Above the law: Obama’s drone killings
Mr. Obama has argued that he can kill Americans whose deaths he believes will keep us all safer, without any due process whatsoever. No law authorizes that.
Did you consent to a government that can kill whom it wishes?
NAPOLITANO: Obama demands unquestioning acceptance of his ability to kill http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/feb/7/obama-demands-unquestioning-acceptance-of-his- abil/#ixzz2KLwwpcgK By Andrew P. Napolitano , February 7, 2013 Drone strikes are legal, but the research is confidential Earlier this week, the government sent a summary of its legal memos on presidential use of drones to kill persons overseas — even Americans — to an NBC newsroom. This was done after more than a year of stonewalling federal judges and ordinary citizens who sought the revelation of the government’s secret legal research justifying the president’s use of drones. The administration claimed the research was so sensitive and so secret that it could not be revealed without serious consequences.
This revelation will come as a great surprise, and not a little annoyance, to U.S. District Court Judge Colleen McMahon, who heard many hours of oral argument during which the government predicted gloom and doom if its legal research were subjected to public scrutiny. She very reluctantly agreed with the feds, but told them she felt caught in “a veritable Catch-22,” because the feds have created “a thicket of laws and precedents that effectively allow the executive branch of our government to proclaim as perfectly lawful certain actions that seem on their face incompatible with our Constitution and laws, while keeping the reasons for their conclusion a secret.”
She was writing about President Obama killing Americans and refusing to divulge the legal basis for claiming the right to do so. Now we know that basis.
The undated and unsigned 16-page document leaked to NBC refers to itself as a Department of Justice white paper. Its logic is flawed, its premises are bereft of any appreciation for the values of the Declaration of Independence and the supremacy of the Constitution, and its rationale could be used to justify any breaking of any law by any “informed, high-level official of the U.S. government.” Continue reading
Cloudy future for nuclear power in USA
The Nuclear Power and Natural Gas Equation
NYT, By JON HURDLE, 7 Feb 13, Duke Energy is weighing the issue of how to replace the power generated by its troubled Crystal River nuclear plant in Florida, which the company has announced that it will permanently shut down.
One option is the construction of a new plant fired by natural gas, given the low price and abundant supply of that fuel source. Such a plant could come online as early as 2018, Duke said on Tuesday……
In a post-Fukushima world in which regulators are tasked with rigorously policing nuclear safety, ailing plants like Crystal River are less likely to survive than they once were, one analyst suggested on Wednesday. …. even if it had restarted, it would have faced the same regulatory rigor and some local opposition. Similar concerns have arisen about plants like Vermont Yankee, which the Vermont Senate voted to have shut down, a move blocked by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and Indian Point in New York, which Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said he wants closed…..
Concern about the age of many American nuclear plants is exacerbated by the fact that 72 of them have had their original 40-year operating licenses extended for another 20 years, Mr. McIntyre of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission noted. The oldest plant is Oyster Creek in New Jersey, which began operating in 1969; the newest is Watts Bar in Tennessee, which went online in 1996……
the future of nuclear plants is clouded by the abundance of domestic natural gas, which has led many utilities to embrace that fuel for power generators.
USA’s Energy Dept plan to sell nuclear wastes into consumer products
This approach ignores the current scientific consensus that there is
NO safe level of radiation exposure.
the fundamental safety question is whether any additional radiation
exposure is safe in any meaningful sense.
This approach also fails to deal with the reality that once the
department has released radioactive materials for commercial use, it
loses almost all control over how and where they’re used, and in what
concentrations.
Multimillion Dollar Bonanza: Nuclear Waste from US Weapons Industry To
Be Sold for Profit? By William Boardman Global Research, February 05,
2013
An Energy Department plan to allow the
recycling of scrap metals emitting very low levels of radiation is
drawing opposition because of concerns about potential health hazards.
But the upside for U.S. atomic bomb-makers is that waste now requiring
costly storage could be sold for a profit.
