Fukushima, the final warning, Michael Steinberg:The Children of Japan test Positive for Radiation Poisoning The people of Japan are appealing for international attention, and help. At the web page NIRS.org you can sign a petition to protect Japan’s children, as the extent of contamination to soil, food, air and water, are only now being revealed. We hear a portion of a broadcast by the Australian Broadcast Network, ABC.
Produced by Dori Smith in Storrs, CT
TRT: 29:19
Download at Pacifica's Audioport here or at Radio4all.net and Archive.org
We discuss Michael Steinberg’s take on the Fukushima nightmare as a final warning to global societies about the dangers of nuclear energy. Acclaimed writer and activist Michael Steinberg is author of the book, Millstone and Me: Sex, Lies and Radiation, published in 1998 by Black Rain. It became a historical document outlining the battle to close an aging nuclear plant in Connecticut. In that case Connecticut residents of all types of parties and social classes came together as one as they noted the health risks posed by the threat of radiation. Could the world finally be doing the same thing?
Japan’s nuclear power company, TEPCO, has said they hope to begin removing fuel rods from plants that melted down in early 2014. The goal is to finish by the end of 2016. Yet even this is uncertain as a time frame for decommissioning the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Meanwhile both TEPCO and the entire nuclear industry of Japan are being financially bailed out by the government. (NHK TV) But at the worst possible time in the crisis, the global media has pulled away from the story, even as news that radiation levels spiked to a new record high in early August, we did not see intensive global coverage.
The NY Times did publish an extensive report on the failures of the Japanese government to focus on responding to the radiation leak, TEPCO and the government was centering their attention instead on potential economic damage. Within the past week we saw global markets rise in response to claims that damage to Japan’s economy was not as bad as had been thought. It’s an absurd take according to those who who have been monitoring this story in the independent press. They say we are at a critical moment in the effort to save lives in Japan.
The Australian Broadcast Corporation provided a short news story on the crisis for Japanese school children and nursing mothers. Click Here -- They are finding cesium in their breast milk. Children are testing positive for radiation poisoning. Warning, this video is very emotional to view. It demonstrates the pressing emergency for the children of Japan.
Produced by Dori Smith in Storrs, CT Music byFritz Heede http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif Ellen Brown joins us once again, to talk about her latest piece in Truthout.org, titled, Why Banks Aren’t Lending: The Silent Liquidity Squeeze. Ellen Brown is author of the 2009 book Web of Debt, you can find it online at webofdebt.com. She is also Chair and President of the educational Public Banking Institute, a non profit think tank at: publicbankinginstitute.org.
The U.S. Government bail out known as TARP failed to provide needed resources through loans from banks. Instead, banks hoarded cash, contributing to the national and international liquidity problem. Ellen Brown reported recently in Truthout.org that, "A stunning $1.6 trillion in excess reserves has accumulated in bank reserve accounts since the collapse of Lehman Brothers on September 15, 2008". Corporations are doing the same. Cisco, a technology company, has reported anywhere from 40 and 44 billion in cash reserves over the past year, yet they are carrying out an "austerity program" of layoffs, sending out over 6,000 pink slips. What is the company using their money for? Stock buybacks, and yet they do not provide dividends to share holders. Cisco is also closing one of their plants. Ellen Brown explains how the liquidity problem contributes to job loss and failure of small businesses to grow.
Ellen Brown’s earlier articles had titles like: “Turning the tables on Wall Street, and North Dakota shows Cash-Starved States, How they can Create their own Credit. She is a proponent of the state banking system in place in North Dakota she says has made that state solvent. Without some form of strong measures, the nation could be facing yet another banking and financial institution crisis.
In the time since we last spoke with Ellen Brown, many states have turned to the state bank model as a potential source of hope as American towns, cities, and states, face record short falls. Fourteen states have bills pending to either create a state bank or do a feasibility study to develop one.
We reached Ellen Brown in London, she is en route to Malaysia where she was invited to speak at a conference. She will speak at the Global Table, the local money reform group in London, as they consider a bill pending in the British Parliament.
