Let me remind you of something crucial when it comes to nuclear power incidents and accidents: They lie (MadHound)

Mar. 13, 2011 (Democratic Underground) -- People lie.

When it comes to nuclear incidents and accidents, plant owners, government officials, and the media lie. If they can't cover up an incident, they will minimize it. Since radiation not only kills immediately, but also over time, the plant and government officials will simply say that all is good, nobody has died, meanwhile, years later, cancer cluster pop up and people who were exposed die prematurely.

When a crisis, such as Three Mile Island or Chernobyl comes down, the danger is minimized. Since most folks don't have a Geiger counter, they feel that they can get away with minimizing the amount of exposure. Only later does it turn out to be major.

We've seen this pattern followed for years and decades. Minor releases of radioactive material are covered up for years, if not forever. Major incidents, such as TMI and Chernobyl, are downplayed, sometimes to ludicrous extents, until the scope of the devastation simply can't be hidden anymore. And even afterwards, the damage is minimized. Proponents of nuclear power like to point to TMI and say that no deaths occurred, all the while ignoring the fact that there are cancer clusters surrounding the downwind side of TMI, one full of thyroid cancers and childhood leukemia.

We're seeing the same game being played out in Japan. All yesterday, the damage was minimized, the threat was minimized. Vague statements that were trying to be reassuring were issued, and all the buzz words were used. Yet the situation continued to worsen until now we have the building that houses the reactor and containment vessel exploding, and yet the dissembling continues as authorities hastily rush to mention that radiation levels are going down.

Nuclear power has been shoved down the throats of the people in this world for the past 60 years, despite the dangers, despite the threat, despite the fact that it is now the most expensive form of energy production going. A small group of powerful people have a vested monetary interest in continuing down the nuclear path, and they are able to exert their influence to put out lies and propaganda. Don't fall for it. The evidence of nuclear's dangers are apparent in the cancer clusters of Pennsylvania. They are evident in a 2,800-square-mile dead zone in Ukraine. And they are being played out for us now, on the coast of Japan.

Don't fall for the lies, spin and propaganda.

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