North Korea rattles sabers, demands attention, candy

[Black Aeronaut]

blackaeronaut wrote:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taepodong-1

And Tokyo is well within its range when carrying a 1,500 kg payload. 
How would you like your shoes, Valles?  Might I recommend marinating
them for about a week followed by several nights in a slow-cook oven?

You have a considerably rosier view of both the reliability of North Korean rocket technology and their ability to produce physically compact nuclear weapons than I do, sir. Or grimmer is perhaps the better word, given the subject.

And somehow, I don't think a Taepodong will get far enough to do any
harm without either going wildly off-course or falling apart mid-flight
and dropping into the pacific. (Also, why did they launch it Westward if
they were trying to put something in orbit?)

Edit: Ninja'd. And speaking of North Korean Nukes Either they're digging a new hole, or they're prepping for a new test.

This is part of why I am in full support of an anti-missile system.  I was happy as a clam when I heard our ship was the best at BMD in the fleet and probably the entire Navy.  The one thing that worries me is if a Taepodong's course goes just erratic enough that it is able to avoid interception... but lands someplace innocent and undeserving.  Like Osaka.  The DPRK wouldn't care where it lands so much that it didn't take out the intended target... which was probably a strategic one.  Of course, that'll only mean that they are that much more screwed and revenge shall be swift on the wings of Super Hornets, SM3's, and TLAMs.

And if
the answer to that is even 1 in a Million that they might, it's going to
be very hard in the US for anyone to retaliate with nuclear force. The
need for a retaliation is balanced against the very real worry of
getting The bad end on the slim chance that China takes exception to planting mile-high mushrooms in Pyongyang.

That
is one of the places where he followed through, Obama has worked quite
hard to reduce the number of nukes in the world. So yes, Obama might not
push the red button, but if there is the international pressure to
launch I expect then the launch might very well come from Russia.

Alternately if the UN passes a resolution calling for a nuclear strike
Obama might do it. Having the official backing of the international
community is a powerful thing. (Contrast Libya and Syria)

Indeed, I do hope that cooler heads prevail.  Although I would be shocked if Russia would actually go through with it, they having no real interests in the area.  In fact, don't they share a small bit of border?  I know that Vladivostok is within spitting distance (so to speak).
Although if the UN does say "Nuke the bastards" I would think that China would at least ask to hit only strategic targets and not glass the entire area.  And honestly, I'd agree with them.

The
launch was mostly south. That was so that the only land in its
sub-orbital path (where failed stages might crash) was Australia, and to
get it into a nearly polar orbit.

No offense, but this gets filed under my "Don't Give A Fuck" folder.  Sure, they probably are trying to put a satellite in orbit because, hey! That's big feather in your technological cap...  However, their statements of peaceful use are ruined when they test-explode nukes in underground sites concurrent with each new launch system they test.  Therefore, they are full of shit.