Politics is a dirty word

Generals in the US Pentagon have been jolted by reports that North Korea has finally perfected a cobalt bomb – a dirty weapon carrying enriched uranium, capable of spreading large volumes of the isotope Cobalt 60. North Korean scientists began development in 2012, shortly after the death of of President Kim Jong il. The bomb is probably not capable of being delivered by missile because of its size, but could be dropped by aircraft or launched as a torpedo. The explosion of such a device would cause widespread and long lasting contamination which is one reason for US military indecision on how to respond to North Korea's actions.

The latest missile test by North Korea appears to have been a Pukguksong-1 ballistic missile designed to be launched from on land or from a submerged submarine.It has a range of more than 1,200 miles which means that the missile can reach every part of the United States and Australia if our leaders are stupid enough to involve us in a conflict on the Korean peninsula.

US politicians and Generals have demonstrated that they are full of bluff and bluster over North Korea. The reality probably is that they are scared witless at the prospect of losing another war. They jump up and down at North Korean missile and nuclear tests - without actually doing anything Not much has changed since the spy ship the USS Pueblo was captured by North Korea in 1968. It is still proudly displayed there as a symbol of US indecision and ineffectiveness. The ship was originally a light freighter for the US army, launched in the second world war but recommissioned into the US navy in 1966 as a spy ship. It was gathering electronic data off North Korea when it was intercepted and taken into custody with hardly a murmur from the embarrassed US military.