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Fred Pulver of Carbondale writes:

The “new” nuclear power being touted as so “green” is total nonsense.
Perhaps the worst part of this nightmare scenario is that most Americans seem oblivious to the real holocaust waste from nuclear power plants will cause for future generations. If anyone wanted to kill, maim and cause untold suffering for all life on Earth, they could hardly pick a better way to do it.
Consider this: plutonium has a half-life of 10,000 years. 10,000 years is longer than human civilization has existed on Earth. 10,000 years is longer than any man-made material can keep radioactive materials from escaping into the environment. Human civilization started around 5000 years ago, so the radioactive waste we store now would still be deadly for another 5000 years beyond the time life as we know it has even existed.
Now the real kicker is that after 10,000 years have passed, and if the deadly waste has been safely transferred to new containers by generations upon generations of our descendants, it would still be 50% radioactive and would remain toxic for another 10,000 years, whereupon it would still possess 25% of its original toxicity after 20,000 years had passed.
What are the people thinking who call nuclear energy the “clean” power source of the future? What are the Chinese, who are trying to control the world’s resources of U238 while they embark on a crash program to build nuclear power plants thinking? What are the people thinking who are building nuclear power generators around the world thinking at pace unseen since the 50’s? Hasn’t anyone learned anything from the reactor meltdowns in Russia and 4-Mile Island in New Jersey? Even if nuclear reactors can now be built that are purportedly safer, things still can and do go wrong with the most carefully engineered technology? Would you like to live, attempt to raise children and work near or in a nuclear power-generating facility?
We need to wake up and stop nuclear power if we want a world our children and their children and their children’s children will be able to safely inhabit for the next 30,000 years or so. We need to stop it now by voting for people in government who do not support the building of nuclear power plants before it is too late.

This letter has not been edited.

READER COMMENTS

What they are thinking is here is a power source that could provide clean power in the amount needed for modern society.

Since the "greens" are against burning anything, they leave us solar, wind power, and conservation which right now couldn't even provide 20% of current power needs.

Where is 4 mile Island and what happened there?

4-Mile Island in New Jersey? I'm not familiar with it either.

But something must have happened there. Surely Mr. Pulver did a little research and fact checking before posting an editorial page letter. Because if he didn't, it would just shoot down his credibility and make it hard to take him seriously.

Which is worse - drowning in CO2 or trying to manage some nuclear waste?

Exactly Wolf. Or the fact that more and more Environmental advocacy groups are saying we need to look into Nuclear Power as an alternative.

I served on the following nuclear powered submarines: USS Henry Clay (SSBN-625), USS Gato (SSN-615), and USS Baton Rouge (SSN-689). They required "refueling" about every 3 or 4 years. By the way, I don't glow in the dark either.

Thanks Fleece. Just beginning to read on this subject and a real cherry when it comes to this. If in the correct situation, Nuclear energy is a good alternative? Asking as you have stated credentials and hey you dont glow :-)

Are you kidding me? How do you send a letter to be published in a newspaper and not even perform a basic fact check? My mistake, clearly Fred has a bright future in what passes as journalism today. The THREE Mile Island accident took place in Middletown, Pennsylvania, on March 28, 1979.

What you all havent heard of 4 mile island. The Bush administration was covering up this inccedent. It melted half the eastern seaboard but thanks to all the Bush supporters in Hollywood they have been able to keep it a secret. Dont you people understand being one with mother nature is the way. Green is not a ideaology but a way of life we are all destind to go.

As we all sit around wondering why there is no fire to cook our vegetables with and heat our shivering bodies. We can all join hands and sing koo- bye- all as we freeze to death or are eaten by some large carnivore.

Who gives a damn 10000 years from now, if liberals have their way, we don’t have a country 30 years from now.

