September 12, 2004

Opinion:

Take a breath, exhale, then take another

    By Jack Grant

While I have been among the more vocal in saying we need to take some kind of action regarding North Korea and their nuclear weapons program, the data from a mushroom cloud reported in the north of that country on September 9 need to be studied before we reach the conclusion that North Korea performed a nuclear weapon test. Contrary to popular belief, mushroom clouds can be created under more circumstances than a nuclear explosion. Taking a few days to let experts analyze data will not harm us, and it will allow us time to think about the proper reaction if it was indeed a nuclear test.

While weblogs have many admirable qualities, proportionate and reasonable reactions to events are not among them.

Posted by Jack Grant at 08:59 on 12 September 2004
Comments

Everything I've seen on the subject talks to a large conventional explosion.

Ammo dump? Mebbe. Large earthmoving project, also mebbe.

Nuke? Not likely, that close to China. Surface or air blast, even less likely a testing mechanism unless the NKs are compleat idiots. If it was a surface or near surface blast, the Japanese would have been squawking by now.

If we had any of the right sattellites looking in that direction - we already know.

And what were we going to do in the short-term, other than tut-tut, anyway?

Posted by: John of Argghhh! at September 13, 2004 09:19 PM

And, in case it wasn't obvious - the snark at the end of the previous comments was aimed at the hyperventilators, not Jack.

Posted by: John of Argghhh! at September 13, 2004 09:41 PM



























































































































































































































































































































































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