Re: dirty bomb

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

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----

Von: William V Lipton <liptonw@DTEENERGY.COM>

An: BERNARD L COHEN <blc+@PITT.EDU>

Cc: J. J. Rozental <joseroze@netvision.net.il>; radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

<radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu>

Datum: Freitag, 28. Juni 2002 17:27

Betreff: Re: dirty bomb





>While I don't dispute the facts of your statement, I can't figure out your

>intent.  I see 2 possibilities:

>

>a.  You want to advise terrorists on the most efficient methods for killing

>people?  In this case, the Justice Dept. may want to talk to you.



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--



There seem to be two different kinds of terrorists - the ones committing

suicide bombing, and the ones with high IQ. The ones of high IQ might have

access to not only literature and some scientific articles, but can also

think and figure out ways to maximise harm caused by their actions. What

Bernard Cohen wrote is nothing new, take also into consideration the remarks

of Ruth Weiner, but I remember definitely that in the sixties I have read

such scenarios in a Swedish newspaper. Scenarios of using different

psychotropic substances are to my knowledge standard in the strategies of

police and military to counteract public uprise - in case it would be

necessary. You forget, that Iraq has been accused to have used poisonous

gases against Kurds. You forget, that the use of phosgen and similar deadly

gases have been used during the first world war and you even more forget,

that poisonous gases like Zyklon-B have been used to exterminated Jews by

the tens- or thousands of thousands in the Third Reich.



So what to speak about in the Department of Justice??????



>b.  You want to convince the public that, since terrorists are rational

people, a

>"dirty bomb" threat is not credible?  I don't think so.

>

>Did I overlook something?





Yes, you did.



It is not really so easy to get hold into a source of radioactive material.

A good question is the activity it contains, which I admit might be very

high. Now, those terrorists have to seize the source, they have to dismantle

it, they have to disperse it somehow around an explosive device. If the

activity is high enough, they will die before they could complete the

device, but in any case they will die after it. Yes, we have suicide

bombers. If they get around to explode such a bomb, the activity will be

dispersed over a more or less large area. People visiting in this area might

be affected by the dispersal of the radioactivity - but to which extent?

Anybody being inside a house will not be affected to any considerable

contamination. People visiting outside will without doubt be removed

immediately from the point of the explosion and be decontaminated and will

have no chance to inhalate large amounts of radioactivity. I agree with Jose

Rozental, that the decontamination of an area affected by such a bomb will

be difficult, but this is no problem, which could not be overcome. What I

want to strengthen, is that no real casualties could be expected. Contrary

to the Goiana accident, immediately attention will be paid to the victims.

They will be treated immediately and will not be even attempted to smear the

content of the capsule (Cs-137) to their face and will not keep sources in

their pockets.



I firmly believe, that raising fear of such an attack is another way to

frighten you American Citizens. This weakens your resistance towards

weakening your civil rights. But this is not my business. It's your American

one.



Franz









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