2014—A Special Year
Der Spiegel Online wrote on February 14:
“This year will be a historic one, marking three important anniversaries: the 100th anniversary of the eruption of World War I, the 75th anniversary of the start of World War II and the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall…”
The Futility of War — “Christians in Iraq Worse Off Now Than Under Saddam”
Newsmax wrote on February 16:
“The persecution of Christians in Iraq is worse today than it was before a United States-led force deposed brutal dictator Saddam Hussein, a Republican congressman declared. ‘As we witness the black flag of al-Qaida again fly over cities such as Fallujah, which we had won at the cost of so much American blood, we wonder how it is that for Christians in Iraq, life appears to be worse now than it was under the vicious dictator Saddam Hussein,’ Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey said at a Tuesday hearing of a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee.
“One of the witnesses at the hearing was Archbishop Francis Chullikat, who served as the papal nuncio to Iraq. Chullikat said the violence that children in particular have seen — including the killing of Christians — will ‘leave a lasting scar’ on that generation. Chullikat said ‘flagrant and widespread persecution of Christians rages even as we meet.’
“Smith disclosed that the population of Christians in Iraq has decreased from 1.4 million in 1987, prior to the first Gulf War, to an estimated 150,000 today. ‘Much of this exodus has occurred during a time in which our country invested heavily in blood and treasure in seeking to help Iraqis build a democracy,’ Smith said.
“In one of the most horrific recent attacks against Christians in Iraq, militants launched two separate bomb attacks against Christians celebrating Christmas, killing at least 37. In one attack, a car bomb went off near a church during Christmas Mass in Baghdad’s southern Dora neighborhood, killing at least 26 people and wounding 38, police said. Earlier that day, a bomb exploded at an outdoor market in a Christian neighborhood, killing 11 people and wounding 21.
“Smith added that ‘researchers from the Pew Center have documented incidents of harassment of religious groups worldwide — a term defined as including “physical assaults; arrests and detentions; desecration of holy sites; and discrimination against religious groups in employment, education, and housing” — and has concluded that Christians are the single most harassed group today.’”
America’s declared “noble” goal for invading Iraq to bring more freedom and democracy to the people backfired terribly and created a situation which is worse than it was prior to the invasion. Of course, the war was fought based on misleading, inaccurate and deceiving information, and many commentators feel that the real goal had nothing to do with bringing democracy to Iran. In any event, America’s conduct contributed to the prophesied alienation between America and the rest of the world. In regard to the issue of warfare, please view our StandingWatch program, “Should Christians Fight in War?”
Iran Prepares for War Against USA
The Washington Examiner wrote on February 14:
“Iran’s surprising decision to move warships off the Atlantic coast poses a potential catastrophic threat to America from a nuclear or electromagnetic pulse attack, according to an expert who foresaw Iran’s move. Peter Pry, an expert on EMP attacks, said the ships are likely a dry run for a future attack, a maneuver meant to lull Washington into complacency while also embarrassing President Obama and his effort to convince Tehran to give up production of a nuclear bomb in return for a lifting of some economic sanctions…
“Pry said the ships are probably conducting a test for a future visit from an Iranian freighter that would launch the attack. ‘I think the Iranian Navy patrols off our coasts may be intended to lull us into complacency, to get the U.S. Navy accustomed to an Iranian naval presence in our hemisphere, so eventually they could contribute to “Zero Hour” and the great day when the Mullahs decide to drop the nuclear hammer on America,’ said Pry… Pry… one of the nation’s leading authorities on EMP, revealed that Iran recently purchased Russia’s Club-K missile launcher, which can be hidden in tractor-trailer-sized cargo boxes.”
America’s naivety in respect to Iran is topped by its indifference towards the dangers confronting the country from the outside and the inside. America’s downfall IS inevitable.
Nazi Scientists Worked on Malaria-Carrying Mosquitoes as a Weapon
The Local wrote on February 14:
“Nazi scientists worked on ways to use malaria-carrying mosquitoes as a weapon, according to researchers… Until now, it had been generally thought by experts that the Nazis only intended ever to use biological weapons defensively… But tests with mosquitoes infected with malaria were never carried out and Hitler opposed biological warfare, according to Reinhardt.
“He and his team published their findings in the Endeavor scientific journal in December. It states how in 1942 head of the SS, Heinrich Himmler, set up the Dachau institute to study the physiology and control of insects that inflict harm to humans.
