Greenpeace, Russian Nuclear Power Plant etc.

[Schoenhofer <schoenho@via.at>]

Hi All,

I understood that some of you are of the opinion that one should help the
Russians to overcome their fear for Nuclear Power. How about starting in
your own country instead?!

I do not believe that any Greenpeace activists have any influence in Russia
- but they are of course at the spot to claim the credit for the "victory".
(Sorry, but I have not heard anything about the outcome of the referendum,
though I think that the Austrian television would be the first to announce
the victory of the population against the nuclear lobby......) Knowing about
the bureaucracy in the former Sovjet Union I cannot believe anyway that a
result would be available within one day.

What is Greenpeace? Greenpeace is an extremely undemocratic organisation, it
has not been elected by anybody, it is not authorized by any of our usual
criteria to speak for anybody. Greenpeace is a multi million dollar business
and many people are curious where they actually get the money from. One
cannot have a fleet of ships, boats and even helicopters from donations of
the "man from the street". Greenpeace is a driven organisation which has to
expand to survive and which has since long left behind all the ideals of the
original founders - who to my knowledge have all left Greenpeace since long.
Greenpeace is directed towards using the enthusiasm of the young generation
for their purposes. Greenpeace has very clever built up a "web" using
communication channels and won the support of the mass media, according to
the principle, that only bad news are good news - they feed the press with
catastrophs, sorry not with catastrophs but with the fear for catastrophs
and with would-be and near-to catastrophs. Greenpeace has spent lot of money
and skill to provide information (TV) on-line from their actions - which TV
station would refuse something like that? Most probably it is free of
charge. Greenpeace does not bother to violate national and international
laws and regulations - of course only to let the world survive and to escape
ecological disasters etc. etc. etc. Greenpeace collaborators have the
arrogance, of which I use to say I would be happy to have it for one single
day in my life. They have just finished some studies - usually something
concerning biology or zoology - or they have not finished any studies
because they dropped out after two years. (One Austrian green politician
very close to Greenpeace was described by the mass media as the ideal expert
in the parlament for environmental protection because she had studied two
years of chemistry.) Then these collaborators show up in TV discussions
talking with very serious, concerned face the most unbelievable nonsense and
tell for instance professor in nuclear physiscs the truth about nuclear
power. Of course the professor cannot tell them that they are idiots,
because no TV consumer would like that. And so on and so on....

The question of uranium and thorium in coal and the emission of progeny is
very well known, at least in Europe. It has never provoked any reaction from
Greenpeace. Coal fired power plants are well known, so the public might not
take this serious. On the other hand I recall that Greenpeace had a big
demonstration in Austria in front of a newly built and state of the art coal
fired power plant, condemning a power plant which will emit CO2 (global
warming!!). So do not give them the idea to protest against coal transports
- they might do it. Do not wast your time to send any reports to any
government - these facts are well known.


To watch over environmental pollution and to have people concerned is one
thing, which in my opinion might be very positive - to make money by raising
unnecessary concerns is another one. What to do? Greenpeace had terrible
problems after both the actions planned against the French nuclear tests,
which actually failed completely, because the French authorities did not
give in, and the Brent Spar story, where Greenpeace did not only tell lies
to the public, but again lost so much money, that there was a big crisis in
this organisation. Enthusiasm is declining at their supporters, people get
tired to hear all the time the same stories of near-to catastrophs and are
not any more afraid for the catastrophs which do not become reality. I have
seen several very critical reports on different Austrian and German TV
stations and I expect that there must be similar ones in other countries.
Maybe one should wait until they are back to a (mental and financial)
position where it might be able to have reasonable talks and discussions
with a positive outcome?

Franz
Schoenhofer
Habichergasse 31/7
A-1160 WIEN
AUSTRIA/EUROPE
Tel./Fax:	+43-1-4955308
Tel.:		+43-664-3380333
e-mail:		schoenho@via.at