WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the Japanese coast on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported, hours after another quake of similar strength killed at least seven people in Japan and triggered a small leak of radioactive materials from a nuclear plant.

This is an issue several months ago that went un-discussed in the context of the building of the Iranian nuclear power stations, including that at Bushehr. Here is the link:

Seismic Risks to Iranian Nuclear Power Stations and WMD Factories Not Taken Seriously Enough

Resolution Annex II.1, bullet 3, of the UN Security Council Draft of Resolution 170 (2007) recognized the issue very conservatively, however, it appears that more than just Iran should be concerned.

The Russian firm building the Iranian nuclear power stations has a lot of contracts worldwide, and is offering stiff competition to European firms like Seimens, which has seen some setbacks. One setback was the conviction of Seimens executives for contract bribery in its international business development efforts. Another has been construction problems at a site in Finland.

The picture looks like this: stiff competition, pressure to finish work quickly, and in Iran's case, military strike fears by which construction might be rushed by the contracting Russian firm so they can get all or most of their money. Rushing nuclear power plant construction, or any other safety sensitive plant construction seems a recipe for disaster, especially in seismically unstable regions.

The discussion could spread to other safety sensitive industries, of course.

These are likely re-runs of others' past ideas. So qualified. 

Requirement: a person, or top management of an entity, having a controlling share of a publicly traded corporation, bank or other large entity, must personally perform (via personal contact with the needy person or family) a full seven day week of community service to people of little or no means. It would be an annual rule for each year that they held their controlling interest.

Personal contact and face-to-face sharing of another's burdens tends to change a person's outlook toward those with need. Board Chairs and CEO / COO's should also have a similar requirement, perhaps half a week and a weekend due to their busy schedules.

Bank chairmen and officers could opt to run a small business for a full week.

Why a requirement? For the same reason that other professionals must attend continuing education.

[And all were off-topic as to substance. With due thanks to all formal grammar lessons provided by Tankard, sans the rest. I've tried to incorporate some of his suggestions into this rewrite.]

The lesson "Don't be an empire," from a pre- and post-constitutional historical perspective of the United States, is foundational. The partisans have forgotten this on purpose, because they believe it is "their due" to assert their own respective brands of empire, whether militant or benevolent.

The GOP and the Democrats have been renegotiating the constitution and its historical lessons for their own short-term purposes for some time, and it has only worsened in the new millenium. The Clinton Administration's lead in several bombing, missile and small unit missions and campaigns around the world was part of the "it's our due" mentality.

Even before 9-11 a cast of ideologues in both parties, both officials and influential members, used the fall of the Berlin Wall and breakup of the USSR as a permissive era to describe the United States as an empire. Few seemed to challenge this talk.

Armed with the constitutional lesson of executive restraint in the first place, the extreme expansion beyond precise responses to 9-11 would have been avoided. Qualified military advice would have been heeded.

This over-extension, intensified by commercial interests, would raise the pendulum to such a level that it now threatens to swing to an opposite extreme: to the mea culpa wing of the Democrats' party and the broadened blame wing of the GOP. Someone must be blamed, and it will be too hot to focus on themselves. Just as the American public is blamed for the programming its members complain about, (i.e. its only supply and demand) it will also be blamed for turning out its candidates and "electing" the executives and representatives of both parties. And yet, party processes select candidates, and party connectins raise money to install them in power.

Both impulses, to empire, and to the national psychological penalty box for some term, miss the point that high official culpability belongs in court, in populist reform legislation, and not, if they were fooled and confused by the dualist duel of party, scapegoated on the people.

Each party sees its own risk to holding opposing leaders to full legal account, and so they collude to lessen the 'trauma' to the people by derailing cases. They use pardons, powers and discretions. There is nowhere left to lay blame except on the people -- to generalize the blame and maintain the illusion that the parties serve this country.