In something of a stealth maneuver during the 2012 holiday season, the
U.S. Department of Energy set about to give every American a little
more radiation exposure, and for some a lot, by allowing manufacturers
to use radioactive metals in their consumer products – such as
zippers, spoons, jewelry, belt buckles, toys, pots, pans, furnishings,
bicycles, jungle gyms, medical implants, or any other metal or
partly-metal product. Continue reading
Oh dear! a major nuclear accident would damage France’s image!
The bulk of financial losses would come from damage to France’s image
Major nuclear accident would cost France $580 billion: study By Michel
Rose SAINT-PAUL-LES-DURANCE, France Feb 6, 2013 (Reuters) – A
nuclear accident similar to the one at Japan’s Fukushima reactor would
cost France about 430 billion euros ($580 billion), or 20 percent of
its economic output, French nuclear safety institute IRSN said in a
study on the possible financial impact of a nuclear crisis.
A major disaster damaging one of France’s 58 nuclear reactors and
contaminating the environment with radioactive material would displace
an estimated 100,000 people, destroy crops and create massive power
outages, the study said….. Continue reading
Alarm over USA’s so-called “legal,” “ethical” “wise” drone killings
The memo says the U.S. can carry out targeted drone executions even when the U.S. doesn’t have “clear evidence that a specific attack in U.S. persons and interests will take place in the immediate future.”
The White House this week defended the drone program as “legal,” “ethical” and “wise.”
Congress gets Obama data on use of drones, By Susan Crabtree The Washington Times, February 6, 2013 White House gives in before Brennan hearing With the fate of his pick to head the CIA in danger, President Obama reversed course Wednesday night and released to Congress the classified legal advice that the Justice Department has given the White House on using drones to execute American citizens in the war on terrorism.
The about-face came less than a day before John O. Brennan, Mr. Obama’s homeland security adviser and his pick to be CIA director, was to face a Senate confirmation hearing, and hours after Sen. Ron Wyden, Oregon Democrat, threatened to hold up the appointment unless more information was forthcoming. Continue reading
VIDEO: Radiation an ongoing concern in the city of Fukushima.
Fukushima NHK Documentary: The Threat Of Invisible Snow http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlnApG4bsz0&feature=player_detailpage#t=470s 5 Feb 2013 “FORWARD” The Threat of Invisible Snow
Radiation contamination is an ongoing concern in the city of Fukushima. A Buddhist priest there is active in decontamination activities. For example, he has allowed temple land to be used for temporary storage of contaminated soil. The program chronicles his efforts, from Spring through Winter.
“Massive fallout spread over large areas and still coats the ground” — Resident: “The rise was unexpectedly fast… I’m shocked, I didn’t think it could get this high”
Major nuclear accident in France – unlikely, but would be catastrophic
A “major” accident, rated 7 on the INES scale and similar to the 1986
Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine and Japan’s Fukushima, however, would be
a “catastrophe,” that would “strongly and durably traumatize the
country,” it said.
The health impact from the release of radioactive material would be
severe, the contamination of land would be long-lasting and
neighboring countries would be affected.
Major nuclear accident would cost France $580 billion: study By
Michel Rose SAINT-PAUL-LES-DURANCE, France Feb 6, 2013 (Reuters)
“……The IRSN and former World Bank economist unveiled two disaster
scenarios prompting a core meltdown at a typical 900-megawatt (MW)
French nuclear reactor.
A “serious” accident, rated 6 on the one-to-seven INES scale used by
the International Atomic Energy Agency and one notch higher than the
Three Mile Island accident of 1979 in the United States, would cost
France about 120 billion euros ($162 billion), or 6 percent of its
gross domestic product (GDP).
