The situation at the Fukushima plant continues to deteriorate. I do not believe that this situation is going to improve in the near future. At first, there were new catastrophes almost daily. Now, they are weekly but no less severe. Most reports of these disasters have disappeared from the newscasts. The 24 hour news cycle demands new material, fresh scandal. Kirstie Alley falls down while dancing. American Idol may have trouble with its voting system. Yet, international catastrophe and the dangers of nuclear meltdown are still important and still a matter of history. These scandals, these one day news stories, these departures from good taste and sound judgment, plague our public discourse and turn our population into thrill seeking drones. This is neither conducive to democracy or to our hopes of a developing civilization.

James Pilant