US officials report Russia won't give Iran nuclear fuel

Russia is of course denying the report, but I was in the mood for some good news, so here's a quote from the news piece. WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Bush administration Tuesday applauded a Russian ultimatum to Iran that it will not supply fuel for Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant until Iran agrees to suspend uranium enrichment. A senior Bush administration official confirmed the Russian stance and said it will help ratchet up pressure on Iran to end its push for nuclear weapons. Iran denies its nuclear program is intended for anything but peaceful purposes. Iran's state-run media said Tuesday that Moscow was an "unreliable partner" in nuclear cooperation, The Associated Press reported. The senior administration official said the move came because Russia has "rising concerns about Iran having nuclear weapons on their southern flank." The report of the ultimatum first appeared in Tuesday editions of The New York Times. Russian and Iranian officials denied there had been any ultimatum issued. That's not to say there aren't other problems with the Russian-Iranian nuclear relationship. UN sanctions are preventing completion of the Bushehr plant, Iran is of course refusing to comply with the IAEA requests to verify the nature of Iran's nuclear program, and lastly, Iran is late on their payments to the Russians. Because of the late payments, Russia has slowly been pulling its technicians and engineers off the project. It's not like it's going to matter anyway. Israel's going to have to save the day again and bomb the plant minutes before it goes active...

California state employees' pensions are funding terrorists

Beyond the fact that their pensions will eventually bankrupt the state, the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) system invests in companies that do business with terrorists. Double trouble... The California Public Employees' Retirement System, the largest U.S. pension fund, and the state teachers' fund would have to unload shares in companies including BNP Paribas of France, Siemens AG of Germany and Eni SpA of Italy. ``Who's funding terrorism? It sure as hell shouldn't be our public employees,'' said Joel Anderson, a Republican assemblyman from El Cajon who introduced the measure. ``When you're looking at the war on terrorists, this is one of the best weapons we have -- just defunding them.'' Anderson estimated his legislation would affect $24 billion worth of investments. [...] Calpers and the California State Teachers' Retirement System control $388 billion in investments. The legislation would affect overseas-based companies, since U.S. businesses are already mostly barred from trading with the countries on the State Department list: Iran, Sudan, Cuba, North Korea and Syria. Some might say these companies can't be that bad, can they? BNP Paribas has current investments in Iran valued over $2 billion including directly lending cash to the Iranian government (and they still can't seem to pay back the Russians for their nuclear technology). And on top of that BNP was probed by British intelligence for its involvement in the Iraq Oil for Food scandal. Siemens AG is a leading telecommunications company that has done billions on dollars of work in Iran on their cell phone and fixed line networks. They also did business with Saddam's regime in Iraq selling him devices called lithotripters. These devices were designed for medical purposes but their electric switches can be used as nuclear detonators (think that will come up in the Plame hearings?). Eni SpA, an energy company, currently has $4 billion in investments in Iran with stakes in Iran's oil fields of up to 60%. They continue to help Iran develop their extnesive oil reserves. There are some 400 companies that do business with nations that sponsor terrorism. The Center for Security Policy has a list of the 12 worst offenders. Siemens AG is #1 on that list; BNP Paribas is #4 and Eni SpA is # 6. Other companies you may have heard of that are on their Dirty Dozen list are Alcatel SA, Statoil ASA, Stolt Nielsen, Technip Coflexip, Hyundai, Total SA, Lundin Petroleum, Oil & Natural Gas Corp. Ltd., and PetroChina. Considering all this CalPERS and CalSTRS representatives currently have no position other than to say that they don't invest directly in Iran. That's brilliant. I'm still in shock that Saddam was sold technology that could easily be used as triggers for a nuclear weapon...

Is Obama taking a staunch position against Iran?