“Institute leader Eduard May had, Reinhardt said, an interest in dragonflies before Himmler put him – for reasons unknown – in charge of the Dachau institute. Reinhardt said: ‘I have a special interest in dragonflies so really came across the mosquito plan by accident.’”
The coming world war will be fought, no doubt, with chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.
Eurozone’s Growth
The Telegraph wrote on February 14:
“The eurozone has taken a major step towards recovery with the single currency’s four major economies all growing for the first time in almost three years. Germany, Italy, and France all registered expansion in the final three months of 2013, official figures showed, with France avoiding a dreaded double-dip recession and Germany, the region’s biggest economy, performing better than had been expected.
“Along with Spain, which last month recorded its best quarterly growth since 2008, the countries led the 18-currency bloc to growth of 0.3pc in the final three months of 2013. The four biggest economies in Europe had not grown in unison since the first quarter of 2011.”
The “Revival” of Europe under German-French Leadership?
The EUObserver wrote on February 17:
“The French and German leaders will in Paris on Wednesday (19 February) discuss what France is calling ‘the revival of Europe.’ French President Francois Hollande has announced that his meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her ministers will launch three projects: harmonisation of French and German corporate tax; the creation of a joint company, on the model of aeronautic firm Airbus, specialising in renewable energy; and ‘a Franco-German partnership for European defence.’
“He said in a speech last month the initiatives will open a new chapter in European politics after the economic crisis. Harking back to the idea of France and Germany as the engine of EU policy-making, he added that Wednesday’s summit will also ‘establish a basic principle: namely, that our governments are to collaborate from an early stage on all large projects. Initiatives for Europe must first be agreed between France and Germany,’ he said. ‘This Franco-German momentum will enable us … to revitalise the European ideal.’”
The Local added on February 19:
“France and Germany have decided to send elements of the Franco-German Brigade to Mali: the first deployment under the aegis of the EU and in an African location,” a statement said after a security and defence meeting in Paris between the two countries… The statement said the troops sent would integrate into a European mission in Mali to train soldiers… The Franco-German brigade… was set up in 1989 to increase military cooperation between the World War II-era foes…”
For more information on Europe’s rise, please read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy.”
European Communication Network to Circumvent USA
Reuters reported February 15:
“German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday she would talk to French President Francois Hollande about building up a European communication network to avoid emails and other data passing through the United States… Merkel said in her weekly podcast that she disapproved of companies such as Google and Facebook basing their operations in countries with low levels of data protection [such as the USA] while being active in countries such as Germany with high data protection…
“[Merkel said:] ‘Above all, we’ll talk about European providers that offer security for our citizens, so that one shouldn’t have to send emails and other information across the Atlantic. Rather, one could build up a communication network inside Europe.’…
“Government snooping is a particularly sensitive subject in Germany due to the heavy surveillance of citizens practised in communist East Germany and under Hitler, and there was widespread outrage at the revelations of NSA surveillance by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden… Germany has been pushing, so far in vain, for a ‘no-spy’ agreement with Washington.”
Due to America’s NSA spying activities and the Obama Administration’s short-sighted refusal to consent to a no-spy agreement with Europe, the prophesied alienation between the USA and Europe continues, and Europe is being pushed into a position of creating even more of a powerful fortress in many different respects, keeping out of Europe and barring American power, interests and activities.
“Americans Only Understand the Language of the Wild West”
Der Spiegel Online wrote on February 18:
“Away from the public eye, the German government is moving toward implementing plans to turn its own spies against partner countries like the United States, putting allies on the same level as the Chinese, Russians and North Koreans. The stubbornness of the Americans, who have answered few relevant questions from Germany during the National Security Agency spying scandal, has angered the new government… ‘They’re like cowboys who only understand the language of the Wild West,’ sources in Merkel’s party say, referring to the Americans’ intractability…
“The plans for monitoring allies are already well developed. Section 4 in the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, where just 100 specialists had been employed, is to be significantly expanded… The changes mean that, nine months after the NSA affair, the German government is steering towards a serious confrontation with the US. It would mark a break with the decades-long practice of allowing Western partners to essentially do as they please in Germany…”
Europe’s Economic Boycott against Israel
The Christian Science Monitor wrote on February 16:
“The European Union, Israel’s No. 1 trading partner, accounts for about a third of its total trade, and was long the favored destination for Jordan Valley produce. But these fruits and vegetables are grown on land that Israel has occupied since 1967. For a growing number of European consumers, that’s a problem. They say that buying such produce is supporting the illegal confiscation and control of land and water resources that should be in Palestinian hands.
