Originally Posted by Crabapple Plum
I would suggest you research the issue and then you'll know. If someone feels as strongly about a subject as you appear to about this I'm a little hard pressed to understand why they would not spend the time researching it. As much coverage as this event had by non-biased media it's pretty easy to look up. While you're at it, you should look up the Operation Tomodachi Registry.
Tracks Across the High Plains...Death on the Bombay Line...A Touch of Death and Mayhem...Dead Rock...The Griswald Mine Boys...All On Amazon Books.
Originally Posted by CastIron
For a moment, put yourself in charge of a nation. You not only have a disaster to contend with but the ongoing economy and security of your nation. If you announce the worst case scenario what happens? In this case, an entire fishing industry shuts down. Even those in Okinawa Prefecture 1100 miles away. The same with produce and dairy. Even where it is not affected. That means all of those folks are now out of work. Throw in the rice farms and cattle production. You already know that electricity is out to most of the auto support industries so they are shut down, too. How does that impact the economy? You also have to consider the intangibles like goodwill and how it affects global commerce with your country. Suddenly "Made in Japan" is something to be avoided.
These are not straight forward issues with black and white answers. Government leaders, like business leaders, have to consider the overall impact and weigh the consequences of every report they put forward. And sometimes they just don't know so they have to revise reports when better data is available.
Realize, too, that everyone has the ability to play Monday Morning Quaterback and second guess or find fault with any decision made. If you run the country then you have to make the decisions in real time with whatever data is available. Sometimes you guess wrong.
Tracks Across the High Plains...Death on the Bombay Line...A Touch of Death and Mayhem...Dead Rock...The Griswald Mine Boys...All On Amazon Books.
SD - To answer your question, we have a good dozen nuclear reactors upwind from us. Almost all are in Illinois. If your scenario played out I would sit tight. There are not only federal government but plenty of state, municipal and private organizations that will be performing testing; many at private labs and universities. You should be able to get a reasonable estimation on the size of the release, if any, direction of travel and possible downwind contamination. If necessary, I would travel a southern route at a 90° angle from the spread by vehicle.
Tracks Across the High Plains...Death on the Bombay Line...A Touch of Death and Mayhem...Dead Rock...The Griswald Mine Boys...All On Amazon Books.
I had to go find this story that I read years ago for the first time. Every once in a while, I go look it up again.
http://www.kiddofspeed.com/chapter1.htmL
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I just hope that if we ever have a large nuclear disaster here in the states, they don't put Rick in charge
I couldn't agree more.
Governments should gather the pertinent data and experts to develop an intelligent response which places the safety of all effected above any economic concerns. Disasters breed chaos. The larger the event, the greater the chaos. You run the risk of compounding the probelm if you fail to deal with it in honestly and openly. If you don't know, communicate what you're actively doing to assess the situation, then offer the best advice you can with what you do know. Maintaining credibility insures the best means of organizing an efficient response to the crisis.
I sure do wish that during my over 20 years serving in both the Pacific Fleet and the Atlantic Fleet somebody would have asked my opinion of something so that they knew what the real scoop was half a world away. Sigh....their loss I guess.
I'll add that with the thousands upon thousands of Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen and Marines that I encountered over my career - not one of them desired to put themselves in harms way in order to be a hero. To do their job? Yes. To be a hero? Not hardly.
I read the post a little differently. I do not believe Rick was saying or implying that industry should be placed above the safety of the people at all, but rather as a leader (call it government) they have the duty to act in a responsible manner. Did they do that? I suppose that will be the subject of debates for many years to come, just as the government response to Katrina has been. What I got from the post was that if leaders created fear and panic, it not only would not have served those in the affected area, but also those that were not. Protecting the people is of the utmost importance, but causing them harm due to irresponsible actions serves no one.
My own philosophy in this reguard is that officials fear public panic more than they fear public extinction. They can always cover their tails by claiming they feared they would create panic, which is actually saying they feared they would lose control of the public. Every action they take is about being in control.
They would rather have control of dead people than lose control of live ones.
If you didn't bring jerky what did I just eat?
I believe that to be the absolute truth. I try to teach others to plan ahead and don't wait until they see it on CNN.
Thank you, Crash. At least someone read my post. The whole essence is that irresponsible reporting does the very thing you don't want done. I don't know if they handled it correctly or not and I'm not about to try and second guess them. But by doing what you are advocating you would have put people out of work 1000 miles away. They would not have been able to provide an income, buy food or pay their bills. Multiply that across the country and you have now placed everyone in the country in jeopardy all because someone in Alaska or Idaho or PNW or Belize wants the worst case scenario published. I doubt very seriously whether the Prime Minister of Japan gives two hoots in he!! what I thought of his handling of the situation. He did what he thought was best and doesn't have to answer to me. And since no one on this site knows the truth one way or the other this is all just an exercise in hypothetical thinking.
By the way, WE are public officials. Do you think there is some special breeding program to raise them? They come from us. If you don't like what they are doing then run for office or elect someone else. EVERY government official is condemned on this forum by people who have no desire to fill the role and only complain. If you are not the solution then you are the problem.
Tracks Across the High Plains...Death on the Bombay Line...A Touch of Death and Mayhem...Dead Rock...The Griswald Mine Boys...All On Amazon Books.
Well Rick, I have a pretty good idea what the survivors of Japan were hit with and what they're still being exposed to. I don't have TV. Are there any news stories being run in this country on the health effects of the people in the Zone? The kids and pregnant women were drinking bad milk for several weeks.
And how would you know that?
Tracks Across the High Plains...Death on the Bombay Line...A Touch of Death and Mayhem...Dead Rock...The Griswald Mine Boys...All On Amazon Books.
If you wore your foil hat like you're supposed to, you'd know too.
Let me get this straight, because I disagree with you I must somehow be slow or dimwitted? So far all you've done is make bold accusations with not one iota of support. You KNOW all these things and all I did was ask how you knew and I'm obtuse. Fine. I now know how you operate so I'll let it go. Obviously, a discussion is not within your realm. Now, tell me, who is intentionally hostile again?
Tracks Across the High Plains...Death on the Bombay Line...A Touch of Death and Mayhem...Dead Rock...The Griswald Mine Boys...All On Amazon Books.
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