Paying attention . . . Yes, by simply schooling yourself on how our local governance is organized, who are the players, what are the screw-ups, where is the money and what things get reported you can legitimately call yourself a citizen, an advocate for democracy.
For most people local politics only becomes a reality when you are afraid for your home, your property or your neighborhood. Fears can be physical, financial and cultural. Fears can be great motivators, as so many activists' stories of initial involvement attest.
Citizen Tip = Public Health / Public Safety and Trust
Who do we trust when it comes to the world around us? How aware are most people of the deep erosion in regulatory responsibilities by federal, state and county agencies when it comes to our air, soil, water & public utilities? Since the hard fought protections legalized in the 1970's it is easy to be lulled into complacence and assume those who protest have been accurately scapegoated by the media as hippies and hotheads. Instead, alarm bells should be going off.
Here is a huge threat far too close to home, the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant. Initially the news was about possible increases in electrical costs to consumers and outage possibilities because the San Onolfe had been taken offline since January. There have been news stories recently like here, here, here and here which expanded this to the very real danger to life within this 50 mile radius that includes Encinitas. Thanks go to Councilwoman Teresa Barth's inclusion of all these stories in her weekly newsletter.
The video below a different way of reporting by having a scientist to help us visualize what exactly is going on in the reported faulty tube design. Big thanks to scientists who make the complex issues more clear for us. (That deserves a whole post as this community is filled with accomplished scientists.)
On June 13th at city council, speakers protesting the safety issues at San Onefre sat through the whole meeting to voice their concerns. Patch reported, At the behest of concerned citizens, Encinitas City Council will examine safety concerns associated with the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station on a future agenda. (This is yet to have been scheduled.)
“Even though it’s shut down right at this point in time, we’re in great danger with the amount of nuclear fuel sitting there,” resident Harold Johnston said. Some residents questioned whether Encinitas has an adequate evacuation plan in place should San Onofre have problems; several brought up the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station disaster.We know how devastating nuclear disasters and their aftermath can be because of Fukushima, Japan's nuclear catastrophe. Lying to the public only compounded the problem in Japan. We dig for truth even when our public servants and local media don't.
Hat tip to Crooks & Liars. For a complete story go here.
