SANTA FE, N.M. – New Mexico remains in the crosshairs of the ongoing debate over the safety of the nuclear industry.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s new chairwoman, Allison MacFarlane, has indicated that a site near Carlsbad, N.M., where nuclear waste is stored four miles underground, offers some hope of a permanent repository. MacFarlane made the comments in the wake of last week’s unanimous decision by the five-person panel to suspend licensing for U.S. nuclear power plants until it can be proved that the lack of a storage plan does not threaten public health and safety. MacFarlane is the first geologist to sit on the commission. She finds the industry’s evaluation of earthquake vulnerability to be inadequate currently, recognizing that geological knowledge is “constantly changing.”

Meanwhile, a New Mexico man ended a 24-day hunger strike over what he sees as environmental threats posed by the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Alaric Balibrera's father officially documented activity at Los Alamos as a filmmaker from 1967 to 1982, so Balibrera says he grew up around the nuclear industry. But today, he sees it much differently than does his dad.

"What I'm calling for is a transformation in our approach to using science to sustain life and enrich life. What we're looking at is a system that thrives on greed and hatred and fear."

When he was young, Balibrera says his father brought home non-classified films from the lab and watched them, sometimes with LANL scientists.

"No one saw these images except me and my little sister. We saw the images of the mushroom cloud exploding on my living room wall regularly. The bomb was always a kind of intimate part of my awareness growing up."

Balibrera says he's still trying to meet face-to-face with a number of decision-makers to share his concerns. He wants to see U.S. Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall, Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, Gov. Susana Martinez and LANL Director Charles McMillan.

Arnie Alpert, with the American Friends Service Committee, supports Balibrera's views. Alpert says the organization has been campaigning for an end to nuclear weapons since the first time they were used. It's trying to get Congress to reallocate funds from military and nuclear weapons programs, to others that address human needs.

“Wouldn’t our country actually be stronger and more secure if our families had access to the health care and education and housing that they need, instead of having another rack of nuclear bombs that we pray will never get used?”

Balibrera doesn't think his father, now a Hollywood screenwriter, shares his concerns. However, he is joined by people and organizations who do. He says some 30 people have joined the hunger strike for differing lengths of time. Some of them are continuing the strike.


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At a time when it's easy to find something to disagree about, whether it's politics or social issues, one organization is working to help others have more productive conversations about divisive topics.

Henry McHenry, founder of the group Meetings of Opposites, said the key to getting people to listen to one another is changing the arena of conversation, to allow them to bridge the gaps between opposing viewpoints.

"Civilizations, societies, are organized around their dominant conversations," he said, "and it is important in a divisive time to get a grip on the dominant conversation that runs our lives."

McHenry, who lives in Virginia, said he'll bring his 2 1/2-hour session anywhere in the United States at no charge. He said Meetings of Opposites is about more than changing the arena and tone of conversation. It's also about exploring different ways of perceiving the world. The training uses visual perception as a tool to show how two people can look at the same thing and see something completely different.

Meetings of Opposites also emphasizes the importance of empathy in communication. Rather than attempting to change someone's viewpoint on a topic, McHenry is a proponent of what is often referred to as "active listening" - paying full attention to what they're saying instead of thinking about how you'll counter it or judging the speaker. He said this encourages better two-way communication.

"So, the arena changes from 'us against them' to 'we for each other,'" he said. "And once you've experienced 'we for each other,' you probably don't want to go back to 'us against them.'"

In an Ipsos/Public Agenda survey in 2019, half of Americans said they think the nation will become "more destructive" in dealing with disagreements in the next 10 years.


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Tax Day is quickly approaching April 18 but some Massachusetts residents will resist paying their federal taxes as a war protest.

War tax resistance, as it's known, dates back to the American Revolution, when Quakers refused to pay taxes designated for military purposes. The movement gained national attention in 1964 when singer Joan Baez refused to pay 60% of her income taxes due to the war in Vietnam.

Aaron Falbel of Sunderland said he files his federal taxes but includes a note explaining his moral opposition to paying them.

"If you don't believe in war with your heart or your mind, if you don't support war in that way, why should you support it with your wallet?" Falbel asked.

Falbel explained the point behind war tax resistance is to redirect one's federal tax payment to organizations working for peace. Nearly 50% of federal discretionary spending goes to the Department of Defense, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Paying taxes is mandatory under federal and state laws.

Many war tax resisters also cite the military's significant contribution to climate change as a reason to channel their money elsewhere. Studies show the U.S. military is the world's single largest consumer of oil and one of the world's top greenhouse gas emitters. Falbel noted taxes provide resources for it to continue.

"That economic engine has a tailpipe problem which contributes to climate change," Falbel contended.

Falbel added he has received numerous letters with warnings from the Internal Revenue Service since becoming a war tax resister in 1990, following a demonstration against the soon-to-be Persian Gulf War. He argued anything the IRS could do to him, such as seize his assets or income, is nothing compared to the violence of war.


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Construction of the Medal of Honor Museum and Foundation is under way in Arlington, Texas - a place to pay tribute to those who've earned the nation's highest military award for valor in combat.

It was 160 years ago this week that President Abraham Lincoln gave out the first medals to those who distinguished themselves in combat. Leaders from the National Medal of Honor Foundation, including Texas' retired Army Gen. Patrick Brady, gathered in Washington, D.C., for a commemoration ceremony. Brady said for him, the medal represents ideals that make a nation great.

"We're trying to establish the values that are pillars of American excellence - courage, sacrifice and patriotism - and get young people to understand those things are important, to our survival and to their success in life," he said.

Since 1863, about 3,500 men and one woman have received the Medal of Honor, 65 of whom are still living. A bill is set to be introduced in Congress that would also approve a monument for the National Mall in Washington.

Chris Cassidy, president and CEO of the National Medal of Honor Foundation, said the museum will bring recipients' stories of heroism and bravery to life for generations to come.

"We're focused on the stories of normal Americans who did something completely above and beyond when the nation needed it," he said, "and what we aim to do is inspire people to be more courageous in their own lives, through stories of the Medal of Honor recipients."

Cassidy said the museum in Arlington is expected to open in March 2025.