2011 August 07 « nuclear-news

Atomic bombing did not cause Japan to surrender in 1945

compelling evidence that it was the Soviet entry into the Pacific conflict, not Hiroshima and Nagasaki, that forced Japan’s surrender….

If killing large numbers of civilians does not have a military impact, then what, Wilson asks, is the purpose of keeping nuclear weapons? We know they are dangerous. If they turn out not to be strategically effective, then nuclear weapons are not trump cards, but time bombs beneath our feet..

Why did Japan surrender? Sixty-six years ago, we dropped a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima. Now, some historians say that’s not what ended the war.What ended World War II?, Boston Globe, By Gareth Cook, August 7, 2011 For nearly seven decades, the American public has accepted one version of the events that led to Japan’s surrender. Continue reading →

August 7, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | history, Japan | 2 Comments

British nuclear boss admits public don’t trust nuclear industry

Hutton fears nuclear industry has lost confidence of the public, The Independent (UK) By Oliver Wright, Whitehall Editor, 5 Aug 11, Britain’s nuclear operators face the gravest challenge for years to persuade the public that new power plants will be safe in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, the new head of the industry admitted yesterday….

Just under 30 per cent of those questioned in an opinion poll were favourable towards nuclear power – down four points in six months, while 28 per cent now oppose all new nuclear build…

“The industry faces a very big challenge in responding to Fukushima and we will have to use all of the tools in the box to do so,” Lord Hutton said.

August 7, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | Leave a comment

Israel tried to drag USA into a war with Iran

How Iran defeated Obama. By Patrick Seale, The Diplomat 5 Aug 11“……..What is less well understood is that Obama was also defeated in another major area of foreign policy – relations with Iran. When he came to office he vowed to ‘engage’ with the Islamic Republic, but this admirable objective was soon supplanted by a policy of threats, sanctions and intimidation aimed at isolating Iran, subverting its economy and overthrowing its regime.

Israel and its friends led the campaign against Iran, demonizing it as a threat to all mankind, and forcing the United States to follow suit. Israel has repeatedly, and very publicly, threatened to strike at Iran’s nuclear facilities, and has done its best to drag the United States into war against it, in much the same way as pro-Israeli neo-conservatives at the Pentagon were alleged to have manipulated intelligence to push the United States into war against Iraq in 2003, with catastrophic consequences.

Why did they do it? Because they feared that, having survived the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, Saddam Hussein’s Iraq might just possibly pose a threat to Israel. It had to be destroyed. Tony Blair, Britain’s prime minister at the time, was foolish enough to tag along. The war totally discredited him…..”http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/05/how-iran-defeated-obama/

August 7, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Israel, politics international, USA | Leave a comment

USA’s Price Anderson Act – a scam to prop up nuclear industry

Musicians United for Safe Energy Launch Mega-Concert in San Francisco This Sunday, Huffington Post, Joan Brunwasser, 6 Aug 11, “……Price-Anderson was passed because the administration wanted to build commercial reactors as a happy face for the nuclear weapons industry. But no utility company or builder would take on the liability. So the industry asked for the liability shield until the reactors were safe enough to attract private insurers. That was more than a half-century ago. The current deal stretches it out until at least 2020. It’s a terrible and unique scam. We can “just say no” except for the billions in funny money certain dark forces have invested in this failed technology. At this point, a free market in energy, with no subsidies for ANY technology, would bring us a green-powered Solartopian planet very quickly, and King CONG — coal, oil, nukes and gas — would fade away very quickly. All the dirty energies are totally reliant on ripping of the tax/rate-payer, as well as destroying the planet…..”http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joan-brunwasser/musicians-united-for-safe_b_919042.html