The consequences – with up to 10,000 people ousted from contaminated
zones – would be “manageable”, the IRSN said. Continue reading
New model of earthquake predictions – a concern for nuclear reactors
New model changes earthquake predictions http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50140461n
Kaku on CBS: “This is a game changer… we may have to rewrite all the textbooks” — Concern about monster quake hitting nuclear plant (VIDEO) http://enenews.com/kaku-cbs-game-changer-rewrite-all-textbooks-concern-about-monster-quake-nuclear-plant-video February 7th, 2013
Follow-up to: Gov’t warns of impending quake shortly before M6.9 hit northern Japan — “Make yourself safe, turn off the gas…”
Title: New model changes earthquake predictions
Source: CBS News Video
Date: February 6, 2013
Physics professor Michio Kaku, of the City University of New York: This is a game changer. It means that we may have to rewrite all the textbooks on earthquakes. […]
It’s even more unpredictable. Even an innocent fault off the coast of Fukushima can sustain a 9.0 monster quake, when by rights there should not be a 9.0. In some sense we’re back to the dark ages, realizing that off the coast of the U.S. even an innocent fault may sustain a monster 9.0. […]
Also the citing of nuclear power plants; It means that if a nuclear power plant is near a fault line, and the fault line appears to be innocent, it could actually be storing up energy over many cycles.
Host: I thought you were going to come here and make us feel better about earthquakes. […]
Watch the video here
No One in Charge of Risk – USA’s plan to put nuclear waste materials into consumer “goods”
“Nothing has changed since 2000 that would justify lifting its current
ban. Rather, just the opposite: since then the National Academy of
Sciences has acknowledged that there is no safe level of radiation
exposure, and we’ve learned that women are even more vulnerable to
radiation than men (while children have long been known to be more
vulnerable than adults).”
NIRS and other advocacy organizations are currently engaged in a
campaign to submit comments before the Feb. 11 deadline to ask the
Energy Department to withdraw this proposal.
Multimillion Dollar Bonanza: Nuclear Waste from US Weapons Industry To
Be Sold for Profit? By William Boardman Global Research, February 05,
2013
Consortiumnews 4 February 2013 “……No One in Charge of Risk
There is no federal agency with responsibility for such oversight or
enforcement [of radioactive materials in consumer products] . This regulatory vacuum was illuminated by the discovery
in 2009 of thousands of contaminated consumer products from China,
Brazil, France, Sweden and other countries, as reported by Mother
Nature Network:
“The risk of radiation poisoning is the furthest thing from our minds
as we shop for everyday items like handbags, furniture, buttons, chain
link fences and cheese graters. Unfortunately, it turns out that our
trust is misplaced thanks to sketchy government oversight of recycled
materials.
“The discovery of a radioactive cheese grater led to an investigation
that found thousands of additional consumer products to be
contaminated. The source is recycled metals tainted with Cobalt-60, a
radioactive isotope that can cause cancer with prolonged exposure.” Continue reading
Secrecy over UK’s freeloader nuclear industry
Negotiations on new nuclear power plants ‘need more scrutiny’ BBC News, 7 February 2013 The cost of cleaning up the Sellafield nuclear waste site has reached £67.5bn, according to MPs Lib Dem MP Martin Horwood has called for a “pause” in negotiations over new nuclear power stations to allow parliamentary scrutiny of whether they were likely to result in a good deal. He urged the government to ensure that the construction of new nuclear power stations was not subsidised.
Mr Horwood likened the nuclear industry to a “freeloader”…..Leading a Commons debate on the subject, Mr Horwood said the use of subsidies for renewable energy was “justified”.
But he said of the nuclear industry: “Wouldn’t it be extraordinary if into this exciting young, diverse and competitive energy market we found that a 56-year-old freeloader, a tailgater left over from another era was trying to slip in unnoticed and pick up all the same kind of advantages and support?”
‘Lack of transparency’
Mr Horwood claimed negotiations on the “strike price” – or minimum price for nuclear generated power – are going on “behind closed doors, as we speak, before the relevant legislation has even passed through this House”…..
Joan Walley, the Labour chair of the Environment Select Committee, supported Mr Horwood’s plan.
She said there was a “complete lack of transparency” because of commercial confidentiality agreements with energy firms.
“Is new nuclear going ahead with or without public subsidy? I think the plain truth is we have no way of telling,” she told MPs….. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21374879
France’s nuclear power edge fades, while Germany goes ahead phasing nuclear out
Since the start of the year, France has embarked on a national debate
on energy expected to culminate in a law in October to outline the
country’s future energy mix. Environment Minister Delphine Batho has
said the outcome will reflect Hollande’s promises on nuclear
power.
