Tag Archives: war

Fukushima

Local Japanese governor blasts Japanese National government!

‘‘Can’t you increase the number of examiners? The lives of farmers are at stake! It’s a matter of whether they can live tomorrow!’’-Sato Yuhei, Governor of Fukushima 

The governor of Fukushima Prefecture is blasting the government for dragging its feet with the ongoing nuclear crisis.  Especially when it comes to the safety of farm goods.

In response to the governor’s complaints, national government officials simply confirmed that they are short on staffing and equipment, for use in this specific nuclear crisis. Another way of admitting that the government was not prepared. 

Fukushima

Kitty Litter used to soak up Radioactive Water, more low tech coming to the rescue?

Another case of relatively low tech coming to the rescue.  Tokyo Electric Power Company now using a type of polymeric powder to soak up contaminated water at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The poly kitty litter, which is used in disposable diapers, can soak up to 50 times its weight.

Workers are using it in the cracked pit connected to Reactor 2.

 

International, U.S.

Mexican Drug War front for War on Human Rights Activists

According to Human Rights groups, and the United Nations, thousands of people in Mexico have been disappeared since the Drug War began, and the Mexican government is one of the suspects.

Those people being disappeared are not drug dealers, or drug runners, but human rights activists, oil workers, journalists and even migrant workers.  The traditional ‘right’ leaning Mexican government has always viewed human rights activists as left wing commies, and more of a threat than illegal drug dealers.

To put the current situation in perspective, Mexico’s own National Commission on Human Rights, documented the disappearance of 532 people (disappeared by the government) thought to be rights activist in the 1960s-1970s (during the Cold War).  Since 2006 more than 3,000 people have been disappeared.

In 2006, right wing President Felipe Calderón, went on the war path, officially against the drug lords. Is it a coincidence that the Mexican government’s so called war on drugs is actually killing and disappearing civilians?

The facts are that since the Mexican Drugs War began, the people being targeted are civilians, including U.S. citizens.  Far more civilians have been killed than drug dealers. Keep in mind these killings are not from aerial bombing, but from shootings and beatings, and other means, by police, soldiers and drug gangs.  That means the killers had to specifically target the victims.

To put it in perspective: In all of Afghanistan, in 2010, there were 2,421 civilian deaths (Congressional Research Service). In just one Mexican city, Ciudad Juarez, there were 3,111 civilian deaths. That’s one Mexican city compared to all of Afghanistan.

Total deaths in the Drugs War, according to Mexico’s Federal Attorney General’s office, just for 2010, is 12,456 people by the end of November.  And that does not count people disappeared.

In the city of Saltillo, there are 118 documented cases of disappearances since 2007.  The government security forces are believed to be involved in at least 25 of those.  Human Rights Watch documented 12 cases of disappearances in the state of Nuevo León, in which government military personnel and police are believed to be involved.

Hypocritically the Mexican government signed the UN International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, in 2008.  To be fair, not all disappearances are linked to the Mexican government, but it sure is strange that there should be skyrocketing numbers of civilian killed and disappeared, since the Drugs War started in 2006.  Are both the Mexican military and police, and the drug gangs, that bad at finding their targets?

Fukushima

Mexican Nuke Plant could be leaking Radiation

A nuclear plant in Mexico, with a bad history might be leaking radiation, including cesium-137. Laguna Verde nuclear power plant is 290 kilometers southeast of Mexico City, and residents in a near by town have been dying of cancers and tumors since the plant became operational.

Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) runs the plant, and has a long list of complaints, including deaths of employees, and a whistle blower that was fired. Laguna Verde has been in operation since 1990.

Vega de Alatorre, a town with about 18,500 residents, has reported unusual amounts of deaths from rare cancers. Just since 2008, 33 people have died of various kinds of cancers and tumors; brain cancer, renal cancer, pulmonary fibrosis, tuberous sclerosis.  Most of the people in the area have no family history of cancer.  Two of the deaths include workers at the nuke plant.

In 1999 the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) found there had been a high number of shutdowns that weakened the operating systems. Also, inadequate training, lack of proper management and obsolete equipment.

