Duck, Cover, Kiss Your Butt Goodbye. Really!

“All the waste in a year from a nuclear power plant can be stored under a desk.” - Ronald Reagan

Yesterday, there were a couple news articles that caught my attention. The first was about residents from Fukushima nuclear disaster area who have radioactive urine. I don't know about you, but that makes my hair stand on end. It's just one more reason why I'm happy I don't have a microwave oven and am trying to limit my mobile phone use. Really.

The other troubling news item was an article suggesting that US nuclear evacuation plans haven't been updated to account for population growth. It seems that according to statistics based on the US Census information, urban populations around nuclear power plant facilities have ballooned 450 percent. So what that means is that if you live in an area near a nuclear power plant and your regular drive home from work is a slow, painful and maddening exercise of slowly crawling along with bumper to bumper 'stop and go' congested rush hour traffic … well, then you already know what your evacuation route driving conditions will be in the event of a nuclear accident, such as a meltdown. Seriously. Really.

If you are one of those types that like to wave off 'doom and gloom' scenarios dismissing them as 'what if' fantasies, then I guess I need to remind you of the disasters at Three-Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima disasters. Yes, nuclear power plants are not the fool-proof safe facilities that governments and industries purport them to be. Really.

Let's turn up the 'worry wart' factor just a few notches. Have you heard about all those airplanes that airlines routinely fly past their original life expectancy? It's the same thing with nuclear power plants. Today, in the United States alone, there are 104 nuclear power plants. The older ones still in operation today and built in the 50's, 60s' and 70's have, or maybe I should say had, an operational life of 30 years. The statistical probabilities for something mechanical to go wrong with them, let alone human error, increases significantly with each passing day of prolonged operation. They are disasters waiting to happen. Really.

Oh yes, I mentioned human error. Yes, humans are bound to get it wrong, maybe not every time, but obviously, we are not machines. Yes, we have computers to help us out these days, yet many often forget that humans also program and design those computers. And, as any computer programmer or hacker might tell you 'garbage in-garbage out'. Really.

Governments and 'Big Business' are certainly human creations. So is the oxymoron, military intelligence. And, in this respect I'm always amazed by how some people are able to speak in absolute terms about things they know very little about ... or more insidiously, don't want you to know about. For example, beginning in early 1950s, United States children were taught to “Duck and Cover” in the event of a nuclear weapon detonation. As if lying face-down, assuming a fetal position and covering their heads with their hands, would actually save them from being irradiated. Really.

History can teach us many things to prevent us from repeating the same bone-head mistakes again and again and again, ad nauseum. The history is atomic energy yields many examples. I would start at the beginning but we all basically we know what kind of devastation an atomic bomb can wreak. We've seen it's destructive power in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Most of the fathers of atomic energy eventually condemned its development and use, especially for military purposes. Nevertheless, the 'powers that be' and those who would profit from the development of nuclear power said 'we can do better', especially in the face of international competition. And so the creation of the thermonuclear bomb, also known as the hydrogen bomb, was commissioned, carrying with it the strength of almost 60 atomic bombs. Really.

Harnessing nuclear energy was bad enough mainly for purposes of military muscle flexing, but eventually, wouldn't you know it, the powers that be said, “hey we can actually sell this stuff!” And, before you knew it, nuclear power stations were popping up all over the place. Moreover, regular people wanted the ability to nuke things, too. So microwave ovens were created for us all to nuke our food and to vent our frustrations on very small objects. Really.

Ever microwave a potato in the oven a bit too long? It becomes so dried out and hard it can break your teeth if you aren't careful. Similarly, it's been my opinion for many years that nuclear power is just too dangerous. I base this opinion not only the great potential it has to … um … put it lightly … kill people, but also on the fact that most of of people who would manage or regulate it are bone-heads. Really.

What concerns me also is how much of the public really want to stick their heads in the sand in denial because nuclear energy might save them some money on their monthly electric bill, and so they 'want to believe' that nuclear power is safe. They don't want to hear about the victims of Chernobyl or read about radioactive urine. These types just assume that in the case of an accidental nuclear meltdown in their area, they will probably be told to take some boric acid and a few extra vitamins, and their lives will go on their merry way. By the way, did you know that boric acid is a pretty good roach killer and that roaches are probably the only living species that will survive a nuclear holocaust? Really.

Wisdom suggests that if you play with fire, you will get burned. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but at some point in the future. I worry that whether it's the laws of probability or just 'Murphy's Law', nuclear power's destructive energy will eventually burn us all. Big Business is just too willing to cut corners on safety to protect their 'bottom-line', and regulatory governmental agencies are just too slow moving, lackadaisical and imbecilic to really protect the public. If you need proof, look no further than the 'Duck and Cover'* campaign and the fact that the former United States president, George W. Bush, Jr, couldn't even pronounce the word 'nuclear' correctly. Really.

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Links For Your Consideration:

Resources related to the 2011 Japan Crisis - How To Help:
http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html

If you think nuclear power plans are safe:
http://www.stopfplnow.org/

Pros and cons of nuclear power:
http://timeforchange.org/pros-and-cons-of-nuclear-power-and-sustainability

Nuclear Power: Dangerous, Dirty & Expensive- 20 Key Facts
http://peaceandjusticeonline.org/2011/05/19/nuclear-power-dangerous-dirty-expensive-20-key-facts/


Wikipedia page on nuclear and radiation accidents
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_and_radiation_accidents

PS. Thanks for reading. Are you worried that the mismanagement of nuclear power will kill us all, or do you think a bigger worry is the radiation from our mobile/cell phones? Who are you scared more of 'Big Business', inept government or Godzilla? Let me know. Really!

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*Yes, I know that part of the ideology of the 'Duck and Cover' mantra was to protect children from flying shrapnel should they stand up and look towards the source of the 'flash'. A better preventative measure would have been to not develop nuclear weapons and jump start an arms race with other countries, in the first place.

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Lethal Carnage: Guns, Politics, Victims and The American Way

Victims of the Tuscon, Arizona rampage.

There are some things that are just too hard to swallow. On January 8th in Tucson, Arizona, a clearly deranged 22-year old, Jared Loughner, purchased ammunition from a Walmart, took a taxi to a Safeway supermarket where a political meet-and-greet was being staged by U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, and then opened fire on Giffords and her constituents because ... he wasn't happy with her response to a question of his at a previous political rally. The incident left 14 wounded and 6 people dead, including a judge and 9-year old Christina Green.

Yes, there are some things that are hard to swallow. One such being that "we the people" of the United States have brains. This is obviously not the case because we continue to allow gun-related tragedies to occur. Really, it pains to me write this, because I would like to believe that despite soaring crime, violence, racism, and politically correct intolerance we are a nation of humane, rational, peace loving people. I would like to believe that Michael Moore was wrong in his depiction of us in his film "Bowling for Columbine" as phobic gun loving sheep willing to be brain washed by political rhetoric, big business and organized religion. I would like to believe that lessons have been learned in the wake of the horrific tragedy this past week in Tucson, Arizona. But, you know what? I'm wrong on all counts: None of the above is correct.

The argument on gun ownership should be a moot point. It's not. Can someone please explain how many more dead 9-year olds we need before we realize that guns have no place in our society?

This is NOT for hunting.

I'll be honest with you all here; I'm not interested in political rhetoric. I'm not interested in being engaged in discussion on the issue. I'm not willing to debate to this issue and have no interest in varying interpretations of the Constitution. I AM interested that in the United States on average, there are 30,000 gun-related deaths. I AM interested that a 9-year old was killed last week. I AM interested that our Freedom of Assembly cannot be enjoyed because of GUN NUTS and our insipid GUN LAWS (or a lack thereof)!

Trust me, I'm LESS worried about the sudden uprising of a tyrannical government here in the United States. I'm MORE worried about the possibility of having my head blown off at the local supermarket or 7-11.