Talk Nation Radio for July 13, 2011 Medea Benjamin, Greece, the U.S., Israel, and the Gaza Flotilla Early release
TRT:29:14 Produced by Dori Smith in Storrs, CT Download at Pacifica's Audioport here or at Radio4all.net and Archive.org Download here as a free MP3 file in 128K.
An activist for 30 years, Medea Benjamin is winner of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Prize from the Fellowship of Reconciliation. She is also an author and former economist and nutritionist with the United Nations and World Health Organization. Her articles appear in Alternet, Huffington Post, CommonDreams, and OPED news. Or you can learn more about her work online at Codepink.org and USTOGAZA.org. We reached Medea Benjamin in Athens where the US ship Audacity of Hope is still impounded by Greek Authorities. Author, and long time peace activist, Medea Benjamin is co-founder at Global Exchange and Code pink, and you can learn more about the flotilla mission at twitter at @USBOATTOGAZA Deputy Consul General Kate Brandeis that she agreed that the U.S. Boat “had a right to sail to Gaza.” Still, they were stopped at gun point as they tried to leave the Greek port.
Medea Benjamin discusses the tactics and pressure brought to bear on Greek authorities who arrested the captain of the US Ship to Gaza, the Audacity of Hope, and jailed him for several days in very poor conditions.
Passengers have been making their way home after being stopped in waters off the Greek port of Pireaus. We look at what went wrong, and what organizers plan to do now. In many ways the short journey was a success though. Media coverage was largely positive and many journalists wanted to go on the flotilla to Gaza. Israeli officials appear ham handed and Greek authorities give ridiculous credibility to an organization (Shurat HDin, Israel Law Center) that has in the past been tied to a scheme to force a sale of the Gaza flotilla ships, and "give" the money to a supporter who says they were a victim of some form of violence that is in no way connected to anyone in the flotilla movement.
ALSO, TIAA Creff announced that they were divesting from holdings in companies supporting settlement activity in Israel. (See Haaretz July 2011).
Also available for this week, a related special: here
Talk Nation Radio for July 7, 2011 Gale Courey Toensing, Medea Benjamin, Update on US Ship to Gaza Flotilla Passengers Reflect and Plan Next Actions
Gale Courey Toensing, Medea Benjamin, Update on US Ship to Gaza Flotilla Passengers Reflect and Plan Next Actions
TRT: 29:02 Produced by Dori Smith, in Storrs, CT and syndicated with Pacifica Network Download at Pacifica's Audioport here or at Radio4all.net and Archive.org
We hear voices from the Gaza flotilla and interview Connecticut peace activist Gale Courey Toensing who provides us with an update as of July 2nd (from on board the Audacity of Hope in Greek port). Gale Gale Courey Toensing is a staff reporter for, Indian Country Today. Then Medea Benjamin, Global Exchange and Code Pink co-founder, provides an update as of July 7th (from Athens, Greece). Passengers of the flagship of the Gaza Flotilla 2, the US Boat to Gaza, as well as other vessels are now en route home. Greek authorities have confiscated their boat and other boats in the flotilla and are holding them.
We hear about possible fall out from the actions of U.S. and Israeli governments as well Greek officials involved in an exaggerated response to intercept the peace activists in waters off Greece as they left the port of Piraeus. Legal action is possible, according to Medea Benjamin, as John Klusmer, the captain of the Audacity of Hope, was arrested and held for days in severe conditions without a bed or ample food and water. He was released Tuesday and charges relate to a failure to obey a police order. They appear to be the equivalent of a misdemeanor.
The passengers on board the US Ship to Gaza, Audacity of Hope, have vowed to continue to work to "lift Israel's criminal siege of Gaza and end the Israeli occupation". This as the Obama administration and the State Department under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continue to issue meaningless requests to the Israeli government that they stop pushing Palestinians out of their homes, crushing the homes, then building new settlements which are typically massive apartment complexes.
We are editing a half hour interview with Medea Benjamin to add to this week's available broadcasts.
