Spent Fuel Reprocessing Efforts Dealt Set-back by NRC – Tom Clements writes for Aiken Leader

The Aiken Leader has published a piece by Tom Clements on the difficulties in opening a facility for reprocessing nuclear waste at the Savannah River Site.  As Clements points out in the article, the proposal would result in the movement of large amounts of nuclear waste into South Carolina, with no future plans for removing the waste, even after it has been reprocessed.

Clements has written previously on this issue for the Leader, and pointed out the complicity of South Carolina lawmakers in dangerous and wasteful plan to bring nuclear waste into the state.  His previous article, “Documents Reveal Time-line and Plans for “Small Modular Reactors” (SMRs) at the Savannah River Site (SRS) Unrealistic and Promise no Funding“, was published on June 19.

An important Department of Energy (DOE) hearing on disposal of weapons-grade plutonium is coming up on September 4 (5:30-8:00 p.m.) at the North Augusta Municipal Center, 100 Georgia Avenue, North Augusta, SC 29841.  This hearing looks at production of plutonium fuel (MOX) at the Savannah River Site (SRS) and MOX use in nuclear reactors operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

Here is a link to a fact sheet on the issue from the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability:

http://www.ananuclear.org/Portals/0/MOX%20hearing%20fact%20sheet%208.31.2012%20pdf%20FINAL.pdf

Tom notes that even if you can’t make the hearing on September 4, you can submit written comments.  Just go to the DOE webpage and find the contact information there.  Written comments are accepted through September 25, 2012.

Tom Clements was the South Carolina Green Party nominee for U.S. Senate in 2010.  He received 121,474 votes and 9.22% of the total running against Tea-Party Republican Jim DeMint and Democrat Alvin Greene.

Read Tom’s article below.

Straight-Ticket Distorts Democracy In State Elections

How is it possible that former Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Alvin Greene could go from 25+% of the vote in a statewide contest to 1% of the vote running in his own hometown?  Alvin Greene attained 28% of the vote for U.S. Senate in 2010, yet he obtained only 37 votes in the Democratic Party primary for SC House of Representatives District 64.

The answer is: there is no straight ticket vote in a primary election.

Analysis of the November 2010 election for U.S. Senate shows that 88% of Alvin Greene’s voters were straight-ticket Democratic votes. The 11.6% of Greene’s vote that did not choose the straight ticket likely chose him because he was the Democratic nominee – and not on account of his performance and policies.

Straight Ticket Votes US Senate SC 2010 - based on preliminary straight ticket votes from South Carolina Election Commission figures of November 3, 2010. For full results by county including straight ticket votes: http://www.enr-scvotes.org/SC/19077/40477/en/select-county.html

Greene’s vaporous campaign for the state house relied entirely on voter recognition from his Senate run.   As the AP story makes clear, in an election that required local campaigning, a non-campaign came up short:

“This is probably who you know and who knows you kind of thing. It’s a rural area where most people probably know personally who they are voting for,” said Cal Land, chairman of the Clarendon County Democratic Party.

And not a lot of people knew Greene. Out of the more than 20 voters an Associated Press reporter talked to Tuesday, none said they voted for Greene and none knew him personally or had even run into him around the area.

It is ironic then and a sad statement on democracy in South Carolina, that campaigning accounts for so little in a statewide run for office.

Green Party nominee Tom Clements was by and large ignored by the national media, while Greene enjoyed frequent, if repetitive, articles on his non-campaign.   In any appraisal of the candidates for Senate that considers the funds raised, endorsements sought and received, meetings attended, interviews and issues addressed, Tom Clements was the campaigning alternative to Jim DeMint.

The shallowing effect of the straight ticket is obvious. By ensuring that Greene would receive the majority of votes from self-identfied Democratic voters, the straight-ticket device created the appearance of a two-person race.   Only the straight-ticket device could make the 2010 Democratic nominee the foremost challenger to Jim DeMint.   The straight ticket device is an impediment to democracy in South Carolina.

