WHY CAN'T NORTH KOREA HAVE ITS OWN SATELLITE?

Last month I asked, "Why Can't Iran Have Its Own Atomic Bomb?"  No one objected.

Now, North Korea is taking maximum heat about sending a satellite into space.  Does the country have nefarious intents, or, should we give them the benefit of the doubt and applaud their anouncement that this is all for peace to celebrate the centennial of their "Great Leader," Kim Il-sung, who was born on 15April1912?  There is a good chance the attempt will be made exactly on that day.  Mind you, this is not new, for in 2009 they launched Kwangmyongsong-2, which played "immortal revolutionary songs," circling our planet every 104 minutes.  However, I did not hear anything and there was no external confirmation.

Most of their earlier missile launches were from their east coast site across the Sea of Japan, over Japan, into the Pacific and heading for Hawaii.  This one from their Sohae Satellite Launching Site (yes, this facility is supposed to do this), will have a path due south...close to Miyako Island, then, pretty much directly towards the Philippines, with the second stage debris falling east of Luzon.  But, do not fear, for our vaunted Mega Golf Ball left Pearl Harbor and is steaming west to save the day.  For a billion dollars, I'm glad it's finally doing something.

By the way, don't hold your breath too long for  music from space, as "non-North Korean authorities" have labeled all their previous ten or so efforts as dismal failures.  Why the fuss I can't appreciate, for this test will have no nuclear warhead, and should they eventually attain any kind of nuclear delivery capability, what is the value of one attack only to be subsequently decimated?  

Reporters have viewed the intended satellite and at least one observer indicated that this was not a military missile, but, maybe 98% of one.  I wish them success at placing a functional weather station and listening to glorious sounds in honor of Kim Il-sung, who, if I predicted correctly, will not descend from Heaven on April 15.

The most heralded Japanese pitcher to join Major League Baseball is Yu Darvish, who starts today for the Texas Rangers at 8PM EDT.  Apropos to this topic and location, he has an Iranian father and Japanese mother.  I wrote about him earlier this year.

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