Loughner purchased a Glock 9mm handgun at a Sportsman's Warehouse. Such a gun is not used for hunting. In fact, the gun used in the shooting held a clip with 31 rounds -more than triple the normal capacity of this gun's magazine. A "federal assault weapons ban" established by the Clinton administration in 1994, prohibited such magazines for this gun that held more than 10 rounds. The Bush administration purposely let the ban expire. It didn't happen by accident, it happened on purpose compliments of the same presidential administration that sent almost 20,000 Americans to their deaths in Iraq.

Jared Lee Loughner

In the United States, federal law only prohibits the sale of firearms to those who have been convicted of a felony or to anyone who has been "adjudicated as a mental defective". Of course the implementation of this law varies somewhat from state to state, thus illegitimizing the term "United States". After posting a Youtube video claiming that the school acted in violation of the U.S. Constitution, Loughner was denied further attendance at Pima Community College until the school received medical proof that he was not a threat to himself or others. He also had a prior arrest record.

Loughner was clearly deranged. His school knew it, his friends knew it, the local police knew it, and he pretty much made it publicly known via his ranting and raving internet posts on his MySpace and Youtube accounts (et al). Nevertheless, he was easily able to purchase the gun and ammunition since Uncle Sam apparently didn't know it and obviously could care less about what everyone else knows. So it was just another case of "hey, let's give the boy a gun" and ask questions later - as in good old American tradition espoused by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and many Libertarians and Tea Party members. 

Something is wrong in America: we seek to ban toys from McDonalds' Happy Meals to protect our 9-year olds' health, but then we also sell at Walmart and places like Sportsman's Warehouse 10-round clips for about 40 dollars to anyone who wants them. No questions asked.

Westboro Baptist Church

This sad commentary on our society gets worse. In Arizona, the legislature was spurred to sign emergency legislation baring protests within 300 feet of a funeral and within an hour from its beginning or end. All because a church group claimed it would picket the funeral of 9-year old Christina Green and the other the shooting victims. Yes, in the name of God, these fervent zealots regularly stage protests at funerals of homosexuals, AIDS victims and in some cases, even soldiers and shooting victims. Their website, http://www.godhatesfags.com/, sports deplorable rhetoric including endearing mantras such as "God hates America", "God sent the shooter!" and "Praise God for ALL his works, and BE YE THANKFUL!" Yes, another twisted case of praise God and pass the ammunition... sort of what Sarah Palin ("don't retreat, RELOAD") stands for.

In light of the above and at risk of writing something sounding like the fevered ramblings of the shooter, I feel implored to say that once again our government and society has failed us. Moreover, the media and our political parties, rife with political rhetoric, have done nothing but conflagarate things. The argument that political debate has become too heated, and that it possibly played a role in the mindset of the shooter, is not only valid statement, it's also an understatement.

Once upon a time we had politicians and journalists. Today we have political personalities and news analysts, and the line between journalism and entertainment has become blurred. What's more convoluted is that under the guise of "fair and balanced" journalism we allow political buffoons to sling around gun metaphors and war mongering labels such as "traitor" and "treason" only to incite hatred and violence against those with opposing political views. Some are vehemently engaged in emotional terrorism by politically and anally labeling of all things these days: conservative, liberal, ultra-conservative, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, vegetarian, etc. Lord, things were so much simpler when all we had to worry about were the communists!

It should be obvious that politicians and political pundits should educate, not incite hatred. Nor should they be allowed to pervert the news media to brainwash the public and spawn hate-mongering followers. But then again, as I mentioned above, history lessons, such as one from Nazi, Germany, have not been learned. It's mind blowing and it's ponderous to me ... but for people like Rupert Murdoch, owner of FOX News, it's great entertainment and good ratings.

Yes, the argument on gun ownership should be a moot point, at this point.

There is no justification for 30,000 annual gun-related deaths.

There is no justification for the gun-related death of a 9-year old.

Real CHANGE in American is needed, not more political rhetoric.

PS. Thanks for reading. If you feel like me, please do something about this. Enough is enough. Please visit the Brady Campaign at: www.bradycampaign.org/

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