I have been watching Penn & Teller’s Bullshit from Showtime.  I have to say, I’m impressed.  They have a very “libertarian” point of view on topics, including the use of profanity and nudity, so this is not a show for the virgin-eared or eyed.  However, the show itself is actually a very substantive one, tackling topics as far apart as Wal-Mart Hate (and how that’s BS) and the energy crisis (and how that’s BS).  Yes, I have never seen a better attack on hybrid cars–not even the Smug episode of South Park.

In fact, the energy crisis episode got me thinking about a subject I had put on the shelf for some time: Nuclear Power.  There are many, many benefits to Nuclear power, including the fact that it is clean, easy to maintain, relatively cheap, and much less of a burden on the environment and society than coal or fossil fuels.

Oh, and it’s actually pretty safe, even though propagandists would have you believe otherwise.  There have been only two Nuclear accidents worldwide–one here, where nobody was hurt, and one in Soviet Russia, where quite a few people were hurt.  But that reactor was old and rundown even by Soviet standards.

Reactors today are far safer and more efficient than reactors of the past.  For years now, no new reactors have been built, but the research has continued, and the latest designs are far superior than the very good, very safe designs of the past.

And, as Penn and Teller pointed out, statistically speaking, a lot more people are harmed mining for coal than working with Nuclear power.

So, in short:

• Nuclear power is cheap, safe, and clean.
• Nuclear power is far more efficient and practical than alternative energy like wind or solar, which are still infant technologies.
• Nuclear power has been demonized by the mainstream media, but in fact there is little evidence to back up any of these demonizing claims.
• We need to pursue as many types of energy development as possible, including wind and solar, but Nuclear would give us the room we need to pursue them without relying on fossil fuels so much.
• Lasting peace and prosperity will only be achieved with energy independence.

So I urge everyone out there who cares about these things to push their representatives in government to lift restrictions on Nuclear power.  The time has come to rethink, redesign, and move forward.

Kain's major subjects of focus at NeoConstant are international strategy; support of Israel; the failure of the international community to stop genocide; the spread of American power and democracy; historical analysis; and current events both domestically and abroad. He writes here, Newsvine and his blog, IndiePundit.