Found this on Drudge:

Russia sees moon plot in Nasa plans

Well that's just nuts because Russia probably already has the world's largest supplies of He3 trapped in the same geological formations that trap natural gas. Why don't they start tapping their own helium supplies instead of just venting it to the atmosphere as is often done.

It's just pie-in-the-sky anyway, until someone can prove controlled fusion can actually work; and there's no guarantee that it will EVER work.

But the article shows that tensions over the politics of the Moon are definitely heating up. The next several years will be interesting. The Chinese are getting into the act too:

^
No guff; IMO, He3 is grossly overhyped. I truly can't believe as many people swallow it hook, line, and sinker as they do.

__________________
"Call me old-fashioned, but I think fire is magic. And it scares me a lot."

--The State

I think it's because some people want a moonbase built for emotional reasons. These people then search for practical sounding reasons to support their cause and latch onto things like He3 mining. Since their reasons for supporting it are basically emotional they defend the idea with a great deal of emotional intensity and aren't particularly interested in discussing cheaper options of obtaining He3 or how likely it is to be an important energy source in the future. Since a moonbase is near and dear to their hearts they take any discussion about how lunar He3 mining may be impractical personally.