CNN 2011-03-19

The fuse was first lit in Wisconsin, but the bargaining rights controversy 1 is beginning to burn "Cross Country."

That's what it looked like at the Tennessee state capital in Nashville where hundreds of public employees rally for better wages and bargaining rights while staring down state police who were trying to stop demonstrators from disrupting committee meetings. Seven people in all were hauled off to jail.

In Ohio, similar shows of pro-union support where state workers there facing off against senate bill No. 5, a measure that if approved, would curb 2 their collective bargaining rights. Critics call it union busting 3.

And check out this close call on I-70 in St. Louis. Police trying to get a handle on post-accident traffic get their squad 4 car -- well, you see it right there. In a replay, if you look closely -- this is the replay, you can see one of the officers jumping the median rail to safety as the cruiser goes spinning out of control. Oh, unbelievably neither officer was hurt.

So, American troops are doing what they can to protect themselves, but let's face it. It's a scary situation, and we don't know that it won't get worse. Retired 5 Lieutenant 6 General Russel Honore is here. He led the military response to Hurricane Katrina.  General, welcome.

Good morning.

This might be the most challenging hazardous 7 humanitarian 8 mission ever. So how comfortable would you be taking troops in?

Well, those troops are well trained and well protected and the good thing is they have sensors 9 and they have meters that tell them their level of exposure.

And on the aircraft carrier and the sister ships, they have the capability 10 to treat and monitor, as well as clean and decontaminate between missions, Carol.

But, General, they haven't really been through anything like this. I mean, do they drill for something like this before they go? I mean, there is no precedent 11 for a situation like this.

Well, absolutely. I mean, there's still a nuclear threat out there. We have the nuclear power carrier Reagan off the coast. The Navy is well trained in this. They have to deal with the nuclear technology on a daily basis because that aircraft carrier.

So there couldn't be a better force. The other great thing is that what the Navy brings to our Department of Defense 12 and to the world is the ability to be able to operate offshore 13 and the position itself where you can get the mission done without having to take space in the contaminated area.

You know we have about 38,000 military and 45,000 family members in Japan who are very worried right now.

Exactly. And if I were a loved one and I'm like viewing this, you know, on my television set here in the United States and I hear the protection for these troops flying helicopter missions is to keep their windows closed and their sleeves rolled down and the protection for these people living on U.S. bases in Japan is to keep their windows closed and their ventilation systems closed, I would still be pretty scared.

And, Carol, I can assure you from the information I have, the commanders on the ground are using every means to keep the families informed, but people are worried. You know, on one hand, the State Department has issued no travel to Japan, only essential travel to Japan.

The Department of Defense has said stop move. If you're en route, don't come. That sends a different mixed message to the families who should be worried, all worried, but the military is doing all they can to assure them that they are not at risk at this time if they take those precautions.

I will tell you to take a look and look at a line and if they start issuing iodide pills, then they will be close to a decision point when that decision would be made by the U.S.

They have already done that. They have suggested that some of our military personnel take these pills. Is there a point where it becomes so dangerous, where the risks are so great that the U.S. military will say we got to get out of here, we can't help you anymore?

I would say when you start giving that to family members, that you will start seeing some evacuations starting to take place. That would be that point.

That would be that point? So, in your opinion, the U.S. military should stay until what happens?

Absolutely. The military, the uniform military has to stay until they accomplished 14 a mission. You know, humanitarian missions are just as important as the war fight missions we do, Carol. They are one and the same.

When we get a mission, the objective is to accomplish it and take all of the precautions that we possibly can to keep our troops safe and out of harm's way.

I guess, you know, just as a person not in the military, obviously, I mean, when you go into the military you expect to be shot at, you expect bombs to go off, but do you expect to be possibly poisoned with radiation?

Well. Absolutely not, but we are trained for operating in a radiological exposed area. That's why you have the best military in the world and you pay all of the taxes you pay to support that 300 ship navy and those 350,000 troops you got in the army and the Air Force and the Navy. We are trained in that, we got the equipment, and they will do the right thing with the right information.