[ RadSafe ] Re: When logic fails . . .

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Stewart,

> 
> "Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are 
> putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it."
> 
> Mark Twain

thanks for posting that. Spot on after so many years... Made me instantly
regret I have not read enough of him, I put that on my TBD list :-).

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> From: "stewart farber" <radproject at sbcglobal.net>
> To: "Earley, Jack N" <Jack_N_Earley at RL.gov>
> Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] When logic fails . . .
> Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2007 14:17:03 -0400
> 
> Jack,
> Interesting post about how an opportunistic Senator  Reid will do ANYTHING 
> to use a serious near-accident in shipping chlorine gas through Las Vegas, 
> which had the potential to do real harm to many people,  to bolster their 
> fear mongering about anything related to nuclear technologies.
> 
> Sen. Reid's actions made me think of Mark Twain and one of his wonderful 
> quotes. I tried to find  this particular quote [which I could not locate the 
> exact quote] in which Twain said rather generally:
> 
> "I knew a man who was despondent and tried to commit suicide by shooting a 
> bullet into his brain. After that this person wan't fit to do anything but 
> become a US Senator"  [not exact quote, but gives the essence of the 
> thought]
> 
> Maybe someone has the quote [or can find it] and send it to me. It would be 
> much appreciated.
> 
> Two actual quotes from Twain I found [I prefer the second below]:
> ===============
> "There is no distinctly native American criminal class save Congress."
> 
> Mark Twain
> 
> ================
> 
> "Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are 
> putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it."
> 
> Mark Twain
> 
> ================
> 
> Hope everyone in the US has a good holiday weekend,
> 
> Stewart Farber, MS Public Health
> Farber Technical Services
> 1285 Wood Ave.
> Bridgeport, CT 06604
> [203] 441-8433 [office]
> [203] 522-2817 [cell]
> email: radproject at sbcglobal.net
>           radproject at aol.com
> 
> ===============================
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Earley, Jack N" <Jack_N_Earley at RL.gov>
> To: <radsafe at radlab.nl>
> Sent: Friday, August 31, 2007 12:40 PM
> Subject: [ RadSafe ] When logic fails . . .
> 
> 
> Sounds like Reid's just ignorant enough to run for president.
> 
> Report from LasVegasNow.com:
> 
> Reaction and the fallout from Wednesday's runaway railcar containing the
> deadly chemical chlorine has come from just about everywhere. From
> changes the city of Las Vegas will make, to how the Clark County HAZMAT
> team could respond to a chlorine leak. The railcar coasted freely from
> south of Blue Diamond to North Las Vegas.
> 
> The scariest thing for HAZMAT experts who looked at this incident is how
> close the railcar came to a lot of people. The track took it right
> behind the Mirage, Treasure Island, Fashion Show Mall, and Circus
> Circus. The runaway car went as fast as 55 miles-per hour past the Clark
> County Government Center and downtown Las Vegas. That angered the mayor
> and left HAZMAT fire crews pondering what if.
> 
> The runaway railcar looked harmless enough as it sat in North Las Vegas
> Wednesday. Union Pacific workers threw wood boards under the tires to
> stop the car. But this sight angered Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman. "I
> think it's outrageous," he said. Mayor Goodman says the railroad never
> called his office about the incident. He first heard about it from new
> reports.
> 
> In response, the mayor never wants to be blindsided by a runaway car
> again. He says he will amend a city ordinance so the railroad must
> notify authorities before chlorine or any toxic chemical will be shipped
> through the city. "Cities need to be notified to be prepared to meet
> these kinds of potential dangers with HAZMAT facilities," said Goodman.
> 
> The uncontrolled car sped past hundreds of thousands of people not only
> downtown, but also on the Las Vegas Strip. A leak or crash could have
> been disastrous in that stretch of track. 'What we try to do is prepare
> ourselves," said Richard Brenner, Clark County HAZMAT Coordinator.
> 
> Clark County HAZMAT crews say they would have been ready because of
> specialized training using replicas of the tank car's lid, which is
> where most of the leaks happen when transporting chlorine. So the Clark
> County crews have valve caps. With any leak near the large hotels,
> HAZMAT coordinator Richard Brenner says he would have kept people inside
> and had the ventilation system shut off because chlorine dissipates in
> the wind. "It's going to try to escape. It's going to try to go up in
> the environment. That is what we want it to do. We don't want to put
> people out in that environment," said Brenner. Had there been a crash or
> leak in the side of the tank, HAZMAT crews have a giant bag to throw
> over the car and trap any chlorine gas.
> 
> Senator Harry Reid released the following statement: "The incident
> involving a runaway railcar yesterday is just the latest example of the
> serious danger that Yucca Mountain poses to Nevada and the rest of the
> nation. Railways go directly through the heart of Las Vegas and many
> other cities and towns across America. They travel past our schools, our
> businesses and our homes. Fortunately, yesterday's railcar was stopped
> without incident and without the release of the dangerous Coordinator
> chemicals it was carrying. However, this incident brought to light the
> very real threat we face if the DOE begins to transport nuclear waste to
> Yucca Mountain. That is why I will continue to leverage my leadership
> position in the Senate to ensure the dump is never built."
> 
> 
> 
> Jack Earley
> Health Physicist
> 509.372.9532
>