Talk Nation Radio for June 29, 2011 Special series on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla Libor Koznar on the Audacity of Hope to Gaza, as Freedom Flotilla Passengers begin their Civil and Human Rights Mission on behalf of Palestinians
Once again peace activists are challenging the Israel stranglehold on Palestinians in Gaza, with ten more ships making their way to Gaza with humanitarian aid. Israel has been threatening to board the ships carrying hundreds of peace activists from many countries. We will be hearing from Connecticut residents on the Gaza flotilla who are traveling on the Audacity of Hope.
Libor Koznar, joins us to talk about his reasons for making the journey. He is a Central Connecticut State University graduate and co-Founder of Art and Struggle, an artist & activist collective. Koznar will be reporting on the Gaza flotilla for Talk Nation Radio, but he may wind up banned from Israel as a result of his efforts. The Foreign Press Association has accused the Israeli government of using "threats and intimidation" in an effort to try to stop media coverage of the 10-ship flotilla. They say the journalists traveling with the ships will be banned from Israel for ten years. (Artwork from the Art at Art and Struggle web page, work by Abdul Hay Mussalam, Village Celebration, acrylic on wood composite, 27 1/2" x 48 1/2", 1985)
Activists on the ship from Sweden, Greece, and Norway, are alleging deliberate sabotage after its propeller cut off while it sat in the dock in Athens. The group is making repairs. Earlier in the month Israelis tried to claim that the Audacity of Hope was not seaworthy, but the ship is set to sail with the others anyway and organizer Ann Wright said the allegations were a false attempt to detain the vessel and prevent their journey.
As peace activists from all over the world including holocaust survivor Hedy Epstein, who is now 86 years old. Pulitzer Prize winning author Alice Walker will be on board the flotilla as well as Global Exchange founder Medea Benjamin.
Nobel Peace Price laureates Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Jody Williams, Shirin Ebadi and Ribogerta Menchu Tum have asked for UN support for the mission. Nine people were killed last May as Israeli commandos boarded one of the previous Gaza flotilla vessels, killing nine people. See this link to PeaceJam.
Israeli Navy commandos have already started conducting drills at sea as they ramp up their military efforts to stop the flotilla. Israel asked for US support and got it as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the Gaza freedom flotilla mission was not helpful. US officials reminded the flotilla passengers that the Israeli navy had stopped previous attempts to enter Gaza by sea, resulting in deaths, injuries and arrests.
US and global peace activists say they are deeply troubled by America’s inaction as Israel continues to push Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem, then construct illegal settlements. Israel has also been under heavy criticism for use of excessive force to disperse peaceful protesters.
Talk Nation Radio for June 22, 2011 Street Medic Roger Benham on a Mining Protest in West Virginia
Tracing the Route of a 1920s and 1930s Protest to Save Blair and Coal River Mountains The coal industry and companies like Massey Energy, now Alpha Resources, have decimated the mountains, and poisoned rivers and streams as well as air in West Virginia and other places. Protesters gathered to retrace their steps and protest Mountain Top Removal.
Roger Benham joins us once again. A street medic who has traveled to places like Haiti, Palestine, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, and other places, this time he has just returned from West Virginia where he and two other medics from Connecticut got a first hand look at the damage that has been done to the environment by the coal industry, and companies like Massey Energy. Facing lawsuits and criticism over mine safety, Massey was taken over by Alpha Resources. Some have doubts that it is anything more than a name change. Meanwhile, a growing protest movement has been largely ignored as the company has devastated mountain regions, damaging the state’s economy, wrecking homes, and ruining health.
The people of West Virginia have lost their rights to land, and to safety, as the coal industry has blasted the tops off of mountains, poisoning their water, sending rock shrapnel onto them, causing the foundations of their homes to crack, and saturating the air they breath with coal dust. Roger Benham fills us in on the fight to save Coal River Mountain, the subject of Robert Kennedy Jr.’s new film, The Last Mountain. We hear the audio of the movie trailer. Plus he tells the story of the Blair Mountain protests of the 1920s, and how they traced the route of earlier coal mining protesters who also had a lot at stake.
