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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsH> Clinton and Japan
Right after the nuclear plant exploded, Secretary of State Clinton flew into Japan.
Before she left she signed an agreement with Japan stating that the US would still take anything Japan produced - whether it was food, or cars, or electronics - and that the US would not even test the products for radiation.
Shortly thereafter the US government turned off its air monitors, raised the allowable limit in drinking water for cesium, and otherwise ignored what might soon be coming over from Japan.
Japan owes Clinton big time for saving its economy. If it can be made legal, Japan should be one of Clinton's largest donors.
DemocratSinceBirth
(99,710 posts)If you believe the SOS makes policy without approval of the POTUS there is nothing I can do to disabuse you of that notion.
merrily
(45,251 posts)This is not the 2008 primary and Obama is not going to be running against Hillary again.
This about our health and 2016. So what if he approved it? Who proposed it?
DemocratSinceBirth
(99,710 posts)If it's a crappy policy both her and the president own it and they both should be subject to the same opprobrium and censure.
merrily
(45,251 posts)DemocratSinceBirth
(99,710 posts)merrily
(45,251 posts)^R^O^T^F^L^M^A^O best post ever!
Neither would I. I like the arrows going in all directions
Xipe Totec
(43,890 posts)I'm staying out of the main argument but wanted you to know your reply made me laugh out loud.
Carry on.
merrily
(45,251 posts)For Freddie
(79 posts)"If you believe the SOS makes policy without the approval of the POTUS " then you must believe the POTUS makes policy without the approval of the world economic community concerning larger issues and conditions of international security...
Which we do not believe you believe this by sharing this tidbit.
We see this as just another blatant attempt by those who hate Hillary to get women to fear for the health of their families to fear her . IT WILL NOT WORK. There are more women for Hillary than there are men who hate or fear her. Baiting women, mothers and grandmothers with such fears and hate won't work anymore.Your "logical arguments" are seen for what they truly are.
As my dear departed husband once said in the middle of a bar fight
back in the 60's,jumping up after some one had flattened his nose and put him on the floor, and commencing to finish the fight,
"Ha Ha you missed".
You see we are in bar fight territory now.
We women and girls who WILL vote for Hillary are not buying any crap anymore.
By the way we Mamas and Grandmas as soon as we heard about the Fukishima mess went out and got Iodine and Kelp for our families and networked together
for our families. Remembering the last nuclear mess with Chernobyl and Harrisburg. We also did not buy any products from Japan for consumption and still do not. You see women, Mothers, have this new invention called the internet and we communicate and help each other. It exists for other purposes than trolling girls and spreading fear and loathing. Even if we glow in the dark we WILL vote for Hillary. What else ya got?
AtomicKitten
(46,585 posts)http://nuclear-news.net/2011/08/20/hillary-clintons-pact-with-japan-to-downplay-fukushima-radiation-risks/
After the Fukushima accident, Hillary Clinton signed a deal permitting Japan to continue importing irridated fish and other goods to the US, even while other nations are turning them away.
http://investmentwatchblog.com/after-the-fukushima-accident-hillary-clinton-signed-a-deal-permitting-japan-to-continue-importing-irridated-fish-and-other-goods-to-the-us-even-while-other-nations-are-turning-them-away/
Radiating Americans: Fukushima rain, Clinton's secret food pact
http://www.examiner.com/article/radiating-americans-fukushima-rain-clinton-s-secret-food-pact
RobertEarl
(13,685 posts)Truth!
AtomicKitten
(46,585 posts)Truth. It matters.
merrily
(45,251 posts)I also thank you for the links.
AtomicKitten
(46,585 posts)Bonobo
(29,257 posts)Detecting it is not umm, rocket science.
AtomicKitten
(46,585 posts)I would hope it actually was disposed of as it should be. I think this had more to do with commerce and the US doing Japan a solid in some trying times.
Bonobo
(29,257 posts)I was on the school lunch committee for 3 years here in Japan and was president of the PTA.
We were shown quite detailed and rigorous tests specifically for radiation and other materials associated with it.
Art_from_Ark
(27,247 posts)And I am making these comments as someone who has spent most of this on-going nuclear disaster living 100 miles south of Fukushima Dai-ichi.
Increased thyroid cancer will be a problem in parts of Fukushima, especially in areas downwind of the reactors that were not evacuated. Fukushima Prefecture (state) is the same size in area as Connecticut, and most of the prefecture was spared the worst part of the radiation due to prevailing winds. Even Iwaki City, which is south and uncomfortably close to Dai-ichi, did not exhibit the really high levels that were seen in areas downwind (NW) of the reactors.
