Re: [ RadSafe ] Man Pleads Guilty to “Dirty Bomb” Hoax

[stewart farber]

Hi all,

Interesting case. If a federal grand jury can indict this clueless, specific 
date RDD "dirty bomb" threat cyber fearmonger, what's the difference vs. the 
countless anti-nukes who make open-ended ludicrous claims about the risk of 
catastrophic accidents or attacks at nuclear facilities?

Within the past 3 months or so, we've seen Gov. Eliot Spitzer, of a major 
State like NY,  claiming millions of New Yorkers could be killed from a 
nuclear accident/attack at Indian Point NPP. Since 911 there have been 
endless self-serving claims by anti-nukes claiming that even simple attacks 
by small groups of terrorists on a nuclear power plant could kill thousands 
to millions of the public. Check the RadSafe archives for the nonsense 
posted by self-professed anti-nuke Russell Hoffman the day after the 911 
attack.

Should the Governor of NY be indicted for his unsupportable remarks about 
death threats from radiological hazards which are clearly meant to incite 
fear among the public, and generate pressure from the public to support 
unjustified Federal  regulatory actions to shut down a MAJOR source of clean 
electricity generating 1,955 MW[e] for  the people of NY?  Replacing Indian 
Point 2 and 3 with coal fired electricity, which would be likely consequence 
of Gov. Spitzer's rhetoric to shut down Indian Point, would be the real 
terrorist act given the environmental & public health impacts of coal fired 
electricity vs. nuclear generated electricity.

The EPA estimates that each 1,000 MW[e] coal fired plant causes about 100 
excess deaths per year among the public. So replacing Indian Point 2 and 3 
with 1,955 MW[e] of coal generated power would result in approximately 200 
extra deaths among the public each year. Governor Spitzer is a 
distinguished, and brilliant lawyer.  Unfortunately, his environmental and 
public health risk assessment skills are lacking, as are his ethics in 
trying to exploit nuclear fear for political purposes.

Indicting the Governor of NY for fearmongering sounds like a great case for 
Jack McCoy of the hit TV show Law and Order. Maybe I should become a 
scriptwriter. The recent strike highlighted that screenwriters get paid 
pretty well.

Stewart Farber. MS Public Health
[203] 441-8433 [office]
===========================
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Clayton J Bradt" <cjb01 at health.state.ny.us>
To: <radsafe at radlab.nl>
Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 9:32 AM
Subject: [ RadSafe ] Man Pleads Guilty to “Dirty Bomb” Hoax


>
> Friday, February 29, 2008
>
>
> Man Pleads Guilty to “Dirty Bomb” Hoax
>
>
>
>
>
> A Wisconsin man could be sentenced to five years in prison after pleading
> guilty yesterday to claiming online that terrorists planned to use
> radiological “dirty bombs” against seven National Football League 
> stadiums,
> the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Oct. 23, 2006).
>
>
> On about 40 occasions from September to October 2006, Jake Brahm posted a
> message on a Web site claiming that attacks were planned on Oct. 22 of 
> that
> year in Atlanta, Cleveland, Houston, Miami, New York, Oakland and Seattle.
>
>
> “The death toll will approach 100,000 from the initial blasts and 
> countless
> other fatalities will later occur as [a] result from radioactive fallout,”
> the message stated.
>
>
> A federal grand jury one year ago indicted the 22-year-old Wauwatosa man
> under the Patriot Act for willfully conveying false information regarding
> attacks on the stadiums involving weapons of mass destruction and
> “radiological dispersal devices.”
>
>
> He is scheduled for sentencing in federal court in New Jersey on June 5.
> Along with up to five years in prison, Brahm could be fined $250,000.
>
>
> “This was the Internet version of yelling fire in a crowded theater, but 
> to
> a much wider audience,” U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie said in a
> statement. “I don’t think anyone needs to be reminded in this day how
> serious and dangerous such conduct is” (Jeffrey Gold, Associated Press/USA
> Today, Feb. 28).
> *****************************************************************************
>
> The US government have been the real perpetrators of this hoax.  This guy
> was dumb enough to believe it.  So was the jury, apparently.
>
> Clayton J. Bradt