Carlton (who is but a click away for those looking to the right side of the screen) recently posted regarding the kerfluffle surrounding Iran's newkillar program. I will add a couple of cents.
I am opposed to Iran pursuing either newkillar weapons or newkillar power. The weapons bug me because they are designed (and can, so far as I know, only be used in such a way as) to kill large numbers of civillians quickly. I don't cotton to killing as a general rule, but reserve a special scorn for those who would knowingly kill non-soldiers. The newkillar power bugs me because, so far at least, there is no use which doesn't set large chunks of the earth up for thousands of years of less-than-ideal radiation exposure (accidental, of course).
[An interesting aside: I was having a chat with a fellow I teach (an engineer for a large German energy firm) and I asked him why, as a matter of engineering, we couldn't build newkillar plants deep underground. He thought about it a bit and said that he couldn't imagine physical problems. Money, of course, is the problem. So thousands of years of nastiness in exchange for some profit/savings now. Good, eh?]
So, I stand here, high atop anti-nuke mountain, and can (and must) present what is perhaps an impractical but nevertheless deeply-felt position statement: ain't NOBODY got no business with newkillar weapons or newkillar power. It follows from this that no state with newkillar weapons or using newkillar power is in any moral or ethical position to tell another they can't have them. I suspect that Iran (at least under its current government) would rank high on any list of countries likely to get up to no good, but we shouldn't get too situational on issues of such import. Therefore, anti-proliferation efforts should be dropped in favor of anti-newkillar efforts.
Not gonna happen, of course. And so world politics sinks deeper into the mud.
MEANWHILE, IN GERMANY (where I live) . . . the Chancellor (Angela Merkel) has surprised many by not sucking ass. Two examples: 1) During the recent Russia/Ukraine gas-supply controversy, Angie stepped forward to make it clear that her government has no intention of changing plans to go off of newkillar power once and for all as soon as the current stations reach the end of their operational lives. Good. And surprising. 2) While visiting with Dubyah, Angie took the opportunity to mildly but clearly register her disapproval of the Guantanamo (and G-style) prison(s). Dubyah, of course, promptly made it clear that he doesn't give two shits what she thinks.
Also of note is the fact that temperatures here will soon compare nicely with both witches tits and grave/well-diggers' assholes. The good news is that I will get to wear my black fuzzy hat (too warm for temps near freezing). The bad news is that I will have to wear my black fuzzy hat.
