IrresponsibleUseOfFr's Journal: The Big Badda Boom!

They had this post on slashdot. Here is the link on CNN. And Here is another from yahoo/AP.

It is pretty clear to me that North Korea did a nuclear test, or botched one. It took place near a known uranium enrichment site. North Korea has been boasting about its nuclear weapons program for years. It took place on an important anniversy to North Korea. Eyewitnesses saw a huge mushroom cloud that was about 2 miles in diameter.

Counter arguments that U.S. officials are listing are poor at best. Powell: There was no indication that was a nuclear event of any kind. Well, I consider a large mushroom cloud to be an indication of a nuclear event. Yes, it could be caused by other factors. But something that large, near a nuclear enrichment plant, gee what could it be? Answer, not a forest fire, which was another U.S. official's response.

South Korea is also being misleading. They are saying that they don't believe it was a nuclear blast. Well, I guess they'll hold that belief until over a 2 mile diameter cloud from a "forest fire" happens over Seoul.

Take with: "Before Yonhap's report, The New York Times' Sunday editions said senior U.S. intelligence officials had seen signs of activities that some analysts thought might indicate North Korea was preparing a nuclear bomb test." We have even more evidence that North Korea was trying to test a nuke. Powell could still be strictly correct, but he is being misleading. Besides, he has loads of credibility after his show and tell at the U.N.

We don't have conclusive proof that it was a nuclear test, but it winds up being the most probable explaination. Although, it is very possible that North Korea botched it. Other counter-explainations end up being speculation, which is admittly what this is. Regardless, I think it is obvious that North Korea is trying to develop nuclear weapons. Therefore, it is important to assume the worse. Pressure North Korea for an explaination. The last thing that America needs is a nuclear arms race in Asia between South Korea, North Korea and Japan.

It is times like these that I wish America still had some credibility to go after countries trying to develop weapons of mass destruction.