Nuclear Power Dirty, Dangerous, Expensive

Reproduced with permission, in fact encouragement of beyondnulear.org (301) 270-2209 Very tiny changes have been made for brevity, but I will attempt to refrain from editorializing or from changing the content for the sake of my readers.
DIRTY
FUEL:
Nuclear reactors use uranium. Therefore, they release radioactive waste into the environment at every stage of the fuel cycle-starting at the mines, then at mills, where enormous piles of tailings are left behind, and during chemical conversion, enrichment and fuel fabrication. Radioactive radon gas that escapes in the West can float across the the U.S., over the Atlantic, and beyond.
Valid concerns exist about climate change caused by carbon dioxide from coal fired power stations. Yet, production of uranium fuel also results in "greenhouse gas" emissions. Indeed, uranium mining and milling are among the most carbon dioxide-intensive industrial operations.
Nuclear reactors use uranium to power turbines by releasing intense heat and radiation through a process called fission. Old fuel rods must be replaced periodically with fresh ones. The irradiated rods rods are stored in water-filled pools within the reactor building or in an adjacent building. After a few years, rods may be placed in steel-lined concrete casks outside to a still-nonexistent permanent repository.
Because no such repository has been built anywhere in the world, the nuclear industry would like to reprocess the irradiated rods. The rods would be cut up, soaked in acid and reprocessed so that residues of plutonium and uranium could be extracted and turned into usable reactor fuel. However, the leftover radioactive fission products, liberated from the fuel rods, remain a containment problem for many thousands of years. Reprocessing is extremely hazardous for workers and to the public downstream and downwind. It produces it's own massive wastes and releases of radioactive CO2 as well as other radioactive materials into the environment.
ROUTINE RELEASES:
Nuclear power facilities don't have to blow up or melt down to release their radioactive poisons. During routine operation, they release pollutants to the atmosphere and into rivers, lakes and oceans that provide cooling water.
It is impossible to run a reactor without these routine releases. No economically feasible technology exists to filter out all the radioactive isotopes, including tritium (radioactive hydrogen) and radioactive krypton and xenon gasses, some of which convert to radioactive strontium and cesium.
No one knows how much radioactivity is released. Some radioactive wastes are released into the environment from a nuclear power system whenever the level of radioactivity in the waste water is below the level that the monitoring equipment is set to detect. The U.S. government has approved this level to be "permissible." But,"permissible" does not mean safe. It means "as low as reasonably achievable"-that is, as low as the nuclear industry claims it can afford to achieve.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) relies on the reactor owner's self-reporting and computer modeling to estimate a facility's radioactive releases. A significant portion of the data is extrapolated-so it is virtual, not real. Therefore, no one really knows how much radioactive poison is released. Radioactive gasses, liquids and soils spread near and far.
No permanent repository exists for the irradiated fuel rods (termed high-level waste), and may never exist. In fact no facility exists for so-called "low level" waste either- that is, for the radioactive sludges and saturated air-and water-filters, as well as pipes, pumps and other components that must be replaced as they wear out and malfunction. Much of this "low-level" waste is so highly radioactive that it must be handled by remote-control equipment. The longer the facility operates, the greater accumulation of radioactive waste.
LETHAL LEGACY:
Radioactive waste is dangerous not only now, but some remains dangerous virtually forever. Each type of radioactive isotope emits appreciable radiation for over ten times it's half-life (After one half-life, half the radioactivity is gone. After two half-lives, three quarters is gone. After three half-lives three quarters is gone. But even after ten half lives, some radioactivity remains) This means that some radioisotopes,like plutonium-239 with its 24,000 year half-life, will be dangerous much longer than modern humans have walked the Earth.
DANGEROUS
ACCIDENTS HAPPEN:
An article in an MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) publication describes an unfortunate fact: "Human factors and the effectiveness of people determine success or failure at every stage, from the design of a facility and its equipment, through manufacture, construction, installation and calibration, to testing, maintenance, repair and management." ("Human Error in Nuclear Power Plants," Technology Review, February 1980, page 28)
