Wing-nut Ariel Beery, arguing the case for a clandestine Iraqi nuclear weapons program, asks:
“Can anyone explain how Uranium
can be used for peaceful purposes?”
Fortunately, Areva has a very simple explanation of the nuclear fuel cycle, using animation to help the Ariel Beeries of the world.
Beery is a Columbian for Academic Freedom. Apparently, neither irony nor physics are in the Columbia curriculum.
“Academic freedom” is a euphemism for taking cheap shots at SIPA’s Dean Lisa Anderson, one of the nicer people you’ll ever meet and one hell of a scholar.
Ariel Beery | January 2, 2005
Hi Mr. Lewis,
Along with you ability to understand the ins and outs of arms control policy, have you ever learned to read in context?
See, when I wrote that (in May 2003) I was employing what some people call “sarcasm.” I don’t know if you’ve heard of it, but it is not as complicated as WMD. See, what one does is make fun of something in the news by showing that it seems a bit off. By quoting two passages from MEMRI, in light of the history of Iraqi nuclear ambitions, I was pointing out that it is hard to believe that a clandestine Iraqi nuclear weapons program had peaceful intentions.
I hope your judgment of people is better than your judgment of text.
[I've deleted Mr. Beery's comments about Dean Anderson. He can slander her on his own website. ACW.]
Jeffrey Lewis | January 3, 2005
Don’t you have some books you should be burning?
I don’t think you’ve accurately described your post, which was the subject of much ridicule among my friends via e-mail long before it graduated to the blog.
None of them thought it was sarcasm. I guess you just aren’t funny.