Re: So, is reprocessing thread...."Angels dancing on head of pin?"

[SAFarberMSPH@CS.COM]

Radsafe:


This back and forth exchange between the "World According to Ray" 

Weltanschaung    [ask Franz S. for a translation]  and many members of 

Radsafe about: "The question" [ ....of]   "whether or not radoiactive [sic] 

materials are unique among toxins."  hearkens back to the Medieval clerical 

debate about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.


There is little hope of a  reasonable exchange of views or facts between a 

scientist and a person who has an essentially "faith based"  fervor that a 

single photon or electron from a beta decay is going to cause an implicitly 

unacceptable case of  cancer. There is no reasoning with a person holding 

such a polarized value system,  that hundreds of thousands of photons strike 

each person each minute from cosmic and terrestrial background radiation, or 

decay internally each minute from natural radionuclides, etc., etc.. These 

facts regarding radiation exposure mean nothing and the risks of a single 

photon striking a person is accordingly judged unacceptable. Forget trying to 

make an arguments about alternate energy risks [coal or gas or windmills or 

conservation, etc.]  vs. nuclear fuel cycle risks.


At some point [and no animus toward Ray Shadis who I don't know] one has to 

recognize the truth in the old saying: "If you try to teach a pig to sing, 

you're only wasting your time and upset the pig"


Stewart Farber, MS Public Health

Public Health Sciences

172 Old Orchard Way

Warren, VT 05674


[802] 496-3356

email: SAFarberMSPH@cs.com


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In a message dated 7/12/01 1:38:56 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 

chris.davey@cancerboard.ab.ca writes:



> Raymond Shadis wrote:
>
>
> > This is hopeless. The question was whether or not radoiactive materials 
>
> are
>
> > unique among toxins. Yes, they are. That's it. Please, no more banalities
>
> > from the "Friendly Atom." comic series. Thanks. Ray
>
> >
>
>
> Just like a motivational speaker said (looking deeply into the eyes of each 
>
> of
>
> his enraptured audience in turn):
>
>
> "You are unique, just like everybody else!"