consumption, but why then play it out in the world press? While the Nork’s seem intent on testing media response the United States is doing testing of its own.

US carries out subcritical nuclear test: The United States says it has carried out a subcritical nuclear experiment successfully at an underground test site in Nevada - the 23rd such test since 1997. …The administration said the subcritical tests do not involve nuclear explosion because they are designed to "examine the behaviour of plutonium as it is strongly shocked by forces produced by chemical high explosives".

Maybe its time to put a NukAlert on the Christmas list and remember the good news about nuclear destruction is that:” Simple measures taken immediately after a nuclear blast, by a trained public, can prevent agonizing death and injury from radiation.”