That's certainly what this Chicago Tribune headline makes it seem like: Obama calls Iran threat to U.S., Israel. Kinda makes him sound like he's the next JFK... Could it be true? Seeking to woo Jewish votes and contributions, Sen. Barack Obama told an audience in Chicago Friday that he considers Iran "one of the greatest threats to the United States, Israel and world peace" and pledged he would try to end that nation's uranium enrichment program. At least the ChiTrib is honest enough to note a political campaign promise when they see one. Still, Obama says Iran is one of the greatest threats to world peace. So far he's on the money... As he criticized the Bush administration's Iraq policies, the Democratic presidential candidate suggested that the danger posed by neighboring Iran has grown in recent years because of U.S. policy in the Middle East. Ahh the truth at last... It wouldn't be a Democratic fundraiser without a good ol' fashioned Bush-bash: Iran is our fault! So it's a back-assed view of national security. Yes, Iran's a threat, but because we screwed the region up. Nevermind that the region has been screwed up for centuries and we just got there... And then the annointed one speaks! "One of the most profound consequences of the administration's failed strategy in Iraq has been to strengthen Iran's strategic position, reduce U.S. credibility and influence in the region, and place Israel and other nations friendly to the United States in greater peril," Obama (D-Ill.) said before a regional gathering of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a major pro-Israel lobbying group. Obama is looking at the strategy completely backwards. Iran is stronger by default because we ahnililated the stronger military threat in the region, and they're in a strategic position now because we already took out Iraq that was in a more strategic position. And it's not like Iran just figured out Israel existed in the past three years since we've been in the Middle East. Israel's been a target since the country was founded, and they've been a target simply because they exist. America has probably done more to inhibit Israel than help Israel. US officials talk alot about our great ally Israel, but most of our foreign policies have been made to placate the Arab street at the expense of Israel. And Obama's audience ought to realize that if he or any other Democrat is elected, we'll be leaving the region shortly after they take office, and Israel will be left alone to defend itself. Again. So sure Obama sounds great. It's easy to sound great when you spew misconceptions and half-truths... UPDATE @ 10:22am: And good luck to Obama when he tries to play the black card to get elected. Especially since his white ancestors owned slaves.

Iran: not only a potential nuclear threat, they're late making the nuclear plant mortgage payments as well

It's just so hard finding responsible megalomaniac dictators trying to bring about the return of the 12th Imam who want to buy nuclear technology these days... BBC - Iran has rejected claims by Russian officials that it has failed to meet payments for work on the Bushehr nuclear plant in southern Iran. [...] Under the Bushehr deal, Russia would have started the fuel shipments by March, launched the plant in September and begun to generate electricity by November. Russia's Federal Nuclear Power Agency spokesman Sergey Novikov said the "launch schedule definitely could be affected" by the reported delay in payments. One unnamed Russian official told Associated Press Iran was blaming "technical reasons" for the delay. So they're a nuclear threat and a credit risk for lenders as well. Of course beyond the fact that they haven't paid the Russians for the nuclear technology they've been given, is the scary fact that the Russians are selling them nuclear technology. Does anyone else think that's a bad idea or is it just me.

North Korea makes a tentative agreement to disarm?!?

Wow. Somewhere in the world pigs are flying and frost is forming on the rocks in Hell... BEIJING (AP) -- International negotiators reached a tentative agreement on initial steps toward North Korea's nuclear disarmament, the first concrete progress after more than three years of talks, the U.S. envoy said early Tuesday. The draft agreement, worked out at the latest round of six-nation talks on the North's nuclear program, contained commitments on disarmament and energy assistance along with ``initial actions'' to be taken by certain deadlines, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said. He said working groups will be set up, hopefully in a month, laying out a framework for dealing with regional tensions. Hill declined to give further details of the draft. The agreement could herald the first step toward disarmament since the talks began in 2003; the rounds have been marked by repeated delays and deadlock. The process reached its lowest point in October when North Korea conducted its first nuclear test explosion, alarming the world and triggering U.N. sanctions. Hill said the draft agreement still must be reviewed by the home governments of the six countries at the talks, but he was upbeat about it. He said he was in ``constant communication'' with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. ``We feel it's an excellent draft, I don't think we're the problem,'' he said. I'd love to believe that this will actually happen, but they've lied to us before. What's to stop them from lying to us, signing a disarmament treaty, and then only disarming the nukes that we know about, leaving their sooped-sekret stash for a rainy day? Nothing. They'd better put some major inspections and public missiles decommissionings in this thing, so that we can verify they actually get rid of each and every nuclear weapon they have. It'd be great if this actually happened though... Just what would the moonbat lefties do? The evil, baby-killing, warmonger of a president disarming the world's most dangerous nuclear threat with a pen and a handshake. I think their heads might actually explode...

