Re: Surviving a Dirty Bomb

["Franz Schoenhofer" <franz.schoenhofer@CHELLO.AT>]

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----

Von: AndrewsJP@AOL.COM <AndrewsJP@AOL.COM>

An: frantaj@AECL.CA <frantaj@AECL.CA>; radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

<radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu>

Datum: Samstag, 15. Juni 2002 18:50

Betreff: Re: Surviving a Dirty Bomb





>In a message dated 6/15/02 9:04:45 AM Pacific Daylight Time,

frantaj@AECL.CA

>writes:

>

>

>> I agree with Stewart & others that many people are using the "dirty bomb"

>> threat to maximize public fear and even panic.

>> My reply to the newspaper story was as follows :

>>

>

>Perhaps you could send copies of this letter to the editors of other major

>newspapers and magazines here in the US, in Canada, and perhaps in Europe.

>It might open some eyes and lead to more temperate reporting of this issue.

----------------------------------------------------------------------



You need not send them to Europe. Except of the boulevard press, which

brought the news of the "dirty bomb" with the picture of a mushroom cloud

and some nonsense, like, that the "radioactivity" needed for such a bomb can

be found in X-ray machines (I mentioned that in an earlier posting) no

serious paper - at least in Austria - has published anything to frighten

people. Just at the controverse: The serious papers distain these news

(issued one month after the "suspect" was actually arrested - what for????)

as what it is: A politically motivated and therefore greatly exaggerated

arrest in order to assist the current administration to "cover up" its

activities as they are the abolition of the ABM-treaty - no nation in Europe

likes it - and especially the attempts of the current administration to

deprive not only foreigners, but also Americans of their civil rights. This

all in the name of "war against terrorism". Europeans do not appreciate to

be forced to participate in a "foreign war" - what war???? Is the sole

purpose of this war to replace one corrupt regime in a far away country by

another corrupt one? What do you expect from the "new" government in

Afghanistan, which btw does not yet exist. That Coca-Cola and McDonalds

hamburgers will be sold there? This is the great change? That women are

represented at the "Great Summit", without any chance to be heard? Of course

the change, that they are allowed now to participate in education and to

work is - maybe - the only positive one.



We receive "warnings" in Europe, that German airports might be at risk. They

are at the same risk as any other airport in the world. The task of the

attacks of Sept. 11 has been fully fulfilled - and the American government,

the mass media there are helping with all their power - namely to disturb

economy, to disturb tourism, to create a kind of mass hysteria, which works

down to the smallest business and even the psychic condition of people.



I have in 1988 met people in the USA - even educated ones! - who did not

know the word "Chernobyl". Yes, it was too far away from the USA. Why do US

citizens expect us in Europe and elsewhere to pay even after so many months

attention to what happened in New York? Even you Americans do not mention

Washington any more - the Twin Towers are a much more suitable symbol!

That's the influence of the needs of mass media - to have a symbol. And they

will not distinguish between "radioactivity" as radon in indoor air and

Megacuries (because you do not know Terabequerels....) of fission products,

not between I-131 and Cs-137. Why research a story? The word "radioactivity"

guarantees the effect of scaring people and increasing the number of copies

of a paper sold and the number of channel-visitors.



I think, RADSAFE should be a little above all that nonsense. I have read

quite a few messages, forwarding letters to the newspaper editors - but I

have never heard of any information, whether they were also printed in the

paper or what the effect was.



Everybody wanting to flame me is welcome to do so - but to my private

address. I will remind everybody, who does it on RADSAFE, that I have asked

to do so to my private e-mail address in order to save bandwidth.



Regards,



Franz









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