Earlier this week, MSNBC managed to offend its viewers twice over: first, the channel cut from Rachel Maddow to veteran newsman Brian Williams to cover the U.S. missile strike on a Syrian airbase. Worse yet, Williams tried to wax poetic, paraphrasing some Leonard Cohen lyrics about “the beauty of our weapons.”
Alec Baldwin and others were not in the mood to hear Tomahawk missiles called “beautiful,” so let’s hope they weren’t following along last night with Kim Jong-un’s parade of military might and the tweets of Melissa Hanham, senior research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.
OOOOOOH FUUUUUUUCK
— Melissa Hanham (@mhanham) April 15, 2017
HOLY SHIT
— Melissa Hanham (@mhanham) April 15, 2017
TAKE PICTURES OF EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
— Melissa Hanham (@mhanham) April 15, 2017
Speaking of taking pictures, this is the screen shot of the day. The Washington Post will have what she’s having:
Wait. So this is how you place an op-ed in the Post? pic.twitter.com/CxYPeeXdwR
— ROBERT MANN (@RTMannJr) April 15, 2017
Hmm…. I have to change my pitches. A lot.
— WinnaPig ?? ? ♿️ (@WinnaPig) April 15, 2017
Can you expand on that for those of us less good at instant recognition?
— Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) April 15, 2017
I presume that's the technical term for significant technological advancement?
— Bruce Klingner (@BruceKlingner) April 15, 2017
https://twitter.com/ExumAM/status/853085383810220034
Yeah… sorry about that. https://t.co/zEMoPgfHVx
— Melissa Hanham (@mhanham) April 15, 2017
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@BlogsofWar Who would have thought we would ever be watching the N Korea parade like it's the Macy's parade but with apprehension?
— Carie Williamson (@BurlapBrides) April 15, 2017
As you’d expect, North Korea’s parade was epic in scope — YUGE — but a lot of the hardware rolled out seemed like mock-ups, repaints, or the unholy spawn of older technologies.
Two North Korean Mercedes Benz limos meet in the wild. Now they must fight to the death for mating rights. pic.twitter.com/yxQ2pqqX7R
— Michael Duitsman (@DuitsyWasHere) April 15, 2017
Guys with Night Vision Goggles and weird-looking firearms (giant Bizon SMGs?). The gear on their vests jiggles with each step! pic.twitter.com/oEUihtKgnF
— Michael Duitsman (@DuitsyWasHere) April 15, 2017
It's not just the boys marching either … pic.twitter.com/6ogluqDbGl
— Martyn Williams (@martyn_williams) April 15, 2017
Caught in mid-step during the military parade in #Pyongyang #DPRK pic.twitter.com/2yY2f7ZYVa
— Jeremy Koh (@JeremyKohCNA) April 15, 2017
— BangkokLife (@BangkokLife) April 15, 2017
They have straps on their feet to keep their shoes from flying off! https://t.co/i4h2xT69mj
— Melissa Hanham (@mhanham) April 15, 2017
As usual, amazing formation marching in these parades, messages spelled out with cards. pic.twitter.com/fP0MOgBO2J
— Martyn Williams (@martyn_williams) April 15, 2017
Large cannister launch missile…Maybe a new solid fuel ICBM? #JucheFest2017 pic.twitter.com/OG2Kk11kh8
— Dave Schmerler (@DaveSchmerler) April 15, 2017
(from earlier in the parade) Looks sort of like a Scud with a terminal maneuvering warhead on a Scud-A TEL. pic.twitter.com/Q9sGC75cvq
— Michael Duitsman (@DuitsyWasHere) April 15, 2017
Like Pershing II and Scud A had a baby. https://t.co/mQKNWd8Jsv
— Kyle Mizokami (@KyleMizokami) April 15, 2017
This is a lot of new stuff for a country with an economy 1/4 of Ethiopia to suddenly pull out of a hat.
— Kyle Mizokami (@KyleMizokami) April 15, 2017
And this thing (left) looks like a Russian Topol (right). Again, no idea what's inside the canister, if anything. pic.twitter.com/uG5g5Oos53
— Jeffrey Lewis (@ArmsControlWonk) April 15, 2017
What looks like a KN-08 painted black and stuck on a Musudan TEL. @DaveSchmerler and I thought they might do something like that. pic.twitter.com/dihGYawCSf
— Jeffrey Lewis (@ArmsControlWonk) April 15, 2017
The Musudan, aka Hwasong-10, which counts as relatively boring, with its new scary black paint job. pic.twitter.com/IwwFJC2Eu6
— Jeffrey Lewis (@ArmsControlWonk) April 15, 2017
USA: We're deploying the USS Carl Vinson off the coast of the Korean Peninsula.
North Korea: Hold my beer. pic.twitter.com/VcCjy2B56A— Michael Duitsman (@DuitsyWasHere) April 15, 2017
When a Soviet RT-2PM Topol and a Chinese WS51200 love each other very much… #JucheFest2017 pic.twitter.com/aJ7A1O5sod
— alexk (@xelabirdnerd) April 15, 2017
Pyongyang displays military hardware, including possible new ICBM described as a ‘frankenmissile’ https://t.co/5V6bLRzQbc
— WSJ Asia (@WSJAsia) April 15, 2017
Looks like a tank had mechanical problems and had to abort the parade. Smoking heavily, then missing in last row of first group of nine. pic.twitter.com/Tz2wTqtbjC
— Martyn Williams (@martyn_williams) April 15, 2017
Close-up of the night-vision goggles on parade today. (via @JeremyKohCNA) pic.twitter.com/WMWkVcU7Rs
— Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) April 15, 2017
Night vision goggles were illicitly procured. https://t.co/ws5s5PB8qt
— Melissa Hanham (@mhanham) April 15, 2017
Here’s CNN’s report:
North Korea put its military might on display during a parade in the heart of Pyongyang https://t.co/UlQ9ImZy9p pic.twitter.com/EvWrLQbU2V
— CNN International (@cnni) April 15, 2017
Seeing all of that military hardware on parade can really make foreigners appreciate North Korea’s continual inability to make it work.
#BREAKING Pentagon confirms apparent failed North Korea missile test
— AFP news agency (@AFP) April 15, 2017
.@USPacificFleet statement on #DPRK launch pic.twitter.com/vzN82e5O9F
— Strategic Sentinel (@StratSentinel) April 15, 2017
The apparently failed #DPRK launch comes as @VP en route to #ROK. #Korea https://t.co/9WjK3FFVTS
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) April 15, 2017
No word yet on type of missile #DPRK tried to launch from Sinpo, where it has a submarine base. https://t.co/amHNl9z58g
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) April 15, 2017
Meanwhile …
And here in Pyongyang, my North Korean minder just called my hotel room to say we're going to a flower show https://t.co/fexdcajM8m
— Jonathan Kaiman (@JRKaiman) April 15, 2017