To: Pdbsongs1@cs.com, rhoffman@animatedsoftware.com, mollypj@yahoo.com
From: "Russell D. Hoffman" <rhoffman@animatedsoftware.com>
Subject: Politics 101: Is this a democracy? (responses)
Cc: Elizabeth Chesnut <field@wand.org>, karensperos@aol.com, rcberkel@UCI.edu, Pdbsongs1@cs.com, eaton727@earthlink.net, Rwfassett33@aol.com, Elizabeth.lambe@sierraclub.org, BlakeTalulah@aol.com, Oharashar@aol.com, hmpaige722@juno.com, alice@paratec.com, joel@joelbrucedesign.com, webhead@nuclearwitness.org, SNetherby@aol.com, NCForum@aol.com, CBGHirsch@aol.com, psrsm@psr.org, mfield1@san.rr.com, laurah@environmentalhealth.org, beckers@thegrid.net, prcsandiego@igc.org
June 4th, 2002
Contents:
1) Comment on the below items by rdh
2) Two letters from Elizabeth Chesnut, Associate National Field Director, WAND
3) Letter from Bob Nichols
4) Sort-of-related matter that just came in this morning (re: security at nukes)
5) Article in today's local paper
6) Current essays by rdh
7) Additional contact information for Russell Hoffman (author/collector of this email)
1) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comment on the below items by rdh:
Most of all, we need to stop creating new spent nuclear fuel. No Yucca Mountain statement is complete without recognizing this principle!
Second-most of all, it needs to be recognized that the freshest spent nuclear fuel is the most hazardous -- the easiest for Osama to attack, the hardest to put out if it catches fire, the most likely TO catch fire. As the fuel cools, it becomes -- over a LONG period of time (millennia), less and less hazardous - but it doesn't happen overnight, and we have to get started NOW.
Time's a-wasting.
Here's a joke someone sent me last week, and at the bottom of this email is a related article in today's paper.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
But hay, aI got another Abdul joke for ya all... ;-)
So Abdul walks into a dive shop in Oceanside and asks,
"Can you teach me to dive?"
And the shop owner says, "Sure, diving is easy, but you'll
have to learn all about decompression and resurfacing slowly..."
"No, I just want to learn how to dive..."
Got A Rebreather?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Funny, eh? How many million gallons did you experts say those coolant pipes suck in each minute? Is that an "E" ticket with a satchel and SCUBA gear, or what?
Regards,
Russell "we've talked about that already, can't we move on and set a date?" Hoffman
Carlsbad, CA
2) ---------------------------------------------------------------
To: "Russell D. Hoffman" <rhoffman@animatedsoftware.com>
From: Elizabeth Chesnut <field@wand.org>
Subject: Re: Politics 101: Is this a democracy?
Hello all,
This has been an interesting conversation. Thank you for pointing out that on-site nuclear waste storage is not safe. We are aware of the dangers inherent in every link of the nuclear chain, and are working tirelessly to abolish nuclear weapons and nuclear power. In using the word "safe," we meant that on-site storage, in the short term, seems the least bad option -- ie, safer than moving the waste to Yucca Mountain. We'll be more careful in our terminology in the future.
Elizabeth Chesnut
Associate National Field Director
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To: "Russell D. Hoffman" <rhoffman@animatedsoftware.com>
From: Elizabeth Chesnut <field@wand.org>
Subject: Re: Politics 101: Is this a democracy?
In-Reply-To: <4.2.0.58.20020604110557.00a2c4e0@127.0.0.1>
References: <ab.1cecd42b.2a2e3ff7@cs.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="=====================_14972652==_.ALT"
Thanks for pointing this out, Russell. Helen Caldicott, MD actually founded WAND. We very much support her interest in eliminating the dangers of nuclear energy.
3) -------------------------------------------------------------------
X-Priority: 3
To: "Russell D. Hoffman" <rhoffman@animatedsoftware.com>
Subject: Re: Politics 101: Is this a democracy?
Russell,
Russell, please forward to Patricia.
Poor Patricia so wants all to just get along. That would be really nice, wouldn't it?
I think all the Patricia's in the world should consider what we are really talking about and how it has been purposefully renamed.
What does the phrase "spent fuel rod" conjur up to most folks? Why, "used up", "all gone", "finished", and "done, get some more" doesn't it? Anyone would cheerfully stand next to that. Right?
WRONG! Ask one of the nuclear power plant scientists to stand next to a "slightly used reactor core". Exactly the same thing. Oh, they will both kill you in 10 seconds flat!
You see, the government was sucked into changing the name by the nuke plant PR people. In other words, to lie to all of us about what we are really talking about.
Russell, I propose that we all just say "NO!" and start calling these lethal killers what they really are and always have been: SLIGHTLY USED ATOMIC REACTOR CORES!
Patricia, how do you feel about these things now? Remember, it is a certainity that Osama will attack many of these dirty bombs in a single day or week.
"Osama knows".
Bob Nichols
Oklahoma City
4) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: FScullion@aol.com
Message-ID: <f4.1c7973fb.2a2e6d9c@aol.com>
Date: Tue, 4 Jun 2002 15:23:08 EDT
Subject: Hearing tomorrow on whether employees at nukes can carry guns???
To: marvlewis@juno.com
Seems like these folks need to hear from the nuke security experts in this
country about what we really need at these ticking time bombs in our
backyards!!! E them today. What good is one guy with a gun??? Are they going
to call this security against the likes of Al Quedda???
Peace, Fran
http://www.senate.gov/~epw/notices_107.htm#06-05-02
5) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From:
http://www.thesandiegochannel.com/sand/news/stories/news-149532120020604-110632.html
FBI Checking San Diego Dive Shops
Terrorists Could Carry Out Underwater Attack
Posted: 9:12 a.m. PDT June 4, 2002
Updated: 9:22 a.m. PDT June 4, 2002
SAN DIEGO -- Federal agents, acting on non-specific threats, are cross-checking the names of students at scuba diving schools in San Diego and nationwide against the names of suspected terrorists, it was reported Tuesday.
San Diego FBI spokesperson John Innarelli said that agents began canvassing the diving schools late last month, gathering the names of people who took scuba-diving lessons during the past three years, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
"Based on information that's been developed that has not yet been corroborated, there is a body of information out there that certain terrorist elements might be seeking to develop an offensive scuba-diving capability," Innarelli said.
Innarelli said that agents throughout the nation have gathered the names of millions of people who took scuba-diving lessons.
The spokesperson declined to discuss details regarding the local investigation except to say that San Diego agents have not turned up anyone with suspected terrorist affiliations.
FBI officials refused to reveal the possible terrorist scenarios that might involve divers, the newspaper reported, but in previous threats there was a concern that terrorists might attach explosives to ships or bridges.
Copyright 2002 by TheSanDiegoChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
6) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current essays by rdh:
"Citizen's Deposition" regarding Paul Lavely, Director UC Berkeley Office of Radiation Safety:
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/environm/besse/2002lav4.htm
Davis-Besse Newsletter (#13 is current; a new one will be out soon):
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/environm/besse/index.htm
Letter to Bill Corcoran (a nuclear safety engineer):
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/environm/onofre/corcora2.htm
Open letter to India and Pakistan (with Pamela Blockey-O'Brien):
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/environm/no_nukes/tenw/nuke2002.htm
7) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact information for Russell: