Originally Published In The Seeker Blog
- By Steve Dardenon - Here’s a concise history of the Integral Fast Reactor, including how Sen. John Kerry orchestrated the killing:
The anti-IFR forces were led by John Kerry. He was the principal speaker and the floor manager of the anti forces in the Senate debate. He spoke at length, with visual aids; he had been well prepared. His arguments against the merits of the IFR were not well informedand many were clearly wrong. But what his presentation lacked in accuracy it made up in emotion. He attacked from many angles, but principally he argued proliferation dangers from civilian nuclear power.
While all serious weapons development programs everywhere in the world have always taken place in huge laboratories, in specialized facilities, behind walls of secrecy, and there has been negligible involvement with civilian nuclear power, it is impossible to argue that there CAN be none. For this reason the IFR processes were specifically designed to further minimize such possibilities, and, if developed, they would have represented a significant advance over the present situation. This did not slow Senator Kerry, as he went through the litany of anti-nuclear assertions, articulately and confidently.
After both sides had their say the vote came, and the pro-IFR forces prevailed. But now the funding bill had to go to conferencea compromise committee of both houses whose job was to consolidate the different versions passed by the two houses into one bill to be sent to the President for signature into law. There was brief hope that IFR development could continue even in the face of the powerful opposition.
But the conference committee, behind the closed doors normal to such meetings, upheld the House position. There was to be no IFR funding. The IFR was dead.
A few weeks later, the mid-term elections swept Republicans into power in Congress. The IFR votes had always been politicized. With some significant exceptions, in fact just enough each year to fund the IFR, the vote had always been along party lines. Had the IFR been able to hang on for a few more weeks its development almost certainly would have gone on to completion.
This is part of the accurate nuclear energy story available from CFRI :
The Center for Reactor Information (CFRI) is a volunteer organization whose membership comprises mainly retired engineers, scientists and researchers in nuclear reactor systems, technologies and safety.
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And our conclusion is supposed to be that Kerry is evil and the Republicans are angels?
No!, John Kerry can not be trusted. Have you ever known him to tell the truth?
Which John Kerry are we talking about here? The proud Vietnam Vet (thank you for your service, which I do not question nor belittle) or the Vietnam Vet who accused his Band of Brothers of all manner of crimes and inhuman atrocities?
Sorry Senator, but you can't have it both ways.
The Democrats have been anti-science when it comes to nuclear energy since the 1970's and remain the roadblock to a pro-development domestic energy policy, all while decrying our "addiction to foreign oil". It's schizophrenic.
It dilutes the argument when you go to the evils & angels extreme, Steve.
Is it really necessary to go to the extremes? Why not just conclude that, on this particular issue, Kerry played it wrong on something that shouldn't be played with at all? While I find the republicans wrong on many issues, I think this is one where they are right. Are we really afraid that, if we concede that the republicans might be right on one issue, that we will have to take the rest of their beliefs?
Politicians are notorous for ignoring the facts. It takes a real leader to admit he doesn't know everything and rely on those that do. Also, a real leader needs to adhere to the founding principles of this country, which for the most part, Democrats and some Republicans do not. They are more interested in keeping their jobs and pandering to their constutuants rather than doing what is ultimately right.
This is the URL of the Senate vote to kill the IFR program. Democrats mostly voted Nay, to NOT kill the IFR. Republicans overwhelmingly voted YEA to kill it.
www.senate.gov/.../roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm
Mr. Neutron needs to notice that the "measure" voted on was to "TABLE" (kill) Hairy Kerry's Bill, not the IFR!!!
How does this story fit in with the actual vote:
Which shows republicans voted 36 of 44 for its TERMINATION, while democrats voted 38 of 54 to continue the IFR. John Kerry being one of the democrats who supported the continuation of the program. You can make up any story you want, but the actual truth is in the vote.
The people who are saying the IFR was killed by Republicans and then say “The truth is in the vote” are either confused or lying. Read the “Question”, which is what the vote was about: It was whether to table Kerry’s motion to kill the IFR program, that is, to NOT hold a vote on the motion. Kerry and most of the Democrats voted NOT to table the motion. Read it. Kerry voted “NAY”. The motion to kill the IFR was Kerry’s motion in the first place. Do you actually believe he would vote “NAY” on his own motion? Get real. He wanted to kill the IFR, and later he boasted about his “great accomplishment” in actually getting it killed. And we’re all still paying the price in dirty, expensive energy. So you’re right; the truth IS in the vote. Read the whole thing, and stop obfuscating the truth. Kerry and the Democrats killed the IFR. THAT’s the truth.
