Camilo Mejia speaks at GMC

Camilo Mejia
March 27, 2008 7:00 pm
Green Mountain College/Ackley Auditorium


Jailed war resister Camilo Mejia on his 9-month jail sentence, torture in Iraq and why he refused to fight.

Camilo Mejia was the first US soldier court-martialed for desertion during he Iraq war and was ultimately sentenced to a year in jail. Mejia spent six months in combat in Iraq where he witnessed the killing of civilians and the abuse of detainees. He returned to the U.S. in October 2003 for a two-week leave when he decided never to return to fight in Iraq. He went into hiding to avoid redeployment and was classified as AWOL-or Absent Without Leave-by the military. After five months underground, he surrendered to the military at Ft. Stewart, Georgia and submitted a formal application for discharge as a conscientious objector. His application was denied. In May 2004, a military jury convicted him of desertion.

Questions we should ask about Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant

Questions we should ask about Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant
Remember, you'll have the chance to ask anything you want at the DPS hearing, so attend the one nearest you:

Tues, April 1
6 - 8:30 pm Holiday Inn, 476 Route 7 South, Rutland, VT 05701

Weds, March 26
6 - 8:30 pm Doubletree Hotel, 1117 Williston Rd., So. Burlington, VT 05403

Weds, April 2
6 - 8:30 pm Red Roof inn, 1380 Putney Rd, Brattleboro, VT  05301

Act 160 requires the DPS to do studies to determine whether it is prudent to approve the relicensing of the Vermont Yankee reactor.

Citizens Awareness Network (CAN) believes that the scope of the study in its present form lacks important analyzing in regards to the economic, environmental and health impacts of continued operation of Vermont Yankee after 2012. The scope must expand to include issues central to the concerns of Vermonters.

These additional studies include but are not limited to:    
*Vulnerability to Terrorism: an analysis of Vermont Yankee’s vulnerability in terms of its fuel pool to an act of malice or accident and its consequences (financial, environmental, health, etc). This should include an analysis of the economic impact of a well-publicized radioactive release--even relatively minor--on [a] Windham County (property values, the impact on the local real estate industry, etc.) and [b] Vermont as a whole (impact on the state’s “green brand” that is essential to tourism--with many  tourists arriving via the I-91 corridor that passes within a few miles of the reactor-- maple sugar, organic dairy and agriculture, etc.). Additionally an analysis of the personal and public health care costs should there be a significant accident – in addition to health care costs associated with ongoing operation, should an independent epidemiological study indicate that there are indeed higher rates of cancer and other radiation-related diseases surrounding the reactor.    

*Reactor Degradation: an analysis of the degradation of reactor components that would lead to a six month or longer shut down for repairs or replacement and the effect on Vermont ratepayers.

*Unworkable Evacuation Plan: an analysis of the adequacy of the evacuation plan for Vermont Yankee in terms of the plan effectively being able to evacuate impacted populations from an act of malice as well as from an accident

*Decommissioning Fund Underfunding: An analysis of the level of under funding of VY’s decommissioning trust fund since decommissioning costs may be astronomically greater than would   otherwise be projected should there be a leak, accident or act of malice prior to decommissioning; the current decommissioning fund is under-funded. The Yankee Rowe reactor cost $39 million to build and over $725 million to clean up, and this does not include the continued monitoring of onsite storage of high-level waste. Rowewas 185 Megawatt reactor; Vermont Yankee is over 600. CT Yankee cost over $1.2 billion to clean up.

*Benefits of Closure: an analysis of how the Vermont economy could benefit by choosing to replace Vermont Yankee, including modeling projections of alternative capital investment by Vermont's utilities. A strategy for Vermont Yankee's replacement should be developed that creates a 20 year model for how   alternative investment can effect the state and how replacement generation could be developed for the 250 Megawatts of power used by Vermont with labor-intensive, often locally-owned companies     involved in energy efficiency and renewable energy.

We have the chance to shut Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant down & invest in alternative energies that can provide just as many jobs and boost the Vermont economy. Go to the hearing on Tuesday if you can ... you're voice matters!