Every nuclear facility is extremely complex, with thousands of pumps, valves, motors and miles of electric circuits. Therefore, human error, design flaws and equipment malfunctions are common.
"All nuclear-power-plant systems, structures, components, procedures and personnel are potential sources of failures and malfunctions. Problems can arise from defects in design, manufacturing, installation and construction; from testing, operational and maintenance errors; from explosions and fires; from excessive corrosion, vibration, stress, heating, cooling, radiation damage and other physical phenomena; from deterioration due to component aging and from externally initiated events such as floods, earthquakes, tornadoes and sabotage." (Daniel F. Ford: Three Mile Island 1982 page 29)
Because many experienced workers have retired or are nearing retirement age, the industry is faced with a serious shortage of qualified personnel, including some who have important memories of past facility problems.
An average reactor contains equivalent long-lived radioactivity of at least 1,000 Hiroshima bombs. An accident can be catastrophic, causing the release of tremendous amounts of radioactivity.
Few, if any, communities have adequate emergency plans, including reliable warning systems and emergency responders who are trained and equipped to deal with radiological devastation on this scale. They lack isolated hospital space for the treatment of irradiated victims. It is unrealistic to assume that a large, panicked population could be evacuated safely. No emergency plan addresses the permanent relocation of people from their homes and communities because of long-term radioactive contamination.
HEALTH HAZARDS:
Exposure to ionizing radiation increases the risk of damaging cells, tissues and DNA, potentially causing mutations, cancer, birth defects and reproductive, immune, cardiovascular and endocrine disorders.
Radioactive hydrogen and carbon, produced in great quantities, can be incorporated into protein, carbohydrate and fat molecules throughout the body. Fetuses and children are especially susceptible to radiation injury because of the rapid and abundant cell division in their bodies during growth.
According to the national Research Council's BEIR VII report ("Health Risks from Exposure to Low Levels of Ionizing Radiation," 2005) no level of radiation exposure is harmless.
WORKPLACE RISKS:
The nuclear industry depends on workers who are allowed to be exposed to much more radiation than members of the public. Many of the aging metal components and even just the rust, in nuclear facilities give off penetrating gamma rays. When clogged or leaking pipes must be repaired or replaced, a worker can receive a maximum permissible annual dose of radiation in mere minutes while making even a minor repair.
TERRORISTS:
A typical commercial reactor produces enough plutonium every year to make at least forty nuclear bombs. If irradiated fuel rods are reprocessed, the extracted plutonium can be diverted to make nuclear bombs. The remaining radioactive materials can be used with conventional explosives to make "dirty bombs", capable of dispersing radioactivity.
Every nuclear facility is a potential candidate for a terrorist attack-by land, water and air, as well as by persons employed within the facility or outsiders who gain access. Terrorists could attack a reactor, the fuel storage pools or other critical components, causing the release of vast amounts of radioactivity. No existing U.S. nuclear power generating station was built to withstand deliberate attack by a jumbo jet.
RADIOACTIVE ROADS, RAILS AND NEIGHBORHOODS:
If a permanent disposal facility for irradiated fuel rods were ever built, transport of the waste on trains, trucks and barges would put countless communities at risk. If a site were chosen in a Western state, long-distance transport would be required because 77 of the 104 operating reactors are East of the Mississippi River.
The potential for an accident, terrorist attack or theft of nuclear materials during this transit is real.
EXPENSIVE
A CONTINUING FINANCIAL BURDEN:
Nuclear power cannot survive in a market economy without massive subsidies.
Federal subsidies include loan guarantees for construction and funds for research and development, including the search for a solution to the problem of radioactive waste.
In the event of a major disaster, the Price-Anderson Act requires the nuclear industry to pay for only the first $10 billlion-for deaths, injuries and property damage-a mere fraction of the liability costs federal taxpayers would have to cover. According to the 1982 NRC CRAC2 report, damages could run as high as $314 billion, depending on a reactor's surrounding population density and other factors. That would be approximately a trillion dollars today.
If a new reactor were to be built, state regulators would have to be willing to boost electric rates.