News of the protest appears here, here and here. We will provide further information in the coming weeks. The history includes a major battle and we hear Roger Benham tell the story of the old battle for Blair Mountain, adding information about a recent effort to make the mountain a national historic site.
There is a short clip of Aunt Molly Jackson, a traditional singer and protest writer who took on the coal industry, mining bosses, and sheriffs, in Kentucky. The clip we hear was part of a special produced by Produced and Written by Mark Torres, Executive Producer: Brian DeShazor, and Narrated by Arline Chang. It is available here.
Talk Nation Radio for June 3, 2011 Diane Wilson on Diary of an Eco-Outlawhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Produced by Dori Smith in Storrs, Connecticut TRT: 29:00http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif Download at Pacifica’s Audioport here and at Radio4all.net and archive.org
Award winning environmentalist and author Diane Wilson joins us to talk about her latest book, Diary of an Eco-Outlaw, An Unreasonable Woman Breaks the Law for Mother Earth published by Chelsea Green Publishing of White River Junction, VT. It’s a sequel to her first book, An Unreasonable Woman.
She was a 24 year old boat captain before turning into an environmentalist and the story of how that happened is both uplifting and at times shocking as she takes on Dow, Union Carbide and Formosa Plastics, trying to get them to stop polluting. Diane Wilson has been jailed fifty times for civil disobedience, and taken on people like Union Carbide CEO Warren Anderson, former Vice President Dick Cheney, and former BP CEO Tony Hayward. And a long list of many others, largely men, working at companies as security or working as CEOS. Diary of an Eco-Outlaw is sure to be another major success for author, Diane Wilson.
Michael Mariotte, NIRS, Update on Radiation from Fukushima: Understanding What Meltdown is as Applied to Japan Leak
Produced by, Dori Smith TRT:28:58 Music fades long, 40:00 and also at midway point in the program we feature a 1:14 sec. clip of Courtney Dowe's, Radiation Blues. Download at Pacifica's Audioport here or at Radio4all.net and Archive.org
We’re continuing to update the situation in Japan at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant where Japan Electric now admits that 35% to 50% of the fuel had melted down at three reactors as of weeks ago. Michael Mariotte of NIRS, the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, joins us with an update. NIRS is urging people to sign their petition and contact their representatives to try to once again block the $36 billion in loan guarantees for nuclear development offered by the White House. See this PDF as well as this pdf. NIRS offers health information on the after effects of Chernobyl here as reference material for those concerned about the impact of the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
At their web site NIRS.org there are continual updates including one May 20th (and 26th) explaining that more is known at this point about the meltdown at Plant 1, the Mox fuel plant that leaked Plutonium in addition to other radioactive particles. As had been reported to us earlier by nuclear expert Dr. Arjun Mahijiani, there was damage to Unit 1 from the earthquake even before the devastating tsunami. We had discussed the crack leading to the plant and you can find that interview and others at www.talknationradio.org.
Talk Nation Radio for May 19, 2011 Paul Blanch part 2, US Nuclear Power Plant Safety Issues TRT:29:01 Produced by Dori Smith, Storrs, Connecticut Download at Pacifica's Audioport here or at Radio4all.net and Archive.org
We continue our conversation with nuclear expert and whistle blower, Paul Blanch, about symptoms of decay within America’s nuclear industry. They said they’d learn from the Fukushima Daiichi nightmare. But according to Paul Blanch the underground coolant pipes are decaying, and not being tested sufficiently. Interestingly, in Japan news, TEPCO officials theorize that although plant 4 was not operating before the earthquake and tsunami, it was nevertheless impacted by hydrogen traveling to it from an adjacent reactor through pipes and vents. Bloomberg is reporting that a radiation alarm was going off at Fukushima before the tsunami March 11, which could mean that it was in fact damaged by the earthquake before the tsunami wave hit. Tepco continues to pump water into Plants 1, 2 and 3, in an attempt to keep the reactors cool now that cooling water containment was breached, leading to a melting of rods.
