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A Plea To The Occupy Movement

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Stopping global warming is the signature issue of our time. If we do not reverse global warming, nothing else will matter. Not bringing the Wall Street crooks to justice or closing down the corrupt banks or stopping our government from spying on us.

 

A vital step is closing down our nukes. Nuclear power is not a legitimate alternative to the burning of fossil fuels because it is far more dangerous albeit in a distinctly different way. The risk of further contamination of our earth on which we depend for our survival cannot be tolerated.

 

In spite of the risks, powerful corporate executives are looking to use profitable nuclear plants to address problems associated with stopping global warming.

 

Even if CEOs refuse to do so, we have to recognize this stark fact: nuclear radiation knows no boundaries. It is incumbent on us to join other countries in ending nuclear power for it is immoral that by keeping ours running we would be putting at risk countless others around the world.

 

The disaster in Japan reminds us again of how dangerous this form of energy is. A molten mass of radioactive material lies at the bottom of the three reactors that experienced meltdowns shortly after the earthquake and tsunami hit northern Japan on March 11, 2011.

 

Structural remains of the containment vessels serve the short-term purpose of preventing radiation from leaking out into the atmosphere and contaminating not only Japan, but also much of the world. A second earthquake, predicted by seismologists to take place within the immediate future, has the potential to bring those structures tumbling down.

 

A hundred thousand Japanese have already been relocated within the country. There are recent reports that during negotiations over ownership of the Kuril Islands, Japanese officials told their Russian counterparts that due to Fukushima they are looking at evacuating roughly forty million people to one or more sites overseas. (See   HYPERLINK "click here" click here)

 

Continued use of nuclear energy is being seen as part of a mix of alternatives to fossil fuels. A recent rebroadcast of a PBS program (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/nuclear-aftershocks/) featured several interviews with energy experts who proclaimed that our future energy needs couldn't possibly be met without nuclear power. For this reason plans are being made to replace the ones that will be phased out.

 

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Mary Wentworth Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Now retired and a writer, I am a feminist and political activist, a radical Democrat (have come to dislike the term "progressive"), and a blogger. Have done political tours of Cuba, Nicaragua, Honduras, West and East (way back when)Germany, (more...)
 

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