“Musings of a Malcontent” is a weekly op-ed by GlobalWarmingisReal contributor Carlyle Coash
It’s on its way.
It’s carrying anything that floats – furniture, boats, homes, appliances and who knows what else. It’s making its way across the Pacific to grace our shores with millions of tons of debris and a reminder of death and destruction from a faraway land. It has already traveled 2,000 miles. Hawaii will receive it first and then the US Mainland some time later.
What am I talking about? I am talking about the massive swath of wreckage swept off the land and coast of Japan during the tsunami earlier this year. Remember? That thing that happened in Japan? Earthquake? You know. Anyway, the sea has taken the wreckage with a three-year plan to deliver it to us piece by piece. The article I read says it is moving at a quick pace, already coming close to the Midway Islands. It also says it is estimated to be anywhere from 5 to 20 million tons.
5 to 20 million tons?
That seems like a big gap, don’t you think? A range like that says that no one really has any idea how big it is. Could be more. Likely is. Who knows what the mass contains. I would not be surprised if there are some bodies as well – trapped in some fashion in the wreckage. Anything is possible.
When I read the short article and looked at the handful of photos it really gave me pause. All those belongings out there in the middle of the vast ocean – lost and empty with no one to claim them. A Russian trawler recently recovered a wooden fishing boat with the name Fukushima written on the side. I looked at a news segment from NBC a little later, which had video of this endless stretch of debris. Apparently ships have to navigate around it because it is so big. It is about the size of Texas – not that it has a shape that is very definable.
The one definite is that it has a story to tell. Question is – will it be told?
I cannot imagine this story getting any coverage past the flurry of news items from the last couple of weeks. Certainly not any more than the large amounts of radiation that has been drifting our way for months. Have you noticed that those stories have virtually stopped? At least I have not seen much in the mainstream media. Just little hints here and there. I sort of wish the radiation cloud contained a few boats and houses in it which it could ceremoniously drop on us to let us know it is real.
Now that would get our attention.
We need it badly. I just finished reading an article in the New American entitled No Fukushima Radiation Deaths – No Surprises. It clearly embodies why a few boats falling from the sky would be just right. The article smugly talks about how there must not be anything wrong because no one has died yet from the radiation. Even the head of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Gregory Jaczko, agreed that he overreacted and worked us all into a swivet for nothing over the deadly radiation coming from Japan.
He is quoted as saying – much to the author’s satisfaction, “There have been no fatalities that we’re aware of that are directly related to radiation exposure.” He also acknowledged there was high exposure experienced on the part of the Fukushima plant workers but that they have “nothing that is going to lead to an immediate loss of life.”
Immediate being the operative word there. Just wait. Like a fine wine – it just needs a little time to ripen. Tumors are funny that way – or whatever horrible manifestation comes from unchecked exposure to a substance we REALLY do not understand. Haven’t any of these people watched a Godzilla movie? Godzilla took time to get to his unsettling state. He was not a little lizard one day and a massive monster the next. He got his radioactive blast and then the changes began. In fact it may have even taken a generation – who knows really – just small steps that lead to a larger end result.
An end result, by the way, that regularly burns down Tokyo.
Trust me, New American, we will be wishing it was a fast death instead of the long lingering tumor filled death people are likely going to suffer because of what has happened in Japan. I would plan on it being expensive as well. Cancer is not a cheap date, especially since it is not just Japan that received their recommended daily allowance of 8 essential particles and isotopes for healthy radioactive living. We, and many others, got our dose as well.
I mean are they completely dim? Remember this accident was worse than Chernobyl – you know – that dead wasteland somewhere over there in that wacky place called Russia? When that happened we did not suddenly have rabid nuclear zombies roaming around the countryside in droves. It has taken time for the full effect to be known. There have been several stories recently about the area and the tale is sobering. I do not see Chernobyl being featured on the Travel Channel or used as the setting for the next Hollywood Blockbuster. Right?
The New American article then goes on to warn us all how sorry we will be now that several European countries are stepping away from plans to build more nuclear power facilities. This is the true casualty of the disaster in Japan – the Nuclear Industry. They really do not deserve such treatment. After all what has it ever done to us to be treated in such a way? Nothing! Just cared for us, given us warmth and comfort. Watched over us as we sleep. Protecting our nation, and nair I say – our souls. Oh, how sorry we will be for abandoning our nuclear friend.
Well, seeing as that friend has the potential for causing painful death –I can understand why it is not welcome to come over and watch Monday Night Football. Death is kind of a deal-breaker that way. Watching the radioactive poisoning slowly eat away at my loved ones over a period of years is not likely to make it onto my Bucket List. The fact that the article wanted to shame anyone who has concerns about the effects of the Japanese radiation just made me nauseous. What is their problem? If this is what a new American is thinking and believing – then I would rather live in Japan.
Or on the wreckage flow.
I hear the rent is really cheap and the ocean view is amazing!
Go Godzilla!
Related articles
- Returning Salmon Being Tested for Radiation from Japanese Nuclear Plant as a Precaution (indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com)
- In Japan, a Long-Term Study on Radiation Leaks’ Effects (environmenteng.wordpress.com)
- Study: Japan nuke radiation higher than estimated (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Japan: ‘Radioactive cars’ on sale (inautonews.com)
Image source: The Alopecian Muse
