This is somewhat inspired off of an irl event I heard from... I think scishow? Idk how good an issue it'd make, but I thought I'd give it a try.
Draft 1.11
Title: An Explosive Argument
The Issue: @@RANDOMNAME_1@@ was watching nuclear missile detection screens when @@HE@@ saw a purported nuke heading straight for @@CAPITAL@@. Although protocol states that a nuclear counter-strike should ensue, @@HE@@ suspected that the outdated machinery was just glitching again and did not alert anyone of @@HIS@@ findings. An investigation later showed that the system had actually detected a red balloon, and with repairs underway, the fate of @@RNAME_1@@ and the nuclear arms race has been presented to your desk.
Validity: Must have WMDs
Option 1: "@@FIRSTNAME_1@@ saved the world from apocalypse!" praises @@RANDOMFEMALEFIRSTNAME@@ @@LASTNAME_1@@, the mother of the officer in question. "Had @@HE_1@@ reported it, we would all be dead! @@HE_1@@ should be treated as a hero and set an example for the future. Speaking of the future, You should really put more tax money into malfunction detection training and overhauling the equipment. If my little angel isn't on duty and something like this happens again, who knows what might happen!"
[effect] nuclear watchmen are paid to watch cartoons on their detection screens
Option 2: "Sure, lets reward @@HIM_1@@ — and why not send @@REGION@@ into a panic while we're at it?" mocks @@RANDOMNAME@@, who created the faulty machine. "We'd become a laughingstock as well as a threat. We must pretend this never happened, and fire this @@MAN_1@@ for creating such a lie. After all, @@HE_1@@ deserves it for not reporting in the first place." @@HE@@ pauses for a moment. "And maybe hire someone more professional."
[effect] early nuclear warning systems are left vacant for days every time the power goes out
Option 3: "The fact that reporting it would have caused a nuclear apocalypse is the real problem here," suggests author of Nukes: What are they good for?, @@RANDOMNAME@@, while building a bomb shelter under your desk. "This sets precedent against warning the populace. We must get rid of all of our weapons of mass destruction, so we can alert everyone of any suspicious activity without, you know, destroying the world."
[effect] national defenses have been slashed to defend the nation
[Flag Change] No WMDs
Option 4: "Hey, what idiot put a red balloon up there?" asks @@RANDOMNAME@@, renowned for a traumatic incident involving being stuck in a room with a hundred balloons. "They're a waste of helium and are functionally useless except in kids' birthday parties. If we ban balloons, we'll be sure this problem won't arise again!"
[effect] planes are shot down upon being detected as rogue balloons