I remember there being a lot of concerns with nuclear proliferation in 2004. A lot of this stemmed from the nuclear programs in North Korea and Iran. I found a Feb 2004 NYT that references Bush's work on the issue:
The treaty they mention was reviewed in 2005. The US was staunchly anti-proliferation. Other countries tended to focus more on disarmament of already nuclear powers. I'd say that proliferation was a big enough concern in American discourse that a 2004 reader would recognize it. More pervasive in my memory is the concern that random terrorist groups would get a bomb, like in 24. The onion article seems to touch on these fears of small groups acquiring the bomb.
Jay-Z is wearing a Brooklyn Dodgers jacket from before their 1958 move to LA. They're notable for breaking the color barrier with Jackie Robinson, an event Jay-Z references in his lyrics. I agree that the joke is cringe-inducing, but 2004 was peak appropriation of the "fo sizzle" style slang. At least at my suburban junior high.
I remember there being a lot of concerns with nuclear proliferation in 2004. A lot of this stemmed from the nuclear programs in North Korea and Iran. I found a Feb 2004 NYT that references Bush's work on the issue:
https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/16/opinion/half-a-proliferation-program.html
The treaty they mention was reviewed in 2005. The US was staunchly anti-proliferation. Other countries tended to focus more on disarmament of already nuclear powers. I'd say that proliferation was a big enough concern in American discourse that a 2004 reader would recognize it. More pervasive in my memory is the concern that random terrorist groups would get a bomb, like in 24. The onion article seems to touch on these fears of small groups acquiring the bomb.
Jay-Z is wearing a Brooklyn Dodgers jacket from before their 1958 move to LA. They're notable for breaking the color barrier with Jackie Robinson, an event Jay-Z references in his lyrics. I agree that the joke is cringe-inducing, but 2004 was peak appropriation of the "fo sizzle" style slang. At least at my suburban junior high.