Did you know

that on this date in 2007 something happened that is now called by some the

2007 United States Air Force nuclear weapons incident

Despite all the supposed precautions there was a very real chance of nuclear weapons being used inadvertantly. The officials will argue that they caught the error before anything happened, but it was still very close.

So close...

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Again,

please pray for peace. But pray even harder. Work for peace, too. Do whatever peaceful things you can for peace.

The bombing of Nagasaki

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Please,

pray for peace.

The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima

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Once again

a European country, much older and certainly more mature than the West, is exhibiting great foresight and care for the future of the human race.

Germany: Nuclear power plants to close by 2022

Don't count on anything like this happening in the West any time soon. Concern for the future is left to those who have had a past. We've barely existed in history compared to Europe...

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A 'hope for peace' quotation

"If you are religious, then remember that this bomb is Man's challenge to God. It's worded quite simply: We have the power to destroy everything that You have created.
If you're not religious, then look at it this way. This world of ours is
4, 600,000,000 years old. It could end in an afternoon." - Arundhati Roy, 1998

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Time compresses

As one gets older, time seems to compress to where what happened decades ago seems like just a few years ago. Take the

Chernobyl nuclear disaster,

for instance. It occured on this date in 1986, but it seems like just a few years ago, not 25 years ago.

I heard a news report on this just today. Official reports still only list around 4,500 people dead as a result of the disaster. Mind you, they don't quote the scientific and medical authorities who say that they expect the actual number to to in the millions due to cancers that would not normally have occured in the population. Some have already occured, some people are still suffering from cancers and some still have to develop the illnesses. The politicians are just starting the whitewashing early, I guess. Besides, you wouldn't want to hurt the nuclear industry, there's too much money in it.

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This will upset more than a few people

The nuclear disaster is “a lesson for Japan and for the whole world,” notes Bishop

But for quite a while now no one, particularly a majority of Catholics, has cared what the Bishops say. It's a sad fact of the current times...

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Thinking about the workers

Workers Give Glimpse of Japan’s Nuclear Crisis

I'm strongly opposed to the use of nuclear energy. I'm strongly in favour of supporting all those who, through no fault of their own, have to make their living, and risk their lives, working in the facilities...

(And just so we're all clear, the nuclear crisis is affecting Japan the most, but it's not just theirs, it's the world's nuclear crisis. We're all affected by it.)

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But

<sarcasm on>I thought nuclear energy was a safe form of power?<sarcasm off>

Japan to scrap stricken nuclear reactors

"Japan is to decommission four stricken reactors at the quake-hit Fukushima nuclear plant, the operator says."

Such a tragedy. They'll be suffering the effects of this for, well, for as long as it matters to the human race, I guess...

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More and more frightening

Japan plant water radiation may be from core

"No evidence yet of containment vessel damage: spokesman"

But they don't know, they can only guess - and hope.

No one knows anything. No one knows for certain what will happen in a meltdown, if the core continues down, through the earth's crust. No one knows anything. All we know for certain in the West is that "it can't happen here" and so we go ahead with our nuclear projects blithely ignoring the tragedy unfolding before us, despite what seems to be a majority feeling against continuing. Because the little people are nothing before the power or politics and the dollar.

We deserve what we get. Too bad it can't just be the politicians and business people, but there you are.

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I'm still hearing

atomic energy 'expert' spokespeople on the radio say 'it couldn't happen here'.

Workers Strain to Retake Control After Blast and Fire at Japan Plant

Experienced and intelligent people in European countries who care about their countries more than $ (the god of the West) are putting their projects on hold or cancelling them. The people in the West just say 'it couldn't happen here'.

Ah, courage based on the arrogance of youth and inexperience...

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The news is not good

Japan nuclear plant suffers 2nd explosion

"Fuel rods exposed at separate reactor add to fears of potential 3rd explosion"

The nuclear industry in the West, however, will continue saying that 'this could never happen here, the technology's different'. Just like they said about the technology in Japan. In fact, in comparing the situation in Japan to Chernobyl, I heard an expert on the radio just yesterday saying that it could never happen in Japan 'because the technology's different'. They just keep parroting the same line while people die and the world is contaminated.

Is it the beginning of the end? (Not to be too apocalyptic or anything...)

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What a circus!

I was listening to news regarding this today:

US poised to ratify nuclear treaty with Russia

I just can't believe politicians. No one is willing to give an inch on ideology, particularly the U.S. right. Listening to Republican politicians bloviate over how bad and useless this is, etc., etc., etc., and it seems to be simply because its a Democrat president doing it, not a Republican. If it were the other way around, the responses would be reversed as well. Politicians of any stripe just can't celebrate in the successes of other parties, only criticize them, no matter how good the results are for the world. It really is a joke. (And you can't get funnier than when the comments are spoken in a Southern American accent. It just sounds so pompous.)

They all need to watch 'Miracle on 34th Street', and pay attention to Mr. Gimble and Mr. Macy...

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Today

is the 64th anniversary of a totally unnecessary act of violence by the United States. It's the anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki. This was done more to test the new atomic bomb, than 
for any other reason. Japan was already on it's knees after Hiroshima.

Remembering Nagasaki

Lord, have mercy on us all...

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God bless him

Archbishop O'Brien calls for world to eliminate nuclear stockpiles

For all the good his call will do with those blinkered politicians...

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He has a point...

Netanyahu to Obama: Stop Iran—Or I Will

"You don’t want a messianic apocalyptic cult controlling atomic bombs. When the wide-eyed believer gets hold of the reins of power and the weapons of mass death, then the entire world should start worrying, and that is what is happening in Iran."

Can you imagine if the Aum group had had a nuclear weapon instead of Sarin gas? Well, Iran having nuclear weapons is many, many, many times worse...

A safe industry? Sure...

In Soviet Russia, Lake Contaminates You

"but the ambient radiation in the cooling trench forestalled any repairs"

How can you fix it if you can't get near it? Oh, there's no problems with nuclear energy all right...

Good grief!

Russia threatens nuclear attack

"RUSSIA warned Poland yesterday it faced a nuclear attack if it accepts a US missile interceptor base on its soil."

I can't believe these war-mongering idiots. While the U.S. actions might be considered provocative, to threaten s nuclear strike is insanity! Why does Russia want another Cold War? What will they gain from it? Such stupidity...

An important anniversary

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

Today is the 50th anniversary of this very familiar image, created by imposing the semaphore signs for 'N' and 'D' over each other. Don't listen to any urban legends about where the symbol came from. This is it. And it's British. Sorry America.

Will he have any effect?

Pope appeals for nuclear disarmament, calls for release of Korean hostages

One wonders if he'll have any effect at all or if the world is too far gone to understand the difference between good and evil?