The first rule of the nuclear power industry is that you always protect the nuclear power industry. It stems from a culture ultimately rooted in nuclear weapon

The first rule of the nuclear power industry is that you always protect the nuclear power industry. It stems from a culture ultimately rooted in nuclear weapons and the cold war. From the very beginning, civilian atomic power has always had a dual role - in addition to producing electricity, it has always been about either producing weapons-grade material directly or (as in the case of Japan) providing a break-out capacity to go nuclear. Government and the military have a far deeper commitment to nuclear than any comparable power generation technology. On the other hand, you have the public fear of contamination. Any accidents further undermine support for nuclear, so far better simply to shoot-and-shovel rather than owning up to problems and potentially improving safety in the future. I have supported nuclear myself in the past, but the polyannish and deeply irresponsible response of nuclear supporters during this crisis has me reconsidering. I'm becoming skeptical that real, fallible human beings are capable of safely managing a technology with so much political baggage and black-swan potential.