US: Develop nukes, be rewarded!

The Age: North Korea may lose terror label

and News.com.au: US, india sign historic nuclear deal

Are both reporting from Washington (at least The Age names their Washington correspondent) that acquiring nuclear weapons will bring tangible rewards to your government. Now, perhaps in light of their attacks on or ambivalence to nuclear treaties (the NPT and CTBT) this is not surprising, but it certainly is worrying. Particularly if you are Iran.

There is no evidence that Iran is persuing a nuclear weapons program – despite the fact they’d be insane not to, when two nuclear powers routinely threaten them – and indeed plenty of evidence to the contrary. Yet Iran continues to be threatened with war. Meanwhile two countries who have acquired nukes through questionable means, with highly questionable governments (paricularly in the case of North Korea) are being rewards – seemingly for their possessing of nuclear deterrents. India continues to be one of the most unstable and bellicose nuclear powers -behind only Israel and Pakistan. North Korea, while they should be engaged, are certainly a far worse regime than Iran. Its just MAD…

Yet, despite Iran’s co-operation with the IAEA, having not started a war in 2000 years, and the current (abhorrent) crackpot regime being somewhat better than the previous (US-backed) Shah it is Iran who is targeted.
Next time you read about Iran’s nuclear program, remember – they don’t have nukes yet, otherwise they’d be rewarded.

 

News Limited: PANIC! Sex-fiends everywhere! Possibly unconnected!

Children grabbed, chased by men in park
TWO children escape a terrifying abduction bid, and a teenager is sexually assaulted in the street.

Now, this is a pretty terrifying type story, which warrants attention. I’m also rather pleased that sexual assault is being reported on, as street harassment and assault are all to common – as the excellent Hollaback Australia attests to. However, the assault and the harassment are two seperate incidents, and therefore need two seperate headlines. News.com.au is deliberately linking these stories to create alarm and continue the ever-present theme of moral panic and “sexual predators”. In Australia sex crime offenders are being relegated to third class citizens, their right to privacy and a fair trial is increasingly under threat, there are registers upon registers which are increasingly easy to get your name attached to. The news even reports on suburbs holding public meetings to kick people out and so forth. It must be remembered that these people have rights – and no one waives all of their rights by committing a crime. Your child is also 4-5 times more likely to be abducted or assaulted by someone they know – so the focus on, and panic about, “sexual preditors” also does very little to actaully protect children.

It pedals panic, which News.com.au hopes will generate more readers.

There’s also a simple test to check if this is the case – read the above headline and byline as one, what’s your first respone? and what do you feel? Its not good is it, it also seems like its the one perpetrator. Then treat them are two seperate stories they are, and gauge your initial reaction, and knowledge of events – Which makes you feel better and less panicked?