Zach, it sounds like you are in your element, whatever that means. It seems that you have caught the bug, as your words read with academic glee. I've been reading exerpts of a book by Ellen Herman called the Romance of American Psychology. It focuses on psychology's contribution to reinforcing or shifting American politics. Most of it is thoughtful, some of it is crap. Was going to write a paper for my peace studies class about field's contribution to the militarization of society. Am doing it on the nuclear power industry instead....Peace to you too.
I have nuclear power on the brain. Ari is right my mind has been sucked into the relam of nuclear thought, it's not just for nuclear physicists anymore. I am worried. I am worried about the health effects of radiation in consumer products settings in irradiated meat ("big burgers"), paint brushes. smoke detectors, watches, etc, etc. I am worried about the "experts" who defend foolishess with hormesis, a theory that says radiation in low doses is good for you because it helps your body build-up a resistance. Radiation is not a virus. Even exposure to radiation at the "zero dose" that is, the linear, no-threshold model.
I worry about the environment, what will we do with all this waste? Why are we creating more of it? Oscar Shirani, a nuclear safety specialist spoke at the conference. He is a brilliant man that could tell you and show you example after example of incompetance of the workers at nuclear power facilities and of the nuclear regulatory commission. He criticizes everything down to the flimsy breakable materials. He told me that hundrends of billions of dollars would have to be invested into nuclear waste storage and disposal, if we wanted to make it safe. The nuclear industry has not and will never do this because this means they would have to shut down to cover the costs. Instead we will continue our unabashed assault on indigenous communities by storing our waste on sacred land.
There is more, I could talk about depleted uranium weapons, terrorism, nuclear winter--- the thoughts gnaw in the back of my mind, but I won't. I could talk about how nuclear power facilities rape local economies and our federal tax dollars. All I know is that I have found an issue that is worth the fight. I am fortunate to have the help of individuals at nuclear watchdog organizations and research facilities. I am fortunate to have professors who let work slide for a cause that in the grand sheme of things is more important than passing a test. I am fortuate that my peace studies professor will let me write about militarization and the environment, that my community development professor will let me write a theorectical and applicable case study on the town of clinton, and that my latin american history professor will let me and geoff come into the class to give a presentation about nuclear power and the reactor. However, no new nukes and the student environmental action coalition can't do this alone. Most of the attendees at the conference were adults from the last nuclear movement almost 30 years ago. I don't know how to tap into the resources of my generation. Our generation is an apathetic and disillusioned because our government and the corporations want us to be that way. Yes, yes i know it sounds simplistic, but every time we say "there is nothing I can do". Every time we say "it doesn't matter" or "we can't win", we are not tying our hands behind our back, we are embracing with open arms our consumeristic and militaristic society. If this were a battle we would be shooting ourselves in the foot with our opponent's gun. I don't know how to reach out to student organizations or individuals, but I think that I am learning. So much facts and stats and whatnot. I could spout off a hundred and my opponent could spout off a hundred counter-arguments. I used think it was silly, but now I understand that it is how the game is played. If anyone has any ideas/suggestions/omments that would be super...ok i have to go take a test now.