“The campaign is starting to bite. Last year, Jordan Valley farmers lost an estimated $29 million, or 14 percent of revenue, because they were forced to find alternative markets for their exports, such as Russia, where prices are 20 to 60 percent lower. Pepper exports to Western Europe have stopped completely, and grape exports are likely to be phased out this year because of consumer pressure…
“According to a 2013 BBC poll, public opinion of Israel is worsening. Favorability ratings dropped 8 percent in both Spain and Germany, to the single digits. Even in Britain, the first European country to formally support the establishment of a Jewish state, only 14 percent of citizens have a positive view of Israel today. EU citizens and lawmakers alike have long opposed Israeli policies, but popular discontent… is increasingly pressuring businesses and governments to take more concrete action…
“In September a Dutch engineering firm, under pressure from the government, dropped plans to build a sewage treatment plant in East Jerusalem, and in December, a Dutch water company cut ties with Israel’s national water carrier over its operations in the West Bank. But it’s not just the Dutch. Germany announced in January that it would not renew research grants to Israeli companies that do business over the Green Line, the de facto border before Israel captured East Jerusalem and the West Bank in the 1967 war… Germany’s move prompted concern that if Israel’s best friend in Europe, still burdened by the guilt of the Holocaust, takes such steps, every other EU country could follow suit…”
Denmark Bans Religious Slaughter of Animals
The Independent wrote on February 18:
“Denmark’s government has brought in a ban on the religious slaughter of animals for the production of halal and kosher meat, after years of campaigning from welfare activists. The change to the law, announced last week and effective as of yesterday, has been called ‘anti-Semitism’ by Jewish leaders and ‘a clear interference in religious freedom’ by the non-profit group Danish Halal.
“European regulations require animals to be stunned before they are slaughtered, but grants exemptions on religious grounds. For meat to be considered kosher under Jewish law or halal under Islamic law, the animal must be conscious when killed. Yet defending his government’s decision to remove this exemption, the minister for agriculture and food Dan Jørgensen told Denmark’s TV2 that ‘animal rights come before religion’.
“Commenting on the change, Israel’s deputy minister of religious services Rabbi Eli Ben Dahan told the Jewish Daily Forward: ‘European anti-Semitism is showing its true colours across Europe, and is even intensifying in the government institutions.’ Al Jazeera quoted the monitoring group Danish Halal, which launched a petition against the ban, as saying it was ‘a clear interference in religious freedom limiting the rights of Muslims and Jews to practice their religion in Denmark’.
“The ban has divided opinions in the country, particularly after it recently made headlines for animal welfare policy after Copenhagen Zoo slaughtered the ‘surplus’ young male giraffe Marius… Last year politicians in Britain said they would not be outlawing religious slaughter despite ‘strong pressure’ from the RSPCA, the National Secular Society and other activists.”
Ukraine in Uproar
Newsmax reported on February 19:
“The office of Ukraine’s embattled president says he and leaders of the country’s raging protests have called for a truce. The brief statement late Wednesday came after President Viktor Yanukovych met with top leaders of the protests that flared into violence on Tuesday that has left at least 26 people dead… Yanukovych had moved to quell the growing insurgency by granting sweeping powers to the army and police after a region declared independence from his government, risking wider conflict.
