Dealing (or Not) With The World's Doomsday Arsenal (And US Superiority)

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VIENNA - {snips}

The NPT's (Nuclear Proliferation Treaty) five nuclear powers -- the United States, Russia, France, Britain and China -- have yet to scrap their arsenals, and Washington and Moscow are exploring new weapons. This, experts say, encourages other countries to go for the bomb.

US President George W. Bush has called for a radical reinterpretation of the NPT that would divide its members into two groups -- those who can be trusted with technology that produces nuclear fuel and those who cannot be trusted.

"We cannot allow rogue states that violate their commitments and defy the international community to undermine the NPT's fundamental role in strengthening international security," Bush said.

"We must, therefore, close the loopholes that allow states to produce nuclear materials that can be used to build bombs under the cover of civilian nuclear programmes.

Diplomats from many countries dislike Bush's plan, saying the trusted would be US allies, suspect states US enemies.

ElBaradei proposed a different solution -- a global moratorium on the creation of new enrichment and plutonium reprocessing facilities for making atomic fuel. His plan has met with fierce opposition from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Iran, Japan and the United States.

full story:
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/30026/story.htm

[AndyTiedye]

1. Global Moratorium Sounds Good To Me

Surely the world does not need more plutonium!

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2. me too

ElBaradei has a good hand with his oversight of Iran and his willingness to criticize the US.

Mohamed El Baradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said in 2003 that developing new nuclear weapons could hamper efforts to reach agreement with other countries who might want to expand their nuclear programs; like Iran and Pakistan, for example.

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3. I saved this post rather than have it fall yesterday

I saw the concern pouring out from posters concerned with the assault on the constitution and their civil liberties by the republicans with the avalanche of threads about the Schiavo case. Nothing at all wrong with that.

I want to say to all of the folks who pop up to whine about the plethora of Schiavo threads (mostly one poster (**** ****) who gets literally hundreds of responses to his posts but reserves his replies for self serving acknowlegements of his writings and snarky brush-offs of others) that it is hypocritical and self-serving to complain and bandy the latest thread count while ignoring and refusing to provide substantial comment on these other threads which carry a different subject.

So be it. Like it or not, folks give attention to what concerns them at the moment and I think the lack of heed to this post and some of the other non-Schiavo posts has nothing to do with lack of interest in major issues and concerns, but everything to do with individual priorities and individual preferences. Not a thing wrong with that. I fully understand.

[Wilms]

4. .