Action was taken to protect children against radiation in many areas. In my area, there were some "hotspots" like Moriya and Kashiwa cities where radiation levels 50 centimeters above the ground were in the 0.50-0.60 microsievert/hour range (roughly 5-6X normal levels) several months after the explosion, so topsoil in schoolyards and some parks was removed. However, the most recent measurements taken in Moriya (last September) at the same facilities show readings that are near normal.
http://www.city.moriya.ibaraki.jp/kinkyu/radiation/housyasenn_Kekka/houshasen.files/park20140901.pdf
Radiation measurements are taken by a variety of organizations, including the national, prefectural and municipal governments, research institutes, and universities. Even my company measured the radiation in the soil at my house for me, 3 years ago, and found that the radiation level in that soil was 0.20 microsieverts per hour-- about double the normal level here, but not particularly high.
AtomicKitten
(46,585 posts)The story will go on and on. Surreal after Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
leftofcool
(19,460 posts)merrily
(45,251 posts)DemocratSinceBirth
(99,710 posts)If his subordinates are making policy without his approval it cast doubt on his fitness for the job and I am beyond convinced he is more than fit for his job.
merrily
(45,251 posts)DemocratSinceBirth
(99,710 posts)All I know is it is logical to assume that policy isn't made in any organization without the approval of the chief executive...
merrily
(45,251 posts)from smallish to multi billion and no one can bs me about that one.
But again, your comment and leftofcool's could not possibly be more beside the point, though it's obviously all you've got.
This is not Hillary v Obama anymore. It Hillary v. us and our loved ones. And it sucks.
DemocratSinceBirth
(99,710 posts)If my faith was misplaced I will blame it on the POTUS and his SOS.
If Hillary Clinton was going to subject us to radiation it is unfathomable to me that Barack Obama would allow it to happen.
merrily
(45,251 posts)DemocratSinceBirth
(99,710 posts)If I see credible information from a credible source I will revisit my opinion.
From one of the links:
http://investmentwatchblog.com/after-the-fukushima-accident-hillary-clinton-signed-a-deal-permitting-japan-to-continue-importing-irridated-fish-and-other-goods-to-the-us-even-while-other-nations-are-turning-them-away/#7IPRQCl2uL6VrHZH.99
Please excuse me if I don't find this source credible.
And Occam's Razor suggests if there was this secret deal that put Americans at risk the Republicants would make political hay out of it. They make political hay out of enough fake stuff like Benghazi, IRS, and Too Fast, Too Furious...
merrily
(45,251 posts)DemocratSinceBirth
(99,710 posts)RobertEarl
(13,685 posts)Sheesh..... let me inform you a bit..... the republicans love nuclear power so there is no way in hell they will use anything that makes nukes look bad for any reason whatsoever.
But I am glad to see that you at least realize H>'s history as concerns this matter does make her look bad.
FSogol
(45,484 posts)SidDithers
(44,228 posts)Credible and Arnie Gunderson aren't in the same universe.
Sid
DemocratSinceBirth
(99,710 posts)That's why I have to rely on experts in the field... If I see credible articles in mainstream publications or peer reviewed journals that we entered into an agreement that put us at unnecessary risk I will revisit my opinion.
In its absence I will Just view it as an attempt to shit on Hillary and the person who hired her.
RobertEarl
(13,685 posts)Wash your mouth out!
The fact is as stated in the OP. Hillary did make an agreement with Japan to keep doing business as usual.
I get that it makes her look bad. Her and her boss.
As for unnecessary risk, the science does state quite clearly that ingesting man-made radioactive materials like that from Fukushima will make you sick and can even kill life as we know it.
treestar
(82,383 posts)If it is dangerous to us, it certainly is to them.
DemocratSinceBirth
(99,710 posts)I don't like to be poisoned so if you can provide a citation from an unbiased source or a peer reviewed journal that such an agreement exists I promise to revisit the issue.
RobertEarl
(13,685 posts)No... you just go on believing nuke waste is good for you....
But just remind yourself that as coal plants release deadly chemicals freely into the atmosphere without much control....
.... nuke plants spend a billion dollars each in an attempt to control those emissions.
And...... at both Chernobyl and Fukushima, hundreds of square miles are now devoid of human residences. Ya think they chased all those people out just for fun?
If you truly wish to know more, read ENEnews.com.
For Freddie
(79 posts)What adult in their right mind trusts anyone in a position of political power to protect them from such things? REALLY?
The economics and politics of nuclear energy is such no president has much real say how it goes. It is the nature of nuclear power plants to subject everyone to radiation. About all anyone can do is compensate for when it happens. And after it happens "blaming" anyone does very little to restore health and well being.
For some reason we seem to have a childlike need to blame authority and have "belief" we will be "protected". People all over this country willingly expose themselves to radiation all the time, in flying, in work place, in living near nuclear power plants, which are often in rural areas where crops and animals are raised for consumption.
A member of my family was a nuclear engineer. When ever an "accident" or leak happened he would inform us of the safe distance.
These events were often not reported to the public.
If the public knew the reality of nuclear power and the BWR(old boiling water reactors) out there every President since the first plant was put on line would be "blamed". Then we have the down winders and the testing of nuclear weapons.
Living in Utah , New Mexico and eastern Az.
I learned about that. So... we can blame all we want. This will not change anything.
Using it to dissuade and to bicker and argue against Hillary is a waste of time.
Two words: Single Payer
That will help all our health and well being.
RobertEarl
(13,685 posts)Interestingly fresh nuclear comments, you have there.
I will take issue with the idea that we can't blame anyone for our present predicament. There are many who have given great time and efforts to stop nukes, and given up cash opportunities in their quest to save people from nuclear power. And there are those who have feasted on the cash flow and evil produced by the industry. Not just the cash flow but the evil threats the industry has issued against its opponents.
So to hell with them. If we can make sure the nuke supporter's lives have karma for their efforts, the better off we all shall be.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)I imagine many irrational people believe major international trade agreements are done without the knowledge, consent or approval of the administration it takes place during.
No doubt, many half-witted idiots believe FDR and Truman had no knowledge of the Marshall Plan (not that you're either irrational or an half-witted idiot by any stretch of an allegation...)
merrily
(45,251 posts)Feel free to read it. Or not
Pretty much moot anyway.
upaloopa
(11,417 posts)I think we need some references when we post these kinds of stories. Without them it looks like you are posting bull shit just to turn people against her.
Since she is the only announced candidate so far for our side you might just be working for the other side. You don't want us thinking that.
RobertEarl
(13,685 posts)Actually Herstory.
I get that it makes Clinton look bad. Not my fault.
But your denial and lack of knowledge is your fault, eh?
upaloopa
(11,417 posts)I would think if it were true a main stream press article would have surfaced. Maybe the New York Times or maybe MSNBC. Since it didn't it could be propaganda you think?
Edit to say:
Most of your stuff needs to be taken with a box of salt I have learned.
It's just history. Y'know, Facts. I get why you deny the facts, but really, it just makes your moniker a bit too salty. But hey, you just keep right on personally attacking me and deny the problem if it makes you feel up.
ETA: You can have the last word. I'll not play your game.
upaloopa
(11,417 posts)people. We have been here before.
merrily
(45,251 posts)After the Fukushima accident, Hillary Clinton signed a deal permitting Japan to continue importing irridated fish and other goods to the US, even while other nations are turning them away. These goods continue to land on our shelves and in restaurants. 100% of blue fin tuna tests positive for high levels of radiation. I avoid rice, tea, sushi, electronics, vehicles
image:
, and even cosmetics that originate from or are manufactured in Japan. Many womens cosmetics, even high end ones, such as Trish McAvoy, are made in Japan. Dior is not. Japan cant stop the melt downs. They will continue spewing out radition for years to come. Japan is finished. She just doesnt know it yet.
It is also noteworthy that Japan has been giving the Palestinians hundreds of millions of dollars and demanding Israel cede large chunks of land to the Palestinians, and is demanding a 2-state solution
Read more at http://investmentwatchblog.com/after-the-fukushima-accident-hillary-clinton-signed-a-deal-permitting-japan-to-continue-importing-irridated-fish-and-other-goods-to-the-us-even-while-other-nations-are-turning-them-away/#vTDishH6Yw87GI8j.99
tuna, women's fucking cosmetics. Christ.
Brother Buzz
(36,424 posts)Art_from_Ark
(27,247 posts)As someone living closer to Ground Zero than probably anyone else on this board, I do think that a lot in that article you posted is exaggeration, to put it mildly. For example, "Many womens cosmetics, even high end ones, such as Trish McAvoy (sic), are made in Japan." I cannot find a single mention of any Trish McEvoy production facilities in Japan, either from Japanese or English-language sources. What I have found, however, are some Japanese blogs complaining that the Trish McEvoy cosmetics they want aren't available in Japan.
At any rate, four years after the explosions, radiation levels in Fukushima are finally coming down. After the first couple of months, they were never a problem in the rest of Japan outside of a few areas in Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures to the south. There are still high radiation levels in the reactor area, and in some areas downwind, but most areas in Fukushima are returning to something resembling normal levels.
http://fukushima-radioactivity.jp/
merrily
(45,251 posts)Art_from_Ark
(27,247 posts)I will discuss it with him/her.
At any rate, there is still a major problem with the melted cores and the radiation that has been leaking into the Pacific Ocean. I have read where some fish caught for consumption here were rejected due to high radiation levels. There was/is a web site that has published data on radiation levels of fish caught in Japanese waters-- I'll see if I can find it again.
merrily
(45,251 posts)AtomicKitten is on this thread.
I know about the ocean, but not very much beyond that.. At some point, because I felt so nauseated and helpless and so bad for the Japanese, who had suffered another disaster as well, I could not stomach reading anymore. So, I am maybe the worst person for any kind of a discussion.
I have only one quasi-relevant thing about nuclear plants. It pre-dates this, but it made my jaw drop.
Before the DLC went out of business and donated its papers to the Clinton Presidential Library, I read some at the DLC website. After that, I could not, through the site's search feature things I knew I had read, even if I remembered the author's name. After a while, I just stopped going there entire.
There was a lot about "infrastructure" at the site. In the earlier havarticles, it was mostly about schools, but they branched out. They advocated iinfratructure loans (as did Obama in one of his SOTUs) or other funding.
One article was, I believe, written by Harold Ford, who headed it at the end or near the end. He urged funding for refurbishing of "our" existing infrastructure, which was decaying things like roads, bridges and nuclear plants. Which of those things is not like the others? I'd never seen any suggestion that nuclear plants were part of "our" infrastructure that government funding should repair, just as it would to government owned and build roads and bridge.
IOW, the DLC seemed to me to have been nuclear plant friendly, to say the least. Also disturbing was the casual admission (though we knew) that the plants were decaying.
When the Japan plant blew, that flashed on me. I haven't bothered to check what DLC offshoots that are still alive and well have been saying about nuclear plants. Progressive Policy, Institute, Third Way, New Democrat something or other. Or for that matter, what any Republican think tank ever said.
And that's about all I know that was not in the early news stories about the Japan disaster.
But, maybe we should all do more reading at think tank websites since their articles seem to be the canary in the coal mine of what might be said in a SOTU some years out.
RobertEarl
(13,685 posts)When the first cloud of radiation came across the US, it was fortunate that the whole Obama family had a vacation in South America, and so they were out of DC when it passed through.
Later, Obama assured the nation that there was nothing to worry about, but if ever there was, the government would keep everyone informed.
Japan owes Obama, big time.
arcane1
(38,613 posts)RobertEarl
(13,685 posts)Non-citizens united to buy American democracy, and all that.
Only thing worse, imo, is the radiation.
merrily
(45,251 posts)(courtesy of the Obama campaign, in all likelihood), she returned the money. However, I don't know if she did that because it was illegal. My impression, and I underscore impression, was that it didn't look good, not that it was illegal. However, I never tried to check at that time.
Now, Citizens' United rules.
spanone
(135,831 posts)merrily
(45,251 posts)One of them has been duly attacked.
Brother Buzz
(36,424 posts)merrily
(45,251 posts)AtomicKitten
(46,585 posts)It appears one guy, Rod Adams, is going after Gunderson. Interestingly Adams refers to Amy Goodman as a millionaire which was oddly gratuitous. Sounds like some good old fashioned axe-grinding to me.
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/adamsgundersenvideo13jul12.shtml
Gunderson is a whistleblower for the nuclear industry and was interviewed on Democracy Now. Here's some interviews with Amy Goodman/Democracy Now.
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/3/15/this_could_become_chernobyl_on_steroids
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/10/29/nuclear_plants_from_virginia_to_vermont
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/3/12/nuclear_engineer_arnie_gundersen_fukushima_meltdown
Anyway, I'd be interested in any info re: what I've posted above. I understand that impugning the source is the go-to deflective measured employed by many here, so I remain unconvinced by the accusation about Gunderson awaiting further info to the contrary.
Edited: I found an interesting article on Gunderson entitled "Shooting the Messenger"
link: http://www.reformer.com/ci_17515801?source=rss_emailed
From the Brattleboro Reformer:
If you can't refute the message then try to discredit the messenger.
That's the tactic several Vermont Yankee advocates have taken to impugn the character and devalue the experience of Arnie Gundersen, a nuclear safety advocate who has been highly critical of the operation of the nuclear power plant in Vernon.
The writer of Atomic Insights (atomicinsights.blogspot.com) accused Gundersen of inflating his resume, which states he is an engineer with more than four decades of experience in the nuclear power industry.
Gundersen was a licensed nuclear engineer but has not been recertified in many years, though he claims he has spent 20 years working directly in the nuclear industry and led teams of engineers dealing with nuclear reactors at 70 nuclear power plants around the country.
merrily
(45,251 posts)I am simply not going to even consider it!
AtomicKitten
(46,585 posts)merrily
(45,251 posts)but I am not sure what to make of it.
The source attacks are contagious, though. I googled once for something I'd heard about on Meet the Press. Found a video of the politician saying what MTP had reported. Since MTP had reported it, I just threw up the first one or two links that came up, withhout even noting the source. Turned out it was a RW "news" (not FOX) and I got bashed before the poster had even clicked on the link to see there was a tiny bit of innocuous introductory text and a video in which the politician said exactly what I'd seen him say on MTP's video. (He or she did apologize after I explained, though.)
Common sense has to come in at some point.
spanone
(135,831 posts)FSogol
(45,484 posts)SidDithers
(44,228 posts)'cause you have a history not exactly being correct with your claims.
Edit: Nevermind. The claim comes from Arnie Gunderson. Your reputation remains intact.
Sid
RobertEarl
(13,685 posts)You are like my own personal net-nanny!
merrily
(45,251 posts)And, I'm okay with that.
Almost never agree with him, but he's grown on me.
For one thing, he's nowhere near as vile as some of them.
For another, he has a sense of humor, almost never a bad thing.
Still going to tease him, though.
RandySF
(58,805 posts)Bonobo
(29,257 posts)Do you have any idea how easy it is to obtain your own radiation detector or how many people have them?
RobertEarl
(13,685 posts)And those monitors show up to 600% increase in every day background levels. That would be 6 times higher levels than before 3/11.
Thanks for caring.
Bonobo
(29,257 posts)FBaggins
(26,735 posts)The US didn't "turn off its air monitors"... it ceased deploying extra air monitors when levels dropped substantially and there was no prospect of them rising again. The monitors continue to show periodic spikes exactly as they did before 3/11, nothing like the persistent background increase that RobertEarl pretends we're living with now.
And the US never "raised the allowable limit in drinking water for cesium".
Here's the EPA standard
http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/regulatingcontaminants/sixyearreview/index.cfm
http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/basicinformation/radionuclides.cfm
RobertEarl
(13,685 posts)He posted a thread recently about cesium found in the ocean near Vancouver.
For years the bq in a square meter of water was 1. Now it is 7.
FBaggins
(26,735 posts)You can't even get the most basic scientific nomenclature correctly... can you? That's before we even talk about your claimed facts.
Water isn't measured in square meters. A cubic meter of seawater, OTOH, contains roughly 10,000 bq of activity (just over 12,000 in fact). Not 1 or 7.
I finally was caught making a mistake
cubic versus square.... OMG!!!
In your OP it was clearly stated that the bq of cesium137 was 7. We all know it used to be, before Fukushima, about 1.
Why don't you post the link to your OP? Is it because you are too embarrassed to do so?
FBaggins
(26,735 posts)Finally?
I think we're about to leave triple digits.
In your OP it was clearly stated that the bq of cesium137 was 7
So? You just said bq in the water. As has been pointed out to you any number of times, a bq of beta radiation is essentially identical to the thousands of other beta emissions going on in that second. The fact that 6 of the 10,000+ are from cesium is irrelevant.
More importantly, you tried to use it as support for your ridiculous claim that there was a 600% increase in everyday background radiation. The background radiation from a cubic meter of seawater is 12,000+ bq
Why don't you post the link to your OP?
The better question is if you're going to use it as evidence in your post... why didn't you?
RobertEarl
(13,685 posts)Don't blame you. You sure looked funny by the time your thread was done.
Anyone who has been following this knows all about the pollution from Fukushima hitting the west coast. Bonobo has not been following, and then there is you who has been following just to try and sweep it under the rug.
If I were a crazy-anti-nuker and wanted to distort the story and make nukers look bad, I'd post like you do. But I am just an average citizen who has been nuked against my will and trying to sort out the disinfo.
What we have found is that the monitored levels of cesium137 in the Pacific near Vancouver has gone from 1bq to 7bq since Fukushima. You know it too, but are attempting to distort the findings. You really make the pro-nukers look bad and for that I thank you. You've done more than I ever could to display the false meme of ""Nukes are safe"" idiom that they used to spread far and wide.
Keep posting!!!