As of May 19th TEPCO revealed that radioactive cesium-134 levels at plant 3 are at 1,800 times the legal limit. Lat week cesium-134 levels were at 32,000 times the legal limit. (See report here) These are the kinds of technical questions that would have been part of the job description for Paul Blanch who spent some 27 years in the nuclear field working for major companies. He is now a whistle blower and expert witness on license renewal for New England nuclear power plants.
Last time Paul Blanch told us the state’s safety plan for Millstone Nuclear Power Plant run by Dominion is not workable. In the event of a nuclear crisis at the plant, state DEP workers couldn’t distribute Potassium Iodine or manage an evacuation in the event of an accident. He expands on that, and describes conditions at plants in New England including Millstone, which has leaked Tritium, only mildly radioactive but nevertheless, a "marker" for problems such as corroded under ground coolant pipe lines.
See Also NY Times on Plant 1, Meltdown 'With Reactor Damage Thought to Be Worse, Tokyo Utility Sticks to Plan', By HIROKO TABUCHI Published: May 17, 2011, 'Tokyo Electric said it would change some aspects of its plan to bring the reactors to what it called a “cold shutdown,” where temperatures at the core fall below the boiling point.-- The utility no longer plans to fill up the reactors with water to stabilize them, it said. Instead, the company will now try to keep the reactors cool by building self-circulating cooling systems at the damaged reactors'.
And NIRS, Nuclear Information and Resource Service, Stop Wasting Taxpayer Money on Nuclear Subsidies Tell your legislators that putting taxpayers on the hook for subsidies to the nuclear industry is bad business and will only delay or diminish investments in affordable clean energy alternatives.
Talk Nation Radio (not a final transcript, edits in progress) Republished from Archives, October 23, 2008, interview with Savannah GA District Attorney Spencer Lawton, about Troy Anthony Davis who is on death row in Georgia. Amnesty International is asking people to sign a petition here and contact to ask them to commute his sentence to life rather than death. His execution could be carried out at any time. Laura Moye, at Amnesty International, has also asked, "If you know clergy or legal professionals, ask them to please sign the sign-on letters for Troy. And when a date is set, join us for an international day of solidarity, where we will have demos around the world in advance of Davis’ clemency hearing to show the parole board that the world is watching and demands a stop to the execution!" here
This transcript begins at 15:00 minutes into the above program after Attorney Dierdre http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifO'Connor who has long been interested in the case as part of her work with the group, Innocence Matters, explains that the sudden and unexpected shooting crime occurred in a dimly lit parking lot late at night and was witnessed by people in the line of fire. After the crime the police quickly settled on Troy Davis, and they did so based on the untested testimony of Sylvester "Red" Coles. She further notes that a key witness whose testimony was to result in the arrest and prosecution of Troy Davis, had said he had been threatened by police officials that he would be put in prison if he did not say what he did. He would later try to "back up at trial" according to court authorities involved in the prosecution. Also available here in audio formats of higher quality including VBR MP3 128 k.
In light of the new video from award winning filmmaker Jen Marlowe, The Back Story on Troy Davis, we are republishing the transcript of my interview with the D.A. who prosecuted Troy Davis for its relevance. Davis may be executed at any time by the State of Georgia after the courts failed to reverse a legal decision on his innocence. The case has bounced to various courts and was sent back to Georgia by the U.S. Supreme Court for evidence hearing.
Members of the original jury in the Davis case have said that if they had known facts that have come to light since the case was tried, they would not have voted to convict the Georgia native of murder. Spencer Lawton assured AP, and readers of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, that Sylvester Red Coles was not the murderer of officer Mark McPhail.
Transcribed portion of Dori Smith interview with former Savannah County D.A., Spencer Lawton:
Smith: You mention this other man Sylvester Coles.
Lawton: "mmhhmm".
Smith: Did you investigate Sylvester Coles at the time, 1989?
Lawton: Yes, well um, well I don't know what you're gonna be willing to call an investigation. But what happened is, he came, I think it was the day after the event. He produced himself to the police. I think maybe I had said this in the material you're looking at.
