Re: More Greepeace intervention

[JMUCKERHEIDE@delphi.com]

Frank Borger writes,

> From: Sandy Perle
>
> >  SANTIAGO, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- The environmental group Greenpeace said 
> > Monday it was organizing protests at Chilean and Argentine ports
> > against a possible shipment of plutonium around Cape Horn. 
> 
> >  Greenpeace also referred to the recent accident involving a Mars- 
> > bound Russian space probe that crashed somewhere in the Pacific region
> > last month. 
> >  The Russian Embassy in Bolivia said last week that there was a chance
> > radioactive debris from the craft hit the ground in a sparsely
> > inhabited area of Bolivia, near the Chilean border. 
> >  The 6.8-ton ship was carrying four coin-sized generators containing 
> > about 7 ounces (200 g) of plutonium. 
> >  Greenpeace said the incident was an example of the need for more 
> > stringent international policies on nuclear safety. 
> 
>         Considering the recent study by ORNL showing how much
>         Uranium and Thorium are released to the environment by
>         coal burning, maybe we should send a copy of the report
>         to Greenpeace.  I can see  a bunch of protesters now, trying
>         to stop a unit train loaded with coal from making a delivery
>         to a coal-fired power plant. ;-)
> 
> Frank R. Borger - Physicist - Center for Radiation Therapy
> net: Frank@rover.uchicago.edu   ph: 312-791-8075 fa: 791-3697

But as you imply the issue isn't public safety, its political opportunism. And 
how much political capital and cash can be made by trying to con the public
into believing "more protection is needed" from a coal train. Now if we just
show the public they are spending $100s Billions "protecting" themselves from
less risk from nuclear power than the risk from coal trains... and probably
less than from what's released from the cars enroute, before burning!? :-)  
"and what about the waste??" 

Thanks Frank.

Regards, Jim Muckerheide
jmuckerheide@delphi.com