After the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the National Weather Service has issued a tsunami warning for the West Coast. You can see the forecast here, but fair warning, I have no idea what it means.
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When I first heard of the earthquake (on the 11:00 news last night), I sent a quick e-mail to some of my colleagues in Japan. They quickly responded:
“Earthquake continuing. Under desk right now. So far, everyone okay”.
This earthquake is an 8.9, the largest ever recorded in Japan, and the tsunami caused widespread destruction in Japan. It’s coming ashore in Hawaii now and will reach the U.S. west coast in a few hours.
But this quake is child’s play compared to what Wisconsin Republicans are going to experience.
Not for the thousands that have died or will. Man, the amount of idiocy people are demonstrating through what they are writing on blogs and in blog comments these days is stunning.
@3 Roger, that was uncalled for.
4 and 5: that is hyperbole……still, my heart goes out to those in Japan that have been touched by this tragedy.
Remember, Japan is one of the best prepared countries in the world for earthquakes and tsunamies. Much better than us – and republicans in the house have just cut the funding for earthquake preparedness….enny-wise and pound foolish.
Yup, tax breaks for oil companies (they sure are hurting!), farm subsidies for agribusiness and tax cuts for billionaires, defending the bank executives bonuses are all more important than health, safety and education for regular people…go figure!
@6: Japan has to be prepared because they’re a group of islands sitting on top of what scientists referred to as the “ring of fire”, where the only part of the US that is part of this is the west coast. As far as DC is concerned, anything happening across the Rockies might as well be another country. Only time interest is paid to the west coast is if a new gold mine is opened or if meth starts invading them.
An 8.9 quake would be absolutely devastating for almost any country other than Japan. As it was, the earthquake itself certainly caused some damage, but no loss of life that I have been able to ascertain, so far. The loss of life seems to have been caused by the tsunami.
Although Japan has a pretty effective tsunami warning system, it appears that this one simply happened too quickly for it to have much affect, with the quake being relatively close offshore. Note that an earthquake along the fault just offshore of Washington State could also provide us with little warning time, the one which occured in the 1700’s devestated the coastal tribal fishing villages, and you can still see the remains of a forrest which was destroyed by saltwater innundation.
I’m still receiving reports from Japan. The major airports remain closed, trapping a lot of people who were in-transit at the time. One report says the freight warehouse for United Airlines at Narita airport has collapsed. Other airlines should be able to get back in operation shortly after the airports are re-opened (except for Sendai, of course, which was flooded by the tsunami).
I haven’t received an explanation, but I presume that the reason the airports remain closed is that they are afraid of after-shocks. A large airplane full of passengers isn’t easy to control in when it’s taking off or landing when an earthquake hits.
@4,5 – This is a political blog, not the FEMA website (“heckuva job, Brownie!”), in case you’ve forgotten. And political life goes on despite the tragedy in Japan. Republican propagandists don’t take breaks, so why should I? You’re criticizing me for lowering myself to their level?
@6 – Let’s not forget Republicans refused to spend one penny on screening cargo containers for radioactive material. They don’t care if Los Angeles disappears in a mushroom cloud. In fact, here’s the whole sordid litany of the Republican attitude toward homeland security (remember, it was a GOP president who was spending 42% of his workdays on vacation in Texas when al Qaeda leveled the Twin Towers):
Nov. 14, 2001: Senate Democrats propose $15 billion for homeland security; the White House warns against “permanent spending on other projects that have nothing to do with stimulus and that will only expand the size of government.”
Dec. 4, 2001: Senate Appropriations Committee votes 29-0 in favor of $13.1 billion for homeland security; the next day, Bush threatens to veto it.
Dec. 6, 2001: Senate Republicans reduce homeland security funding by $4.6 billion.
Dec. 19, 2001: Under pressure from White House, House-Senate conferees eliminate another $200 million of funding for airport security, port security, nuclear facility security, and postal security.
June 7, 2002: Senate votes 71-22 for $8.3 billion of homeland security funding; the next day, Bush’s advisors recommend a veto.
July 19, 2002: Under White House pressure, homeland security funding is further reduced by cutting money for food security, cyber security, nuclear security, airport security, port security, drinking water security, coordination of police and fire radios, and lab testing to detect chem-bio weapons.
Aug. 13, 2002: Bush decides not to spend $2.5 billion appropriated for homeland security on the grounds of “fiscal responsibility.”
Jan. 16, 2003: White House reacts to Democratic efforts to increase homeland security funding by stating, “The Administration strongly opposes amendments to add new extraneous spending.” Later that day, Senate Republicans vote against funds for smallpox vaccine.
Jan. 23, 2003: Senate Republicans cut security funding for the FBI, FEMA, INS, TSA, Coast Guard, and National Nuclear Security Administration.
Feb. 3, 2003: Bush submits a 2004 budget cutting homeland security funding by nearly 2 percent.
Feb. 14, 2003: Senate Democrats request money for smallpox vaccine, police and fire radios, and public transportation security; no Republicans support it.
March 21-25, 2003: Republicans defeat 7 amendments to bolster homeland security.
April 2, 2003: Senate Republicans reject Democratic amendment to provide $1 billion for port security.
April 3, 2003: Republicans reject protection of commercial airliners from shoulder-fired missiles and four other pro-homeland security amendments.
June 2003: House Republicans reject Democratic proposal to raise $1 billion for homeland security by reducing tax cuts for 200,000 millionaires by an average of $5,000 each (from $88,000 to $83,000).
Source: James Carville, “Had Enough?” (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003), pp. 41-43.
“Although Bush took credit for creating the new Department of Homeland Security, he vigorously opposed the idea when Democrats first proposed it. He insisted that a presidential adviser with no accountability to the American people would be more effective than a new Cabinet member. White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said President Bush thought that a Department of Homeland Security was ‘just not necessary.’ Tom Ridge — then homeland security adviser — said that he would recommend that Bush veto legislation to create a Cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security.”
Source: Democratic National Committee Newsletter, Jan. 29, 2003: http://www.democrats.org/news/200301290004.html
“While the Department of Homeland Security has issued new warnings of terrorist hijackings on commercial airlines this summer, Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee voted just last week against a Democratic amendment to add $50 million in funding to prevent the Transportation Security Administration from cutting the number of air marshals. The vote came during the Committee’s mark-up of the 2003 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill, which funds the TSA’s air marshal program.”
Source: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee press release, July 31, 2003: http://216.25.5.15/press/newsr.....07-31.html
“Senate Republicans once again blocked a vote on homeland security legislation solely because it preserved collective beginning rights and civil service protections for the 170,000 federal workers who would make up the new department.Sixty votes are needed to end debate and bring the measure to a floor vote, the move failed by a 52-45 count, with almost solid GOP opposition. President Bush has threatened to veto any measure that does not give him unlimited power over the workers and Senate Republicans also rejected a bipartisan bill that gave Bush most of what he sought.”
Source: International Association of Machinists, Oct. 8, 2002: http://www.iamaw.org/publicati.....8_2002.htm
The Japanese people, despite the death and destruction wracking their homeland today, at least can feel grateful that their country isn’t run by Republicans. They would be in far worse shape if it were (see, e.g., post-Katrina NOLA).
Yes. Might as well use the holocaust as a comparison too while you’re at it.
Knowing when to stop obviously is more difficult for people than it should be.
@10 I play by Republican rules. If you don’t like that, get them to change their rules.
And Roger, your comments might be more appropriate if you recognized that different posts have different topics. Then you could spew political inanities on a political thread, and keep them to yourself on threads of this sort. I think you’ve always suffered from a lack of any such filters and self moderation which only undermines the effectiveness of your overall approach to the political debate.
Memo to Roger….
Drop the shovel.
Let’s hope those who survive the initial nightmare find some comfort. Let’s pray for all of those who have been lost or injured. Stay strong Japan! We are with you in this time of tragedy.
What inane pointless bullshit!
Take your diseased, itching pussy somewhere else, please.
Calls still coming in from Japan. Apparantly what the U.S. media is dismissing as “aftershocks” is a series of earthquakes, each measuring 6.0 or greater, which is working it’s way down the Japanese Islands. The most recent one (about 10:30 or so) was between Osaka and Tokyo, which puts it squarely between the most populous areas of Japan.
Again, there is little report of loss of life from the earthquake itself, although property damage is extensive. I’ve seen pictures of huge beer vats toppled over at distillaries, a natural gas center sending huge flames into the sky, and a number of homes and office buildings on fire.
Transportation appears to have taken a big hit. All rail lines remain closed (in Japan, all trains have sensors which immediately shut the train down when an earthquake is detected, and the train cannot resume until after each meter of the track is physically inspected). Highways are closed, including many bridges and tunnels, and there are pictures of roadways destroyed by the earthquake. So you are free to travel in Japan as long as you don’t do it by car, bus, train, or plane.
The tsunami damage appears to have taken quite a few lives, it will probably be next week before we get a good estimate. Officials are still searching for the bullet train near Sendai which is missing: it was in the path of the tsunami, and it appears that it may have been hit by the waves and swept out to sea. The train was full of passengers and crew.
