nuclear-news

The dark money behind Stewart Brand’s advocacy of nuclear power

his affiliations with questionable institutes, corporations focused on energy-for-profits, and government agencies whose interests very likely contradict the people’s, brings to question the validity of his expertise on the matter of nuclear energy, as it very well may be influenced by those who funded and mandated his research.

The news that the EPA plans to raise the allowed dosage of radiation should not only concern you, it should piss you off; there is nothing “safe” about ionizing radiation, and the only reason the public is being convinced otherwise is so the US government can keep hold of nuclear technology.

Radioactive Drinking Water in the U.S. Raises the Nuclear Debate, WeAre Anonymous, July 18th, 2016 | by EV     Reports have recently surfaced that the EPA plans to raise the allowable radioactivity levels in drinking water by 3,000 times, which is the equivalent of receiving over 250 chest x-rays in one year. The notion that there is a safe level of radiation has been perpetuated by the US government for generations to promote the idea that nuclear energy is safe, but of course the government’s true motives behind the use of nuclear technology has little to do with energy, and more to do with weapons of mass destruction…..

There are a few things readers need to know about Stewart Brand,[pro nuclear advocate]

From 1987 to 1989, Brand worked for corporations such as Royal Dutch/Shell—an energy-for-profit company—as a “private-conference” organizer for the corporation’s strategic planners. In 1988 he joined the Board of Trustees at the Santa Fe Institute, an organization founded by George Cowan, who was an American physical chemist known for his participation in the Manhattan Project (for those who are unfamiliar with the Manhattan Project, see our List of Most Horrifying US Government Experiments).

The Santa Fe Institute receives funding from various sources including government and corporate. This is normal for many institutes, but in the case of the Santa Fe Institute, it’s also a little… thought provoking, considering some of the areas of research at the institute are: Evolutionary diversification of viral strains, interactions and conflicts in primate social groups (primal traits still held by humans), as well as structures and dynamics of species interactions that includes food webs.

These topics of study might not seem too ominous at first, except the institute also has an interest in researching the emergence of hierarchy and cooperation in the human species, (Cowan, 2010). Cooperation sounds cool, but when it follows the word “hierarchy,” and when you mix it all together with government and corporate interests, it doesn’t immediately paint a pretty picture.

In 1987 Brand wrote “The Media Lab: Inventing the Future at MIT.” MIT, or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is also known for receiving extensive funding from the government and corporations, and they work closely with other institutes such as the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research—David Koch being one of the infamous “Koch brothers.”

The name “Koch” is almost synonymous with Rockefeller and Rothschild in the corporate-world. In recent years, the oil-tycoon brothers have been known to invest millions of dollars into the US’s higher education system—introducing curriculums focused on capitalism and industry rather than helping the poor or protecting the environment—and they’re known to influence elections through “dark money” groups.

While Stewart Brand is no doubt an intelligent man who has probably made some positive contributions to society, his affiliations with questionable institutes, corporations focused on energy-for-profits, and government agencies whose interests very likely contradict the people’s, brings to question the validity of his expertise on the matter of nuclear energy, as it very well may be influenced by those who funded and mandated his research.

It’s no secret that the US government originally claimed its interest in nuclear energy was to kill two birds with one stone; nuclear energy, yes, but nuclear weaponry was a focus as well. Now that thepublic’s opinion on the use of nuclear weapons is turning unfavorable, it is especially important to boost nuclear energy’s reputation in order to retain steady access to the technology.

The fact is, while government and corporate-funded scientists tout about the advantages of nuclear energy, independent researchers and US scientists who’ve basically “blown the whistle” claim there is no such thing as a safe dose of radiation. In the case of the Chernobyl fallout, government-funded scientists claimed that around 2,000 to 75,000 premature deaths would occur around the world over a 70-year period from the fallout, but independent and impartial scientists put the estimates in the hundreds of thousands. One such scientist who supported this claim and came forward on the dangers of radiation was Dr. John Gofman (now deceased) of the government-supported Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, (Gofman, 1990).

According to environmental activist, writer, lecturer and organizer, Lorna Salzman, the actual long-term effects of low-level radiation exposure has “consistently been downplayed, distorted or concealed by scientists, the nuclear industry and the government,” (Salzman, 2002). The notion that non-observable, long-term latent effects of radiation in low doses causes no damage is easy to promote by the government since the effects do not manifest themselves for years, so by the time an individual develops cancer (as an example), there’s no way to prove it was caused by the radiation exposure……..

The news that the EPA plans to raise the allowed dosage of radiation should not only concern you, it should piss you off; there is nothing “safe” about ionizing radiation, and the only reason the public is being convinced otherwise is so the US government can keep hold of nuclear technology. One should ask themselves why nations such as India, who struggles with poverty, are spending billions of dollars investing in “nuclear energy” to rival the US when other forms of energy (that isn’t coal) is available.

Yes, bring on the arguments that wind takes up too much space, or geothermal is too expensive, but any reputable scientist will tell you that breakthroughs in energy technology will happen as soon as ten years from now, and if the focus is on truly clean forms of energy, that is where the breakthroughs will happen. If a nation such as India has more than $100 billion to spend on an energy plan, it’s worth further researching the alternatives in light of the dangers that accompany nuclear technology.

But let’s be realistic; it’s never been about energy. http://anonhq.com/investigative-radioactive-drinking-water-raises-nuclear-debate/

July 22, 2016 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA