Re: CNN Coverage of Cassini Issues

[Fox@acsh.org (Michael Fox)]

People:
Please keep in mind that one of the main goals of these groups is to make all
nuclear technology look  bad, to seem risky, not worth pursuing.  This applies
to the Cassini Mission, to food irradiation, to nuclear medicine, and to
nuclear power.  I suppose fire alarms will be next, or static removers in copy
machines.  

The last thing they want the American public to know is just how beneficial
these technologies really are.  If that were to ever happen, that the public
would suddenly become more comfortable with nuclear technology, that they could
choose between irradiated chicken right along side  unirradiated chicken in the
supermarket (for a 5 cent/lb difference), that they could buy lots of low cost
nuclear electricity, that they could benefit from it medically, that they could
get glorious pictures and data from interstellar space, it could mean the
rebirth of nuclear energy.  

Their tactics are not to scientifically prove that nuclear technology is a
major risk (which they can't---the risk data don't support that), its simply to
create controversy.  To the extent that controversy also suspends, or delays,or
halts a particular technology, it has the same political effect has certifiable
proof of great harm.  The projects simply don't proceed.  The repeated and
familiar response to controversy in science, health, and enviromental policy
are for political leaders to acquiesce and cave to the noise makers, until the
proponents are heard with equal noise and influence.  As a group scientists are
not very noisy, in fact they are uncomfortable with it. The benefit, the
worthiness of the technologies are almost irrelevant, sound science is ignored.
Mike Fox

P.S.  Is the White House e:mail <president@whitehouse.gov>?

  
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