Kucinich "Right On"
I resonated fully with Pat Turner's letter ("What's Next?", Aug. 30, 2007), lamenting that only one of over two dozen presidential hopefuls is pursuing impeachment proceedings to hold the current administration accountable for their disastrous misdeeds. The important detail that her letter failed to mention is that the one candidate is Dennis Kucinich, who indeed has already filed a resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives to impeach Vice-President [Richard] Cheney (H.Res. 333).
Kucinich has distinguished himself on many other fronts as the presidential candidate who would bring real rather than superficial change in the White House and for our nation, including pushing for national single-payer health care and the withdrawal all of our troops from Iraq, while the other candidates have waffled and offered band aid "solutions." I've been dreaming up Kucinich slogans like "No soldier left behind" or "No sick person left behind" and "Get smart—vote your heart!" I heartily encourage the thousands out there who have held back (thinking "Kucinich is right on, but can he win when the mainstream media shut him out?") to give him your full support. Let's start our own movement and not let the corporate-controlled media ignore him precisely because he would shake things up and make a real difference.
Joy Kaubin
Montague
Nuke Is Dispensable
Vermont Yankee (see "Is This Nuclear Power Plant Safe?", Sept. 6, 2007) is replaceable. Only 250 megawatts, about 1/3 of its power output, are used in Vermont. The rest is sold to other New England states like Massachusetts at a profit for Entergy. The Vermont legislature overwhelmingly passed a green energy portfolio that committed Vermont to getting 25 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2012 and 45 percent from renewables by 2018. Included in this legislation was support for energy efficiency as well as conservation but Vermont's Governor [Jim] Douglas vetoed the bill. This legislation was re-introduced and passed by the Vermont Senate so it will again be on the Governor's desk in 2008.
When Vermont Yankee closes, other New England states will have the opportunity to replace it with their own green portfolio. In fact, almost 25 percent of Massachusetts' power comes at high rates from Vermont Yankee right now!
Then there is the legacy of toxic nuclear waste on the banks of the Connecticut River. This is Vermont Yankee's legacy to the tri-state area—a nuclear waste dump in a flood zone. This is not a legacy we want to leave our children. We can create a green energy future that is sustainable and not radioactive. Act today to change tomorrow.
Harvey Schaktman
Shelburne Falls
Citizens' Awareness Network
