Yep, it’s all over the place (including here) and yet, they seem ready to launch some kind of satellite, but just how big the payload is turns out to be a bit of a slippery eel to catch.
The reason to think carefully about orbital payload capability is that one number – orbital payload – can give a military mind tremendous insight as to the size of the NK threat. If it’s a simple radio package, maybe with a camera and downlink, weighing under 20-pounds, it would be scored in the “kids science project” category. Push that up to several thousand pounds and now you’ve got a country which could put up orbiting weapons platforms.
What is suspected is that the base Taepodong-2 platform can heft about 2,200 pounds (warhead size) about 5,600 miles. If I’ve done the math right, that’d be a line from about upper Michigan arcing down to about San Diego. But other than chest-beating, would they ever be to stupid as to try such crap? I mean the US is well enough armed that Pyongyang would be glass-soup of gray dust in under 20-minutes.
So why are they bothering? Good question. One that bugs a lot of readers, too, like this guy:
“George,
I may be off base here in my assessment of the ongoing N. Korean missile/nuclear issues, but something doesn’t match up for me.
According to an AP article in the SF Chronicle, North Korea is slated to launch the Unha-3 long range missile on April 12th-16th. This is causing a major stir in international circles. The article goes on to say that it us believed that N. Korea has not mastered the technology to affix a nuclear warhead to a long range missile. I find that hard to believe. The missile age began in 1944 when the first German V-2 missile struck London.
Since then, the Soviets and the US pretty much mastered this nuclear missile warhead technology in the early 60′s. Are they saying that N. Korea is 70-50 years behind in figuring this out? I understand of course that they have had their share of debilitating economic problems especially since the fall of the Soviet Union and their on again off again relationship with China, but….
….There seems to be a few huge disconnects….First…Kin Il-Sung was installed by the Soviets in 1945 as the head of the People Provisional Committee. Before the outbreak of the Korean War, Joseph Stalin equipped the KPA with modern medium tanks, trucks, artillery, and small arms. Kim also formed an air force, equipped at first with ex-Soviet propeller-driven fighter and attack aircraft. Later, North Korean pilot candidates were sent to the Soviet Union and China to train in MiG-15 jet aircraft at secret bases.
Surely an exchange of nuclear advances had been shared by both countries in the years leading up to the collapse of the Soviet Union. This is a country that spends over 25% of it’s budget on the military, and, despite it’s malnourished population, dependence on foreign aid and such, should have mastered long range missile technology long ago.
Second…What is to be gained by North Korea if they utilize their weaponry in an aggressive manner? It would just be a one and done aggressive action..The rest of the world is hundreds of times more weaponized, and will wipe them out in a heartbeat. They will get their 15 minutes of fame…then poof..they will cease to exist.
Third, what is to be gained by the rest of the world if we decide to take action against N. Korea? I can see some economic gain by the PTB from our aggression towards the Middle East and their oil, but North Korea is a small country with a population just a tad bigger than the state of New York, little in Natural resources to exploit, except their minerals, such as Iron, coal, gold lead and zinc which are said to be abundant…But is this this small country worth a war that has any kind of monetary return the PTB is willing to invest in?
Lastly, Why are we concerned? I can only guess that the UN and westernized world are just making sure we keep order. You can’t let too many little rogue countries break any rules…or the risk of more chaos could break out…We may be just sending out messages…but these are private and low priority issues that need to be monitored from time to time behind closed doors. We have much more pressing issues in the world to be concerned about.
Is the MSM that desperate for filler news to give this any notice?”
It gets back to a study of tactics, I think. North Korea feels it has unfinished business on the Korean Peninsula, since the Korean War was never settled, only went into hibernation – and as far as the NK’s are concerned, it’s still going on.
Still, as we have said, too many times, I’m sure.. “Everything’s a Business Model.” By having an unended war, we have a threat. If there are threats, they require both military and security responses. And those create…JOBS!
Near as I can figure, without bogeymen ranging from two-bit dictators to Draconian drug laws (more in this morning’s Coping section) the world would promptly and summarily fall apart. Without crisis, there’s no reason to accept the conditions of government which include taking about 30% of what upper-middle people make.
No, it’s not quite proper to hold such a view, but the facts seem to support it. Which is why over time, independent media must be crushed on compliant corporate media alone, allowed to exist. Free-thinking people might change the world either in North Korea or here. Can’t have that, now, can we?
I mean peace is a beautiful dream, and all. But it just doesn’t pencil out.
Picking Up from Black Monday
Yes, I went long in the market at yesterday’s lows, but I’m a coward and on any strength today I may pull the plug, shaving a couple of points gain. Wholesale inventories are due out this morning at 10 (over here), and some import export poop is due tomorrow, but the biggies will be the Treasury Budget tomorrow afternoon, PPI Thursday and inflation numbers Friday.
Changing Change
Remember how little the Obamacare was going to impact the Federal Budget? Well, out comes a report now saying it will add something north of a third of a trillion dollars to the nation’s deficit – which in case you hadn’t noticed is larger percentage wise than Greece’s.
But wait! This is a republicorp study and this is an election year….so if there’s someone around without skin in the game or an axe to grind, please speak up!
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Besides, the US can’t go bankrupt yet – Portugal is in line ahead of us.
National Blame Obama Day?
Speaking of new math…I find the story that “Gas prices grow more under Obama than Carter” to be kind of interesting.
On the other hand, UrbanSurvival.com has learned exclusively that the price of gasoline rose more under Obama than under presidents Lincoln and Jackson as well. WTF?
New Faces for Gitmo?
A European court has ruled that five terror suspects – wanted for things like a kidnapping plot in Yemen and trying to set up a jihadist training camp in Oregon, can be brought to the US for trial.
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You saw where a couple of someones in Philadelphia are dressing in Middle Eastern-looking garb and robbing banks.
Japan’s Next Nightmare
Could be what happens if there’s trouble in the spent fuel rod pond which is near reactor unit 4. There are some reports – like this one – that go to the idea if you thought Fukushima meltdown #1 was bad, you ain’t seen nothing yet…
Solution to Cell Phone Theft
The FCC and phone companies are looking at ways of making stolen cell phones worthless, according to this report.
Dear Facebook
I noticed ya’ll are buying Instagram for a billion dollars.
I’m gonna offer you a deal: UrbanSurvival.com for $10-million. Call today and I’ll toss in two cats and a week in rehab for two executives.
More after this…