“Reeling from the bloodiest clashes in a three-month standoff, the Russian-backed leader’s security service said Wednesday it was undertaking a nationwide anti-terrorism operation to restore public order and protect state borders. That move would give the military the right to search, detain, and even fire on Ukrainians in the course of the operation, the Defense Ministry said…
“Obama said the United States condemns the violence in the strongest terms and holds Ukraine’s government primarily responsible to ensure it is dealing with peaceful protesters appropriately… The European Union moved toward freezing the assets of Ukraine’s most powerful officials…
“Russia blames ‘extremists’ and ‘radical elements’ for the escalation of violence… Russia, which said this week it would renew funding for Ukraine, blamed the United States and the EU for the violence…”
The Washington Post added on February 20:
“Fierce fighting broke out Thursday between government forces and protesters in the Ukrainian capital, shattering a truce declared hours earlier and leaving scores of people dead. A top human rights official said at least 50 people were killed in the clashes that erupted Thursday morning in the streets around Kiev’s Independence Square. Other estimates of the death toll were considerably higher…
“In Washington, the White House called on Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to ‘immediately withdraw his security forces’ from downtown Kiev and to ‘respect the right of peaceful protest.’ The statement Thursday also urged protesters ‘to express themselves peacefully.’ In Brussels, the 28-nation European Union decided unanimously Thursday in an emergency meeting to impose sanctions against Ukrainian officials deemed responsible for the violence… The E.U. also announced a suspension of arms sales to Ukraine…
“Videos indicated that some protesters have sniper rifles, and police were shown shooting automatic weapons… A truce reached late Wednesday between President Viktor Yanukovych and three main opposition political leaders has not been formally renounced, but the fighting demonstrated how neither side appears to have control over its armed contingents…
“The pressure on Ukraine — internal and external — has only increased, and the two sides are so far apart that reconciliation appears impossible. They are now faced with the challenge of getting the country back on track even without reconciling politically… Abroad, the Western nations and Russia blamed each other for supporting one of the two sides in Ukraine’s long-running political crisis…”
Syrian Electronic Army Attacks Forbes
The website of cnet.com reported on February 14:
“The Syrian Electronic Army has attacked Forbes, stealing user data and posting fake stories to its Web site. The hacking group announced the exploit on Friday, showing several screenshots of the WordPress-based backend of the Forbes.com Web site. The organization said in a tweet that more than 1 million user e-mails and passwords were successfully stolen and will be published at some point.
“Forbes acknowledged that its Web site and publishing platform were the targets of a hack in a Facebook post on Friday… IBTimes… talked to a spokesperson for the SEA, who said the attacks are based in its belief that Forbes’ ‘hate for Syria is very clear and flagrant in their articles’…
“The Syrian Electronic Army is one of the more active hacking groups. Last year, the organization hacked into Viber’s database, hijacked a Thomson Reuters Twitter feed, and took aim at both the Onion and BBC Twitter accounts. Earlier this year, the group also broke into several Microsoft Twitter accounts.”
And there seems to be no one able or willing to deal with these despicable criminal hackers.
Silly Governmental “Justification” for Video-Surveillance Cameras
Fortune reported on February 13:
“Is the video-surveillance system that blankets Manhattan from Midtown to the Battery, river to river, really not so different from an earlier anti-crime innovation, street lights? That’s what Richard Daddario, deputy commissioner for counterterrorism under former New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, once told me. Street lights mean criminals can’t operate with impunity under cover of darkness. Cameras, same principle, slightly extended.
“‘That comparison seems a bit disingenuous and silly,’ according to Glenn Cohen, a professor at Harvard Law School, who spoke about privacy and technology recently at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study in Cambridge, and corresponded with me afterward by e-mail. ‘Lights don’t have the potential for “function creep” whereby they are introduced for one purpose but then used for something quite different in the future, like social security numbers. Lights are temporary in their effect and don’t record what we do for the indefinite future. Finally, there are few activities that people actually want to do in the dark in public, so losing darkness is not a loss to many people, if anyone. By contrast, there are many activities we want to undertake without being recorded and watched…’
“In the post-Snowden era, alas, such concerns can seem almost quaint. A street-corner surveillance camera, easily evaded by ducking indoors, is one kind of intrusion. A smartphone that tracks our movements and hoards for future inspection by parties unknown [of] our emails, blog posts, photos and tweets, is something else altogether.
“Like it or not, we have entered the era of assumed ubiquitous snooping, and we have not begun to parse the implications… Can the law protect us? We shouldn’t count on it…”
Let’s face it, we have gone far beyond a George Orwellian “1984” Big Brother mentality, when NOTHING is sacred anymore to our governments. Forget the right of privacy… the “exceptions” are so manifold that one could not even begin to write them all down. And the average American, indifferent, detached and non-involved, seems to not even care, while governmental officials invent ridiculous excuses to justify such blatantly ungodly and SINFUL behavior.
Most of our Christian churches—including even many of the Sabbath-keeping Church of God organizations–have been fearfully and suspiciously silent about such intrusions, and our main stream media and networks—“conservative” and “liberal” alike–have only half-heartedly “reported” about some of the most egregious violations, and even then, they were quick in interviewing a representative of either party to advance arguments as to why such activities are justified.
Especially in light of the appointment of czars and the issuing of executive orders to circumvent Congress, some, if not many in Europe—including older people who have experienced and still remember the horrors of World War 2–have begun to accuse the American government of trying to become as dictatorial as Hitler and Mussolini. Such impression, whether right or wrong, will not in any way build confidence and friendship between America and Europe.
