Bill Buckley Needs to Take a Motorcycle Ride Through the "Dead Zone"

[evworldeditor]

Bill Buckley's column tonight argues that "nuclear is the answer" to America's energy needs. Considering I have two nuclear power plants within less than 100 miles of my home here in eastern Nebraska, I am particularly sensitive to this suggestion; especially considering we still haven't solved the nuclear storage problem, in my view and that of the folks who live in Nevada.

I am even less excited about the prospects of "cheap" electric power from breeder reactors, as Buckley suggests, after having a reader send me a link to "Ghost Town," a photographic motorcycle ride through the heart of the Chernobyl disaster area of 1986. A very brave young woman known only as "Elana" has ridden her Kawasaki Ninja into the very heart of the disaster area, being careful to stay in the middle of the road and riding alone. She explains why in her written account and captions to her dozens of photos.

It's easy for nuclear power advocates to say it couldn't happen here, but it nearly did... twice: Three Mile Island and most recently at Davis Bessie. http://earthfiles.com/news/news.cfm?ID=692&category=Environment>.

For Elana's chilling photo tour of a waste land that will be devoid of human life for the next 600-900 years, check out the following URL: http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/

[bedtimeforbonzo]

1. it nearly did

but we built a containment for just such an eventuality. Russia didn't care to, and they paid the consequences.

[evworldeditor]

5. Chernobyl containment vessel cap below off

If I read Elana's account correctly, she says that a superheated steam explosion below off the containment vessel cap. Now if by "containment" if you refer to the concrete dome around US reactors, than your statement is correct, but I wonder if they would hold in this situation.

Anyone care to comment?

[Waistdeep]

2. It's an amazing journal

I came across it last week, myself. The tone is striking: a youthful but oddly detached examination of unimaginable loss. I think it would make an impressive book.

[PATRICK]

3. Even better

is that energy is magnificently expensive so that there is no threat of the people escaping the clutches of the energy cartels. Expensive and fearsomely lethal. Fear is yet more spice to the power. Maybe it salves their conscience about continuing our nuclear bully profile to show this aberrant byproduct as progressive.

If the technology were not proliferated nuclear weapons would not proliferate as rapidly either. Who really needs these dangerous behemoths anyway? They keep coming up with plans to dangerously centralize and monopolize humanity's energy supplies. Not once do they go for small community solutions or clean alternatives. They seem incapable of thinking a non-destructive thought or a sane one.

[glitch]

4. what a fascinating site - Elena is a good photojournalist

I hope she keeps it up. Thanks for posting.

[phantom power]

6. stories like this

remind me that we're already living through some of the science fiction books I read as a kid.

Geez, can she write or what?

"Someone brought the egg from Germany. It represents LIFE breaking through the hard shell of the unknown. I am not sure if this symbolism is encouraging or not."