The problem with nuclear power... is Fred

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Friday March 25, 2011 · 6:34 AM PDT

2011/03/25 · 06:34

Or so said author Terry Pratchett in a talk at a World Science Fiction convention. He was describing his experiences as Press Officer for some nuclear power stations. I haven't found an online reference to the talk (though I found this reference to "the Fred factor"). Here are two of the "Fred" stories that Terry told, as I recall them. I was neutral to positive on nuclear power before that talk. Afterward...

Aranfell

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Sunday October 24, 2010 · 5:53 PM PDT

2010/10/24 · 17:53

Did you know that "Obama's socialism" (apparently meaning helping anyone less well off than you) can't possibly work? It will fail because unless "the reward is great" (and isn't shared with anyone else), "no one will try or want to succeed".

That's the message of a political hit piece that a member of my church forwarded to me. So following this outstanding example of how to respond to Christian tea-nuts, I decided to respond by showing my friend just how anti-Christian (and dishonest) that email really is.

Her forwarded message and my reply are below the fold. (Note to non-Christians: my reference to the "benefit of knowing our Savior" is a criticism of the attitude of some Christians that nobody can do good except us -- it's not intended as a criticism of your choice of beliefs.)

Aranfell

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Friday August 13, 2010 · 9:41 AM PDT

2010/08/13 · 09:41

Diaries about Obama's great (or terrible) achievements miss the point for me. There are lots of things that I agree with in both kinds of diary, but to me the real issue is why I (and others) are experiencing this nasty intensity gap.

I want to be excited about the possibilities of working for a Democratic candidate, as I was in 2008. It's not enough to be fearful of the result of Democrats losing -- I was afraid of Gore and Kerry losing to Bush, but I didn't work for them. In fact, 2008 is only the third time I have EVER worked on a campaign, instead of just giving money.

Details of why I'm mostly not excited are below the fold.

Aranfell

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Saturday June 06, 2009 · 4:50 PM PDT

2009/06/06 · 16:50

My first diary was a personal statement on torture, which got a kind response from a small number of Kossacks. So I sent it to my newspaper (minus the links) and got a very negative response from the editor, who wanted me to cite sources and consider the "other side of the argument", namely that torture does work, wasn't used much, and they want to kill us. Yeah, sure, but he did offer to consider publishing a revision as an op-ed, so I submitted one.

Follow below the fold to see my proposed op-ed. Head to the comments to see the editor's strong but strangely non-specific condemnation, compared to his very detailed condemnation of my first draft. Critiques of the text (and comparisons to my first effort) are welcome, since I still plan to use this in some form. Sent out as email, I'd include a link to further information on my web site (to be specified).

Aranfell

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Sunday May 17, 2009 · 1:07 PM PDT

2009/05/17 · 13:07

I grew up seeing movies that showed people refusing to talk until they are slapped around, at which point they give up accurate information. From conversations, I suspect that a lot of the people who think that "torture is bad but sometimes necessary" have that image in their minds, which has been exacerbated by the claims of the torture apologists.

As a result, I decided to send everyone I know a personal statement about torture, including footnotes with links to evidence. I've attached my current draft below the fold. I welcome your comments about anything in it, but especially about the footnotes. E.g., are there better ones, that make the point more quickly or clearly? Are some here weak or otherwise unnecessary? Are there links less prone to accusations of bias?

My goal is not to preach to the choir, but to convince conservative non-wingnuts and people who haven't seriously questioned the pro-torture propoganda. As a result, I want to use either non-partisan or conservative-leaning sources when I can. I got most of these links from DailyKos diaries -- thanks, folks! If anyone wants to re-use this text in some way, feel free -- I'm not concerned with getting credit.

RSS

The problem with nuclear power... is Fred

"Obama's Socialism": debunking in their own language

Election 2010: I want to be excited

MSM and Torture's Effectiveness

My Statement on Torture (your help welcome)