Bloggers on staff with Sen. Edwards are giving him a bit of a headache

Two bloggers Sen. Edwards staffed put him in a bit of a sticky spot the other day... WaPo - Former senator John Edwards (D-N.C.) condemned comments made by two bloggers on his presidential campaign staff but chose not to fire the women, an incident that exposed the fault lines between the largely unfiltered world of new media and the highly regulated universe of national politics. At the center of the brouhaha are Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwen, both of whom were hired last month by Edwards to oversee his "Net roots" outreach. A loose conglomeration of liberal-minded bloggers have grown increasingly influential in Democratic politics. Before joining the Edwards campaign, Marcotte and McEwen each maintained personal Web logs on which they posted highly critical and profane thoughts about topics including the Roman Catholic Church. Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, called on Edwards to fire the duo, whom he described as "vulgar, trash-talking bigots." Wow... second chances abound for liberals who trash WASPs. Of course we were talking about Mitt Romney and some off his staffers popping off, we'd have a national outcry and the oh-so-tolerant left would demand he withdraw from the race, no matter how many apologies he and the staffers issued. And since the MSM isn't paying attention, this isn't the only issue Edwards has made for himself at the moment. He's getting himself in enough trouble talking out of both sides of his face (after all, he did learn from from the best in the business, John Kerry, who flipped flopped more than a fish out of water). 2 weeks ago, speaking at the Herzliya Conference in Israel Edwards addressed the issue of Iran and their pursuit of nukes quite firmly. "Let me be clear: Under no circumstances can Iran be allowed to have nuclear weapons . . . The vast majority of people are concerned about what is going on in Iraq. This will make the American people reticent toward going for Iran. But I think the American people are smart if they are told the truth, and if they trust their president. So Americans can be educated to come along with what needs to be done with Iran." He then took a page from John Kerry's playbook and proceeded to change his position. Q. Can we live with a nuclear Iran? A. "I'm not ready to cross that bridge yet... When [Bush] uses this kind of language 'options are on the table,' he does it in a very threatening kind of way - with a country that he's not engaging with or making any serious diplomatic proposals to. I mean I think that he's just dead wrong about that." How else should a military threat be made? What option does Edwards mean to leave on the table - a bouquet of flowers? On the February 4 edition of Meet the Press, Edwards was asked, "Would President Edwards allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons?" His response: "There's no answer to that question at this moment... We ought to negotiate directly with the Iranians, which has not been done...." Q. But they may get one. A. "I think we don't know, and you have to make a judgment as you go along." So he's gone from staunch position to a policy of jibberish flexible it's spineless. So Edward has become the protege of John Kerry. Only Edwards has charisma and better hair

It's always fun mixing it up with dissenting, anonymous commenters...

