RE: Radiation Records Being Investigated

["Minnema, Douglas" <Douglas.Minnema@ns.doe.gov>]

Drat, caught by the old 'from' bug again.  Here is the complete message that
I was trying to send yesterday.

Jim,

I would like to say that I find your comments regarding the workers of the
nuclear weapons complex personally offensive.  As a member of the complex
for over 20 years in both a weapons lab and a member of DOE, I have been and
continue to be very proud of my service to this country and its security.  I
believe that the vast majority of DOE and DOE Contractor employees will tell
you the same thing.

You readily recognize the impact that a small number of vocal opponents can
have on commercial nuclear power, and yet you refuse to believe that they
can have the same effect in DOE.  It is unfortunate that politics often
overrides good science, but that is the way things are today, expecially in
an election year.  Insulting the majority to fight the minority will get you
nowhere.

In many of your past messages you have demonstrated an excellent
understanding of the technical and scientific issues involved.  Please keep
up the good work in that respect.  But your frequent attacks on the rest of
us who are trying to do the same in our own spheres of influence will not
help.

By the way, for the rest of you:  I suggest you go back and look at the
states and districts of those Congressmen you are criticizing.  You may
reach a different conclusion than to assme that it is a joint
Democrat-Republican effort.  If you need more clues, look at where DOE is
shutting down facilities and reducing payrolls.

When I first started working at DOE/HQ on detail, the office that I was in
dutifully notified the Secretary's office that one of our contractors was
going to announce a layoff of 2400 people because of the lack of funding.
She (yes, it was Hazel O'Leary) ordered a halt until we could give the
announcement a 'positive spin'.  Never did figure out how to do that.

I suggest to all of you that the real difference between DOE and the NRC is
the position of the leadership within the administration, rather than the
quality of the staff.

Thanks for letting me vent a little after a long week.

Doug Minnema, PhD, CHP
A Proud Member of Defense Programs, DOE
<Douglas.Minnema@ns.doe.gov>

what few thoughts i have are truly my own

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Jim Muckerheide [SMTP:jmuckerheide@delphi.com]
> 
> Right, Jerry. 
> 
> It is interesting that rad-pros don't even blink when told by politician
> Richardson, anti-nuke Michaels, et al., that the Wing and other junk
> science
> studies are right! and for 50 years the rad-pros have lied about it!
> both,
> that the exposures are safe, and that the dozens (100s?) of credible
> nuclear
> worker studies show no effect. 
> 
> Seems like saying: "I AM A LIAR! SEND [MORE] CASH!" Just like the workers
> who
> (at least with more justification from a lack of direct knowledge) go from
> defending and pride in accomplishment to seeking a place at the trough.
> And we
> make fun of the Russians and other who claim 'damages' in order to get on
> the
> gravy train. Must have seen "The Mouse that Roared" :-)
> 
> Now, if we can get a class-action suit with the people in Denver we can
> claim
> "we've gotten even more dose than them!" You with me? 
> 
> Where's there any integrity left inside the 'system?'  Maybe we can
> recruit
> Diogenes with a tritium-powered lantern.  Can he find anyone before the
> light
> goes out? :-)  (Let's see, if we define "out" as 1% of the original source
> strength, and the half life is...)
> 
> Regards, Jim
> muckerheide@mediaone.net
> 

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