Platt submits electronic voting resolution to James Island PSD

James Island Public Service District Commissioner Eugene Platt has submitted a motion condemning the deficiencies in South Carolina’s electronic voting machines. Platt’s resolution would ask the SC State Election Commission to investigate and pursue verifiable means of voting.

This resolution would be the first of it’s kind in the state.

Platt is a member of the SC Green Party steering committee and a 2010 Green Party candidate for state representative.

James Island Public Service Commissioner Eugene Platt

Speaking in favor of the resolution was Victor Rawl, of Charleston.  Rawl is a judge and former county councilmember who lost the 2010 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate to Alvin Greene of Manning.

The James Island PSD voted 4-2 to table the motion until more information on the topic could be presented.

The presentation and decision to table was covered in the the February 15 Post and Courier:

Preliminary SC Green Party Candidate Results

Tom Clements, South Carolina Green Party Candidate for U.S. Senate 2010

Here are the unofficial results from the South Carolina Green Party’s 2010 candidacies. With 46 of 48 counties are reporting, these numbers are close to final.

This was a very interesting campaign season. I want to congratulate all our candidates for having the heart and the interest to get in the civic arena. We’ve shown that there is a space for independent progressive politics in the state.

Our candidates with previous local campaign or activism experience generally did well in contested races…but certainly we could have done a lot of things differently. We have to take some lessons from this campaign and learn how this political party can best serve the people of South Carolina.

The Clements for Senate campaign has run the most successful statewide progressive race in South Carolina history. With more than 120,000 votes and 9% of the overall vote, Tom Clements has far exceeded any previous statewide campaign operating without support of the two major parties.

Eugene Platt for SC House District 115

Other notable results include the 1,186 votes earned by Eugene Platt running in SC House District 115. Eugene’s 9.62% is the highest percentage result in a three way contest. Incumbent Anne Peterson-Hutto went down in defeat against Republican Eugene McCoy by a margin of less than 5%. In 2008, the State Election Commission threw Green Party nominee Eugene Platt off the general election ballot after he lost the Democratic Primary to Hutto. In 2006 while running as a Democrat, Eugene had come within a handful of votes of defeating the Republican in this district.

D.C. Swinton ran his first campaign for SC House District 24 as a Green/Democratic fusion candidate while a student at Winthrop University. D.C. earned 3,390 votes or 25% of the total in a two person race against an entrenched incumbent. His result is the best overall percentage result by a candidate who ran as a Green.

Dante Swinton for SC House District 24

Christopher Jones received 11.76% in a two-person race in SC House District 74. Leslie Minerd and Dorthea Bull each received around 2%. Gubernatorial candidate Morgan Reeves received 1.16%. Against local prosecutor Troy Gowdy and an array of right wing minor parties C. Faye Walter’s vote in the 4th Congressional District was 1.18%. Robert Dobbs similarly earned about 1.16% running in the 1st Congressional district against six other candidates. Nammu Mohammed received about 1% of the vote against Democratic Congressional Whip Jim Clyburn of the 6th District.

I want to draw your attention to the results for Amendment 2 and the SC House District 69 contest. The success of Amendment 2 puts “secret ballot” union elections into the state constitution. It passed with 86%, so card-check union elections are now forbidden by the SC constitution. Brett Bursey of the SC Progressive Network ran as the Labor Party candidate in SC House District 69, the first time this party has ever sought elective office anywhere in the country. He received 3% against a Democrat and a heavily favored Republican incumbent.

Full results follow. My thanks to all the SC Green Party candidates.