This person wasn't exactly a troll, but did their best to cover their tracks... So I thought I'd post their original comment as well as my repsonse. It's so much easier to read when you don't have to scroll through those tiny Haloscan comments windows... I stumbled across you blog. it's so fascinating to read a conservative perspective on war. The problem I have with Iraq war is the number of Iraqi deaths. The fucked up situation in Iraq wasn't created by Americans...it happened way before all of that with the division of the Ottoman empire...the formation of a multi-tribed nation state later living under a dictator... the problems are complex but why are American troops in there trying to liberate a country and killing so many people in the process? THere's this paternalistic attitude that only Americans can save these people because they are too uncivilised to govern themselves. They support unpopular governments that promote the American agenda. While the idea of saving a country from an evil dictator is noble (and Hollywood) the reality is the dictator is dead, there are more people dying. What is being gained from this war? Meanwhile North Korea has nukes, and after seeing what happened in Iraq I'm sure more countries will be nuking up to protect themselves. The only country that has ever dropped a nuke on a civillian population is us. More people will die for nothing. So many in Iraq already have. An American life is not worth more than an Iraqi life. All life is equal. You people amaze me with your over simplification of issues. I guess it makes the world an easier place to live in. Have a nice life. - Interest A fabulous comment, no? So here's my reply... Hey, thanks for stopping by. Other perspectives are always welcome here. I can appreciate your concern for the Iraqi civilian casualties, and I agree that the problem in Iraq (and the Middle East in general) is based on issues and hatreds centuries old. We are coming into this fight a bit late... And that's about where my agreement with you ends. 99% of civilians killed in Iraq were murdered by the insurgents in an effort to break the spirit of not just Americans, but Iraqis as well. They're certainly not being killed by US troops. All you have to do is read any newspaper or tune to any news program to see the latest car bomb at a market, mosque, or recruitment center. And since you appear to by confused by who's who over there, our guys are the ones wearing uniforms, in jeeps, holding guns. You know... normal soldiers. The bad guys are hiding among the innocent, using them as shields, blowing them up in an effort to blackmail us. What I love about the liberal perspective is how they make the terrorists moral equivalents to our troops. They kill civilians, we kill terrorists. Apparently that's a distinction only those not blinded by their liberal hate can recognize. As far as the popularity contest, you'd prefer be the main priority of the US government, the Iraqi government is only unpopular with the insurgents. The average Iraqi was thrilled at the chance to vote on their leadership. Just see the poll turnouts. And they're damn thankful we ignored the rest of the world and helped free them from the oppressive, genocidal, murderer that had been ruling their country. As far as North Korea and their nukes, you've got a great example of what happens when you ignore the rest of the world and rely 100% on diplomatic efforts. Kim Jong Il flat out lied to Clinton, signed the nuclear proliferation treaty, and then went ahead with his nuclear programs anyway. We didn't attack NK, or anywhere nearby that made him fear for the safety of his nation. Evil dictators don't need an excuse for their nuclear agendas, and saying they'd only pursue nukes because we are in the region is a gross, childish oversimplification. Sure we've got nukes and yes we've used them and we did so to force the hand of an adversary unwilling to surrender. How long should we have let that war drag on? That of course brings us to your million dollar question, why are we there? How's national security, global war on terror, and freeing an oppressed people strike you? And wouldn't you know it, that also shows that we value Iraqi life just as much as we value American life. We value it so much that we're sending our own sons and daughters there, risking their lives for the lives of Iraqis. Some might even argue we're valuing the lives of the Iraqis more than our own. Regardless, it certainly doesn't prove we don't value Iraqi lives. So when you're done oversimplifying things with your pacifist hopes and dreams that we ought to be trying to make a world were all problems are solved with hugs and puppy dogs, I'll be having a nice life. In reality. Anyone want to add something? Feel free to leave a comment! And hopefully, in the next couple days, I'll get a chance to repsond to a global warming email I got. This guy didn't like the little Al Gore image over on the left... So check back soon for that!

IAEA finds plutnoium and highly enriched uranium in Iran

While the US is focused on a balance of power shift in Washington, Iran continues to forge ahead with their nuclear program. VIENNA, Austria - International Atomic Energy experts have found unexplained plutonium and highly enriched uranium traces in a nuclear waste facility in Iran and have asked Tehran for an explanation, an IAEA report said Tuesday. [...] "The agency will remain unable to make further progress in its efforts to verify the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran," without additional cooperation by Tehran, said the report, by IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei. Such cooperation is a "prerequisite for the agency to be able to confirm the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program," it added. [...] Since revelations more than three years ago of a covert uranium enrichment program, Iran has moved to develop its capabilities, activating two small experimental enrichment plants and enriching small amounts of uranium to nuclear fuel level. Although that is far short of the weapons grade uranium that could be used for nuclear warheads, international concerns about Tehran's ultimate intentions led the Security Council to set an Aug. 31 deadline for an enrichment moratorium — which Tehran has ignored. Officials have said they plan to have 3,000 centrifuges operating by next year — enough to make enough material for several nuclear weapons a year. Of course they still insist the program is completely peaceful, for electricity generating purposes only. Yet they refuse to let the IAEA confirm that with simple site inspections. Something fishy going on there?

