Surviving Capitalism (Not) : Feds Duck Nagging Problems with #1 Safety Rule at U.S. Nuclear Plants

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Feds Duck Nagging Problems with #1 Safety Rule at U.S. Nuclear Plants

A press release from The Union for Concerned Scientists on Common Dreams website. Once again, we appear to be witnessing a catastrophe waiting-to-happen because of a failure of regulatory agencies of a government that is bought and paid for by the ruling class.

Jim Warren, director of NC WARN, pointed to President Obama’s recent admonishment that coal mine safety regulations “are riddled with loopholes.” Warren called on Obama to apply the same standard to the NRC: “The nuclear industry has been gaming the NRC for decades because of persistent pressure to cut costs. If the Obama NRC allows this travesty to continue, the U.S. could see more catastrophes that should have been prevented.”