Smith: Well you made the point that he had an attorney but his attorney allowed him to appear before the police without his being present. Why was that important?
Lawton: Well because it indicates, it indicates some confidence on the part of the lawyer that Coles was not involved. Any lawyer who had even the tiniest notion that his client could be tied to the case whether justifiably or not would never allow him to testify without counsel present. So, or make a statement to police without counsel present. So what that really basically indicates is that the man's own lawyer was sufficiently confident that he could not be tied to it that he present, that he told them go down down there go to the police station and tell them anything, tell them whatever it is that you know that you've got to say. So he did.
Smith: So that in fact is why you didn't investigate Coles? I mean isn't that kind of an assumption on your part, or did you ask the lawyer?
Lawton: Oh gee, everything's an assumption at some point.
Smith: Well I just wondered, who was the lawyer by the way?
Lawton: John Calhoon.
Smith: Thank you, and I just really, I think a lot of people have done a lot of different kinds of studies on this case because case because it could be kind of a test case for the question of innocence and new evidence in the matter of whether or not someone is put to death. It seems...
Lawton: Except that the Supreme Court doesn't think so.
Smith: Well the Supreme Court looked at a pretty narrow question right?
Lawton: No I, they reviewed as far as I'm aware they reviewed the entire record of the case. There would be no reason for em not to. I would assume that they reviewed the entire record including all of those different spots along the way that I just got through enumerating to you.
Smith: So the question before them was whether or not the lower court was right in not presenting on evidentiary..
Lawton: Well before them also was a question which the defen, which the defendants asked was whether the 8th amendment prohibits execution of the innocent. I've got no idea. It wasn't necessarily just confined to an examination of one lower court's opinion. There were um (phew) um a half a dozen lower court opinions. There were opinions rendered by the U.S. District Court, by the US Circuit Court of Appeals, by the State Supreme Court. And I'm sure that they reviewed all of those lower opinions. They don't say in their ruling, they just say that they declined to hear the appeal.
Smith: You said something about the fact that you found it important, significant, that some 80% of those witnesses recanted and you thought that was evidence that they weren't telling the truth. Can you just explain why?
Lawton: Well because its such an uncanny coincidence as to invite the suspicion that it wasn't merely coincidence, at least in my mind, and I know in the minds of, of many others.
Smith: If you've said that they are not credible can you just say why not, is it the case that mistakes are so seldom?
Lawton: I'm not saying, what am I saying is not credible?
Smith: Well you said it was suspicious, suspect.
Lawton: Well yeah sure sure.
Smith: You know a couple of things I remember. One was a man named Larry Young, he was hit in the head and he told CBS News he never saw Troy Davis and so he obviously is one of those who recants his testimony right?
Lawton: Mmhhhm, mmhmm.
Smith: Do you remember him? He was hit in the head?
Lawton: Let me ask you a question if I may.
Smith: Sure.
Lawton: What, give me the best reason that you can think. I just got through saying that these witnesses when they testified at trial they did so contemporaneously with the prosecution, while their memories were relatively fresh, they did it under oath, they did it in open court, they did it subject to cross examination by the defense attorneys who were trying to get em to say what they now say. Now, give,if you, if we can think of one reason why what they say in their affidavits should be given any more credibility than what they said at trial I would like to know what that reason is. Could you give me that reason?
Smith: Sure, what about the threat of incarceration for ten to twelve years?
Lawton: I don't understand you.
Smith: Some of these witnesses have said that they were threatened with being incarcerated for between ten to twelve years.
Lawton: Why, I'm asking you why should we believe that, why should we believe anything they say now more than what they said when they were at trial?
Smith: I think that one of the folks that I've interviewed about this case thus far have wondered why all of this isn't being heard by a judge.
Lawton: But that's not an answer to my question.
Smith: No I mean the real question that I had for you is why are you going to the lengths you are to document that its not credible but yet its my understanding from the defense that thus far the courts have not heard these witnesses that have recanted, and that has not been presented as a case. Its been presented as a question, 'can we present it'? But the evidentiary hearings...
