Sophie's Choice of the Day: Watch Heroes or House First? By Geniusofdespair

The two are in the same time-slot. Should I kick-start the hypochondria in me tonight or get lost in a comic book fantasy that makes marginal sense? Which is your poison?

My Sophie's Choice. By Geniusofdespair.

I was thinking last night that I wasted a lot time and I decided to take action. My hard choice is, spend an inordinate amount of my precious time channel-surfing or give in to the Miami Herald's extortion of more funds for a TV Section. The surfing is grating on me.

I gave it a lot of thought this morning...

I have decided to watch less TV. I am reading "Paving Paradise" and it is already a month late at the library, I could use the time saved to read.

Nukes in Miami-Dade: Time to reflect and regroup. by Geniusofdespair

Chernobyl Legacy narrated by Photo Journalist Paul Fusco

When asked what kind of weapons World War III would be fought with, Albert Einstein replied:
"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

Einstein was afraid of the nuclear age. But apparently the Mayor of Homestead is not. She gleefully endorsed 4 nuclear reactors in her hood today at a public hearing, with nary a concern for evacuation or plume movements. I read some old data online that said it could take 20 hours to evacuate Sanibel island with about 13,600 people. I was standing next to a Homeland security guy (listening to his phone conversation, of course). He asked someone on the line if something happened at the Nuke plant how many people would they would have to evacuate. When the person on the other end gave him an answer he said: "189,000 people? 36 hours? That is a shitload of time." Or was it a "shitload of people." No matter.

How Green Nuclear Power is, said the Mayor of Homestead. It is so clean and safe. What the hell was she talking about?

The county commission passed the Zoning change at the plant. The vote was 11 to 1. You can guess who the one was.

The only cheerful thought I am left with: The Mayor in Homestead lives so much closer to the plant than I do. I hope she has her supply of Iodide tablets and the cherry flavor liquid for her children and the children in her city. And, for being so flippant about the whole thing: I hope she gets stuck in plenty of traffic trying to escape from the plume if there is ever an evacuation. She should have been asking hard questions about evacuation, not playing booster for Florida Power and Light. I wish reality could wipe that beaming smile off that stupid face. It is going to give me nightmares.

I heard people at the hearing say they want to stop our dependence on foreign oil by switching to Nuclear Power. Well sell your SUV if you want to save oil. That is a lot safer way to save energy. Get some solar panels for your hot water heater. A lot can be done in our homes. Look at the photo on the right to see what a nuclear power plant can do.

This is serious business folks. These decisions should be made with great care and not by chamber of commerce folks. We cannot EVER get rid of spent fuel. A nuclear accident, although not the norm, can be catastrophic for the whole county. It must be part of the equation. We were lucky with Hurricane Andrew. Will we be lucky again?

A chamber woman said to me: "How are you going to get your power?" I don't know because the country has not invested any money in developing alternative energy sources. I just know I am not going to play Sophie's choice. Coal or dangerous, toxic waste producing, water guzzling Nuclear? Is that the best we can do?

And as Commissioner Katy Sorenson said at the hearing:

''Do we get one resource, energy, at the expense of another, water?''
Chernobyl Legacy narrated by Photo Journalist Paul Fusco