The knees are shaking and jerking

As expected, the knee jerking has begun as a result of the nuclear crisis in Japan.

Germany Shuts 7 Nuclear Plants as Europe Plans Safety Tests

Germany on Tuesday became the first European country to shut nuclear plants in the wake of the crisis in Japan as the European Union made plans to test all 143 nuclear power plants in its 27 countries.

Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said seven plants that went online before 1980 would be temporarily closed and the time would be used to study speedier adoption of renewable energy. All of the plants were built by German contractors.
While Mrs. Merkel asserted that safety was her main concern, opposition politicians accused her of pandering to fear about nuclear power ahead of a regional election this month. She has, in effect, suspended a decision last autumn to keep older plants operating beyond their previously designated life span. 

The tests across the European Union are intended to ensure preparedness for emergencies like floods and tsunamis, as well as terrorist attacks, the European energy commissioner, Günther Oettinger, said after meeting with representatives of the nuclear industry, electricity companies and governments. 

“This is a reassessment, if you like, of all potential risks in the wake of what has happened in Japan,” Mr. Oettinger said.

As Paul Harvey would say...."Stand by for news!"

I fully expect the America will follow suit no later than the end of this week. So look for a crisis in domestic energy production to be the next big economic egg to drop into our already overladen basket of economic problems. 

Stupid is

One more example of what stupid really looks like.

In the absence of multiculturalism

Ed West writing for the UK Telegraph, presents a rather curious conundrum as it concerns the aftermath of Japan's earthquake and Tsunami. 


"Why no looting?"

By Ed West

The landscape of parts of Japan looks like the aftermath of World War Two; no industrialised country since then has suffered such a death toll. The one tiny, tiny consolation is the extent to which it shows how humanity can rally round in times of adversity, with heroic British rescue teams joining colleagues from the US and elsewhere to fly out.
And solidarity seems especially strong in Japan itself. Perhaps even more impressive than Japan’s technological power is its social strength, with supermarkets cutting prices and vending machine owners giving out free drinks as people work together to survive. Most noticeably of all, there has been no looting, and I’m not the only one curious about this.
This is quite unusual among human cultures, and it’s unlikely it would be the case in Britain. During the 2007 floods in the West Country abandoned cars were broken into and free packs of bottled water were stolen. There was looting in Chile after the earthquake last year – so much so that troops were sent in; in New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina saw looting on a shocking scale.
Why do some cultures react to disaster by reverting to everyone for himself, but others – especially the Japanese – display altruism even in adversity?

It's really a very simple reality once you think about it. Japan is one of the least culturally diverse nations on the planet. Therefore, their culture and traditions are readily adhered to in the absence of outside influences.

And Mr. West rightly asks the question and is curious what the difference between the cultures is. However, he stops short of arriving at the obvious answer.

Obama's Op/Ed on guns and common sense

What next? His op/ed on bibles and religion?

Writing in the Arizona Daily Star more than two months after the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others, six of whom died, Obama said he's "willing to bet" that responsible gun owners would support laws to "keep an irresponsible, law-breaking few -- dangerous criminals and fugitives, for example -- from getting their hands on" guns.

"Most gun owners know that the word 'commonsense' isn't a code word for 'confiscation," he wrote. 

"I'm willing to bet they don't think that using a gun and using common sense are incompatible ideas -- that we should check someone's criminal record before he can check out at a gun seller; that an unbalanced man shouldn't be able to buy a gun so easily; that there's room for us to have reasonable laws that uphold liberty, ensure citizen safety and are fully compatible with a robust Second Amendment," the president wrote.

Predictably, on the heels of every major shooting incident in this country over the last forty years, there have been calls by the anti gun lobby and their favored liberal politicians for more gun controls. Our lack of gun control is what is leading to these senseless shootings if we are to believe those who oppose gun ownership on all levels in America.

Yet is is somewhat out of the ordinary for the president of the Untied States to be writing op/ed' s on any topic, much less on gun control.

The choice of words and phrasing by Obama are less than original in my opinion, and the same dog eared argument is used once again. If we could only "take the guns out of the hands of criminals, these senseless shootings (like recently in Tucson) would stop.

Here is a clue mr. president.....The low life who shot the congresswoman and killed six people and wounded twelve more? Well he wasn't a criminal before he bought the gun and went on his shooting spree. Therefore, all the gun laws in the land wouldn't have stopped Jared Loughner from committing his crimes.

"A man our Army rejected as unfit for service; a man one of our colleges deemed too unstable for studies; a man apparently bent on violence, was able to walk into a store and buy a gun,"

So riddle me this mr. president. If Jared Loughner was such a threat to society prior to his rampage? How come the police in his own home town never followed through or tagged him as a potential mentally disturbed person prone to violence.

It's relatively apparent what happened with Jared Loughner. His mother was a connected county employee, therefore, even the low level crimes that Loughner may have been involved in, were never followed up on and no one ever identified Jared Loughner as a certifiable nut case, because they were apparently afraid of offending his mother or not being able to justify their reasonable fears of him.

On the one hand, there is one point that the president has made that is absolutely correct. The abject lack of common sense in this country is what is propelling the majority of the violence in this country. Yet it isn't the lack of common sense on the part of the criminals where the failure lies.

It is with those we charge with protecting us. Those who allow criminality and idiocy in the name of egalitarian fairness and the fear of offending those who should be offended. There in lies the real crime.

Things are getting Hot in Japan

Since last Friday's earthquake off the east coast of Japan, the Japanese have lost control of six of their nuclear reactors due to cooling failures in the containment vessels.

Six reactors now overheating.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Sunday another reactor of its quake-hit Fukushima nuclear power plants had lost its cooling functions, while at least 15 people at a nearby hospital were found to have been exposed to radioactivity.

The utility supplier notified the government early Sunday morning that the No. 3 reactor at the No. 1 Fukushima plant had lost the ability to cool the reactor core. The reactor is now in the process of releasing radioactive steam, according to top government spokesman Yukio Edano.

It was the sixth reactor overall at the Fukushima No. 1 and No. 2 plants to undergo cooling failure since the massive earthquake and ensuing tsunami struck Japan on Friday.

For those who remember the "China Syndrome," this is not good news. Not good news at all. This is precisely what almost happened at Three Mile Island in America and what did happen to the Russians at Chernobyl.

The difference now, the Japanese have six reactors in jeopardy of reaching critical mass not just one. That cannot be good on any level.  Te Japanese government has already evacuated tens of thousands.

The amazing thing to me? Is that the Japanese could have suffered even one catastrophic failure, much less six. The Japanese are the most technologically advanced society on the planet, with the best earthquake building codes and the highest safety codes in existence. Not to mention an innate fear of all things nuclear, which led to the most strict nuclear power plant construction codes in existence.

Obviously the Japanese are more than aware of their geographic situation as it concerns the tectonic plates of the Pacific 'ring of fire.' And being aware of the potential for major earthquakes, they have built in the most hardened and redundant systems that could have ever been conceived. Yet their systems are failing them in the region where this quake struck last Friday. Yet none the less, six of their reactors have lost cooling. 

The bottom line?  If one or more of these reactors goes into critical mass and melts down, aside from the catastrophic damage that will be done in the immediate vicinity, the fallout from the meltdown will drift east. That fallout will contaminate most of the Pacific ocean  and eventually reach Hawaii and mainland America, before crossing on over the Atlantic and into Europe.

And if the Japanese were to lose control of all six of these damaged reactors? The consequences are exponential and unimaginable. So as the news continues to unfold in the aftermath of this quake and these damaged reactors, watch for reactions here in America. Watch for calls to immediately shut down all nuclear reactors globally, but especially here in America.

And with the price of crude oil once again at record highs and in demand? How long before the reactionary pricing and speculation drives the price of gasoline absolutely through the roof.

What we may be seeing right now? Is the perfect storm of an energy crisis never ever dreamed of by most, yet longed for by the ecologists who have been attempting to relegate mankind back into the 19th century permanently for the past twenty five years.

That of course won't happen, but what could happen in the aftermath of such a catastrophe? Is the seizing of complete control of all energy sources, all energy production and all energy dispersal globally by governments. And he who controls all levels of energy? Absolutely controls the entire world.

Softly, softly catchy monkeys, you had better pay close attention now. Don't simply go running for the cliffs if the alarm sounds.

What a difference a week makes

It's ironic in a way. We began our facebook page seven days ago and since then, we have almost reached 1000 members. In less than a week. In my opinion, that demonstrates the care and concern that exists for seeing the right thing done by Frank Buckles. Perhaps if we'd of had more time.