All information provided by Citizens Awareness Network, check out their website

DPS Hearing in Rutland on Vermont Yankee

Come to the DPS Hearing near you about
VERMONT YANKEE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

Tues, April 1
6 - 8:30 pm
Holiday Inn, 476 Route 7 South, Rutland, VT 05701

Tell them how the majority of Vermont Wants Vermont Yankee shut DOWN in 2012.

Pursuant to Act 160, the VT Dept of Public Service (DPS) is required to convene public meetings to gather public information and input regarding continued operation of the VT Yankee in Vernon,VT. However they've set up a meeting schedule without adequate public notice!

Public comments on the relicensing of VT Yankee will be taken at these meetings. Let's make our voices heard! 
-------------------------------------------------------
Agenda for “Vt Yankee Public Meeting”

1) Process Overview – 10 minutes-Wark – “no questions” “We need your help – we don’t have answers”

2) Overview: Vermont Yankee – 15 minutes - Uldis- “This is an informational presentation by the State’s Nuclear Engineer. Because of the technical nature of the material and pending studies we will not be answering questions about VY. Any concerns should be addressed in the facilitated discussions or in a comment form. Thank you.”

3) Facilitated Discussion- Workstations – 90 minutes- DPS staff members – “Attendees will be asked to  break into five equal groups and join one of the facilitated workstations. Each workstation has a specific question for brainstorming. After completion, attendees will be asked to move through the remaining workstations and participate in the other questions.”

4) Reporting and Selecting – 30 minutes

Still have more to say? Here are some other ways to be heard:

1) Go to the online process at www.vermontsenergyfuture.info (March 24, 2008)
2) Fill out a comment form – it will be included in the report to the Legislature
3) Write or call your local Representative or Senator

I'm back -- Green blogging

Apologies for my extended absence from the blog. I've been away in NYC for a College Media Conference. Students and advisers from all across the country came together in Manhatten for four days of workshops and discussions. I got to see whats other college newspapers are doing, sharing and receiving ideas so that hopefully all our publications can be improved.

Besides attending many workshops, I actually got to speak at one on Green Blogging with Ron Steffens, my professor and Barbra Moss, who is currently working with actor Woody Harrelson on his website www.voiceyourself.com (which is getting a makeover and will be up and running soon).

We discussed the role that blogs have in the environmental movement and also the importance of advocacy journalism. As both a journalist and a citizen concerned with environmental and social justice issues, I often struggle finding a balance between straight news reporting and advocacy writing. It's difficult for me to remove myself completely from my articles and remain impartial because I care so much about the issues that I'm writing about.

Writing hard news in AP style has its time and place, but especially for issues regarding the environment I think that writing with passion is necessary. You don't necesarilly have to sacrifice passion for integrity. As Barbra Moss said during our workshop, as long as you present the truth and give voice to all sides of the issue, your article remains credible.

One concern with blogging is that the truth may be harder to come by because anybody and everybody can blog, so how do you know who to trust? This is a valid concern, but consider the newspaper world--if a journalist writes a bad article their reputation will suffer (remember just recently that New York Times article about John McCain's alleged affair, where the journalist relied heavily on unnamed sources--the Times got a ton of flak from all sides because it was simply bad reporting). Similarly, although anyone can write a blog, nobody is going to read it unless its solid and true and engaging.

What's also great about the environmental blogging world is that it really gives you the sense that we're all in this together. Blogs can often be much more personal than articles you read in the newspaper. Comments and discussions are an integral part of blogging, and when it comes to solving environmental issues we need as much discussions between each other as possible. Don't get me wrong, reading a great story in a paper or magazine has its benefits, but with blogging it really puts the power into the peoples hands because you aren't reading about these issues from some unknown reader, rather you are a PART of the issues. You can add your comments, add your thoughts. And when you see a good blog, you add it to your blogroll, and soon there is a community of bloggers writing and responding to each other.

Be sure to keep your eyes out for Woody Harrelson's new website voiceyourself.com It will be an open FORUM to discuss environmental issues, plus a place to find tips to live green and much more. I'm often wary about actors/actresses trying to use their fame to up a cause, but Harrelson is serious about these issues. He's living the life off the grid and is truly passionate. Also check out my college newspapers website which has finally gotten off the ground: www.themountaineer.org

Take care.