On 28 Feb 2006 04:28:14 GMT, D Murphy
wrote:

F. George McDuffee wrote in
:

it
allegedly exported machinery to China and Thailand that == could ==
be used in uranium enrichment.
========================================
Hammers and screwdrivers *ARE* used in uranium enrichment.

More anti-terror BS. FWIW -- the PRC has had nukes for like 30
years.

Japan, Inc. has many financial problems and is an aging society
with no immigration. Their politicians need something [anything]
external to blame their troubles on and occupy public attention.

It was a high end CMM, so a bit different than a screwdriver. Actually
three of them IIRC. Anyway they got pinched a few years back for the same
thing with North Korea. As I recall the original purchaser of the CMM was
legit, but it ended up on the black market. I don't know how they expect
the manufacturer to keep tabs on the equipment after it leaves their
factory.

As an aside, the Japanese government tracks every sale of every Japanese
built machine tool. They have forms to fill out and they want to know who
bought it, where it was installed, and what type of industry it's being
used in.
========================
I am sure this keeps many people employed.

Consider that the U.S. was able to make quite serviceable nukes
in 1943/44/45 with totally manual machine tools and a great deal
of care, and it should be clear why this is simply a feel good
measure.

The genie is out of the bottle and he ain't going back. Closest
historical analog I see is the introduction of the firearm. In
large sizes it rendered the castles obsolete and in the small
sizes it rendered the knight-in-armor obsolete, directly leading
to the demise of manorialism and the rise of royal
nationalism/mercantielism. The bigger the country or the bigger
the city, the bigger the target.

To be sure there will be the new Korean Sea or the Iranian Ocean
that glows at night, but this will be small comfort to the people
that participated in the non eminent domain [instant] urban
renewal in the U.S.

Uncle George