As it stands, it appears that the battle has been lost on honoring Frank Buckles in the Capitol rotunda, but we can certainly find other ways to extend honor to him.

In respect for Frank's family, I am suspending commentaries on our facebook page, other than those of appreciation for Frank Buckles service and contributions to this country, until after his services on March 15th.

However, after that, my wife and I plan to move in a new direction and we intend to be part of the efforts joining with others seeking to see Frank's last wish realized. Stay tuned folks. The big gal hasn't even begun her last number yet! And it ain't over until we see to it that people in Washington do the right thing.

Honor and Shame

 There is an old English proverb that reads: "Better to die with honor, than to live with shame."

Frank Buckles, America's last Dough Boy died as he had lived, with honor.

Frank died at an age considered surreal by most, yet he lived a full life and if he had any regrets he never voiced them publicly. Frank died an honorable man because he had given honor to so many others while never seeking any personal honor for himself. And in so doing in the end, he received back that which can only be freely given by the American people. Their honor and respect.

Prior to his death, Frank was recognized by the people of his state, with letters of testimonial and after his passing, with resolutions in the US House of Representatives. Each of these accolades were seeking to bestow the honor of allowing Frank's body to lie in honor in our nation's Capitol rotunda after his passing.

A profound yet truly simple honor justly befitting the life of a man who spent the last years of his life trying to be the representative of a lost generation. Frank Buckles didn't seek out any honor or glory in his latter years, but when the mantel of responsibility fell to him, to be the voice of those who could no longer speak, Frank recognized the duty of being the last and gladly accepted the responsibility as their standard bearer.

Frank Buckles spent the last years of his life seeking to obtain recognition and tribute for the over four million others who served during the great war and to this day have never been recognized with a national monument in their honor. When told of the desires and requests of senators and others, both from his home state and across the nation, to bestow the honor of a Capitol rotunda viewing of his remains after death, Frank's only concern was that it be represented as a tribute not to him, but to his comrades in arms as their representative.

However, that honor would not be granted. For those who hold the power in Washington, voiced their objections quickly after Frank's passing. Speaker of the House John Boehner asserted almost immediately after Frank Buckles death, that Frank's contributions to posterity as the last of the last didn't warrant such an honor in Speaker Boehner's esteemed estimation.

Other arrangements for Frank Buckles final honors were requested by Speaker Boehner. Tentatively an alternative repose would be scheduled at Arlington National Cemetery at the request of Speaker Boehner and others to the Secretary of Defense. According to these esteemed representatives of the house and senate, their request of Secretary Gates would be a ceremony equally fitting of the recognition that they felt Mr. Buckles life warranted.

Some have tried to take Frank Buckles' honor and they tried to take it by withholding an honor that they know he and those he represented justly deserved. However, they succeeded on only one level. They succeeded in denying Frank Buckles that which he deserved, but they didn't succeed in diminishing or taking away his own personal honor.

Just as with respect, trust and admiration, honor is not something that can easily be taken or bartered away by those who have little conceptualization of their true meaning. These intangibles can only be given freely of others. Each title holds the unique ability to both bestow and evoke heart felt emotion on the person so chosen to be honored, yet each of these honors can just as easily be stripped from those who seek to deny them of others by their own selfish actions.

Speaker Boehner may have deprived Frank Buckles of his final and justly deserved honor, but he can never take away Frank Buckles personal honor as a man and as a fitting representative of all who served this nation so long ago. Nor can he take away or diminish the true heart felt thanks of those Americans who appreciate Frank Buckles' sacrifices and those of his generation.

Frank Buckles will be laid to rest on March 15th at Arlington National cemetery. An honor bestowed upon Frank by former President George W. Bush. Frank's final honors will reportedly be, that his body will lie in off site repose and visitation at a private chapel on Sunday and Monday March 13th and 14th in Washington DC per the wishes of his family. On March 15th for six hours prior to his burial, Frank Buckles remains will lie in repose in the Arlington chapel, below the Arlington National Cemetery Amphitheater.

Frank Buckles lived the life of an honorable man and in death his own personal honor and esteem continues to speak to those of us who can only bestow our respect and appreciation for his life via our thoughts and prayers.

Frank Buckles is at his final reward now and resting with those 4.7 million others who have gone before him. He now rests in the company of angels and comrades.

Others are left to live with their own shame......