A Time for Hymns not SONGS (unusually “religious” for me, but the spirit moved
A Time for Hymns not SONGS (unusually “religious” for me, but the spirit moved
me and I just went with it!)
Dear God,
I pray for clarity of purpose and the ability to see the truth so that as a humble messenger I might be listened to by my brothers and sisters with whom I share this incredible world. My heart aches, just thinking of the gravity of the message that I reluctantly must convey from a position of relative comfort and safety, when it is the extreme opposite that awaits us all. Please help me to find the words that will turn this illusion of security into an accurate expression of reality, and evoke meaningfulness from the suffering and severe losses in Japan and from the story in the eyes of the disfigured children of Chernobyl. Help me to replace fear in the hearts of parents wondering if it is even safe to give their children milk, with hope for a future worth striving for while it is still within our reach. Let us tap into the best qualities of human nature so that we might prevent a looming disaster before it ever takes place on our shores. Thank you God, for the opportunity to do so. May those who read these words be grateful for your mercy and act accordingly.
The Truth:
A huge earthquake is long overdue and expected at any time now. We live next to a nuclear power plant that is rated to be the second most dangerous of the 104 currently being operated in the United States. It was retrofitted in 1981 as best as it could be, to withstand a magnitude 7.0 on the Richter scale, yet recent scientific evidence indicates that fault lines just off shore are capable of something between a 7.5 and 8.0 which is five to ten times greater. We live in a tsunami zone. Industry experts reassure us that they have taken conservative precautions, but we have seen how grossly they have underestimated the forces of nature in Japan. They risk all that we cherish as they persist with plans to extend their license to operate until 2042, a period that is certain to experience an earthquake like nothing we?ve ever seen in our lives. All the while, the most dangerous stockpile of radioactive waste accumulates in storage facilities that were never intended to be permanent. Perhaps most insidious of all is the prospect of evacuating 7.4 million people within a 50 mile radius, leaving their homes behind in what could only be called a dead zone for hundreds of years to come, uninsured and uninhabitable. Need I say more?
The Hope:
We are only getting 15% of our energy in California from two nuclear power plants, or just 7.5 % locally. We can decide to decommission San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station as quickly and safely as possible, demand that the Federal Government keep its promise to provide storage facilities for all nuclear waste, and redirect billions of dollars intended to prop up the nuclear industry to instead stimulate the green and safe technologies that exist now, but also hold the promise for many new discoveries. Meanwhile, we can conserve some of the energy that is so readily being wasted to get through this transition and come out on the other side with solutions that no longer depend upon fossil fuels or contribute to climate change. On May 17th, at the special presentation being heard at the San Clemente City Council meeting, we need to show up and be counted as we exercise our freedom of expression and request our elected officials to represent our concerns all the way up the chain of command. The children are counting on us.
Amen.