Source: http://www.enr-scvotes.org/SC/19077/39378/en/summary.html#

U.S. Senate

Tom Clements (GRN) 9.22% 120,508
Jim DeMint (REP) 61.45% 803,193
Alvin M Greene (DEM) 27.66% 361,471
WRITE-IN (NON) 1.67% 21,807
Total 1,306,979

SC Governor:

Morgan Bruce Reeves (GRN) 0.93% 12,283
Nikki R Haley (REP) 51.33% 678,937
Vincent A Sheheen (DEM) 46.94% 620,831
Morgan Bruce Reeves (UNC) 0.57% 7,579
Write-In (NON) 0.23% 2,981
Total 1,322,611

Total for Morgan Bruce Reeves (Green + United Citizens): 19,862

Attorney General:

Leslie Minerd (GRN) 2.02% 26,544
Alan Wilson (REP) 53.68% 704,227
Matthew Richardson (DEM) 44.26% 580,645
Write-In (NON) 0.03% 453
Total 1,311,869

State Superintendent of Education

Doretha A Bull (GRN) 1.57% 20,488
Mick Zais (REP) 51.20% 669,327
Tim Moultrie (LIB) 2.66% 34,769
Frank Holleman (DEM) 43.17% 564,433
Tony Fayyazi (IND) 1.36% 17,844
Write-In (NON) 0.04% 507
Total 1,307,368

US House of Representatives District 1
(Charleston, Dorchester, Georgetown, Horry):

Robert Dobbs (GRN) 1.44% 3,316
Tim Scott (REP) 65.31% 149,882
Keith Blandford (LIB) 1.17% 2,688
Ben Frasier (DEM) 28.73% 65,943
Rob Groce (WFM) 1.77% 4,054
M E Mac McCullough (UNC) 0.43% 996
Jimmy Wood (IND) 1.07% 2,455
WRITE-IN (NON) 0.07% 160
Total 229,494

US House of Representatives District 4
(Greenville, Spartanburg, Union, part of Laurens)

C Faye Walters (GRN) 1.18% 2,553
Trey Gowdy (REP) 63.48% 137,189
Rick Mahler (LIB) 1.39% 3,000
Paul Corden (DEM) 28.77% 62,175
Dave Edwards (CON) 5.09% 11,005
WRITE-IN (NON) 0.08% 180
Total 216,102

US House of Representatives District 4

Nammu Y Muhammad (GRN) 0.74% 1,286
Jim Pratt (REP) 37.01% 64,696
James E Jim Clyburn (DEM) 62.21% 108,749
WRITE-IN (NON) 0.04% 65
174,796

State House of Representatives District 24

D C Swinton (GRN) 1.75% 242
Bruce Bannister (REP) 75.35% 10,394
D C Swinton (DEM) 22.82% 3,148
WRITE-IN (NON) 0.08% 11
Total 13,795

State House of Representatives District 74

Christopher Jones (GRN) 11.74% 866
J Todd Rutherford (DEM) 87.92% 6,486
WRITE-IN (NON) 0.34% 25
Total 7,377

State House of Representatives District 115

Eugene Platt (GRN) 7.75% 955
Peter McCoy (REP) 47.01% 5,795
Eugene Platt (PET) 1.87% 231
Anne Peterson Hutto (DEM) 43.32% 5,340
WRITE-IN (NON) 0.04% 5
Total 12,326

Amendment 2

Yes (NON) 86.16% 1,072,811
No (NON) 13.84% 172,319
Total 1,245,130

SC State House of Representatives District 69

Rick Quinn (REP) 72.03% 10,360
Jan Steensen Crangle (DEM) 24.83% 3,571
Brett Bursey (LAB) 3.06% 440
WRITE-IN (NON) 0.08% 11
Total 14,382

The Rock Hill Herald, daily paper of South Carolina’s fourth largest city, endorses Tom Clements of the SC Green Party for U.S. Senate.

The Rock Hill Herald: Clements for Senate
Green Party candidate Tom Clements offers a viable alternative in this race.

URL: http://www.heraldonline.com/2010/10/30/2572265/clements-for-senate.html
Published: Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010 / Updated: Friday, Oct. 29, 2010 11:44 PM
In the race for U.S. Senate, we endorse Green Party candidate Tom Clements.

