Senate panel backs nuclear deal {with India} (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

A US Senate committee has backed a controversial plan to share civilian nuclear technology with India.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee took an hour to endorse the legislation by 16-2. It was cleared by a House of Representatives panel on Tuesday.

The deal offers US nuclear technology to India in exchange for inspectors' access to Indian civilian reactors.

The accord has been hailed as historic by some, but critics say it will damage non-proliferation efforts.

The BBC's Shahzeb Jillani in Washington says the bill is on target to be ratified by the full House and Senate in July.
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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5130022.stm

[AlamoDemoc]

1. We are rewarding nations that never signed the NPT who develop

nuclear weapons like India and Isreal...and punishing those that signed and abide by the NPT like Iran. Hypocrisy abound!

[necso]

2. It's time to do something

about corporate, PAC, lobbyist, etc, influence over Congress.

I propose a Constitutional Amendment wherein every year each sitting Congress-person is auctioned off to the highest bidder, with full disclosure of who funds each bid. (With all other contributions being forbidden.)

That way Congressional votes could be made sense of : "Oh, the big utilities and their allies want more nuclear plants. That's logical."

...

Now, some folks might argue that we need India as a counterbalance to China... Or we could just stop sending them our jobs and dollars.

Of course, that isn't likely to happen.