Lawton: ...and the answer to that question was no. they cannot present their live witnesses in court for a, for a number of reasons.. what, the principle reason being that none of the affidavits meet the conditions of the rule that would allow them to. We've got to have rules, you can't.
Smith: And are you willing to let a man be executed for that?
Lawton: I'm sorry?
Smith: You say you're against the death penalty. Just explain to me, I mean you wouldn't want though to have an innocent man executed on a procedure?
Lawton: Ma'am I'm not gonna continue this a whole lot longer. I can see the case you are trying to build and I've done the very best that I can to..
Smith: Well I'm not an attorney so I'm not trying to build a case..I'm just..
Lawton: You don't have to be an attorney to try to build a case. An awful lot of people that are not attorneys have been signing on to to try to..
Smith: I mean you must be under a lot of pressure and especially because you had that story written in Georgia in the same area? It was a book and a film right about the Williams case?
Lawton: Oh gee, (Laughs) yeah, yeah go ahead, what do you conclude from all of that?
Smith: Well, it was, "In the Garden of Good and Evil"? Is that right? (In the book, the prosecutor, withholds exculpatory evidence and James Williams is convicted of murder. The Georgia Supreme Court reversed the conviction after confirming that Lawton withheld evidence that could have cleared him.)
Lawton: I understand that yeah yeah yeah what do you conclude from that?
Smith: Well two things, I mean really my story has been a look at the death penalty itself because some people even though they are not opposed are favoring a moratorium because of mistakes made and 130 cases now?
Lawton: That may be I'm only concerned with the Davis Case,
Smith: OK.
Lawton: I'm just, that's my only concern.
Smith: I guess I just wonder why not allow these witnesses who insist..
Lawton: It's not me that's not allowing em ma'am it's the courts that aren't allowing em, and the reason they are not being allowed is because there are rules that say when something is allowed and when it's not and they don't meet the rule. I just can't explain any better than you. If if uh, suppose that we were listening to, um, suppose there were a court that was trying to decide somebody's guilt or innocence and a mob gathered outside the court house chanting and demanding vengeance. I'm prepared to bet you wouldn't be happy with that. And to think the court would listen to that would be, would be a bad thought. Now let's suppose that a mob gathers outside the court house while the court is trying to decide guilt or innocence, based on the rule of law mind you, and the crowd chants and demands innocence. In both cases what is sought to be done is that the judicial process should yield to the chants of the mob? Am I right?
Smith: Are you calling Amnesty International the mob, I just want to be clear?
Lawton: Yeah, sure, I well, I don't know, a mob, I'm calling every, the aggregate of people who have been swayed by Amnesty International and the Innocence Project, and all of these other little projects around. I'm saying that yeah what that basically is...the thousands of faxes and emails and phone calls that I and others involved in the case have, have received. I characterize all of that as being a mob. I do.
Smith: District Attorney Lawton. Have you satisfied yourself...
Lawton: I'm not going to answer that quest.. I'm the prosecutor. I do my duty according as I see it according to the law. It is not available to me to substitute my sensibilities for the rule of law. That's my answer, I'm sorry, I do have to go now. It's late.
Talk Nation Radio for May 12, 2011 Paul Blanch, Nuclear Industry Whistle Blower, Money over Safety in Nuclear Industry, Corrosive Pipes, Lack of Oversight
We discuss Japan and the U.S. What concerns do we share? What facts should be know?
From this interview, "One thing to know is that Indian Point is the world’s most dangerous nuclear plant with probably the highest level of on site radiation,".says Paul Blanch. He also discusses the threat posed by increasing levels of radioactive particles from spent fuel rods at U.S. nuclear plants.
Paul Blanch recently filed a formal petition with the NRC which they rapidly rejected. He is sharply critical of the agency and cites their prime concerns as money, corporate successes, more so than safety.
