OntheWilderSide

IW:  No, this headline is not a throwback from 30 years ago.  Thought I can still remember  1980’s Assemblyman Pat Halpin (D) telling my Mom he supported Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant.  She told him he was crazy.  The other time I remember my Mom disagreeing with him was when he asked her to support Koch for Governor. Mom 2 -Halpin 0.

This post is sparked by an article by Karl Grossman in the Shelter Islander reporter called Suffolk Closeup: Rejecting nuclear power. Grossman is a hero of the battle to shut down Shoreham.  He is an expert on the dangers of nuclear power.

Grossman’s article describes the position of various elected officials on nuclear power.  I take issue with only one thing in the article,  his description of Obama switching positions on nuclear power.  Grossman claims that Obama ran for president as an anti-nuclear candidate and became a pro-nuclear president.  Unfortunately, like many Obama voters, during the 2008 campaign, Grossman heard what he wanted to hear.  Obama ran on a platform of supporting nuclear only if it was safe.  Grossman knew nuclear was not safe, so he interpreted Obama’s words to be an opposition to nuclear. It wasn’t.  The word “safe” was just a meaningless distraction.  Obama meant what he said, he supports nuclear.  Period.  No interpret necessary.  Just like when Obama said during the 3rd debate he would expand the war in Afghanistan,  he meant it.  Using the term “safe nuclear” is like Obama’s support of “clean coal.” Never existed, never will.  People who use either term are hucksters trying to con you.

President-elect Obama again tried to distract from the hide the pro-nuclear stance of his Energy Secretary by emphasizing that Chu was the first Secretary to be a Nobel Prize winner.  We all know that is meaningless after warmongers Kissinger and Obama both won the so-called Peace Prize.

Grossman’s article explains that US Senators Schumer & Gillibrand support nuclear energy, along with Congresspersons Israel and Bishop.  All Democrats.  To find Long Island elected officials who oppose nuclear energy you have to go out side the

The positions of federal representatives are disappointing to Suffolk officials opposed to nuclear power. Legislator Jay Schneiderman [I] of Montauk said, “I don’t think the U.S. is acting correctly after what happened in Japan.” Legislator Ed Romaine [R] of Center Moriches, whose district includes Shelter Island, said, “Germany showed tremendous courage as a nation when they determined they would move away from nuclear power completely. There are much safer, less expensive sources of energy.”  Having federal representatives of Long Island backing nuclear power — while here local officials have been against it — isn’t new. During much of the construction of the now shuttered Shoreham nuclear plant, Congressman William Carney [R] of Hauppauge advocated it and nuclear power in general. Since his departure from Congress, he has made millions as a lobbyist in Washington for the nuclear industry, according to the Sunlight Foundation.

Of course, the Green Party opposes nuclear power.  The Green Party’s founding sprung from Germany’s anti-nuclear movement.  Locally in Suffolk County, many heroes (and sheroes) of the anti-Shoreham movement have enrolled in the Green Party.  In fact Green Party of  Suffolk Chair Roger Snyder is a hero of the anti-Shoreham movement.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp8oc__yDcA]

The video of anti-Shoreham heroes includes: Scott Carlin (G) of Long Island Climate Solutions Network; Roger Snyder, Chair of the Green Party of Suffolk; and Peter Maniscalco of Renew Community Earth.

Related:

• Nuclear Waste film: Into Eternity 5/4/11
• Unhappy with LIPA?
• Karl Grossman: Nuclear Emergency in Japan
• The Push to Revive and Expand Nuclear Power 10/8/10
• OpEdNews: New Book Concludes Chernobyl death toll is 985,000, mostly from cancer
• Why should LIPA be afraid of Suffolk?
• Karl Grossman: Obama and the Military – Industrial – Scientific Complex
• Obama’s Energy Pick Goes Nuclear

Media Reform 11/5/08

Filed under: 3rd party, Action Alert!, activism, Anti-War, Ecology, energy, Environment, Global Warming, grassroots democracy, Green Party, long island, Long Island Politics, News, politics, president, progressive politics, suffolk, suffolk county, third party Tagged: | Anti-nuclear movement, Charles Schumer, democratic party, Ed Romaine, energy, Environment, green, Japan, Jay Schneiderman, Karl Grossman, Kirsten Gillibrand, long island, Nuclear, nuclear power, Radioactive waste, Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant, Steve Israel, Tim Bishop, united states, United States Secretary of Energy