Bernardo Salas was fired from CFE recently, after he went public with information about Laguna Verde. He reported that reactor 2 almost experienced melt down, because of an electrical fault in 2006. Also, Salas reported that he found cesium-137 and cobalt-60 at three locations outside the plant, between 2006-2009.

The ongoing disaster at Fukushima Daiichi, in Japan, is forcing officials in Mexico to finally listen to complaints about Laguna Verde. A group of Mexican Senators will visit the plant on April 6.

International, U.S.

Libyan Rebels say they Already are being trained by the United States

Al Jazeera says rebels told them they are being trained at a secret base in eastern Libya (by the way that’s where most of the oil fields are).

The al Jazeera reporter stated that the rebels where being trained how to use weapons: “He said these were state-of-the-art, heat-seeking rockets and that they needed to be trained on how to use them, which was one of the things the American and Egyptian special forces were there to do.”-correspondent Laurence Lee

The reporter went on to question calls for arming and training the rebels by coalition forces, “…when in fact they [rebels] are already being armed covertly.”

According to the report, the Libyan rebels say they are getting training and equipment from Egypt and the United States. This is not the first time the rebels have made such claims. 

Fukushima

Lack of power in Japan will continue due to Nuke Plants delaying restart

The lack of electricity in Japan is due to several nuclear power plants being shut down since the 11 March disasters.  They were planning on restarting this month, but, because of the ongoing disaster at Fukushima Daiichi, they will delay longer.

Hamaoka nuclear plant in Shizuoka Prefecture, Shika nuclear power plant in  Ishikawa Prefecture, and, Genkai nuclear power plant in Saga Prefecture, have all delayed their planned restarts.  This will make the problem of international parts supplies even worse.

Nuclear plant officials say it’s not just the ongoing disaster at Fukushima Daiichi, but the fact that the Japanese government has ordered nuke plants to increase structural protection against natural disasters.  That will take time.

International, U.S.

More Proof we’re NOT protecting civilians, not even the REBELS, in Libya. Obama either a Fool or a bold faced lier

UN Security Council Resolution 1973, supposedly is about protecting Libyan civilians, yet there are many claims that civilians have been attacked by the UN mandated NATO led coalition forces. Even the Christian Vatican says civilians are being bombed.

Now the Libyan rebels say coalition aircraft have bombed them!

Rebels are reporting several different attacks on their forces, by NATO. In one attack a convoy of vehicles were bombed, in another rebel positions in an oil town was bombed. At least 13 rebels were killed.

NATO says they’re investigating, and implied that the rebels shot at their aircraft first.

This is so messed up. President Barack Obama insists this is about protecting civilians, which has proven false, or impossible to do. Obama has stated, even before the UN resolution, that he wanted Gaddafi out, so far that’s a failure. Obama said the U.S. would be out in a mater of “…days, not weeks!”, it took at least a week and a half to “officially” turn Operation Odyssey Dawn over to NATO (by the way the U.S. still controls NATO, so did we really give up control?).

I have presented many examples, in other postings, that this is all about oil for Europe, not promoting democracy. It’s so clear that the UN mandated coalition forces have no clear goal.  How could the Commander in Chief of U.S. forces (that’s Obama for those who don’t know) rush into such a tar pit?  Obama is either a fool, or a bold faced lier. (Given his INEXPERIENCE, I think he just a fool)

 

 

Fukushima

U.S. Military warns Japanese Military of Cesium contamination, a lesson for everyone

U.S. military forces in Japan has warned of cesium contamination on helicopters.

Yesterday, the Japanese Self Defense Forces announced that some of their helicopters are contaminated with high levels of radiation, even after going through a decontamination process.

U.S. Navy personnel trying to decontaminate the deck of the USS Ronald Reagan

NHK reported that the U.S. military has told the JSDF that the contamination is probably cesium. Cesium sticks to paint, and is not easily removed.

The JSDF says they will try vacuuming the contamination off their helicopters.

This is something for everyone to think about regarding personal vehicles, homes, even your vegetable gardens. Cover everything outside with thick tarps (or several layers of tarps) in a nuclear disaster.  Those tarps will become radioactive waste, which will present another problem, but better the tarps than anything you value.  Just another reason why nuclear power is so dangerous.