Putting my pen down...

The events of the past week in this fragile old world have left me rather depleted in energy. I can not even muster up my old stand by sense of humor, never a good sign. A few may have noticed a rather abrupt deletion of my St. Patrick's Day post and wondered what happened. I had prepared that blog post several weeks ago and set it for automatic posting - after the events of Thursday it just seemed inappropriate to me to have this post up, my apologies to those of you who took the time to comment. 

I am going to put my pen down and concentrate my energies in other areas for now. I hope the view of the horizon changes because from where I stand it doesn't look good. The involvement of the United States in yet another country in the middle east does not bode well. I hear talk of regimen change prompted by the United States, never a good thing. Enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya will take military force and it appears that the United States was working hard for the United Nations to take this strong stand. Ethically should we be involved again in another regime change in the middle east? Can we afford  to get involved in yet another war? The answers to both questions is a resounding NO.

Sarah Palin is off on a world (?) tour, not exactly world, but she will tour India, Israel and the middle east, sort of a fact finding mission before deciding to make her decision to run for president in 2012. For Ms. Palin it is a win-win situation, she gets to pocket her six figure per event speaking fees and also gets to keep her name in the public eye. She bears watching, the Tea Party Movement, formerly the radical Christian Right that so deftly got George W. Bush elected is already tearing apart the Republican party leaving it in a weaken state.

Sadly the Dalai Lama has retired as the political leader of Tibet but will continue in the role of spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. "Now is the right to time to make change. It is not good that the Dalai Lama keeps absolute powers," he said as he drew comparison to the communist regime, which used guns to hold on to power. Tibetans will elect their new leader in simultaneous elections to the Kalon Tripa and the Tibetan Parliament on this Sunday.

In the wake of another high level nuclear disaster this time in Japan, a second look will be made at the future of nuclear energy uses in the United States. It is urged that inspections at all existing nuclear plants in the United States be made to assure that each plant is up to standard. Now is not the time to yield to pressure to look away and not see that safety standards are upheld, enforced and penalties levied for non-compliance. There are 104 nuclear reactors in the United States each one is old, built or at least permitted before 1978. There have been no new plants authorized since the crisis at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania. And here, in case you forgot, is a reminder of past nuclear disasters:

Top Ten Nuclear Disasters
(Source The Daily Beast)

1. 1986 – Chernobyl
2. 1957 – Kyshtym
3. 1979 – Three Mile Island
4. 1927 – Windscale
5. 1999 - Tokaimura
6. 1977 - Bohunice
7. 1987 – Goiania
8. 1961 – K-19
9. 1970 – Yucca Flat
10. 1985 – K-431

I see no mention of Hiroshima or Nagasaki in 1945.

Hope for peace, understanding and compassion, let it flow over the Earth and fill up the voids that are with us today. Challenge the world and mankind to come up with solutions and lay their weapons aside. Let there be a tomorrow for everyone.

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