Iran test fires missile capable of reaching Israel

It's a scary day to be in Jerusalem... TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's Revolutionary Guards fired missiles carrying cluster warheads to shouts of "God is the greatest" at the start of 10 days of military maneuvers on Thursday, state television reported. Tehran had said the maneuvers, dubbed "The Greatest Prophet" and which will include drills in the Gulf and Sea of Oman, were to demonstrate "defensive strength." The article goes on the remind us that this isn't a display of newly developed technology, but it certainly doesn't make anyone feel good... unless you're a crazy Iranian trying to bring about the end of the world via the 12th imam... Then you're super-stoked. Plus you can kill lots of jews at the same time. So when do we stop him from destroying the Middle East?

Are Iran and Syria trying to overthrow the Lebanese government

After Hariri's assassination and following popular uprising forcing Syria to withdraw all influence from their puppet state, Syria with Iran's help might be looking to subvert the current Lebanese government. The U.S. is "increasingly concerned by mounting evidence that the Syrian and Iranian governments, Hezbollah and their Lebanese allies are preparing plans to topple Lebanon's democratically elected government," the White House said in a statement. The Bush administration said there are "indications" Syria is trying to disrupt passage of a statute by the Lebanese government permitting an international tribunal to try those accused of involvement in former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination. The U.S. statement noted that an international tribunal can be established "no matter what happens in Lebanon." Terrorists in liege with Iran and Syria? Surely not?! I wonder where we've heard that before... Oh, and that sounds like a pretty damn good reason to not let nations that cooperate with terrorists (**cough**Iran**cough**) get nuclear weapons, don't ya think?

Iran continues to expand its uranium enrichment program

And they're doing it as the UN discusses possible sanctions against Iran... Do you think Ahmadinejad really cares what the UN says? His actions fly right in the face of their stupid talks, memos, resolutions, and sanctions. VIENNA, Austria -- Iran is expanding its uranium enrichment program even as the U.N. Security Council focuses on possible sanctions for its defiance of a demand to give up the activity and ease fears it seeks nuclear weapons, diplomats said Monday. The diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to divulge the information to media, told The Associated Press that within the past few weeks Iranian nuclear experts had started up a second pilot enrichment facility. [...] In Tehran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his country's nuclear capability has increased tenfold despite Western pressure to roll back its atomic program, which Iran insists is peaceful. Ahmadinejad keeps spewing his hate and lies, but who's to say here what's a truth and what's a lie? This isn't a game. It's not Where's Waldo; we're talking about nuclear weapons here, not a dork in a striped shirt. But the UN keeps talking sanctions, and who here wants to know why those are going to be worthless? [...] Moscow and Beijing are reluctant to impose harsh punishments on Tehran, an economic and strategic partner. They also fear that any sanctions _ which for now rule out military action _ could still start the process toward consideration of force. That's why. And they won't be willing to do anything until Tehran actually has a nuke and tests it. Then, maybe, we can get China and Russia on board and then they'll only go along with something pointless like banning Iranian luxury item sales. So who's going to stop the inevitable?

North Korea sorry about nuclear test?

Ping Pong regrets the nuclear test. Sure he does... Seoul, South Korea (AHN) - A South Korean newspaper has reported on Friday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il regrets the nation' s nuclear test and that he is willing to return to six-party talks, conditional to Washington's withdrawal of isolationist campaigns against North Korea. Chosun Ilbo reported Kim as telling a Chinese envoy, "If the U.S. makes a concession to some degree, we will also make a concession to some degree, whether it be bilateral talks or six-party talks." It's total BS and the world should know better. But some diplomatic weenie will label it a progress, restart the talks, and sign more treaties and pass more resolutions. Until he tests his next missile delivery system or another nuclear weapon, of course...

