I'm not a nuke scientist, so I won't have facts, charts and the ability to make scientific conclusions about could'a, would'a, should'a, but whether we are strongly positioned against nuclear energy or not, common sense tells me that all of us, even the antagonists to nuclear energy, should be cautious in our criticisms of this energy source and should avoid the "told you so" polemic.
Japan is undergoing an immense disaster now, which, with the latest news on the nuclear front, is likely to get much worse.
I know everyone who writes about all these issues must, at the core (sorry!), feel awesome empathy for the suffering of the people in Northeastern Japan. But I have read postings that have, it seems to me, use this event as a new reason to promote their, probably long-term view, that nuclear energy should not be considered by the world's governments and populations as a viable source of energy and are emboldened now to renew their criticisms and seek blame for the current disaster, in order to advance an anti-nuclear agenda.
We all, in the global village, bear the responsibility for use of this source of energy. It is a fact of life for us, not only in America but around the globe, where vast populations are evermore dependent on the world energy grid.
To energize such a vast population requires playing with "forces of nature", which, as we've seen this week, can become more than we can manage sometimes. So was the Black Plague. But no one can deny that nuclear power, in this century, has proven to be a reliable, essentially non-polluting answer to the worlds energy needs. Yes - there should be more invested in research to develop even cleaner energy sources, or better nuclear safeguards, but this "I told you so", "push back the nuclear industry" really bothers me. How many of these critics drive Toyotas, Hondas, or Nissans (whose plants make use of Japan's 55), I wonder.
No, we are all users, we all bear responsibility, we all must accept all consequences, and until someone offers a better solution than living in caves by campfires by earth's billions, I remain skeptical of the "ending nuclear energy" pushback.
I am not a shill for the nuclear industry, just a musician/composer who relies on 120 watts to continue my artistic enterprises (and Dkos rants), wants a greener planet, and feels awesome sorrow for the plight of the Japanese. Schadenfreude has no place at this time.