Without assurance of such state and federal handouts, private investors would refuse to finance construction of new nuclear reactors.

CONSTRUCTION COSTS:
Because nuclear power facilities are so complicated and dangerous, construction costs are extremely high; lengthy delays are common. Because of a shortage of certified "nuclear grade" parts manufacturers, substandard or counterfeit components from domestic or foreign vendors may be installed, increasing reactor hazards.
OPERATING COSTS:
From the start, nuclear stations become radioactively contaminated. Large and small components and whole buildings get "hot." Therefore, operation is expensive. As reactors age and become more radioactive, operation becomes even more expensive. Repair or replacement of defective, obsolete or worn-out equipment requires shielding for workers as well as protective clothing, monitors and respirators. Far more workers, time and money are required to fix a nuclear generating system than a coal-or gas-fired power facility, wind-or solar farm.
As high-quality uranium becomes more scarce, it's use as a reactor fuel will become even more expensive and its manufacture will into fuel will increase the emission of greenhouse gasses.
PERPETUAL COSTS:
Dismantling a decommissioned nuclear facility would also be expensive. Because no disposal site exists for most radioactive wastes from most states, contaminated buildings and equipment may remain on site for many years. Because of the dangers, environmental monitoring and armed guards will be needed indefinitely.

NUCLEAR POWER CAN AND SHOULD BE PHASED OUT AND REPLACED WITH CLEAN, SAFE AND ECONOMICALLY SUSTAINABLE ENERGY ALTERNATIVES. SPREAD THE WORD: NUCLEAR POWER IS BASED ON FALSE PROMISES AND REAL DANGERS.

for information on clean, safe, sustainable electrical power generation, check out themrea.org

 

Where Do They Find The "Experts"?

WARNING: If you care, this post is especially upsetting. If you feel vulnerable, hungry, upset already or tired, DO NOT READ IT! If however, you need to get your juices flowing or a bit of inspiration & ammunition for tomorrow's WALK FOR A NUCLEAR-FREE FUTURE, April 23rd 2011, between the Kewaunee nuclear facility and the Point Beach reactor site, read on! I'm sure that I'm not the only one feeling this level of frustration.

Today, Earthday was in the news, pretty much all day. I normally listen to Wisconsin Public Radio and they were not much different. Having participated in every Earthday since it's inception, I thought that I was reasonably aware of the environmental issues that confront us, the history and ethical dilemmas that are most often trotted out to stop real or meaningful change from taking place. The "experts" that I heard were apologists for the nuclear industry, folks encouraged by the "additional" natural gas reserves that are becoming available through hydrofracking and people who are still banging the tired old drum that global warming is still unproven and that oil dependence is a necessary evil. I used to consider WPR to be one of the best public broadcast services in the country but if this is the best they can do, then they don't deserve to be funded with tax dollars. Now, we have a whole year to prepare for next year's Earthday shows. Do you think we could put together a set of programs by then that would cover environmental issues from an ecological perspective? Corporate interests rule the air 365 days each year. Especially here in Wisconsin, where the idea of Earthday was first dreamed up, we should at least be able to hear educated and inspired programming about the dire consequences of continuing to pollute from those who are educated, truthful and committed to changing the future for the better.

We have illegal dumping, hazardous waste being injected into the ground, permit violations, polluting industries, unregulated emissions of dangerous chemicals, deaths occurring from fly ash (a waste product from burning coal) fugitive emissions from coating and plating factories and paint shops, and virtual ignorance about all of these issues on the part of the general public, yet the programming today was focused on how rosy a situation we find ourselves in. My experience is either quite different or there is a separate United States, where these purported experts reside, hiding out there somewhere. My city of about 100,000 lies at the bottom of a sixty-mile-long valley that holds over one million individuals. We have smog, though the locals don't like to call it that. We have hazardous air alerts. During these times, strenuous work is supposed to be avoided but most laborers are granted no reprieve by their employers.  Our fish are tainted and the rivers that flow through town are dangerous to touch during the heat of summer. Admittedly, there have been some improvements, but our governor has been to town to see what he can do to stop the further clean up of the river because it is "too costly" to dredge the toxic compounds out of the sediments. Industries continue to benefit from the despoiling of our "commons" and the public is expected to tow the line and continue to pay taxes that support business while public health is degraded, programs are cut back for the truly needy and the far right continues to turn their backs on any and all social responsibility. The cowboy up mentality is coming back to defy logic and proportion.

