Kim Jong Il is gonna blow up the world...

Big news, folks! In a news conference in Beijing yesterday, Selig Harrison, a US scholar with access to senior North Korean officials, announced that in recent meetings with said officials, they claimed to have "weaponized" their stockpile of plutonium.

Now, before I get to my analysis, check out this video with my favorite impersonator Frank Caliendo. He is hilarious and spot on with his impressions, but pay close attention to the Charles Barkley bit (5:56). It gives North Korea's ailing leader a shout out. Enjoy!

Hopefully that got some laughs! Now, let's all take a deep breath. For the more paranoid neo-conservative crew, a paper bag might be necessary to ease the anxiety. I really don't see any reason to overreact to this news. First of all, North Korea only has enough plutonium for four or five warheads. While one nuclear strike on the US would be catastrophic, much less five, North Korea would never push the button. The North Koreans may be a bit crazy, but they're not stupid. It would be an instant death wish. The entire eastern hemisphere would be under a mushroom cloud compliments of Uncle Sam, to say nothing of what would happen to North Korea. Secondly, at the peak of the Cold War, the Soviet Union had over 30,000 nuclear weapons and we're all alive today to talk about it. Thirdly, and most importantly, don't you think it's a bit hypocritical for the US to criticize other nations for building a few nuclear weapons when we have the largest nuclear arsenal by far? The state of North Dakota houses more nuclear weapons than any foreign nation!

If the US were asked why we have built up such a large nuclear arsenal, our government would surely respond that it is for our protection. If so, why should it be different for other nations? North Korea has a right to prepare for its defense, like it or not. With the way President Bush has thrown our military into countless conflicts around the world, the North Koreans are probably worried that they're next.

We didn't solve our problems with the Soviet Union in the 1980s by nuking Moscow, just as we shouldn't take any military action against North Korea today. This should, however, serve as a wake-up call telling us that the current course isn't working. We need to stop our unconstitutional, unsuccessful, and pointless wars around the world and embrace friendship, commerce, and diplomacy with all nations. Wars and threats aren't working.