Apples, Oranges and Bananas and the Silence of the Rems

If we all die horribly from Fukushima it won't be because of aerosolized MOX fuel emissions. It will be because the pundits are making us crazy to the point of self-destruction. Why is it that when discussing Fukushima we have polar opposites sitting like foxes on fences snarling at each other. There is no middle ground apparently. Nothing can drive moderates crazier. The truth is, no one without a degree in Nuclear Physics can hope to understand the ramifications of this dreadful event in human history and because of this, we are left to those that interpret. Even with a degree apparently in Nuclear Physics, the ramifications of three core meltdowns is unknown. I've looked at the arguments. And this is what I have found, my grand conclusion: The doomsayers make more sense. I'm not saying they're right. Who am I to judge? But I "am" saying they make more sense.

The pro-nuclear pundits are deeply in need of some media savy if nothing else. Given the infinite resources they have, you'd think they'd be able to easily discount the fear-mongering. Straight answers are in short supply. Alas, they have forgotten the educated public who have long since understood spin-mastering--that fine art of avoiding some questions, rewriting facts, focusing on the minor points and avoiding the big ones. The bigger, the simpler the lie, the easier to sway. Their arguments are just a child's game in a media-savy world. Why is it that when busy comparing apples to oranges, pro-nuclear advocates always end up with bananas? If I make only one point in this article it is: Bananas have nothing to do with Fukushima radiation. Bananas being radioactive is a big selling point for the pro-nuclear spokespeople, cited at the NRC, on National Geographic, The Economist, and recently in a CNN pro-nuclear film looking at Fukushima. It is perhaps the biggest bit of propaganda ever vomited on the American people. A newly-released pro-nuclear film is deeply admired by Michael Moore of all people. Michael Moore has now become the elephant in the room eating bananas.

And if my readers can at least hold one other thought in their minds, its that TEPCO lied, lies and if past history is any indication, will lie. They have admitted to lying on a number of occasions. Japan's "Silence of the Rems" law which effectively criminalizes communicating about Fukushima speaks volumes, as silence often does. As does the silence in formerly public nuclear forums. As does the silence from scientists and marine biologists and physicians who have put their own welfare before that of humanity. May there be forgiveness one day if they have been silent when they should have been screaming.

There are many who say, why worry about something you can't do anything about? There are those who say they'd rather not know. I say we have to worry at least for the generations to follow and we have the right to governmental and university statistics. If not protection. We paid for it. Why were we paying for governments to monitor radiation for lo these many years to find that when something actually has happened we then don't get the statistics because monitoring sites are shut down and information is classified? It's madness. We have every right to know absolutely everything. Absolutely. We are not children. The news media has become a colossal joke. The largest "ongoing" environmental disaster in history gets little coverage. If CNN is worrying about declining audiences they might want to think about that. There are many who say why tell the truth if it causes panic? In that sense the governments and agencies are protecting us all. I personally do not hold with this. Had citizens been given potassium idodine capsules at the outset, it would have prevented thyroid problems showing up now in infants and others on the west coast. Had pregnant women known at the outset, the alarming rise in infant mortality rate in western canada might have been prevented. And now the question remains on how much the northern hemisphere is being bombarded and at what levels over time will it affect citizens? We don't know because we don't have the statistics. We don't know because transparency is a lost art.

In September, Stamper on a website called Activist Post published an article called "28 Signs That The West Coast is Being Absolutely Fried with Nuclear Radiation from Fukushima." It has become a popular destination for Facebook fans and a favourite place for the so-called "debunkers."  If only they could back up their attacks with some solid evidence, research and/or experts not tied to the big business of nuclear energy.  Unfortunately for all of us, nuclear physicists with university affiliations are in bed with big Nuclear. As are governments and the main news media and the military. It's the nature of the beast, the means of funding. Even if they were telling us the truth, how could we really trust them given this? It leaves us very few experts to speak unfettered. But I digress.

The purpose of this piece is to look at the 28 signs and see who makes the most sense. For this purpose I picked a pro-nuclear partisan's debunking piece by Mike Rothchild on a website entitled Skeptoid to see the arguments for. Mr. Rothchild's arguments are representative if not encompassing of the pro-nuclear arguments throughout the internet. The arguments for and against have been found at various sites. What makes the most sense to you? I put aside my own belief that Fukushima is not good and look at the arguments here. It's up to the public to decide, given we have no way of really knowing. If the experts can't figure it out, it's not likely we will for a long long time. The situation changes daily. Even as I write this TEPCO has apologized for not telling their citizens that there was a core meltdown in Unit 1 when they knew it. The University of Berkeley in California has now brought the issue to the forefront in admitting the sobering nature of the problem and a call for action. Every week a new revelation. If there is one question that stops the pro-nuclear argument in its tracts, that creates a dead silence, it is simply "Where are the cores?" There is no answer apparently to that. My advice is pretty simple: until we do know, stay out of the rain and don't eat the fish. Just don't.

Unit 4 Fukushima 2011

TEPCO photo by the famous Fukushima 50 who are for the most part no longer with us or suffering terribly from radiation exposure.

Unit 4 Fushima 2013 

It's nice they took the time prior to fuel removal to paint the trim and clean up everything, given the levels of radiation workers were and are being exposed to.

This article to be continued.... as I research the pros and the cons.
Here's something to watch in the meantime: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAHgRA4DaDk
Again, not for the faint of heart.