Gone are the days when unbridled individualism ruled the high country. Nowadays, if we all took a shit down by the creek, we would soon find that we were living along  a shit river. Perhaps I'm expecting too much. Maybe the environmental movement has been infiltrated by corporate apologists. I just can't imagine how we could let them rule the air on the one day each year we are supposed to be getting ourselves educated about what we can do as individuals, families, neighborhoods and communities to solve the pressing problems that daily threaten our health and welfare. I got more and more angry throughout the day and tried my best to forgive the utter lack of comprehensive knowledge evidenced by the litany of guests. Late in the day, one of the hosts tried to make the case that because many of the environmental issues were so complex, that this made them hard to solve. in defense of the guest, the woman responded that no, this is not the case. She made the point that all ecological issues converge on a single point. We all have to eat and in the realm of food production we can find the intersection of virtually every other issue that one can think of. Feeding ourselves, and making sure the food is wholesome and nutritional ,can go a long way to healing the planet. The simplicity of the issues was also mentioned. You don't need to know what a part per billion is to know that some things cause sickness and death and other things do not. Of course you can kill yourself with salt, but that is a vital nutrient. there is not benefit that can come from eating PCB, dioxins or car "piddle". Even if you give a toxic substance a cute name, it can't transform it into something wholesome.

Ko-towing to the wealthy has allowed many of the most insidious problems to increase exponentially. Waiting for the world to change might be a catchy song title, but it is no way to save a planet. Making excuses for continuing to degrade the air, water and soils can only lead to death and pain, injury, plummeting property values and dislocation. The recent changes in policies that could have reduced pollution, operating costs and utility prices, as well as providing opportunities for living more sustainably on the Earth have been a living nightmare from which we may never wake up. The issues that are most on the minds of people who make every day Earthday were barely on the table for discussion today and one wonders why? It seemed to me that the non-experts had done more for the planet than those who were cluttering up the airwaves with pablum and ameliorating public outrage at our lack of commitment to these essential issues. Perhaps it is too much to ask that we should try. In a country that allows doctors to kill over 200,000 individuals per year with medical mistakes, a land that wages war at will against imagined foes, a country that has imprisoned half the adult male population of a single "ethnic" group because of ill-conceived drug policy, expecting a rational approach to healing the environment is too much to ask. It just gets a little disappointing when one hears the same rhetoric about how "business will be negatively impacted" if we make them exhibit a conscience, how we have to pick between jobs or the environment or that we would lose market share in the world economy if we started doing the right things. The extremely wealthy can still afford to buy a bit of heaven. as long as they have their millions to spend on their retreats, the rest of us can just live in the hazardous waste sites that are our cities. If I could swim in our river, eat the fish or breathe the air without feeling ill, perhaps I would consider the problems solved, but I'm coming on to fifty and have never enjoyed all of these things where I have lived. In the old days, I could go on vacation a few times each year and at least get a taste of parts of the world that were still relatively clean and unspoiled. Now, my vacations are far less frequent and the return only reminds me of how little I want to breathe the air, drink the water and sometimes I wonder if I should even grow my own food here under the plume of poison that wafts over my house. One company alone, in my city, admits to discharging over a million pounds of toxic compounds into our air. If we are doing so well, why can't people living in Green Bay, Wisconsin catch a break? 

Happy Tax Day America!

Today we can be happy that our responsibility as Federal taxpayers is either caught up for another year, or at least we have been granted an extension. I am always amazed at the lack of information that some of my largest employers seem to have about what they paid me last year. I must be wrong, but I thought that an important part of building a viable corporate entity was bookkeeping. What I am realizing more and more is that money is really less important to a corporation that that they utilize as much time as possible in doing whatever it is that the laws mandate. If they can wait through another weekend before it becomes possible for me to cash a check, or turn in my tax returns, they seem to be happiest. I'm not sure how it all works, but I know how much they owe me by the time I'm headed home from work. It seems that they can barely remember that I ever worked for them, until the govie says, hey, you have to send out tax documents. Whatever the case, it says the same thing to me, usually in bold, underlined and screaming font styles Bullshit!

The news occasionally offers the briefest mention of corporate inequality. GE paid no tax last year, or something equally illogical. When they cover it as news, they always seem to keep the context to themselves. What really gets left out however, is the types and nature of support for industry that the government (taxpayers) give to...

The truly odd part about corporate welfare is that the reasons for it remain mostly nebulous. For instance, Wisconsin recently enacted a corporate subsidy for businesses that locate in our state that supposedly "create jobs". No matter the wages, as long as they are in line with federally set minimums, corporations who locate in our state can be granted a period of no property tax, for the first year after breaking ground on new facilities and  100,000 tax credit per job "created". The first recipient of these favors was a company from Illinois, who was willing to fire all of their existing employees and offer to rehire those who crossed the border with them to the greener pastures of Wisconsin at entry level wages. So, how many jobs did that create? None, but for the tax man's part, "we" Wisconsin's citizens are supposed to feel like winners.

