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Re: ENOUGH!!! (was Re: FACTS ABOUT TENNESSEE ILLNESSES)



 ruth_weiner wrote:  > "I truly thought this kind of rant (sic) would not 
occur on RADSAFE.  As the wife  of a DOE retiree and a person with many 
friends and colleagues who work for DOE (and worked for its predecessors, the 
AEC and FEA), I am left without words to adequately describe my outrage."
Ruth F. Weiner, Ph. D.
John De Armond wrote:
"I believe we should invite the lawyers and the whistle blowers and that sort 
(sic) to resume lurking and to otherwise shut up." 

Dear John and Ruth:

For your information, further comments and inspiration, please feel free to 
read and link to written Senate testimony of DOE nuclear workers (and my 
testimony) at http://www.downwinders.org/victims    My March 2000 written 
U.S. Senate Governmental Affairs testimony, "DOE's Toxic, Hostile Working 
Environment Violates Human Rights," is posted at 
http://www.downwinders.org/slavinhtml.htm   It touches on DOE's and 
contractors' hostility to whistleblowers and offering of what amounts to a 
$100,000 bribe to a few sick workers (Chapter 1) compensation (Chapter 2), 
K-25 medical coverup (Chapter 3), Department of Labor desuetude of 
whistleblower law enforcment (Chapter 4&5), criminal prosecution (Chapter 6), 
and conclusions (Chapter 7).

"I still believe in a place called Hope."  As Robert Kennedy said on April 4, 
1968 in Indianapolis, Indiana:  "What we need in the United States is not 
hatred...."  

Today, I wear your scorn as a badge of honor.  :)   Possibly you lack 
objectivity because of your associations with management.  Perhaps you should 
both step back and see it from the workers' perspective.  Listen more, and 
shout less.  As Jimmy Carter said, "let us learn together and work together, 
confident that in the end we will triumph in the right."  The sick workers 
are not going away.  They will not be silenced.  Your seeking to silence them 
shows prejudice.  See Gordon W. Allport, The Nature of Prejudice (1954).

Generations of Americans like my father fought -- and many died -- for our 
free speech rights, which some would trample upon.  My clients were ridiculed 
by this listserv for three years. No human compassion was shown to their 
plight until I posted yesterday.  Many of you have publicly and privately 
stated your supportive views.  Thank you, one and all. 

I first posted to this listserv yesterday (not several days ago).  
Apparently, you two have a case of cognitive dissonance.  As radiation 
protection professionals, you must learn to deal with the sequelae of the 
actions of Oak Ridge management.  Of you can delete the messages about Oak 
Ridge.  Don't try to silence worker dissent.
This is still a democracy.  

As Robert F. Kennedy said, "it is not enough to allow dissent, we must demand 
it, for there is much to dissent from."  

With kindest regards, I am,

Sincerely yours,

Edward A. Slavin, Jr.
Box 3084
St. Augustine, Florida 32085-3084
(904) 471-7023
(904) 471-9918 (fax)

In a message dated 04/07/2000 2:29:14 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
johngd@bellsouth.net writes:

<< 
 ruth_weiner wrote:
 > 
 > I truly thought this kind of rant would not occur on RADSAFE.  As the wife
 > of a DOE retiree and a person with many friends and colleagues who work for
 > DOE (and worked for its predecessors, the AEC and FEA), I am left without
 > words to adequately describe my outrage.
 > 
 > Ruth F. Weiner, Ph. D.
 > 7336 Lew Wallace NE
 > Albuquerque, NM
 > 505-856-5011
 > fax 505-856-5564
 > ruth_weiner@msn.com
 
 I similarly share your outrage, having been a subcontractor to
 Martin-Marietta during the 80s and actually having been involved in
 some of these matters.  I have sat on my fingers for a couple of
 days now while a bottom-feeding carpet-bagging lawyer floats to the
 surface and attempts to wrap himself in motherhood, apple pie and
 the flag while simultaneously besmirching the character of anyone
 who ever worked at Oak Ridge (except for "his" bunch, of course) and
 trying to hide HIS true motivation - greed - and that of his
 clients. (I have blown knees.  Did it playing ball in high school
 and college.  I wonder if I whined enough, if I could get Uncle
 Sugar to blame it on da radiation and pay ME some money?)  I have
 listened to someone who describes herself as brain damaged rant and
 rave because she wasn't paid the amount of attention she thought she
 should have had.  In another thread, I've seen the work and the
 character of Dr. Bernie Cohen recklessly slandered in a fashion more
 apropos to a tabloid by people who probably haven't done 1/100th the
 actual hard research that Dr. Cohen has.
 
 I THOUGHT this list was for HP professionals to discuss HP matters. 
 And until Melissa went on to greener pastures, she kept it that
 way.  In her absence, some elements are obviously not able to police
 themselves.  If this list is now going to become a forum to debate
 nuke vs antinuke or slander prominent researchers or give forum to
 the Uncle Sugar blood suckers, then it's time for me to move on
 too.  There are many other forums where that kind of stuff can be
 debated ad naseum.  If I were interested in that sort of debate, I'd
 go there and participate.  I'm not. 
 
 So what is this list going to be?  If it is to remain a forum for
 professionals, acting professionally, to discuss health-physics,
 then I believe we should invite the lawyers and the whistle blowers
 and that sort to resume lurking and to otherwise shut up.  If the
 kind of discussion that has occurred over the last several days is
 to be what this list is about, then I'm outta here.  
 
 John
 
 -- 
 John De Armond
 johngdSPAMNOT@bellsouth.net
 http://personal.bellsouth.net/~johngd/
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