Good Day: Nuke Death

This is weird. Being on the “winning” side, that is.

For those of you not in Vermont today and half shoveling our first real snow storm of the year – yes, year – and half listening to the proceedings of the Vermont State Senate with regards to the legislation aimed at shutting down the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in 2012, let me explain: The forces to shut down the aging nuke plant are kicking ass and taking no prisoners.

And, sorry, that’s some rarified air to breathe in these calloused and cynical anti-nuke lungs of mine. Sure, there’s still time for the game to change and the forces of evil (read: nuclear Neanderthals and corporate pooper-scoopers) to throw their money around and change things but, for now, the sane side is winning!

As I write, the Vermont Senate is in a lunchtime recess after having defeated a dopey stalling motion by a margin of 24-6. The six ninnies who pushed the motion – including two Democrats (Mazza & Starr) – tried to gum up the works by declaring that they needed “more time” to study the nuclear plant and the proposals (read: bribes) flowing in from the facility’s owners, Entergy of Louisiana (read: The Gang Who Couldn’t Shoot Straight).

In this case, “more time” simply means, “more lies.” Because if Entergy can’t shoot straight when it comes to telling – or not telling, as the case was – the state about the existence of leaking radioactive pipes underground, how much more do you want to hear from them? My answer: Nothing. Well, other than the sound of their screeching tires as they head back south where, apparently, people fall for their nonsense (Disclaimer: I spent nearly ten years of my youth in Atlanta.).

But let’s get back to the winning thing. The 24-6 vote to kill the stalling maneuver is likely to be the same vote that we can expect from the next vote on the real issue at hand: To shut down Vermont Yankee on its originally scheduled shut-down date of 2012.

To the credit of Senate President Peter Shumlin (did you hear that, folks?), he’s pushing forward with the vote this afternoon. And while the cynics – like…well…me – could say that Shumlin’s playing politics by calling for the vote now to rally his liberal base in his quest to become Vermont’s next governor, I say: Whatever. Because, frankly, it’s politics. Duh. And, more importantly from the perspective of me, myself and I: It feels good to win – rare as it is in my snark-infested state of political being.

Pass the popcorn. This is fun.