Let's see, across the border, in Illinois, we now have increased unemployment and dislocation of those who formerly had some level of security. Here in Wisconsin, we have created artificial demand for more development. I forget the actual job numbers that were supposed to be at stake, let's say it is 100 jobs just to make the math easier. 100 X 100,000, yeah, that's a million dollars, so the million that would have otherwise been taxes and entered into the state budget to provide building inspectors, waste removal, infrastructure improvements, oversight, etc. that all goes away. What we are left with is a company that will run off to whatever state offers them a sweeter deal than that! I am reminded of the woman who marries a man who she stole from a previous wife. when she had been the "other woman" the guy probably told her whatever drivel it took to get in her pants. Now, she's the one with his ring on her finger and she is sure that he will remain true to her forever. Are you insane? There is less loyalty in most corporations than any philanderer ever had. The real money to be made is in getting desperate saps to give you the milk without having to buy the cow.


It seems to me that the rise of the reactionary conservative agenda has been fostered by fundamentalist religious dogma and that the Calvinist beliefs that underlie most bigotry and hatred that these folks espouse have resulted in mind control of the worst sort. There are huge numbers of people who work in the cash only black market, or who barter and trade services to avoid taxation. As much as I would like to join them, and start to enjoy a bit or tax freedom, I also know that it is unfair to the majority when a small group step outside the system that is supposed to help us all. That is why corporate welfare is so upsetting. The folks who are supposed to be helping to build our country, growing the economy in the process are becoming more and more savvy in collecting the checks from good old Uncle Sam. We are now caught in the gravitational pull of a capitalistic black hole. We have deemed several industries as "too big to fail" and hell or high water, they will be bailed out. In spite of ethical violations, legal improprieties and long-term bad judgment, they will be saved, no matter the cost to taxpayers.  In fact, if they defile the air, water, soil, or create public health problems in their wake, we'll forget about that too, just to make sure that operating within our borders is a pleasant experience for them. This black hole extends far beyond the board rooms and back rooms of politics and government. It is patently obvious in the news, entertainment and can be seen in our proclivity with such diversions as war, political rhetoric and sports. These folks who have been sucking at the teat of government are the elephant in the room that people keep telling us is holding up the roof, when in fact it is becoming so bloated as to be threatening to blow out the floor!

People, this tax day, if you owed, rest assured that a good portion of your money will be spent making a rich person's life a little easier. If you got a return, be thankful because your poverty has been recognized and you never should have been loaning those bastards your money anyway. Corporations, or more accurately, corporate stewards, if your company paid taxes, thank you for being part of the American Dream, you are appreciated. If your company paid no tax, got tax breaks that made an otherwise losing proposition pay off, or were outright gifted money from the government, shame on you! As hard as most people work for their money, we should all be able to expect that both corporate leaders and government officials would respect the labor of our citizens enough to not steal from the poor to give to the rich. This Tax Day, take some time and give some serious thought to getting what you want out of the system that you support. The time has come to reclaim our democracy, to make it work for the vast majority of people rather than the few at the top. the freedoms that we enjoy are being eroded by government and industry. don't stand for more of the same. We voted for change, now it is time to take the necessary steps to show our leaders what we meant!
Get involved, stay involved. Lead, follow or get out of the way!

Hens Laying In Wait

Quietly, all across America, chickens are being re-introduced into the urban environment. Many think that those who raise chickens must also have their noisy brethren, the roosters. In most locations, fear rather than fact inform many of the opinions held by both city regulators and the neighbors. Chickens seem to bring with them, a host of fictions and misunderstandings, many of which are quite interesting. I love the question, "Don't you need a rooster to get eggs."
"No." I will say, but then I have to explain. Women usually release an egg each month, to have a fertilized egg, you need a rooster. If you want to see some funny faces, just the mention of a "fertilized egg" can do the trick.

Tony & Nancy's Chicken Palace is a converted rabbit hutch. 

 

The worries that chickens are dirty, or that they carry disease are surely based on facts learned from massive chicken rearing facilities. What I have seen and learned over the past year and a half living with them in my yard, proves that quite the opposite is true. Humans are actually much more likely to get sick, make a mess or spread disease. In our city, we need a special permit for our birds. One of the hoops we needed to jump through to raise chicken legally, was to get a well-health check from a local veterinarian. Our vet remarked that people are far more likely to get sick from their dogs than they ever would be from chickens. The way our "girls" consume our food scraps and turn them into manure, they actually reduce both the amount of organic waste and provide a miraculous transformation of much of our waste into beautiful eggs.
Our ladies may not be unusual, but from time to time we have gotten eggs that weigh in at 1/4 pound! The sense of pride that overtakes one when one of these "babies" arrives is not unlike the proud father strutting that goes on in delivery wards across our great nation daily. We use our digital dietary scale to keep track of especially large specimens, but  the real joy is in the eating of them.
When we began our learning curve was quite steep. My wife Nancy and I had both had a bit of experience with chickens, but knew about as much about them as the average person. They give eggs and taste great with almost anything. What else is there to know, right? I was amazed to find out that they actually prefer to sleep perched on a horizontal branch or stout stick. It sounded too precarious for a landlubber like myself. I am a lover of gizzards. I eat them whenever they are available. What I only had a foggy idea about was the structure and function of these specialized organs. Chickens actually eat sharp gravel, which lodges in the gizzard and helps them to grind their food. In a little over a month we read and studied the habits and needs of our feathered friends enough to feel confident in adopting a few. One of the funniest things that happened right away was that when we read about these creatures, we noticed that chicken owners frequently referred to the birds as "girls", more specifically my girls. Fancying myself as more pragmatic and aloof, I told myself that I would never speak with such affection as to call them girls. Certainly not "my girls"! How surprised I was when on the very first days with our new birds, I walked out to their coop saying "Good morning Girls!"

Red, is more inquisitive and comes to hand easily.

For under forty dollars we were able to purchase enough fencing and hardware to contain our birds, giving them a safe place that is healthy and the tools and supplies to keep them well-fed and watered. I am the first to admit that I have a surplus of building materials at my disposal, but you certainly don't need to spend a thousand dollars to build your own Chicken Palace. Several birds can share the same nest box, which ideally is only about the size of a single chicken. For ease of feeding, watering and egg collection I put their nest box and feeding station  and a foot or two off the ground. That leaves the bottom level open for scratching the ground and pecking for scratch.
Our neighbor took up the hobby of hatching fertilized chicken eggs about two years ago and when his chicks hatched, they were so cute and interesting, that I began to get curious. That is how my own odyssey began. I have heard that there are several ways to start, but sometimes finding a good source for just a few chickens can be a little tough. Mine came from an old farm that had been managed by a practical old woman who had a mostly hands-off approach to husbandry. She raised birds for eggs mostly, but had an annual culling to dispatch roosters and a few older hens. When we got our girls, we had an understanding that any roosters could be returned to the farm from which the eggs had come. The fellow who runs the farm now wanted a younger rooster anyway. Whenever possible, remember the advice that I got years ago about animal husbandry. Start with the best stock you can afford. then care for the creatures to the best of your ability. Good care can overcome many (if not most) deficiencies in genetic make-up. However, poor care of any animal will yield sub-standard performance, no matter the genes.
Our chickens love most of the things that we eat and are able to benefit from most food scraps that we produce. They especially like broccoli, spinach and nearly every leafy green we have ever thrown them.
We have attempted to make their lives as interesting and varied as we can, in spite of the fact that they are "bird brained", we like to give them opportunities to "spread their winds" as it were. Having read about the wonderful side benefits that chickens can produce, we wanted them to have relatively free access to range around our yard. The second major undertaking, after their coop was to construct a chicken tractor. This is nothing more than a frame with wheels on one end and a handle on the other that holds a large chicken wire cage, a spare food and water source, and when in use, our chickens. By moving the chicken tractor around the yard periodically, it allows the grass to recover between times the chickens scratch the ground up, and it prevents predators from eating our birds.
Just two short generations ago, many of our families were able to care for these creatures and watch them with delight as they pecked their way around the yard. Today, we may need "our girls" more than ever.

Elizabeth, pictured in the nest box with the chicken tractor in the background.

Not only do they provide local food and a fun hobby, but a source of great joy for both owners and the neighbors, especially when they get a few eggs from time to time. Not only is it a kick to go out and grab an egg or two, still warm, for your breakfast. not only will you grow to love your girls, but they are more fun to watch than television and for the time being, in many jurisdictions, they are still legal. City chickens have come home to roost and are providing food, fertilizer and fun wherever they flock.

Don't tell me what to do!!

How do we illustrate the nature of the predicament that we find ourselves in? We have already been told to do a million things that either don't make sense or work at cross purposes. In anarchy, we are left to our own devices. Rather than having other people making decisions for us, we get to experience the total freedom that libertarians get all juiced about.  The other side of that equation is that we are held to higher standards of responsibility for our own actions. If we offend or burden others with our stupid behavior, they may decide to kill or maim us. Those who do not believe in revenge would be able to forgive, while those who feel that paybacks are times one hundred would be free to act on their anti-social urges.

In a perfect world, my peaceful and humanitarian beliefs would be reflected in the way our country behaves upon a world stage. The tax dollars that I pay to kill Afghans, Libyans, Palestinians and Pakistanis would not get spent in my name. I fully believe that we have the rights and power to make decisions that reflect our will and that our country, if it remains unresponsive to my wishes should have to relinquish it's access to my funds. I should not have to pay for schools or politicians that advance the myths of any religion, nor should I have to fund activities such as carrying out the death penalty. I should be allowed to grow any plant without fear of reappraisal, not be required to accept the threat of radioactive contamination, food borne chemicals or tainted air or water courtesy of any corporate or private entity.
 Whatever we might call our current system, it seems to work as a sieve, keeping the richest among us in amongst the cream, and allowing the vast majority to slip through the cracks. The people, whose wishes and beliefs this country was founded to express have been all but forgotten in our quest to commercialize everything under our dominion. Anarchy, like communism only have a chance at working in their purest form. When we deconstruct our current culture, there may be a few parts that could be serviceable, but the vast majority of our habits, beliefs and systems reflect an utter bankruptcy that need to be scrapped if we are to have a chance at helping the majority reach the American Dream.
First of all, we need to scrap the power and control issue. The male dominance BS is part of that vestige of a past age. next, we need to protect our children from being indoctrinated into religions that pit one against another and honor their own ability to make up their minds about morality and their own humanity. While we are at it, we should get the government out of the business of telling us what is good for us. we do need some level of understanding about what is bad for us, but protecting industry from paying for the damages that their behavior result in only make them weak and stupid.
Perhaps the thing to do is to "SPREAD ANARCHY", but not because someone says to, but because it is the right thing to do. I promise to play by the absence of rules and honor your right to behave the way you feel is right, as long as it won't limit my right to do what I feel is right. If we need to start over, we can only do it one way. The best starting point is knowing in advance where we want to be and what steps can take us there the quickest with the least dislocation and trauma for the greatest number of people.

Nukewatch Plans Walk For a Nuclear-Free Future

Please let everyone you know about the upcoming walk between the Kewaunee Nuclear Power Station and Point Beach Nuclear Facility. The event will start at noon, April 23, just North of the Kewaunee reactor and it will end after ten miles at the North end of Point Beach State forest with a potluck picnic. Thousands have protested these facilities in the past. We would like several thousand to walk with us again.

All three reactors are at the end of their design life. In their original plans, they were supposed to be decommissioned by now, resulting in millions of pounds of radioactive waste. Operators recently pursued license extensions and increases of maximum allowable electricity production levels. Both threaten Lake Michigan and millions of people with their continued operation and on-site waste storage.

Clean energy technologies exist to offset the 20.7% of Wisconsin energy that is generated at these facilities. The extraordinary amount of corporate welfare that continues to flow to these facilities needs to end. Conservation alone could eliminate the need for these old and ill-conceived electric generating stations. The on-site nuclear waste storage at these two facilities alone could render much of Northeast Wisconsin useless for farming and human habitation for many, many years.

I am personally planning to get out to the Lake Michigan Shore early in the day. Just north of the starting point along Lake View Drive is a wonderful beach that folks need to see to believe. During the ten mile walk, from Noon to 3PM, we will be sharing the wonderful company of others who believe that is time for us to move beyond nuclear energy in light of the recent developments in Japan as well as the twenty-five year anniversary of Chernobyl, which government officials believe has led to over thirty-five million deaths. This rally was planned long before the recent earthquake and tsunami that unleashed the worst ecological catastrophe in the history of the nuclear industry. The next twenty five years will make clear the ultimate injustice of nuclear energy production on innocent people whose only crime was to live near a reactor, but at this time, even our leaders are trying to put a good face on the mayhem, death and destruction created by the Japanese power stations that are failing right now.

