Re: C.A. Beard (LANL) letter on MOX for Chalk

[Franz Schoenhofer <schoenho@via.at>]

At 15:22 21.01.2000 -0600, you wrote:
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>RADSAFERS:
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>         Please help me to clarify my understanding of Carl Beard's letter 
>below.

I only read your comment and I think that this is enough to answer your
question. 

The US does not buy the weapons grade plutonium to store it in Fort Knox.
It is not valuable, but they want to get rid of it as soon as possible.
They buy it in order to prevent distribution to other countries which would
be eager to have it in order to develop nuclear weapons. Being an outsider
- one of these Europeans - I think that every dollar spent on this business
is worth in order to prevent a nuclear proliferation which finally would
give any country the opportunity to threaten the neighbour by nuclear
weapons. Since the US behaves as being the "world police" guarding the free
world, the US taxpayers should accept this deal. Not at least it is of
their interest not to disturb the "equilibrium" between various states and
the US interests. This costs money and looking back to American history,
money has paid a very important role in the "making of the US" - as I have
it from the National Geographic Magazine and not from any anti-US pamphlet. 

To ship the MOX fuel to Canada does not seem to me a gratitude. If not
shipped, where would the US store the plutonium? There is to my knowledge
no possibility to store it anywhere and if it would exist it would cost a
tremendous sum to do so. Therefore it is politically and financially better
to deliver it at no cost. 


I have read, besides a large number of RADSAFERs supporting my mailings,
that some radsafers regard me as anti-US. This is nonsense. I critisize
certain aspects of the European Union and my own country as well if I think
it appropriate. But my US collegues should not forget, that they are not
isolated and especially they should not forget that there are other reasons
for decisions regarding nuclear power, nuclear weapons and radiation
protection than scientifically ones. Whether we like it or not - this is a
fact.

Regards,

Franz


Franz Schoenhofer
Habicherg. 31/7
A-1160 Vienna
Austria
Tel.: +43-1-495 53 08
Fax.: same number
mobile phone: +43-664-338 0 333
e-mail: schoenho@via.at

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