Governments give us so many reasons to distrust them, so when they say people on the West Coast of North America do not need to worry about radioactive fallout from Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, should we believe them?
As I write this, the plume of radioactive fallout from Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is heading across the Pacific towards the West Coast of North America and will arrive tomorrow.
According to President Obama and the scientific talking heads on the major networks, there is nothing to worry about as the dilution effect on the plume travelling across the Pacific pretty much nullifies the danger. And of course this reactor is not like Chernobyl — so don’t worry about it.
The question running around in my head is this: Do I trust any of these governments to tell the truth? Do you?
If they were to say the radioactive fallout that will be hitting the West Coast over the next month or two will be enough to cause increased cancers over the next 10 to 20 years, would I panic? How many people would try to leave their homes and communities to go….where? What happens to our economy if everyone starts hitting the highways heading East in a move which might not help anyway.
Just how could a government tell half their population that they will be exposed to significant risk of cancer if they stay? So it might be better to minimize it and let other governments and fate deal with the rise in cancer in 20 years. The decision makers can look back sadly and accept that they had no choice or more people would have died sooner in the ensuing panic and economic disaster brought on by millions of radioactive refugees.
Quite frankly I don’t know what to believe given that Wikileaks has done such a good job recently exposing how governments can be strangers to the truth. On the other hand, you’ve got all the science celebrities (like Bill Nye the Science Guy who was on CNN a few hours ago) also saying that there is nothing to worry about because the radiation will be minimal. Do I believe them? Or are the major media also involved in making sure we don’t panic?
I thought 2012 was next year…did someone get something wrong here?
Watch the Live Stream of a Geiger Counter in Santa Monica California:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/7558036
What do you think?
Here’s a few links which have caused me to raise an eyebrow:
http://www.infowars.com/new-york-times-posts-downplayed-radioactive-plume-map/
http://organicnewsnet.wordpress.com/2011/03/17/u-s-government-cannot-be-trusted-on-radiation-plume/
Did you enjoy this article?
Please let the author know by leaving them a comment below!
And, subscribe to our free weekly digest!
Simply add your email below. A confirmation email will be sent to you.
Recent Christopher Holt Articles:
- TURN IT UP for Hillary’s Ride!
- Pregnant Pause - A Book By Chris Holt
- Is Suicide a Dirty Word? World Suicide Prevention Day is September 10th
- Kony 2012
- A Year of Sitting - A Book By Chris Holt
These are good questions for us to be asking, Chris. As you point out, Wikileaks confirms what we all should know – that there are multiple versions of ‘the truth’ in play at all times. A related question we should ask whenever we hear an ‘official’ statement is ‘what are this organization’s interests – what are their natural biases?’
So true Lorne, so true.
Boy did we ever “get something wrong”. Frankly, at this point in time I don’t think most of us are truly interested in honesty and transparency in government. We can’t handle the truth and as this crisis will likely demonstrate, we don’t know what to do with it if even when we’re being smacked upside the head with it. For the most part it’s only when we perceive our own well-being to be at risk that we bring up the issue of trust when it’s clear by our actions over the past several decades that we have been pretty much untroubled by it.
Still, I’m hopeful that we will one day figure out how to harness the potential of social media to empower the masses in meaningful ways. Already there have been some tantalizing examples of what can happen when people act collectively.
We have to start by taking the long view by making decisions and commitments that will require us to make some up-front compromises to protect our future. And that kind of thinking will never come from government, it has to start with the individual.
I can’t disagree with you.