(2007-02-23) — In a breakthrough that could end the nuclear standoff between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the so-called “rational world”, U.S. President George Bush said today that his country is willing to let Russia build 37 Chernobyl-style nuclear reactors throughout Iran.
Mr. Bush also offered to allow open sharing of Chernobyl-class technology between Russia and Iran.
An unnamed White House spokesman said Mr. Bush believes the new proposal could break deadlocked negotiations by giving Iran “the world’s best-known reactor technology, while allowing Russia to continue to profit from Mr. Ahmadinejad’s thirst for power.”
“These Chernobyl-style reactors can bring the transforming power of nuclear fission within reach of the average Iranian,” said Mr. Bush.
16 responses so far ↓
1 Libby Gone // Feb 23, 2007 at 7:48 am
I like this idea! Maybe we could help the mullahs build a “Love Canal” to show our affection to the regime.
2 Scott Ott // Feb 23, 2007 at 7:52 am
Breakthrough: Russia to Sell Iran Chernobyl-Style Reactors…
by Scott Ott(2007-02-23) — In a breakthrough that could end the nuclear standoff between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the so-called “rational world”, U.S. President George Bush said today that his country is willing to let Russia bui…
3 Ms RightWing, Ink // Feb 23, 2007 at 7:54 am
Oh no, radio active oil!?!? Still waiting on the coffee pot
4 Roguet55 // Feb 23, 2007 at 8:04 am
Radio Active People to spread the faith thru the world.
What a novel terrorist idea, ….
I wish they had helped Russia come this momentus decision earlier.
Nothing like an friend in the world that has your back!
5 SeaDog // Feb 23, 2007 at 9:09 am
I see a huge business opportunity for the guy who can come up with a reasonably priced set of lead long johns!
6 Darthmeister // Feb 23, 2007 at 9:44 am
We’ll soon be hearing glowing reports from the Iranians.
HEADLINE NEWS:
Albright: Iraq ‘the greatest disaster in American foreign policy’…
Should read:
Albright: ‘the greatest disaster in American foreign policy’
Madam, need I remind you of your own unmitigated disaster in your feckless sometimes pandering approach to Iraq and the Palestinian/Israeli question? And … oh yes, there’s that little matter of giving the North Koreans those nuclear reactors under the naive notion that would, ahem, be “monitored” by the UN.
7 gafisher // Feb 23, 2007 at 11:13 am
Well, of course the Tschernobyl disaster didn’t really stem from fusion or fission, but from a cheap, dangerous graphite-moderated French design. The result, though, was far more devastating and widespread than most people will ever be told.
Several years after the fire I taught at a seminary in Donetsk, downriver from Tschernobyl. We were careful to filter our water, mainly for particles and parasites, but nobody knew of any immediate radiation hazard at the time. On the train heading back to Kiev our party had the opportunity to talk with a group of American scientists who had been to Donetsk to assist a Ukrainian entrepreneur trying unsuccessfully to start a business raising medical leeches (which are still used in Eastern Europe). He had everything right, but the leeches kept dying.
The US Scientific team identified the problem: water from the D’neper River was so contaminated it was deadly to leeches. We were thankful we were only human and not some complex, fragile lifeform … like snail darters, spotted owls, or leeches!
8 Darthmeister // Feb 23, 2007 at 11:33 am
gafisher,
Not exactly glowing praise from you on how Russian/Ukrainian officials handled the radiation problem, eh?
I guess I would be somewhat philosophical and hoped drinking that radioactively contaminated water only killed whatever parasites were in my gut. Your eyebrows haven’t fallen out yet have they?
9 seneuba // Feb 23, 2007 at 1:17 pm
If only we could get a few other countries’ leaders (i.e. Hugo Chavez) to attend the ribbon cutting ceremonies. Then we could kill a few two headed birds with one stone.
10 gafisher // Feb 23, 2007 at 2:15 pm
Darthmeister #8: Far from falling out, according to my kids I could use my eyebrows for a combover (there are some portions of my skull where the hair has not fared so well . . .). :-))
As for the Союз Советских Социалистических Республик and its handling of the disaster, I must admit, knowing what I’ve learned since, that I suspect part of the reason the CCCP disbanded was to avoid the long-term consequences of contaminating a HUGE area of Europe and possibly much more of the world.
11 Digital Brainwaves » Blog Archive » Scott Ott FTW // Feb 23, 2007 at 4:55 pm
[…] Scott Ott’s ScrappleFace is bringing the funny today, with articles on a trade of the Social Security Act for the 2002 Authorization of Use of Military Force, and a breakthrough deal between Russia, Iran and the US for Russia to sell “Chernoble-style” reactors to Iran. […]
12 onlineanalyst // Feb 23, 2007 at 6:16 pm
gafisher: I’ve seen a photojournal of the Chernobyl-affected area taken by a motorcyclist who traveled through the area some years afterward. Taking along a geiger counter to check for radiation, the adventurous gal captured some mighty haunting scenes of abandoned towns, apartments, and countryside villages. Spooky.
I guess with this emerging alliance between Russia and Iran, the glow won’t just be coming from oil.
The Russian bear is rousing from hibernation, selling all kinds of weaponry to Iran, some of which is being used against our troops in Iraq. Strange (and dangerous)alliances are forming in geopolitics.
13 onlineanalyst // Feb 23, 2007 at 6:32 pm
All of the other Iran-dears, Yul will even say they glow?
14 onlineanalyst // Feb 23, 2007 at 9:07 pm
Here is the website by the motor-biking gal at the sites of the Chernobyl nuclear accident: http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter1.html
It is graphics-heavy, and if traffic is high, it may run a little slow. The effort is worth the wait.
I couldn’t locate it quickly in my not-so-well organized web files. I found it by typing “Chernobyl photos” at www.askjeeves.com, a terrific search engine without the “political” games that Google plays. You will find plenty of other good photos through this search, too.
15 gafisher // Feb 24, 2007 at 10:08 pm
Ola, o.l.a. (-; Those pictures are amazing.
Here’s a graphic illustrating the spread of radiation from Tschernobyl; it makes the “global warming” fiction even more insignificant by comparison. You can see a breathtaking photo of the once major city here. By the way, the “containment structure” the Soviets built over the damaged reactor was designed to last 25 years. That was 20 years ago, and it’s already crumbling, apparently from the high radiation level inside both during its construction and since. It should be safe for construction crews to go back and fix it in, oh, about 900 years …
Still, it’s important to remember that this was not a “meltdown” or “nuclear” accident per se, but a serious industrial fire which happened to involve radioactive material. The results were no less serious, but Tschernobyl does not constitute an argument against nuclear power.
16 onlineanalyst // Feb 25, 2007 at 4:10 pm
gafisher: I’m glad that you took the time to look back at this thread and the link. You are most certainly correct that what happened at Chernobyl is not an argument against nuclear power, though those who have a faulty understanding of nuclear power capabilities and various safety features mislead either through ignorance or some other agenda.
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