Tests confirm North Korean test was nuclear

***Updated and bumped*** Maybe North Koreans Ping Pong Kim Jong just has really small... bombs? Oct. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Radioactivity found in air samples has verified North Korea's claims that it conducted an underground nuclear test on Oct. 9, according to the top U.S. intelligence agency. "Analysis of air samples collected Oct. 11, 2006, detected radioactive debris which confirms North Korea conducted an underground nuclear explosion," said a statement from the office of Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte. Still it was under a kiloton. But that's the least of our worries at this point. What do we do with a madman with a nuclear bomb? Invade? No, not yet anyway... I linked to In from the Cold's post shortly after the test was conducted, and the former spook had 8 ideas other than war: pressure China to halt illicit DPRK maritime traffic, step-up enforcement against illegal financial activities, crack down on the chosen soren, provide the latest ATBM technology to our regional partners, make it easier for North Korean refugees to enter South Korea and the west, suspend western humanitarian aid, place tough restrictions on air traffic, and naval quarantine. Those are all much better ideas than the crap that the UN approved, ban luxury item sales and encouraging cargo inspections of North Korean shipments. Still, China is unfortunately the key, and while they're talking the talk, they've yet to back that talk up with actions against NoKo. Japan’s U.N. ambassador, Kenzo Oshima, this month’s council president, said China was willing to impose some punitive measures, "but in our view we would have to ask them to make further efforts." Beijing has huge influence on Pyongyang as its most important political and economic ally. In the past it has opposed sanctions but agreed to some punitive measures if they were narrowly focussed on dangerous weapons. One controversial provision in the U.S.-drafted resolution, was authorization for international inspections of cargo moving in and out of North Korea to detect weapons-related material. Diplomats said China had rejected that. Beijing also wants the resolution to be carefully worded to avoid any risk it would open the way to military action. Gee... anyone else wonder what's up with China here? Cox & Forkum's take certainly isn't hard to believe... Meanwhile, liberal idiots all over the US continue to blame all this on Bush. Yet they seem to forget about this... In 1994, the United States and North Korea had entered into the "Agreed Framework" to defuse the issue of the North Korean nuclear program. Neither party held to this agreement during the Clinton Administration, and most experts believe North Korea had acquired one or two nuclear weapons before Bush took office. The year after Bush's speech, North Korea withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Or you can check out the video adaptation of the 1994 concessions the Clinton administration made to Ping Pong Kim Jong. And that he's got nuclear weapons is somehow Bush's fault? That's Madeleine Albright, Clinton's Secretary of State toasting with Kim Jong in 2000 before Bush took office and about the time that most experts agree Kim Jong had already developed nuclear weapons, right? I just wanted to make sure I wasn't seeing things... I didn't think that looked like Colin Powell giving nuclear technology to Ping Pong Kim Jong, not even on a really bad hair day. Still we've got Harry "real estate tycoon" Reid calling for an investigation into Bush's NoKo policies? For a better insight into a communist's psyche try this piece by Ion Mihai Pacepa, a former Romanian Intelligence officer under the USSR. I think he might know more about this than Harry Reid who appears to be doing some grandstanding to get the media off his shady real estate dealings and his use of campaign contributions to pay Christmas bonuses. So let's all get on board here... DPRK with nukes is bad. The international community and the UN should come up with harsh retribution for the North Koreans, more than saying don't buy their "luxury items". Can we at least agree on that? UPDATED & BUMPED @ 3:38pm: North Korea appears to be preparing a 2nd nuclear test. I guess Kim Jong Ping Pong doesn't want the world to think he's got small... bombs.

