Will US Nuclear Industry Ever Glow As Brightly As Japan's? Libyan Baby Steps

Thomas Friedman

"Previous Congresses would have noticed that millions of people are still struggling in an economic downturn and tried to help, but Republicans have succeeded in shutting off that conversation." - NY Times Ed

"But I am deeply dubious that our allies can or will handle it without us, either. And if the fight there turns ugly, or stalemates, people will be calling for our humanitarian help again. You bomb it, you own it." - Thomas Fridman

Two facts emerged from nuclear Japan. The first idea, of dropping planeloads of water into the reactors during the first couple of days was the wrong thing to do. It produced a lot of radioactive steam that has condensed into the surrounding land and pooling in places inside of the reactor that should have remained dry. A lot of radioactivity was spread around the inside, making the job of containment that more difficult. This decision will be made the fault of the utility and poor management, not consulting outside opinions until it was too late.

And in testimony before Congress yesterday, it was revealed that the backup batteries in all 104 of our nuclear sites only have a life of four hours, and not enough juice to control the pumping of cooling water, just enough battery life to read a few gauges. The next step we will take is to make a backup system that can run a plant on its own for 48 - 72 hours, including the use of diesel generators... The more I read up on the testimony of the nuclear industry, the more it becomes clear that it ain't rocket science. The design of even the most sophisticated reactor and containment domes resemble the winner of the 1965 high school science fair than something designed by a so-called professional. The style that is used in Japan and is being proposed for Pueblo, Colorado, was suggested it be banned back in 1972 for its design flaws, none which were ever corrected or looked at until after 9/11. Be afraid, be very afraid...


Bit by bit, in small increments, we will win the war in Libya. First, we established a no fly-over zone. Then, the airspace included landspace, as planes bombed weapons depots and tanks, and the Qaddafi compound in Tripoli. Now, in today's paper, is the fact that we will probably end up giving arms to the rebels. and, if we give them arms, we will send along some trainers to show how to use them. Next will be advisors to work with the rebel leaders on how best to use the arms we gave them. After that, anything goes as long as it is rubber stamped by NATO... Take a good look at what we are fighting for:

Wait, I think I see a Starbuck's in there...

The beginning of a larger piece in Politico shares the facts that: "Scott Brown (R-Mass.) inked the deal for his memoir 50 days after his upset victory. Christine O’Donnell didn’t even come close to winning her Delaware Senate bid but had a book deal even faster — in just 31 days. And Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) set a land-speed record with his contract, landing a book just three weeks after his Tea Party-powered win.


Call it premature memorization. There was once a time when a public figure like Richard Nixon or Gen. Colin Powell would compile a record in politics, government or military before telling their life story. To establish their seriousness, a younger figure might have written about a topic of interest or extolled the accomplishments of others in the fashion of John F. Kennedy’s “Profiles in Courage.”

I haven't read any of these books, and I doubt I ever will. I'm so far behind on my reading list that I'm two years behind and I don't think I will ever catch up... The question was asked, do you think that this is a quick cash grab, or do quickie books like this answer the questions people might naturally have about these politicians. Did you like Barack Obama's book, or Sarah Palin's? One thing is for sure, business is booming for ghost-writers... That someone can follow me around for two weeks with a tape recorder, and then we can say with a straight face that I am the author...

Another poll has the popularity of the tea party dropping to 23%. Yet another poll suggests that local conservative grass-roots activism is on the rise. As an old hippie I am glad to see this trend, where folks take more satisfaction in doing something than sitting around drinking orange pekoe as if it were a wise thing to do... And even though I disagree with each disturbed individual, I respect the fact that they are willing to organize and work for their misguided, wrongheaded goals. I'd invite them in for some orange pekoe, but I make it a policy never to invite Mormons, evangelicals, and right wing conservatives into my home. I'd rather watch them harangue the crowd where I can jeer in anonymity...