Meanwhile, in North Korea…….

While the U.S. is spending funds to restore symbols of death and destruction (see my post below), perhaps advocates of nuclear war should be proud. North Korea is using nuclear weaponry in its most recent test blast.

North Korea said today it had performed its first nuclear weapons test, an underground explosion that defied international warnings but was hailed by the communist nation as a “great leap forward” for its people.
The reported test drew harsh rebuke from North Korea’s neighbors. The U.N. Security Council is expected to discuss the North Korean issue today, and the United States and Japan are likely to press for a resolution imposing additional sanctions on Pyongyang.
Condemnation of North Korea came swiftly after the test was announced.
“A North Korean nuclear test would constitute a provocative act in defiance of the will of the international community and of our call to refrain from actions that would aggravate tensions in Northeast Asia,” White House spokesman Tony Snow said.
“We expect the U.N. Security Council to take immediate actions to respond to this unprovoked act,” Snow said. “The United States is closely monitoring the situation and reaffirms its commitment to protect and defend our allies in the region.”
Snow declined to speculate on a possible U.S. response to a North Korean nuclear test. “At this point we’re still assessing the data and trying to figure out what happened,” he said. “A lot of this hinges on what the data tells us.”