[humor] Re: Greenpeace Storms Aussie Reactor

["Jim Hoerner" <jim_hoerner@HOTMAIL.COM>]

If you enjoy witty humor, you'll hate this.  Enjoy...





Greenpeace Storms Aussie Reactor



Story Filed: Sunday, December 16, 2001 10:47 PM EST



SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Dozens of Greenpeace activists dressed up as 

nuclear waste barrels stormed a nuclear reactor Monday,

scaling the walls and unfurling protest banners.



Ironically, the barrels had previously contained processing chemicals from a 

nearby chemical plant, and the residue inside was much more dangerous to the 

protesters than if the drums had contined low-level radioactive waste.  

Several were treated on site for oozing blisters.  Contamination from the 

chemical residue was spread around the reactor site, a spokesperson from the 

EPA who wanted to remain anonymous, said.



Detective Inspector Laurie Pettiford of the New South Wales state police 

said 46 people were arrested Monday and would be charged with

trespassing.  Another 83 were killed when the plant security force responded 

as they had been trained to respond to a terrorist action.



A four-wheel-drive vehicle was used to block the gates of the Lucas Heights 

reactor in southern Sydney as two truckloads of activists ran

onto the grounds, scaling a radio tower, the main building and a waste 

storage facility.  After the commotion, the vehicle's insurer declared it 

totalled.  "There wasn't a body panel with less than seven M-16 bullet holes 

in it", said Adam Split.



Some unfurled banners reading: ``Nucular is never safe'' [sic].  One 

protester chained himself to the top of the main building.  The plant 

security force decided to leave him there indefinitely.  "There isn't a bit 

of harm he can do up there", said Rod Scram.  "Maybe he'll learn his lesson" 

he said with a grin.



The protestor, Mr. E. Ville, could be heard shouting "Come on, guys, it was 

only a joke!  I've really got to pee!"



Pam Keenan, a spokeswoman for the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology 

Organization, the government authority that runs Lucas

Heights, said Lucas Heights has ``layers'' of security.

``Because of that security in-depth approach, there wasn't any breach of the 

secure part of the site,'' she said.  "Although some Mountain Dew is 

believed to be missing from the soda machine; we're investigating."



The facility, a research reactor where scientists produce radioactive 

medicines sold to hospitals, also supplies irradiated silicon for the

semiconductor industry.  Brian Less, of No_Nooks [sic], said, "We don't need 

no nuclear waste in our computers or our breast implants, and radioactive 

medicines kill people."



The reactor, about the size of a washing machine, possesses only enough 

radioactive uranium to fill a coffee cup.   Les Clue, self-proclaimed 

nuclear expert from Greenpeace said, "we know for a fact that the uranium 

came from US origin material.  There's enough plutonium-387 in it to kill 

everyone on earth four times".



Built in 1958, Australia's only reactor is due to be replaced next year.



``A new reactor is unnecessary,'' Greenpeace activist Stephen Campbell said 

in a statement explaining the protesters' actions.  When asked why he held 

that opinion, he cited deeply-held personal beliefs, and "Pentagon 

documents".







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