We take a closer look at safety measures at US nuclear plants. Our guest, Paul Blanch, is a registered professional engineer with a degree in electrical engineering. He trained as a nuclear reactor operator instructor in the U.S. Navy 45 year ago, after which he worked for Northeast Utilities for 27 years in the nuclear field. “I guess I was a whistle blower” he explains. He also worked for Maine Yankee, Entergy, Consolidated Edison, and has done contract work for Nuclear Energy Institute, Electric Power Research Institute, and he is currently an expert witness for license renewal for Indian Point, working for the New York Attorney General, and an expert witness on license renewal for Seabrook nuclear plant. He has been involved in license renewal for Vermont Yankee and power upgrade as well as license renewal for the Pilgrim Nuclear plant. He was an expert witness on the Three Mile Island disaster.
There are also some insidious indications of corrosive materials within transport pipes at a New England nuke plant. That he says could cause a nightmare scenario here in the U.S. to rival Fukushima. We take a close look at the meaning of the Fukushima explosions, the types of radiation releases, and discuss information provided at one Connecticut event featuring a nuclear expert from the state DEP. Also, an overview of the use and distribution of Potassium Iodine to prevent uptake of radioactive iodines. CT supposedly offers Potassium Iodine for people living in a 10 mile radius of Millstone. We look at the reality of what distribution would be like in the event of an accident here. In short, it would be impossible for many reasons primarily lack of advance preparation, storage, and method of providing this compound. ("You might as well bend over and kiss your butt good bye", he says.)
UPDATE: After broadcast aired, TEPCO and Japanese officials released information about their actual meltdown, and core damage which they now believed provoked release of radioactive water into the ocean. Just yesterday the company came under harsh criticism for failing to remove radiation from water before intentionally releasing it. See this article here at the Telegraph…May 12, 2011
Talk Nation Radio update, special Mother's Day in Shelby County Tennessee as Flood Waters Rise, Officials Evachhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifuahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifte Residents
TRT: 22:14 no music Download at Pacifica's audioport here or at archive.org here and radio4all.net here Produced by Dori Smith, I'm located in Connecticut but on the phone with Tennessee officials. If you want us to get info. out for you, write to talknationradio@gmail.com Staysafeshelby NEW for May 7,2011 that is a PDF file, go to this page for more info or call:
Flood Information Hotline (901) 324-8799 Text requests to: (901) 290-7530 Media Information (901) 308-4360 mediacrisisinfo@gmail.com
Tennessee State of Emergency, Flood Water Continues to Rise, River Expected to Crest between Sunday, Mother's Day, May 8th and Tuesday, May 10th.
Emergency aid officials in Shelby County Tennessee will determine which shelters to open on Mothers Day, May 8th, as families are now packed and ready to go. Sunday will be a crucial day for those deciding whether or not to evacuate from the severe storms and flooding that has killed 23 people in Tennessee already.
SHELTER FOR SHELBY COUNTY, HERE There is also a shelter set up for pets.
The American Red Cross has opened a shelter at White Station Church of Christ in East Memphis at 1106 Colonial Road, there are also shelters in Obion, Lake, Dyer and Madison counties, as well as Tunica County in Mississippi. The Red Cross has also opened shelters in Crittenden County, Arkansas. To find out about shelters call your local officials or 211 to learn how.
For Talk Nation Radio I'm Dori Smith with a news update on the state of emergency in Tennessee where the Mississippi River is expected to crest at 48 feet. That's the highest level ever recorded, and so anyone living along the Mississippi and its tributaries are asked to leave. This is not a mandatory evacuation order according to Dean Lener af the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, but state officials are urging people to check their areas of Memphis and find a designated shelter or move to higher ground. There is a web site you can go to, search tom leatherwood, Shelby County Registrar of Deeds, and if you type your address into that site you can find your sea level, that will let you know what your flood risk is.
If you are planning to leave but do not have transportation you can go to the web site staysafeshelby, or call the red cross or Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, TEMA, at (615) 741-0001
We were able to reach the public affairs officer for Shelby County on Mothers Day, May 8th, that’s Steve Shular, for more information on where there are now shelters in that section of Tennessee as the Mississippi River is expected to reach its crest on May 10th or sooner.
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