Randi Rhodes: Fallout

Tuesday, March 15, 2011 The situation in Japan is continuing to unfold, or unravel, depending on when you check in. There is widespread uncertainty over what could happen next. Given the terms and methods they use to describe radiation levels, there is widespread uncertainty over what is happening now. All of the radiation level reports are in terms like “equivalent to 20 times the exposure that a uranium miner would receive in a year.” Our Homeland Security color-coded terror alert system was more understandable. They also tend to describe the situation in relation to prior nuclear accidents. “It’s worse than Three Mile Island, but not as bad as Chernobyl.” Just how many of these disaster benchmarks do we have to have before we figure out that nuclear power might not be safe? When you can have a rough nuclear disaster ratings scale based on prior incidents, maybe it’s time to reassess your commitment to nuclear power. So of course, at this point, Glenn Beck weighs in. At least when Glenn Beck speaks out on a confusing situation, people get a degree of certainty. We can all be absolutely sure that whatever Glenn Beck says is completely wrong. Here is how Glenn Beck summed up the message in this disaster: “The answer is, buckle up! Because it’s going to be a bumpy ride.” That’s it, Glenn? Your big insight into this disaster is a line you stole from Bette Davis? And he didn’t even get it right. The correct quote from Bette Davis as Margo Channing is “Fasten your seat belts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.” If you’re going to your draw lessons about natural disasters from the movie “All About Eve,” at least get your quotes straight. But then if Glenn is lifting his quotes from Bette Davis, I guess I should be glad he didn’t say the lesson to be learned from the Japanese earthquake is “But you ARE, Blanche, you are in that chair!” Then Glenn said that this all shows that we need to follow the 10 Commandments. Is an earthquake and tsunami in Japan really God’s way of telling us to follow the 10 Commandments? Because if it is, I would say that God needs some coaching in his messaging strategies. I don’t think that the strategy of using a natural disaster in Japan to get people to follow the 10 Commandments is working. I doubt that many of the victims of the tsunami are thinking to themselves “That’s it. From now on, there will be no more coveting my neighbor’s ox.” Today’s Homework | Discuss A replica of the Statue of Liberty stands next to tsunami damaged buildings in the city of Ishinomaki…