More people died in Ted Kennedy's car than at Three Mile Island. America needs this toutchy feely greenie crap like Mary Jo Kopecney needed a drink of water at Chappiquidic back in 1969.
Too bad we can't harness all the liberal Democratic B.S. that is being spewed forth, we would have an unlimited source of energy for eternity. What do you say about that Al Gore?

like wow dude dis is really far out. I will check with my teacher at boulder high to get the real facts. oh cool look at all those cool colors.

In 10,000 years science has changed quite a bit ( orders and orders of magnitude!). 10,000 years ago people could not even contemplate macines much less nuclear power. Taking a more optimistic view, that since will continue to escalate. 10,000 years from now man will probably wonder why we ever worried about such primitive energy sources as nuclear power and may thank us for leaving plutonium for their use!

dude, letter writer, you are really ignorant about your facts dude, for one people and human civilization has been around for alot longer than 5 thousand years, unless you come from Westboro Kansas and think the earth was created in 6 days, there has been civilizations of people in norther adn west Texas for around 10-12,000 years, Alutens migrated from the far east and crossed the ice bride to north America long before that even, also Nuclear power is the cleanest and most efficient power that is man made currently. sure there are other alternatives, oil, gas, coal, etc. etc. .... also it is pronounced "Three Mile Island' not four mile island, ( you sure did alot of research on this on eh ..

with todays technology unlike 60's and 70's nuclear tech is worlds beyond what it was then, safer cleaner, more reliable .. get off your oil dependency

A one way rocket to the sun, not coming back and not carrying people could dispose of the waste.

It is not fair to our descendants to put the stuff anywhere on Earth.

Sharon B.

I can think of a lot of people that I'd like to load onto that rocket to the sun!

Let us see, we now cannot burn fossil fuels for energy, build dams for energy and now we cannot split the atom for energy. That does not leave too many options. The electricity needed to read the letter writer's opposition to nuclear power needs to come from somewhere.

Yo Sharon: Your comment provides me with the excuse needed: Good idea on disposing of waste; however, suppose the rocket explodes dumping its contents before it ventures outside of earth's gravitational field; but, now to excuse needed:

That item mentioned by you being of solid flesh without ability to ejaculate as its male counterpart: how is it able to generate the ecstasy males experience considering in the male flesh a tube runs through it and none runs through the female counterpart which is in reality a miniature facsimile?

Deicide Corner: “Dear Friends, -- Man has created God; not God man.” -- Yours ever, The Vatican is a dagger in the heart of Italy. ” -- Giuseppe Garibaldi

Dont forget that windpower kills birds.

Its not about mainstream or alternative solutions. Solutions somutions......... Just care more

What ever happened to a logical plan that would encompass multiple areas of Energy to provide for longterm growth and reliability?

I guess diversification is only for Financial investment and planning

Sharon B: How Do YOU know what is fair to our descendents??? It came from the earth!
Fire is dangerous too. Who knows what use "the stuff" will have in the future.
A

So 12:00 leave a big ball of fire under the ground for YOUR kids, kids, to find. funny.

RG. if the rocket falls to earth we get 300 mile island. I don`t know. Maybe we can be sure it goes out and let the Chinese build it. Laughing yet.

And buddy, I will keep my miniture facimilie thank you. It does not have a mind of its own. It has never gotten me into a bit of touble.

If you're looking for trouble; you came to the right place; if you're looking for trouble; look right in my face; I was born standing up and talking back.

I never looked for trouble; but I never ran; I don't take no orders; from no kind of man; I'm only made out; of flesh, blood, and bone; but if you're gonna rumble; don't you try it all alone.

Yo Sharon: If you know who said that first, you and I are life-long buddies. If you read between the lines it tires the eyes less, right? Must keep this forum clean and free of name-calling which can be sandwiched between the lines, right? Though, I confess, I enjoy the name-calling when I detect imbecility in the protagonist.

RG, is that from the song "Bad to the Bone" if not I`m lost.

It`s hard for me to read today, I`m, still laughing and crying at the boys who want to run all the thugs off the forum.

RG, it was Elvis. Looked it up.

My soul mate would know "Be calm in the face of all common disgraces and know what their doing it for".

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