“And [thorium] still produces fissionable (U-233) that can be weaponized. As a chemist, I shudder at the potential materials problems of working with all those fluoride salts.”
Get educated:
Thorium: An energy solution - THORIUM REMIX 2011
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9M__yYbsZ4
Already did. I took a minor in Nuclear Science on my way to my PhD in chemistry. I had formal training in "nuclear stuff", some of which was given by professors who had worked on NERVA. I could have GIVEN that lecture.