A plume of radioactive blather has spread around the world from the Japanese nuclear meltdowns, stripped of information and logic (presumably by pre-radiation), seriously affecting the thought processes of millions. The reporting and punditry stimulated by the chaotic failure of the Fukushima Daichi nuclear power complex is far more notable for what it does not include that for what it does. And the most astonishing absence of all is the lack of a mention of any rational remedy for the awful risks we have to take to satisfy our insatiable appetite for cheap electricity. I’ll suggest a remedy momentarily, but first a couple of observations about the verbal emissions. And omissions. How many times do the government officials and politicians of the world have to watch the crashing and burning of a Baghdad Bob (Saddam Hussein’s information minister Mohammad Saeed al-Sahhaf, who achieved the standing of global idiot by proclaiming on TV that the US invasion of Baghdad had failed minutes before American tanks arrived at his studio) before they get the point? Refusing to convey bad news does not prevent panic, it causes panic; pretending everything is OK when it patently is not does not preserve your credibility, your job or your government, it is more likely to destroy them all at once.
At a time when its people desperately needed accurate information, the Japanese government provided bland assurances that everything was under control. Or was about to be. And then, over and over again, had to return to the podium a few hours later to admit that everything had just gotten much worse, but was almost under control. The resulting loss of public confidence will in all probability lead to the removal of the current government along with the other debris left in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami. (read more)
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