The sad end of human empathy.

Today I read of an accident at Arkansas Nuclear One. A suspended load fell. People were hurt and a young man lost his life. This event will scar a family forever. This was a mothers son at the very least. As I write this I  have no details on his life history, I don't know if he had brothers or sisters. I don't know if he had started a family of his own. I am sure in the coming days all the tragic details will flood the news outlets and we will come to know this person better. Who he was and what his passing means to those closest to him. Some will attempt to use his death to sell their agendas while others will accept that accidents happen. Whatever you decide to take away from this horrible accident will be entirely up to you.

This is my take away on this.

I glanced at the comments of the news articles carrying this devestating story and what I saw turned my stomach. Remember what this news article was really about. The untimely death of a fellow human being.  Here is a smattering of the humanity shown.

Here is the link. It is a CNN report. http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/31/us/arkansas-nuclear-site-death/index.html.

People die on the job all the time.

Children should be banned from sites like these. Shame on yo mama.

This story is not as important as the oil leak in Mayflower.

Its a conspiracy.

No risk to the public health and safety ?  Then why the news story.

Try as I might I couldn't read that in an Arkansas accent.

Mr Burns..Release the hounds.

Nuclear power is like Russian rulette ( their spelling).

Chernobyl.

Fuhushima.

Ban nukes. 

They're making moonshine in those big vats.

Arkansas and nuclear power don't sound right together.

Sounds like the Gorbechev press release after Chernobyl.

Was he murdered or did kim ung kum dump a vat of radioactive se men on him.

This goes on much further than I care to read.  The bulk of comments are petty arguing and stupid cheap shots that are meant to be funny or quick witted but simply come off as callous and cold.

This is not the first time I've seen this and sadly I doubt it will be the last.

This is not a nuclear versus non nuclear moment nor a reason to attack gas lines or corporations. This is about a mans death.

Is this what we have become ? A sick collection of souless monsters that revel in our own coldness and disregard for those we don't know personally ?

Imagine his family reading any of this garbage. Imagine if it was you. Don't be these people. Its not hard.

I feel so disgustingly filthy I think I need a shower.

The humorous side of protests

Protesters have been around for ages. As long as at least one person feels that change is needed and people should listen to them we will have protests. At least once a day someone on the planet is trying to be heard by the public and the media. Some protests have changed the course of history while others have had no impact at all. Some I agree with , some I don't. Some seem ridiculous. Others are deadly serious.

Please don't feed the crazies

 Today I will focus on the stranger protesters and their signs. Whatever side you take you have to almost admire their ingenuity for getting press coverage.

this about sums it up

This is what makes protests great. The idea that even little ole you have a voice.Whether anyone is listening or even cares (In this case I couldn't care less, I just like the random sign) is another deeper subject for another blog post.

 

 

You have to wonder if he ever figured it out

Patriotism is something to be proud of,  so is an education.  Do everyone a favor, if you decide to protest in public PLEASE,PLEASE,PLEASE don't use spell check. If you do I wouldn't have anything to write about.

I hate ALL energy accidents

If you decide to put your message out their try to keep it to ONE subject. Mixing Nuclear and Gas  together might leave some wondering what you want. 

not this

When you decide to protest it might behoove you to pick a subject that already has a following. Otherwise you are just one strange guy with a sign.The people below figured it out.

yes this

RRR ARGHHH ERR UGHH Why aren't people taking us seriously mom?

Nuclear energy has its own special collection of protesters.They run the gamut from just weird to highly intelligent. My favorite Nuclear protester is Helen Caldicott (picture below).You know I couldn't resist. I will let you decide where she fits in the gamut. But Nuclear isn't alone when it comes to opponents. Coal, Wind, Solar, Biomass,Cow Farts, Hamsters on wheels, Hydro and every other energy source you can think of has its detractors. I guess you cant please everybody.

Now this woman knows how to scare people

I'm not sure why she has this sign but i hope she gets what she wants

 These next protesters have the right idea. Have some fun in life.

So all I can say is fight the good fight, if you have something to say,say it loudly. Wave a sign, make a fool out of your self if you choose, chant, march and be heard.  Just don't let your passion become all that you are in life.

And whatever you do, whether its protesting in the streets or writing your congressperson  NEVER forget this last sign.

Who should you believe? The conflicts of nuclear news.

With the massive amount of media coverage of Fukushima and the resulting radiation released this question begs an answer, WHO DO YOU BELIEVE ??

 

I guess it depends on the individual. 

 

Are you hard wired to distrust authority, do you think that the GOVERNMENT is some evil entity secretly plotting to dumb down the population with chem trails or fluoride in your drinking water? Do you believe that the sole purpose of online social media is data mining ? Are you a "glass half empty "kind of person ?

 

If so I suggest you follow the likes of Dr Helen Caldicott , Christopher Busby, Joseph Mangano or one of my favorites, Arnie Gundersen. They will tell you TALES OF TERROR that will have you hiding under your bed waiting for the inevitable PLUME of radiation to kill you or give your children horrible cancer. Here is a sampling of their takes on Fukushima. 

http://www.democracynow.org/2012/3/12/nuclear_engineer_arnie_gundersen_fukushima_meltdown  

http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/12/study-fukushima-radiation-has-already-killed-14000-americans.html 

Are you hard wired to believe that the government is just a collection of people trying to do the almost impossible task of running a country, that things aren't perfect but it could always be worse. That those are just vapor trails and not some diabolical plot. Do you think fluoride might actually prevent tooth decay ? Do you trust the internet ? Are you a "glass half full" kind of person?

 

Is so I suggest you rely on the reports of those charged by the people to determine the actual consequences of Fukushima. The World Health Organization,  UNSCEAR,  The IAEA . Their task is information gathering and analysis then arriving at a conclusion.

 http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2013/01/11/like-weve-been-saying-radiation-is-not-a-big-deal/

http://science.time.com/2013/03/01/meltdown-despite-the-fear-the-health-risks-from-the-fukushima-accident-are-minimal/

As for the rest of you that fit somewhere in the middle of these two extremes I suggest you take a long, slow look at all the information. From THE END OF CIVILIZATION reports (this is an actual statement) to the ALL'S FINE, DON'T PANIC articles. Then make an informed opinion. Fukushima  has had an unbelievable impact on those directly affected by it and will continue to for the foreseeable future but the real tangible dangers lie somewhere in between the extremes. 

 

They always have.