Watered down sanctions against North Korea approved

To translate that from UN diplo-speak into English, it's a harshly worded memo saying please don't do it again... Sanctions will include a broad arms embargo, a ban on luxury sales to North Korea and measures to encourage countries to inspect all cargo shipments in and out of the country, in part to frustrate any attempt by Pyongyang to proliferate its weapons technology around the world. International travel will also be forbidden for North Korean officials with any connection to the country's weapons programmes. If that doesn't strike fear into the heart of a ruthless dictator, I don't know what will... Way to go Russia and China, maybe NoKo will bomb you first...

Call the UN! ...or Instapundit at least! Iowahawk's gone nuclear!

It has been confirmed... Iowahawk has succesfully tested nuclear-tipped cherry bombs and fully-fissionable bottle rockets! We must stop him before he takes out another Cedar County Highway Maintenance truck! It can also be confirmed that there was no such danger as radioactive emission or finger-loss in the course of the testing as it was carried out under scrutinous scientific consideration and careful calculation, and with one of those long-tipped Bic fireplace lighters. Also to insure safety, it was more than one hour after the Central Defense Committee's last round of scientific bong hits. Scientific analysis reveals that the historic launch was conducted with pinpoint accuracy and flawless execution, resulting a glorious fireball as it streaked across the access road into county maintenance truck. Mark this official forwarning, Cedar County Highway Maintenance: half-life isotope calculations by Chuck indicate the truck will be unsafe for usage until next Wednesday, and Iowahawk cannot be liable for mutations of your foolish crews! This marks a historic event as it greatly encouraged and pleased Iowahawk and the many patriotic peoples of Lakewood Mobile Home Park that have wished him to have powerful self-reliant defense capability and a prosperous refridgerator stocked in Olde English 800s. It is unsurpassed in glory and the its praises will be sung by the children for a thousand years! Well, obviously not the same children, for the entire thousand years, because those first children would eventually grow up and be dead after 100 years, 110 years tops. I'm assuming there would be probably be some sort of gradual rotation system to add fresh singing children. We cannot bow to his demands. We must prevent him from restocking his nuclear glowstick payload as well as his rockets of peaceful stability, no matter how many cases of Olde English 800 he holds hostage...

North Korean nuke test a dud?

As more and more people analyze the effects of the explosion, the evidence seems to be piling up that this might not have been the show that was advertised... so to speak. The North Koreans ought to ask for their money back. The Age - Shock waves emanating from North Korea probably came from the explosion of a nuclear device, but one that did not achieve its full potential. US intelligence officials and weapons experts believe the explosion produced about 3 per cent of the power of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki more than 60 years ago, raising questions about whether a larger device failed, or if Pyongyang was testing a component of a larger weapon. The first article I cited yesterday mentioned this as well... The strength of the bomb that was measured from yesterday's North Korean test was one kiloton, maybe even less, and that's making for interesting spculation around the blogosphere. The above cited article specualtes that it could be a component of a larger weapon, but not only offers no evidence to support that theory, it just threw that out there and forgets to even come back to it later in the article. What is an obvious conclusion is that NoKo's scientists can still learn from a failed test, perhaps more than they would from a successful one. But the silver lining there could be that along with the failed missile launch back in July, NoKo could still be a ways away from having a nuclear warhead and the means to deliver it via ICBM. But what is the window before they're ICBM warhead ready? Hot Air speculates about 18 months andd also mentions that this test, even if it failed, is a harsh reality check for China, Japan, and South Korea. We've seen China talk about jumping on board with sanctions, and Allah-pundit is sure Japan will re-arm itself. Immediately. In from the Cold tries to tackle the trickier issue of potential military conflict with DPRK, and it's not a pretty picture. So the former spook gives 8 other alternatives to war, and it's more than simple saying, "sanctions." Check it out. Maybe it's the optimist in me, but I've got to think this was a swift kick in the butt to the world to get in gear as far as dealing with NoKo, and a worldwide public shaming of Ping Pong Kim Jong. That's two big deal tests of his that failed. I just hope we can stop him before he gets one to work... UPDATE @ 4:03pm: Winds of Change (via BlackFive) has an excellent post that makes the case that China's behind the curtain of DPRK's nuclear test and that the best and only deterrent is going to being nuclear proliferation in the region. Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea all get nukes to protect themselves from NoKo and hold the ever growing China in check. UPDATE @ 4:46pm: Captain's Quarters has a guest post from Sen. McCain who has some strong words for the Democrats, thanking none other than Clinton for the mess that we're in now with NoKo. I originally stuck the ABC article on the Headlines sidebar, but when I saw he guest posted something similar at CQ, I thought an update was in order. Andd when you get the chance read the ABC article too. John really ought to try thinking before he opens his mouth otherwise we get these dumb comments on DPRK and a late show appearance calling for the death of George Bush. Politics as usual, huh Johnny boy? UPDATE @ 4:58pm: Found this at GOP and the City and couldn't resist...

