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.
Talk Nation Radio for May 5, 2011 Chris Allen-Doucot on Visit to Palestine: Settlers both join in protests, cause problems
Produced by Dori Smith, in Storrs, CT TRT: 29:28 Download at Pacifica's Audioport here or at Radio4all.net and Archive.org
Part one: We hear a talk given in Storrs, Connecticut, by Chris Allen Doucot, a founder of the Hartford Catholic Worker. While peace talks between Israel and Palestine remain stalled, a growing number of peace activists from around the world are visiting Palestine to observe or participate in a growing protest movement there. At stake are the illegal Israeli settlements and separation wall, and a lack of access to Jerusalem where many holy sites are now blocked off for both Jewish and Christian Palestinians. The event was organized by the Israel/Palestine Peace, Education and Action Group of N.E. CT. They invited Chris Allen Doucot to discuss his recent visits to Palestine and Afghanistan.
In part two Chris Allen-Doucot talks about his personal experiences while protesting to include having settlers dump sewage water on him and on his teen age son.
Last weekend the Gates of Hell opened in Dallas, and , of course, I was there...
...Deiter Laser, who portrayed Dr. Heiter in The Human Centipede. He was very nice, and seemed to be having a lot of fun with his American fans.
...with Nick Principe (Laid To Rest , Laid To Rest 2: Chromeskull, Madison County). A villain onscreen, Nick is one of the coolest guys you'll ever meet in real life.
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. 
