there has been talk about using nuclear power as another source of energy. some people feel that it is a safe effecient energy source, because of the improvements that has been made. It has been 30 years since the accident at unit 2 of three mile island nuclear generating plant. one of the questions that it mentioned in an article, should we consider using facilities that generate electricity from unranium or some other radioactive fuel. When the chernobly plant in ukraniun had a near meltdown on march 28 1979 along with the explosion, it halted the move toward generated elctricity in the united states. There was only a handfull that allready were under construction 30 years ago. In the united states 104 nuclear reactors generated only one fith of the electricity produced, while other countries are using this technology. They are able to produce three quarters of electricity that they consume. The problem is that some states will see an increase in electrical bills because restrictions are due to expire. People do want to find some long term investment in low cost power. There are arguments on both sides whether we should try it again. People who favor it point to the fact that there are nuclear plants operate safely around the world with no lives lost. people believe that we have created better technology because of the lessons we learned from the accidents and point out that it doesnt pollute the air. The other side of it is there is a potential environment issue. They feel that another accident has the potential to release radiation into the atmosphere. The other problem is long term storage of waste material. There is also a problem with nuclear power because it isnt a renewable source of energy like oil, coil, and it is expensive to build nuclear reactors. so far the federal government has stayed out of it. I think there is always a serious risk when dealing with nuclear power, because it does pose a potential risk to the environment and people. I think one of the things we have to think about is if something seriously happened we cant just go back and fix the damage. i think it would solve are energy problems but i guess we have to decide is it worth the risk getting involved with nuclear energy. I think if we did try it we should try to eliminate as many risks as possible. I think that fear will always be on the back of peoples minds. i think people need to ask themselves would they be comfortable with a nuclear plant next to them. I wouldnt mind trying it if you could eliminate the risk of nuclear power.

Pakistan: Our Next Big Problem

We often hear about the United States efforts to eliminate the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, but we're only hearing about half the problem. The other half of the issue lies just miles across the Pakistani border. There are more Taliban and al-Qaeda groups living in Pakistan than there are in Afghanistan. If our true intention in Afghanistan is to weed out these groups, aren't we fighting in the wrong country? 

President Obama will meet with President Asif al-Zardari of Pakistan and President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan Wednesday morning at the White House. On the top of the agenda- a collaborative military effort in the border region of the NorthWest Frontier Territory against insurgent forces. 

“The possibility is now real that we will see a jihadist state emerge in Pakistan — not an inevitable outcome, not even the most likely, but a real possibility,” said Bruce Riedel, Brookings Institution scholar. 

With a larger population of insurgent forces in a country with nuclear capabilities, it is only a matter of time before this ticking time bomb of a situation explodes. 

Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday, “this isn’t about ‘can do’ any more; this is about ‘must do.’ ”

As David E. Sanger of The New York Times sees it President Obama has three objectives to keep in mind: we must work with the Pakistani and Afghani governments to support a cooperative military effort in the tumultuous  border region, we must increase covert ground actions, and finally, we must keep the security of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal as our number one priority. 

SCOTUS Nomination for POTUS

Perfectly set as the cherry on top of President Obama's first one hundred days, Associate Justice Souter announced he was resigning from the high court in order to pursue a more simplistic life in his NH home where he apparently does not use electricity, or even a typewriter for that matter. I am personally pleased with many of the decisions Souter has made, except for one or two such as Kelo v. New London where he sided with the majority in a gross expansion of the government's power of eminent domain.

After perusing the political media it appears that they have already settled upon a favorite of Sonia Sotomayor, a judge on the Second Circuit of the Court of Appeals. She is obviously viewed as a triple threat by Democrats as she is a woman, hispanic, and liberal leaning in her decisions. In addition to those aspects she also has a life story that could be appealing to Obama, who said during the campaign he wants not only a legal scholar but some with real life experiences and "empathy" for regular folks. Sotomayor is a single divorcee who grew up in a working class neighborhood and lost her father at a young age. This as well as other aspects which will fill in the blanks could bode well for her.

An interesting article with a more critical look at Ms. Sotomayor, where I obtained some of my information Sotomayor can be found here:

http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=45d56e6f-f497-4b19-9c63-04e10199a085

Mainly, the article questions her temperament and intellectual prowess when it comes to interpreting the law and handing down opinions, overall a good read.

As this first appointment saga goes on I will be interested in who Obama pays homage to by leaking his short list. This is a common way of flattering and thanking someone for their support even if you have no intention of choosing them. Being mentioned as a possible candidate for the SCOTUS can be more valuable to someone than any position awarded by the President. If all goes as planned though it appears Sotomayor will be the first Hispanic Justice (though that in itself is debateable: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_N._Cardozo ) And Obama will solidify the Hispanic bloc behind him as the precursor to the immigration debate, forcing the Republicans to capitulate in at least some way during that debate so they do not lose the Hispanic vote permanently.

Good times.