Iran tries to play innocent

I can just see Ahmadinejad getting up in front of the reporters and giving them the sad puppy dog eyes while saying "Nukes are bad, mkay?" TEHERAN - Iran, itself accused by the West of seeking to make atomic bombs, said on Tuesday it was against any country possessing such weapons after North Korea announced it had conducted its first underground nuclear test. As world powers condemned North Korea’s announcement on Monday, Washington called for harsh U.N. sanctions that could further isolate the communist state. “Iran is against the use and production of nuclear weapons. No country is competent to use nuclear weapons,” government spokesman Gholamhossein Elham told a weekly news conference, when asked about North Korea’s nuclear test. Perhaps Iran sees the similarities between how North Korea ended up with nukes and the path that they're on, and thinking that if they placate the West enough, we'll just talk and treaty and sanction ourselves into oblivion and in the end Iran will end up just like North Korea... A nuclear superpower.

North Korea tests nuclear weapon

And the likely punishment will be the UN telling Ping-Pong Kim Jong to sit in the corner for a half an hour with a dunce hat on... or the international equivalent thereof... Washington (AFP) - US intelligence detected earlier an explosion of less than one kilotonne in magnitude in North Korea but has not been able to determine whether it was nuclear or not, according to senior intelligence official said. The official, who asked not to be identified, said that first-time nuclear tests historically have been in the several kilotonne range. "We are aware that there was a sub-kilotonne explosion in North Korea," said the official. "We have not been able to determine at this point whether it was in fact nuclear." Other experts around the world reported a seismic event on the Korean peninsula that registered between 3.58 and 4.2 on the Richter scale. Norwegian monitors said their readings indicated an explosion of between one and 10 kilotonnes. The test still has to be verified as a nuclear test and experts are supposed to have the confirmation that this was in fact a nuclear test in a couple of days. And I still expect the punishment for this is going to be some lame-ass sanction from the UN, maybe another treaty that won't be worth the paper it's printed on, and in the meantime North Korea will continue to expand its nuclear arsenal and viciously oppress its people. Despite this potentially world altering event, our markets continue to put up a strong showing... Just goes to show you can't keep hard working wall street traders Americans down. UPDATE @ 4:36pm: Hot Air links to an article from April 2000, about how North Korea got their nukes. I know it seems inconceivable, but North Korea had these weapons before George Bush came into office. Of course that will still be spun somehow to make it Bush's fault, despite daming facts like these... But an aid policy initiated by the Clinton administration in the mid-1990s to finance two light water nuclear reactors in North Korea puts the isolated communist country on the fast track in the manufacture of nuclear weapons, William R. Graham and Victor Gilinsky told members of the House Policy Committee. North Korea's missile proliferation has accelerated dramatically since the Clinton-Gore administration began giving aid to the regime in 1994... In 1994 the Clinton administration signed an agreement with North Korea that was designed to halt North Korea's nuclear weapons development program. North Korea sought light water reactors to provide for their energy needs and the U.S. agreed to provide them in exchange for North Korea giving up its nuclear program. Well that obviously didn't work. So what's the best stretegy for dealing with Iran? Letting them develop nuclear power seems to lead to a crazy leader with nuclear weapons. Again somehow North Korea is still Bush's fault... can't quite figure out how, but I'm sure Kos, DU, and their minions already have it all figured out.