This is the single-best documentary I've seen that explains why nuclear power got shut down in America; why that was a understandable mistake based on fear, anxiety, and ideology; and how we can scale up nuclear safely. Via Zach Weissmueller reason

@reason @TheAbridgedZach I didn’t know until yesterday that nuclear power plants can double as desalinization plants. Seems like it would be a no-brainer for water-starved California, but what do I know.

Especially with some of the newer technology we are working on, and some of the technology we rejected at Oak Ridge because it wasn’t creating enough fissionable materials (bomb material) instead it was creating more energy. (thorium was one) We wanted bombs at the time, not energy.

It wasn’t a mistake. It was on purpose. Sabotage by the left. They knew cheap, reliable energy would ensure capitalist prosperity in perpetuity, so they had to stop it by creating “environmental” and “fear” narratives. All it would take is a little basic truth telling from leaders and honest media coverage, and we’d have nukes everywhere.

@TheAbridgedZach @reason what they first need to understand IMHO is that there is a real distinction between weapons-grade material versus that which is not

@TheAbridgedZach @reason The biggest problem was a bad nuclear reactor design, as explained here:

@glukianoff @TheAbridgedZach @reason so a catastrophic decision, which disproportionately hurts the poor and benefits the net zero grifters, based on emotions is "understandable"?? in what universe...not mine

@glukianoff @TheAbridgedZach @reason At least the part mentioning Germany is quite misleading. The phasing out was initially pushed by the Greens, but those plans were scrapped under Merkel. Then, in 2011 after Fukushima, the conservative-libertarian coalition decided to retire all 17 remaining reactors by 2022.

@glukianoff @TheAbridgedZach @reason Let’s gooooooo! ☢️

@TheAbridgedZach @reason Sometime look up how cheap solar panels have been getting since 2000 the graph of that might blow your mind

@TheAbridgedZach @reason This doc does a good job of arguing the positives — no carbon emissions, low operating costs, and safer than many people realize — but goes “straw man” on the negatives such as high capital costs and nuclear waste disposal.