Blog Post #2900

Since this is another 100-post anniversary for this blog, I'll interrupt my California vacation photos. I rarely comment on world events because there are plenty of sources on the web with more knowledge than I have. And my mission here is to share my photos along with some information.

But for the past few weeks the news from Japan has been so tragic and so scary that I don't want to ignore it completely. The earthquake and tsunami took over 12,000 human lives, with 15,500 more missing. And if they don't get the nuclear plant fixed, many more people will die. It's a frightening scenario!

This probably won't be the last nuclear power disaster. The possibility of such an incident caused by an earthquake has been talked about for a long time. And of course there are other things that can go wrong.

I first heard about concerns regarding the safety of nuclear power way back in the 1970's. I was working for the extension service and we were tasked with distributing materials on nuclear power to schools. A key piece was an educational comic; I think it was called "Living in a Nuclear Age." It was designed to educate children about the promise of nuclear energy as a source of electricity.

One of my coworkers called it government propaganda. At first this startled me; I was young and knew little about nuclear power. But as I listened to Paul, I realized he had a point. Propaganda is information that is spread for the purpose of promoting some cause; and this cause was nuclear energy. (I don't know why our government agency (USDA) thought young children were a suitable audience at that time.)

I decided that I could only support nuclear energy AFTER the problem of disposing of nuclear waste was solved. Decades went by, and this problem went unresolved. Once I went to a job interview and found out that the potential employer was a contractor working on plans for using Yucca Mountain as a nuclear waste facility. This made me uncomfortable and I think it showed. They did not offer me a job.

Of course, people in Nevada opposed the Yucca Mountain plan. I don't blame them. The potential for disaster is too frightening.

Sometimes people looked at me funny when I said I didn't support nuclear power. I told them I've been waiting for 40 years for the power of nuclear waste to be resolved and it still hasn't happened. I also said I would not want to live near a nuclear plant. Even a minor accident could be serious for people living nearby. And property values are vulnerable to fears that people have about potential disasters.

But for now, the least we can do is support the people of Japan and pray for the brave workers at Fukushima.

And remember this: Experts don't know as much as you think they know. And there are plenty of people who will lie to you. Be skeptical.

Link: Chernobyl Engineer Speaks Out: "Run away!... Don't rely on the government"