I heard that George Takei is already angling for the movie rights.
re 12: I never heard anything resembling an apology from your side when that drug addled gasbag Rush Limbaugh was mocking the Parkinsons tremors suffered by Michael J. Fox.
But that was personal — and I guess that’s OK with you. You don’t care about anyone in Japan who has been hurt by this tsunami. It’s just an opportunity to spout pious platitudes about something that you don’t really care about anyway.
You are the cynic — not RR
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>:)
…and I sincerely wish and hope that you have not been hurt by my words — and, well……..God bless….
Japan’s building codes are getting lots of good press right now. They are being given credit for saving lots of lives, and reducing property damage.
Early hero of Japan’s quake tragedy: Building codes
Of course, if Tim McCabe and the BIAW were in charge, then those building codes would have been gutted. “Why spend extra money on something that might not happen? Just let the buyers and the public pick up the expense later….”
But meanwhile, the situation with the nuclear power plant appears to be worsening.
Radiation 1,000 times normal at Japan nuke plant
If not rapidly contained, this could be the end of the nuclear power industry in Japan. There has always been a push against nuclear plants by both environmentalists and pacifists (who believe that Japan’s unique status as being the only receivers of atomic warfare should cause it to eschew all things nuclear). But the fact that Japan relies upon imported oil or coal for almost all it’s non-nuclear energy neads has always prevailed against those opposed to nuclear power. This may be enough to tip the balance against nuclear power.
@14
Such tough talk from an internet tough guy!!
Always a good reminder of who the HA faithful are, and what you’re all about….
Y’all stay classy.
Quit whining, you pussy. Just leave.
headless lucy, “my side”? I’m no Righty troll.
WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!
Quick, grab you bailout bag, your AR-15, your Glock, several spare magazines, jump in your bailout vehicles (4×4 of course), and head for your bailout location!
Wait, that was this morning. Never mind. I guess the world isn’t going to end after all. Someone might want to inform The Doomers.
I have relatives that live in Tokyo, everyone made it though the quake OK and their house wasn’t damaged, but they got quite the scare.
@22, 23, Michael: According to fine reporting on Maddow just now, 5 Reactors at two facilities are basically tits up and headed for meltdown if they don’t get cooling soon.
Back-ups have failed too.
They’ve already vented. It’s unclear if it’s been effective. They need long term emergency cooling (water and pumps/heat exchangers and electricity to run them).
If the containments breach, guess where the radioactivity (lots and lots) is headed?
It’s our turn to (may) be downwinders, I think.
@24
I tease The Doomers, but I like them.
No.
Earthquake damage pics are starting to show up on Flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/search/?.....#038;adv=1
rhp6033,
Our Tokyo office experienced severe shaking and swaying and everyone was ok. They were really scared being in an upper level office with their own medium sized data center. But how would you know BIAW building codes would have failed. Useless conjecture as always for a Cass Sunstein idiot.
Roger,
You are always a dumbASS with your useless comparisons. Another Cass Sunstein idiot.
Racist Lucy,
Daniel K is one of yours fool! Another Cass Sunstein idiot.
Zitz,
Displaying what a vibrating dildo does to one’s
brainerrr ASS!re 21: Okey doke!!
re 28: Renew the meds prescription.
Spike Lee has a documentary out about the four little girls in Birmingham that were blown up by the racist liberals.
Don’t take drugs fool! Daniel K is one of yours and you are a Cass Sunstein idiot. If you “paid” attention instead of living in racism you’d known Daniel K was a loony lefty from WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY back!
Pud @ 31- are you arguing that absent building codes that the BIAW would have built to those standards anyway? Do you believe there should be an option to build to a lessor standard?
Let me answer for you- you ask the questions, you need not answer.
Puddybud – Give it a rest.
K,
Are you saying you agree with rhp6033? YES!
Are you saying the BIAW would have scrapped federal building code mandates for building in a known earthquake zone? YES!
Are you that dense? YES!
Another Cass Sunstein useful idiot found on this blog!
e 34: “Another Cass Sunstein useful idiot found on this blog!”
Will you still love me tomorrow?
The nuclear power issue in Japan is unfortunate. I blame right wingers of course. They block innovation in nuclear power to maximize profits of both bulky, expensive legacy nuclear facilities AND fossil fuels.
The whole nuclear power issue has totally pushed me further to the left. We can’t leave the development of safe nuclear power to greedheads.
The French model in nuclear power is the way to go.
Some People!
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyn.....merica.php