Forecasts that Germany’s power imports would rise and new power plants
would be built as a result didn’t materialize, according to
Hans-Joachim Ziesing, a member of the independent commission
monitoring the energy transformation in Germany…
Hollande Draws French Industry Ire as Nuclear Edge Fades Bloomberg
News, By Tara Patel February 07, 2013 French industrial groups are
up in arms as their once-celebrated nuclear-energy edge evaporates.
After decades when their factories churned out everything from steel,
glass and chemicals with one of the cheapest power prices in Europe
thanks to the country’s 58 nuclear reactors, French companies’
competitive advantage is being whittled away as the U.S. embrace of
shale gas cuts energy prices there and as Germany gives businesses
fiscal breaks on electricity costs.
Electricite de France SA’s nuclear
reactors, which make France the most reliant on atomic power in the
world, will need billions of euros of upgrades Continue reading
Nuclear physicist Moniz next USA Energy Secretary?
Obama considers MIT nuclear physicist as next energy secretary. The Age, 7 Feb 13, President Barack Obama is considering naming nuclear physicist Ernest Moniz, one of his science and energy advisers, as the next energy secretary, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday. Moniz, who was undersecretary at the Energy Department during the Clinton administration, is a familiar figure on Capitol Hill, where he has often talked to lawmakers about how abundant supplies of US natural gas will gradually replace coal as a source of electricity.
Moniz is director of MIT’s Energy Initiative, a research group that gets funding from industry heavyweights including BP , Chevron, and Saudi Aramco for academic work on projects aimed at reducing climate-changing greenhouse gases.
He did not respond to an e-mail request for comment on Wednesday evening…… From his time in the Clinton administration, he has experience managing the department’s oversight of a chain of national laboratories and the US stockpile of nuclear weapons.
After Obama made good on a first-term campaign promise to shut down the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site in Nevada, he named Moniz to a “Blue Ribbon” panel that looked for a new approach for storing toxic nuclear waste.
http://www.theage.com.au/environment/obama-considers-mit-nuclear-physicist-as-next-energy-secretary-20130207-2e1lq.html#ixzz2KKsxrFxw
USA- Iran talks “futile” says Iran
Iran says nuclear talks with US futile 9MSN News, February 8, 2013
American proposals for direct talks with Iran are pointless while
Washington is “holding a gun” to the country through sanctions, Iran’s
supreme leader says, quashing a possible breakthrough in contacts with
the West over the nuclear standoff.
The message from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in all
major decisions in Iran, has been reiterated by Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during a news conference in Cairo.
Their dismissal of one-on-one dialogue raises the stakes when wider
negotiations between Iran and world powers, including the United
States, resume this
month…..http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/2013/02/08/06/01/iran-says-nuclear-talks-with-us-futile
Public becoming immune to pro nuclear propaganda
Public sees through nuclear spin http://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editors/2013/02/07/public_sees_through_nuclear_spin.htmlToronto Star, Dr. James Deutsch,
Faculty of Medicine, University of TorontoFeb 07 2013 It is chutzpa
for General Electric to promise “improved communication with the
community” after the enormous sums spent on PR and advertising by the
nuclear industry. Good for the public, which is increasingly immune to
such disinformation.
The Fukushima disaster is just the latest. It calls attention to the
lethality, for countless generations, of the entire nuclear cycle,
from mining of this carcinogen on Native lands to the “disposal” of
the roughly 200 new radioactive elements created by fission of Uranium
in the power plants
Wind energy to be stored in USA’s largest power storage system
Duke Energy completes North America’s largest energy storage system,
Renewable Energy Magazine Robin WhitlockThursday, 07 February 2013
The 36MW energy storage system will store power generated by the
nearby Notrees wind farm and became fully operational in December
The company announced plans to install large-scale energy storage
systems to service its wind farm at Notrees in late 2009, matching a
$22 million grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE).
As well as helping to meet power demand the system will also help to stabilize the frequency of electricity travelling through the power grid. DukeEnergy is currently working closely with the Energy Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) which will indicate whether the system shoulddispatch stored energy to increase frequency or absorb energy to decrease it. Performance data will be collected from the battery storage system by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to help assess the broader potential for deployment of storage solutions throughout the sector. Continue reading
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