A Bridge Is Not a Nuclear Reactor

In terms of the ongoing crisis in Japan concerning the threat of potential nuclear calamity, some US politicos are making some truly bizarre statements. Senator Mitch McConnell had this to say:

“This discussion reminds me, somewhat, of the conversations that were going on after the BP oil spill last year,” Mr. McConnell said during an interview on “Fox News Sunday.” “I don’t think right after a major environmental catastrophe is a very good time to be making American domestic policy.”

When would be a good time, senator? In my book, when things go horribly wrong, that is one of the best times to examine what we're doing and how we got to this place.

Here is Lamar Alexander, a US Senator from Tennessee:

"We don't abandon highway systems because bridges and overpasses collapse during earthquakes," he said in a speech to the Senate. "The 1.6 million of us who fly daily would not stop flying after a tragic plane crash. We would find out what happened and do our best to make it safe."

If a bridge collapses, it tends only to jeopardize the safety of the people ON or UNDER the bridge. If a plane crashes, the threat of death and injury still only involves a relatively small number of people. A nuclear holocaust, on the other hand, immediately jeopardizes the health and safety of millions of people. It is a totally different matter of scale.

Not being able to fly would certainly cause great inconvenience and hurt our economy, but not being able to live and breath is a bit more serious, don't ya think?

Before you think it is just Republicans who are trying to pooh pooh ANY talk of reconsidering the efficacy of nuclear power, Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada had this to say:

"I believe we have to have a time-out here with the situation in Japan. I don't think there should be a mad rush to say nuclear power generation is bad. I think we need a time out to take a look at it and let's have the experts tell us some things that could have been done better."

A time out? Like sending a misbehaving child to stand in a corner? We have built nuclear reactors ON fault lines and 23 reactors here in the US are the same design as those faltering in Japan. Does the senator want us to wait until we face a similar catastrophe BEFORE we take a serious reexamination of the issue?