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Re: DU Story
Otto,
Nice try! I've had similar experiences and found them to be
demoralizing. I think it was someone on radsafe who said that such efforts
are as futile as trying to teach pigs to sing. You are doomed to fail, and
it annoys the pigs.
----- Original Message -----
From: Otto G. Raabe <ograabe@UCDAVIS.EDU>
To: Radsafe <radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, November 26, 2002 12:15 PM
Subject: Re: DU Story
> November 26, 2002
> Davis, CA
>
> Last night I went to hear Doug Rokke's performance at the Davis Community
> Church concerning the "poisoning of whole nations by the use of DU
> munitions by the U.S. military". In his talk Rokke made numerous technical
> errors concerning uranium toxicology and health physics including saying
> that a beta dose to the skin of 300 mrem exceeded the standard for whole
> body exposure. I strongly objected to his misrepresentation of the DU
> toxicology facts during the comment period. I think my objections fell on
> closed minds, however, since this was a cultist group of "peace activists"
> who think disarmament of our nation will lead to peace. Rokke's stated
> purpose is to get the U.S. to stop using some of our best field weapons
> that employ DU projectiles.
>
> Rokke's performance was clever and polished. I think he has had
> professional drama coaching. Not since Helen Caudicott have I heard such
> masterful manipulation of the audience. He credited himself at every turn
> with being highly principled while always casting the U.S. military as
> nefarious and cold-blooded. He claimed he was fired by the government
> because of his dedication to health and safety.
>
> Much of his talk involved references to toxic chemicals released by our
> military action in the Gulf War, contaminated food provided by the Saudis,
> and claimed poisoning of people by DU dust. He said he was a "health
> physicist" and implied that he had a Ph.D. in physics by reference to
being
> in his "physics lab" while working on his doctorate. Actually, his
> doctorate is in "Education Methodology", which I got him to admit during
> the questioning. He is certainly not a qualified health physicist.
> According to reliable sources, he is currently a substitute teacher in a
> middle school in Urbana, Illinois, and a director of a children's camp in
> the summers.
>
> Rokke said that in the Gulf War he was the "Director of the Army Depleted
> Uranium Project," and that virtually everyone who worked on the project
was
> sick from exposure to DU. The diseases and ailments that he claimed for DU
> conflict with 50 years of research on DU toxicology and with the findings
> of the Department Defence who are carefully evaluating military personnel
> who were exposed to high levels of airborne DU aerosols. See
> http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/du_ii
>
> Unfortunately, the audience of about 100 people were enthralled with Rokke
> and angry with me for objecting to his erroneous statements and
> misrepresentation, but I think it was important to cast some doubt on this
> charlatans's proclamations.
>
> Otto
>
>
>
>
> **********************************************
> Prof. Otto G. Raabe, Ph.D., CHP
> Center for Health & the Environment
> (Street Address: Bldg. 3792, Old Davis Road)
> University of California, Davis, CA 95616
> E-Mail: ograabe@ucdavis.edu
> Phone: (530) 752-7754 FAX: (530) 758-6140
> ***********************************************
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