Thorium safer for nuclear reactors than uranium

I was an avid reader of Robert Heinlein's novels, and one detail I recall is that the nuclear reactors were generally running on thorium. I'm remembering that now, and thinking it strange we've accepted Uranium as being The Fuel for so long without questioning why. Uranium does, after all, have jillions of bad side effects ...

Some have been questioning "why Uranium" and because of those bad side effects, demanding that there be NO NUKES at all.

Torium Fuels Safer Reactor Hopes (July 5, 2005; WIRED NEWS)

What the article says is that

1. Thorium produces half the waste that Uranium does
2. Thorium's waste is not convertable to bombs or other weapons
3. Scientists have made recent breakthroughs in using Thorium
4. India and Australia have most of the Thorium deposits

hmmmmm....