Dear news media:
Remember back in '50s and early '60s, when we set off something like 900 atomic bombs in Nevada? And how we just let the fallout blow wherever and it landed all over the eastern US? And how it wiped out life as we know it and all that was left from Colorado to the Atlantic were six-legged rats battling two-headed cockroaches in the glowing ruins?
Yeah. Exactly. So shut up with the panic already.
Nuff said.
12 comments:
Unlike Nevada, the meltdowns are in areas very close to major population centers.
There were bad effects in NV. It was the cold war and the government kept the elevated cancer risks hidden.
The issue of the spent fuel melting down is probably going to make more people nervious than the reactors themselves.
What Russell said. It would be interesting to see post testing cancer rates east of the Rockies versus west...
Perfect. LOL!
Mayberry,
"It would be interesting to see post testing cancer rates east of the Rockies versus west..."
They were probably slightly higher. (West of the Rockies gets more background radiation than the eastern US to begin with from the sun and the Rockies and Sierras themselves.)
Watching an American public wring their hands over this while washing their bacon cheeseburgers down with high-fructose corn syrup and caffeine, chatting about it on the cell phone while they drive un-belted, just goes to show that your average human has absolutely no grasp of relative risk.
Some people will assiduously rotate the ammo in their carry gun, but don't own a fire extinguisher and haven't checked the batteries in the smoke alarm since they bought the house...
Tam:
That is a strawman arguement.
Here is background radiation levels of gamma rays 1m above ground. It is not universally true that the Western U.S. has higher levels.
http://energy.cr.usgs.gov/radon/usagamma.gif
A straw man argument against what?
What am I arguing?
I agreed with you. Yes, fallout probably raised the relative rates of cancer downwind of the test site relative to upwind.
I'm not using debating tactics because the is no debate. Ergo, there can be no "straw man".
Now, we'll take "fallout probably raised the relative rates of cancer downwind of the test site relative to upwind" as a given.
My question to you is "So?"
You set up the out of shape overweight American-prepper as the source of the argument for concerns about nuclear fallout. At least that is how I understood it.
Thus you appeared to be arguing that the concern is overblown.
I had neighbors who had a child with leukemia. They spent their last dime on medical care for him. They were so concerned about the carcinogenic properties of various (off-the shelf) herbicides and insecticides that they kept reporting their neighbors to the State Agricultural Department. Needless to say they were not real popular with their immediate neighbors: or at least the ones who kept up with their lawns.
The point (now that I have wandered off in the weeds) is that you could used them as your base point for concern, rather than the obese every-man. If you detailed all their time spent at the hospital, and all the money they spent, the selling of their home to finance it all, you might come away with a very different conclusion about the consequences additional radiation exposure. If you bring it down to the personal costs versus statistical ones, it is harder to ignore the arguments.
"You set up the out of shape overweight American-prepper as the source of the argument for concerns about nuclear fallout. At least that is how I understood it."
Nowhere did I use, suggest, or imply "prepper". If you took it that way, it's all on you.
Wow!
I step away from the puter for a few hours and all hell breaks loose.
Y'all have a good venting without me? LOL Sorry Russell, I am siding with Tam on this one. I am sure you understand. My blog, and I linked her here hence my choice.
yes, well..as far as it goes...
She does throw a mean hand grenade.
LOL... best comment section since... dammit, don't wanna say 'forever'... but...
Shy III
Hell Shy, I won't lie about it, I have been giggling like a schoolboy over this one. Wish that I could get more of a following like Tam has but I guess I am a bit too bitter with know way of adding the sweet that she does. She is the snark queen of the gunblogs for a reason.
Post a Comment