Pope Francis—The “Super Pope” and Crowd Pleaser
The Associated Press reported on February 14:
“A year ago this past Tuesday [February 11], Pope Benedict XVI said in a voice so soft that cardinals strained to hear (and in a Latin not all could easily follow) that he was becoming the first pontiff to resign in more than half a millennium. On the eve of the anniversary, Benedict’s longtime private secretary credited the stunning decision with opening the way to the ‘enormous impact’ Pope Francis is having on the church and the world at large.
“Monsignor Georg Gaenswein’s comments sent a message of continuity between the awkward, bookish Benedict and his charismatic, superstar successor — the first Jesuit pope and the first pontiff from Latin America… ‘We are all seeing the impact that Pope Francis is having on the world, not just the faithful in the church but in the world. It’s an enormous impact…’
“Gaenswein is in the historically unique situation of serving two popes: While he remains Benedict’s secretary, lives with him in his retirement home in the Vatican gardens and takes daily walks with him in the afternoon, Gaenswein is also the head of Pope Francis’s household…
“As the anniversary of that momentous resignation day approached, Vatican officials have sought to stress Benedict’s generosity, courage and service to the church in deciding to step down as they battle to preserve his legacy amid the increasing temptation to contrast his often problematic papacy and reserved personality with his crowd-pleasing successor. It’s no easy feat when no one ever made a ‘Super Pope’ wall painting of Benedict or created a life-size chocolate statue of him — as has been the case with Francis….
“Benedict has largely stuck to his retirement pledge to live his remaining years ‘hidden from the world’ in a converted convent in the Vatican gardens… Francis seems perfectly at ease with the pope next door; they exchanged visits over the Christmas holidays, and they not only speak frequently by phone but also exchange written notes…”
Pope Francis—the Gentle Pontiff?
CNN wrote on February 19:
“In the year since Francis was elected Pope, the media have told us a certain story about this man ‘from the ends of the Earth,’ as he once described himself. Francis, we are told, is warm and friendly, gentle and compassionate. He embraces the poor, the disfigured, the outcast. These attributes pose a sharp contrast, we are informed, to his mean-spirited, judgmental and arrogant predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who was known for his fancy vestments and aloof, academic attitude.
“If Francis has the common touch, the story goes, Benedict was firmly out of touch, perched on an ivory tower far inside the Vatican. To many Catholics this media-driven contrast between the two Popes is laughable.
“Benedict may have been unpopular with the world and many of its opinion-makers, but those who loved him… knew a far different man than is cruelly caricatured in the media. We welcomed Benedict’s theology and liturgical vision… And when Benedict did say something likely to be deemed offensive, he was often extremely careful about the way in which he said it. In fact, he was much more careful not to offend than [Francis]… bluntness is a double-edged sword, and some of [Francis’] speeches and sermons have offended some of the papacy’s biggest supporters. This, of course, counters the image of Francis as the ‘gentle, pastoral shepherd.’ In sifting through media reports, I was shocked by how often the Pope criticized Christians and by the severity of his insults…
“Indeed, here’s some of the names the Pope has actually called people: ‘pickled pepper-faced Christians,’ ‘closed, sad, trapped Christians,’ ‘defeated Christians,’ ‘liquid Christians,’ ‘creed-reciting, parrot Christians,’ and, finally, those ‘watered-down faith, weak-hoped Christians.’ Catholics who focus on church traditions are ‘museum mummies,’ the Pope says. Nuns who fail to inspire faith in the church are ‘old maids,’ and the Vatican hierarchy has at times been ‘the leprosy of the papacy,’ in Francis’ words.
“Indeed, men of the cloth face the brunt of Francis’ fulminations. He has called some of them ‘vain’ butterflies, ‘smarmy’ idolators and ‘priest-tycoons.’ He’s described some seminarians as potential ‘little monsters.’… some Catholics have felt alienated by Francis’s criticisms, as if they are under attack. In blasting the status quo, it can sometimes seem as if the Pope is slighting the most faithful members of the church.”
California’s Ongoing Exceptional Drought—Is Climate Change Responsible?
The Telegraph wrote on February 14:
“For California this is the third year of little or no rain. More than 90 per cent of the state is in ‘severe to exceptional drought’. Records have been kept since the 1840s and last year was the driest yet. Some farm areas received less rain than Death Valley in 2013.”
