Quote:Bluemage wrote:An excellent idea, pity that with those same companies paying politicians to make regulations lax it will never happen.That is why across-the-board-ban movements are the only first step with any chance of working: it is easier to get a critical mass of people behind a simple emotional issue (nukes bad!) than a complex, nuanced but still tough regulation.
tl;dr: Don't outlaw things. Just make the penalty for irresponsible use greater than the benefit.
It is the same with GMOs. There is nothing inherently wrong with the technology (it can be both as beneficial and as abused as any other) but with the current regulatory framework, even if there were NO detrimental biological effect to ANY strain in the market, they are still a vehicle for corporate expansion and forced monopolization of agriculture. Therefore a general ban pending revision of legislation and tougher regulation would not be wrong, even if fueled by irrational paranoia about frankenfoods.
By the way, back about nukes an you mentions of Iran, how about this: instead of pitching a fit over that country's legal right under internationa treaties to enrich uranium and use civilian atomic energy, make a deal for collaboration, financing and technology transfer to build and test there all these new imporved reactor designs. You kill two birds with the same stone, have a pervasive presence for inspection to make certain no are weapons built and full-scale development of these new reactors in a place that wants them.