A well researched and fierce rebuttal of the flimsy rhetoric that is being fed to us increasingly by Howard, the Atomic Energy Boy$ - and sadly now our very own Premier Rann.

Like a bunch of lemmings racing to the edge they've convinced themselves that if they just keep beating us over the head how nuclear energy is actually a REALLY a nice "GREEN" energy, despite its toxic, huge-half life radio-active waste laden ills, AND will solve global warming - [our current pollies pea-in-the-mattress bug-bear] - all will be well!

The consequences are just too major to let Howard again roll this one thru, and massive public and media discourse must now be encouraged.

The reality is that nuclear energy no longer is a black-arm band 'counter-culture' issue but a very real threat that deserves the concern of all Australians as viable energy alternatives are available. The real energy agenda of the Howard government regarding Australia's energy future has now been declared, and we should be on notice.

I made the point last week that Australia should export less yellowcake and more enriched uranium, perhaps already in customer-specified fuel rods. Apart from value adding the reduced bulk makes unauthorised diversions more difficult. Essentially the fuel rod would be returned intact and refilled.

Nuclear alarmists would help their cause by providing an alternative low carbon energy scenario which isn't pie-in-the-sky.

It is clever of the government to focus on nuclear energy production but it is only a blind for the real goal which is to make Australia a reprocessor of spent nuclear fuel and the storage yard for the most poisonous nuclear wastefrom all over the world and especially from the US.

Has anyone stopped to think about how much waste there will be from the US, China and other countries? It is not just the spent fuel, reactors - including in mothballed nuclear warships - have to be disposed of too.

For decades the nuclear industry has promised that 'safe' storage of waste is 'just around the corner' but all countries who have gone nuclear have huge stockpiles of waste that is growing daily.

If the US really wanted to save the planet from the greenhouse effect and save millions of barrels of oil each year all it has to do is require its car manufacturers to make their cars slightly more fuel efficient. At present many of their recreational vehicles get less than four miles per gallon! How irresponsible is that?

Just a few miles per gallon saved per car and they wouldn't have had to invade Iraq.

If nuclear fuel reprocessing and waste storage are so safe and lucrative why does George Bush want someone else to do it? That is a no brainer.