Rock Hill Herald Endorses Tom Clements for US Senate
Third-party candidates are playing a central role in a number of high-profile races this year, and in South Carolina’s Senate race, we think Clements deserves the attention of voters.
His appeal is bolstered by issues with the two other candidates running this year. Alvin Greene, as much of the nation is aware, was the surprise winner of the Democratic senatorial primary. His campaign can be dismissed as sadly inadequate.
Incumbent Sen. Jim DeMint is the prohibitive favorite in this race. But while he is popular with many voters, his extreme views go too far for a large segment of South Carolinians.
Clements has never run for office before or been involved in any party’s politics before. But he is no stranger to public service. He was approached by state Green Party members in large part because of his role as a nationally known environmental advocate and expert on nuclear power issues.
A Georgia native, Clements became the Southeastern coordinator for Friends of the Earth in Columbia in 2008. In that capacity, he focuses on issues related to nuclear power and nuclear waste, and is the public interest watchdog over the Department of Energy’s Savannah River site.
He worked for 13 years with Greenpeace International and for three years as the executive director of the Nuclear Control Institute in Washington, D.C.. He has extensive foreign policy experience as a leading nuclear antiproliferation advocate.
While the environment, and global warming in particular, is his area of expertise, he also is fluent on a number of other critical issues, including the need to support small businesses, preserving Social Security, supporting education, making health care available to all Americans and ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Clements is a thoughtful and articulate advocate for a variety of causes supported by many South Carolina voters, particularly those issues involving preservation of our precious natural resources. Clements, we think, would represent the interests of the state well in the Senate.
Sen. DeMint also boasts the support of a large segment of the state’s voters, perhaps even a majority. This time around, however, he seems to be taking that support for granted. DeMint has spent next to no time or money campaigning in the state on his own behalf, choosing instead to barnstorm the country on behalf of tea party candidates in other states.
While his goal is to elect more senators who think like he does, that effort comes at the expense of spending time in his home state, making the case to South Carolinians as to why he should represent the state for the next six years.
DeMint is entitled to feel secure that a large percentage of the state’s voters — and many other Americans — share his conservative views. But clearly, some of his views are so radical that he has estranged himself from many, even including some Republican colleagues in the Senate.
For example, many of his supporters are pro-life, as he is. But how many Republicans share his view that abortion is wrong even in the case rape or incest?
Many, like DeMint, might oppose same-sex marriage. But do they share his view that gays and unwed single mothers are unfit to teach in the classroom?
Many, like DeMint, might oppose most congressional earmarks as pork-barrel spending. But do they oppose, as he does, an earmark that would provide $400,000 to study the dredging of the Port of Charleston, which could be crucial if the port is to capitalize on traffic from a widened Panama Canal beginning in 2014?
South Carolina’s other U.S. senator, Lindsey Graham, by the way, sponsored the earmark for the study.
Some of DeMint’s stances have been an outright embarrassment to the state.
Most recently, DeMint opportunistically jumped on the firing of NPR/Fox News analyst Juan Williams to introduce a bill to cut off all federal funding for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service. In fact, NPR was well within its rights as an employer to fire Williams over his ill-chosen remarks regarding his fears about sharing a plane with people in Muslim garb. NPR also had warned him on a number of occasions about a possible conflict of interest in his working for the two organizations.
Those radical views will make him a major cause of gridlock regardless of which party controls Congress. DeMint’s goal is to promote an uncompromising brand of conservatism that shuns the common ground in favor of ideological purity.
Congress doesn’t need more rancor and partisan divisiveness. It needs members from both parties who are capable of working together for the common good.
In this race, Clements and DeMint are the only viable candidates. We think, however, that Clements would, ultimately, be a more effective advocate for the interests of this state.

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For additional information visit Tom’s website at http://clementsforsenate.com or
Facebook.

See the Clements For Senate You Tube Channel at Youtube – TomClementsSenate.