Reactor Reax: Roundup of Stories About Nuclear Power

The nuclear industry and the military industrial complex are both extremely political and profit based; they rely on fear mongering and scare tactics to secure their deals.

Courtesy: 123rf.com

(WASHINGTON D.C.) - According to Albert Einstein, Insanity is defined by, "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

It seems fascinating that the nuclear power industry is continuing in force after the history of disasters that are filed under its name. It is a deadly problem for many already; others will die in coming years due to their contact with dangerous radioactivity.

The sun, wind, and the tidal forces of the ocean are the natural resources of the world that can easily be converted into power and energy. It takes money to do this, and that we are low on over the wars of human destruction that have been American priorities for many years with no end in sight. But people have built homes that are so energy efficient that they take no power other than what they produce with solar panels and other natural technologies.

The nuclear industry is a lot like the military industrial complex. Both are extremely political and profit based, and they rely on fear mongering and scare tactics to secure their deals. The overall largest argument that the nuclear industry is relying on, involves their convincing the masses that there will not be enough power for the nation/world by the end of the 21st century and therefore nuclear power is more important than ever.

In fact the opposite is true. This is a world that scarcely had electricity a hundred years ago. So now they want you to believe that in this span of time, it is mandatory that the world has dangerous nuclear power which poses an infinite number of hazards to the earth and to human life. It is all about money. It is not about people.

- forward by News Editor Tim King

Nuclear Power: Opposition Spikes After Japan Earthquake, ABC News, April 20, 2011. "Americans by a 2-1 margin oppose building more nuclear power plants in the United States, an 11-point spike in opposition from a few years ago. In the aftermath of Japan's nuclear plant crisis, 64 percent in this ABC News/Washington Post poll oppose new nuclear plant construction, while 33 percent support it. 'Strong' opposition now far outstrips strong support, 47-20 percent. Opposition is up from 53 percent in a 2008 poll, and strong opposition is up even more, by 24 points."

Poll: Majority believe nuclear crisis is likely in US, WAMC (Northeast Public Radio), April 27, 2011. "Since a devastating March earthquake in Japan, and the resulting crisis at a Japanese nuclear power plant, there has been plenty of debate over the safety and future of nuclear energy in the United States. A new poll takes a closer look at where the American public stands on those safety issues."

Nuclear chief questions emergency power at plants, Market Watch, April 28, 2011. "The U.S. nuclear chief questioned Thursday whether U.S. nuclear plants are prepared to deal with major losses of power that last several hours or even days. In a meeting of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko said existing standards for emergency power might not be 'reasonable' given the damage that major catastrophes can cause at nuclear facilities."

Strip the subsidies from nuclear power, (letter to editor), Financial Times, April 28, 2011. "If an industry that has benefited from massive government research and development and other subsidies for more than five decades, and which creates staggering unresolved waste disposal problems, raises proliferation issues, and poses serious risks to human health, cannot survive without government support then, perhaps, it ought not to survive."

Chernobyl disaster: four ways it continues to have an impact, Christian Science Monitor, April 26, 2011. "Twenty-five years ago April 26, nuclear reactor No. 4 at the Chernobyl power plant exploded, sending waves of radiation across Ukraine and into neighboring countries. The disaster, which remains the world's worst nuclear accident, continues to have an effect today."

Special Adviser To Japan Govt Quits Over Handling Of Nuclear Crisis, Dow Jones, April 29, 2011. "A special adviser to the Japanese government on radiation safety resigned Friday, saying that he was dissatisfied with the handling of the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant."

Nuclear power isn't clean, safe, (op-ed by Jeffrey Golden, a resident of Madison, WI), Wisconsin State Journal, April 29, 2011. "The fact that reactors do not produce carbon dioxide does not seem like a sufficient benefit to outweigh the fact that we are using one of the most toxic substances in the world. It's a poison without an antidote — one that needs half a million years of high technology maintenance to protect us and our little planet from its unstable and toxic waste products — as a source of heat to boil water."

How did Japan's nuclear industry become so arrogant?, The Mainichi Daily News, April 25, 2011. "The excuses made by the organizations involved go to show that so-called nuclear power experts have no intention to self-reflect or admit their shortcomings. It was this self-righteousness -- evidenced over the years in the industry's suppression of unfavorable warnings and criticisms, as well as in their imposition of the claim that the safety of nuclear energy was self-evident -- that lay down the groundwork for the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant."

Wasteful monuments of nuclear age, The Age, April 29, 2011. "Ceremonies were held around the world this week to mark the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster but, in truth, Chernobyl is one event we're in no danger of forgetting. For one thing, the earthquake in Japan has refreshed public fears with almost cosmic timing. For another, the legacy of Chernobyl will be remembered for much, much longer than anyone would wish. According to estimates, this area of northern Ukraine will be uninhabitable for decades, if not centuries."

"Reactor Reax" is featured on www.NuclearBailout.org, a Web site maintained by Physicians for Social Responsibility.