You can bet that with a President in office from Illinois, where they currently have the fifth highest nuclear energy percentage of any state, the well-heeled lobbyists have beaten a path to the White House. In fact, there are currently afoot in Congress, plans to extend even more government backed (guaranteed)loans for future growth of this dastardly industry. The very use of the term industry makes one sick. The idea behind industry is to create something useful and ideally, socially benign. Wisconsin's history has proven that corporations who undertake splitting the atom for power have a very bad track record for doing it safely and responsibly. The talk about nuclear energy being "green", or carbon neutral are complete and utter fabrications. In fact, the admissible levels of radiation have been doubled in the United States recently, no doubt an early nod to further contamination of our environment by shameless and conscious-less corporate outlaws who seek to shift attention away from this dangerous activity.

Only four "Red Findings" have ever been issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Three of them were issued for hazardous situations at the Point Beach Facility. The two Point Beach reactors have recorded at least ten hazardous events since 1995. The Kewaunee reactor has had eight hazardous situations, including the exposure of a worker and groundwater contamination during that time. The managing corporation of these facilities has changed several times and the operators have felt compelled to lie to inspectors and fail to carry out emergency planning required by law.

These nuclear reactors were aggressively pushed on local citizens with plenty of political power. Ratepayers are ultimately responsible for this capricious form of "development" and are told little about the true nature of the threat that the nuclear reactors pose along some of the most beautiful shoreline in Northeast Wisconsin. As we progress into a more sustainable future, revoking the "rights" of corporations to endanger millions of unsuspecting citizens for the prize of corporate profits has got to end. Please let everyone you know about the need for people to show up for this event. Standing up for what is right and good must be undertaken if we are to guide future policy that has such lasting negative effects.

Contact nukewatch1@lakeland.ws for more information

Chernobyl at 25 Years

April 26th, 1986 was a grim day for humanity. That is when the public first became aware of the devastating results of using the radioactive decay of radioactive elements to generate steam for electricity production. Seven years earlier, when the Three Mile Island nuclear facility melted down in the State of Pennsylvania. The radiation that escaped the containment building was done so by "controlled release" rather than in a single explosive event. The fact that TMI did not look like a catastrophe led to one of the most elaborate and convoluted dances ever performed by spin doctors. Chernobyl, on the other hand, was a picture of devastation that we have not seen since, until last month in Japan.

The Russian organization that provides oversight and regulation for their nuclear power industry has estimated that over 35 million people have died as a result of the accident at Chernobyl. The ground around the plant is still experiencing radioactive decay and will continue to do so for many generations. The cost of producing a single watt of power with this short-sighted and irresponsible technology seems to me to be irresponsible in the extreme. In fact, since we knew in advance that there would be accidents, that they would be horrific, and that the results of these accidents would outlive us, I would classify the continued efforts to produce power this way as a crime against humanity. The fact that these injuries are left to the vagaries of "chance", rather than mitigating the responsibility of those who perpetrate the myths behind nuclear power, make it their crimes even more reprehensible.

I have a unique perspective on nuclear accidents. As early as the seventies, my family and I worked endless hours to educate people about the risks associated with the nuclear industry. At the beginning of my own involvement, I realized that the entire nuclear industry was devoted to weapons production. The first step on the path to creating weapons of mass destruction is nuclear power production. Nuclear disarmament begins with putting a stop to electricity generation with these dangerous facilities. Even as a child, I wondered why any government would allow the endangerment of it's own people over a nearly infinite period of time, to "gain" the ultimate weapon with the intended "use" being to kill whole populations in an instant. At the time, we were organizing against Rocky Flats, just North of Denver. Everything we warned could happen there eventually did take place. For a time it was the largest Superfund clean up ever. Now, it will forever be a "wildlife sanctuary" because it will remain unfit for human occupation for centuries.

I believe it was Stalin who said that a thousand casualties are a tragedy, but a million are a statistic. Never before have we found, or funded a "public service" program as tragic as nuclear power generation. Continuing to unleash this terrible power has got to stop if we are to find a path to a sustainable future. In the areas that are most reliant on electricity generated by the use of nuclear generating stations, installation of energy saving devices and energy efficiency improvements can offset more need for power than these facilities produce. All that is required to stop the insanity is to educate ourselves about the true costs of this energy source and to get our leaders to listen to the expression of the will of the people.