Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Small State Provides Big News

In browsing the news this morning I came upon an opinion piece in the Barre-Montpelier Times Argus. The item was titled "The Problem Grows" and goes on to mention many of the same events that I have devoted time to here in past Artichoke Annie's musings on This and That.


  • Interesting that the PBS show NOVA would leave out the nightmare of Fukushima when they choose to make a special on the event.
  • Interesting that we hear little of nothing of the fate of the US sailors that were aboard the USS Ronald Reagan who were exposed to Fukushima fallout while on this compassionate mission.
So many stories that remain untold, silenced, or covered only in the dark back pages of newspapers. Certainly these stories are not making top billing on our evening "Infotainment News" broadcasts.

~ ~ ~


The opinion is that of  Alfred S. Blakey, Barre, VT and I print his entire opinion piece here for those of you that may not stumble upon the  Barre-Montpelier Times Argus:

The problem grows
August 05,2015
 
Seventy years ago this week the world changed. Nuclear weapons were dropped on Japan. You would think that if any country would understand the hazards of the power of the atom, nuclear power in all its forms, that country would be Japan.

Seventy years later the world ignores the damage it is doing today.

The PBS show NOVA did a special on Fukushima last week. The report was very careful to leave out the nightmare that has become Fukushima Daiichi. The uncontrolled groundwater leaks into the Pacific Ocean. USA Today reports “Millions of fish dead in Pacific Northwest — Ocean conditions have ‘gone to hell’ — salmon covered in fungus, red lesions all over, big gaping sores — Extinction concerns”

USS Reagan sailors were the first people to be hit by a plume outside of plant and there is now a report, “Third death from exposure to Fukushima fallout.”

Buildings sinking next to Fukushima reactors — “We know structures decaying, getting more unstable — ‘Plant deterioration investigation’ underway — Molten fuel thought to be eating away structural materials.”

And not just Japan!

Reports of erosion “undermining foundation” of a major dam upstream of U.S. nuclear plants — “Extensive network” of seepage paths found — “Water flowing through from multiple sources and multiple directions” — Nuclear plants doing Problem Evaluation Reports on ‘complex and urgent’ situation. 

Power Reactor: CALLAWAY, MO — Event Number: 51253 — leak shuts down U.S. nuclear plant — Radiation levels ‘above normal’ — ‘Steam plume’ seen in reactor building, workers can’t find where leak is coming from due to safety concerns.

Years, decades even, to recover. I wonder, is a dream of just one generation of children that do not know war, hunger and death as an everyday existence really that difficult to realize?

Alfred S. Blakey
Barre

No comments:

Post a Comment