The Washington Times wrote on February 14:
“While touring areas of California ravaged by a historic drought, President Obama on Friday sounded an ominous warning and said that even if the federal government takes meaningful action to combat climate change, much of the damage already has been done… ‘The planet is slowly going to keep warming for a long time to come,’ Mr. Obama said…
“Mr. Obama and many Democrats, along with their supporters in the environmental community, have held up extreme weather events such as California’s drought, Hurricane Sandy and others as proof that global warming is wreaking havoc all across the planet. But the issue remains bitterly divisive, and many lawmakers believe Mr. Obama’s dire warnings are grossly overstated. The heated debate over climate change has led to near gridlock on Capitol Hill, with Republicans and some Democrats standing in staunch opposition to major legislative proposals to address the issue.”
The Drudge Report linked to an article on February 16, stating: “If February ended today, this would be the third coldest winter on record in the US, after 1979 and 1899.”
The Washington Post wrote on February 16:
“Secretary of State John F. Kerry, calling climate change perhaps the world’s most fearsome weapon of mass destruction, urged developing nations on Sunday to do more to cut greenhouse-gas emissions as he derided climate-change skeptics at home and blamed big companies for hijacking the debate.
“Kerry painted a picture of looming drought and famine, massive floods and deadly storms as a result of global warming, and he urged ordinary citizens in developing nations to speak out on the issue and demand more from their political leaders. He labeled those who denied the evidence of climate change as ‘shoddy scientists and extreme ideologues.’”
So, is it man-made global warming or man-made climate change? Are they, or which one of them, causing droughts in California, terrible winters in large parts of the USA, and flooding in the UK? Apparently, something seems to be wrong with this inconsistent picture, and polemic accusations by proponents against those who dare to ask questions don’t help. Many may not know or recall that late Michael Crichton (M.D. and author of Jurassic Park) concluded in his remarkable novel, “State of Fear,” with interesting arguments, that one cannot prove man-made global warming. San Diego’s famous KUSI weather man and founder of the Weather Channel, John Coleman, came to the same conclusion. Are these skeptics “shoddy scientists and extreme ideologues”?
Radiation Leak at New Mexico Military Nuclear Waste Site
Reuters reported on February 16:
“Unusually high levels of radioactive particles were found at an underground nuclear waste site in New Mexico on Saturday… U.S. officials were testing for radiation in air samples at the site where radioactive waste, such as plutonium used in defense research and nuclear weapon making, is dumped half a mile below ground in an ancient salt formation… A different part of the site was evacuated this month after a truck used to haul salt caught fire…”
We are playing with fire, and serious disasters involving our nuclear power plants are bound to occur.
US Lawsuit Charges Japanese Company with Negligence over Radiation
The website nextgov.com reported on February 19:
“The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier experienced radiation levels 30 times above normal while its crew conducted disaster relief operations off the coast of Japan in March 2011 after a tsunami damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, according to a new analysis published on Monday. That analysis came just days after 79 Reagan crewmen filed an amended lawsuit in federal court in San Diego against the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co. The plaintiffs seek $1 billion in damages, claiming the company was negligent in construction and operation of the plant and during the subsequent meltdown of its reactors following the tsunami March 11, 2011.
“Kyle Cleveland, a sociology professor at Temple University Japan, cited transcripts of a conference call between high level Navy and Energy Department officials in an article in the Asia-Pacific Journal… The transcripts… show concern among U.S. officials discussing the level of radioactivity on the Reagan on March 13… Troy Mueller, deputy administrator for naval reactors at Energy, said the radiation is ‘about 30 times what you would detect just on a normal air sample out at sea . . . So it’s much greater than what we had thought. We didn’t think we would detect anything at 100 miles.’…
“The law firm Bonner & Bonner, based in Sausalito, Calif., charged in its lawsuit against Tokyo Electric Power that crewmen on the Reagan exposed to radiation from the Fukushima plant ‘now endure a lifetime of radiation poisoning and suffering which could have and should have been avoided,’ if the company had not been negligent in construction and operation of the facility. The suit also charged that sailors aboard the Reagan ‘have been and will be required to undergo further medical testing, evaluation and medical procedures, including but not limited to chelation therapy, bone marrow transplants and/or genetic reprogramming.’
“Sailors on the Reagan were exposed to both airborne radiation and radiation from contaminated seawater, the suit said. One plaintiff said the ship was taking in sea water, ‘but obviously the ship can’t filter out the radiation. Water we all showered with, drank, brushed our teeth, and had our food cooked with.’ Tokyo Electric Power registered as a California foreign corporation in 2003. As a result, TEPCO is subject to the jurisdiction of the United States Federal District Court, the suit said.”
