Re: Re[2]: Cassini and "60 Minutes"

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@ix.netcom.com>]

Bill Kolb asks some very interesting, and very important questions. I 
think the answer lies within each of us.  Just a few of my own 
thoughts:

1. The government is the "people" .. We should, by majority, make the 
decisions that our politicians are entrusted to uphold. WE should be 
setting the priorities, we should be setting what is considered to be 
safe for our communities and we should decide what our future should 
be. The only area I digress from this is in issues that involve 
National Security, and, what is ruled as constitutional law.

2. The people have to determine if the scientific gains are worth the 
risks involved. In the case of the Cassini, there is much debate 
about what is safe and what is not. I personally agree with the 
Cassini mission, and do believe that the risks are minimal. BUT, I 
also recognize that the same experts who are calling this a safe 
mission today, are some of the same who called the tests in the 50s 
as also being safe, and we're all reading about the true consequences 
of those tests, and, the many coverups. SO, do we believe the 
politicians and our government on Cassini? What do you think the 
general public believes?

3. In the case that Bill raises, Ebola .. Saran .. etc. I'd say HELL 
NO!!!! NO way Jose'!!!!

4. Challenger did blow up. So have other rockets, similar to the one 
that will take the Cassini RTG up. Accidents do happen.. that's why 
they are called accidents. To say that the odds are large, or small, 
well, they're all statistical guesses. TMI, Chernobyl and many other 
near misses have happened .. well before the WASH-1400 estimates.. 
Let's not be so naive to dismiss the possibility of accidents.

5. IF Cassini does blow up, we're putting our collective faith into 
the government tests that say, the containment won't be breached.. I 
hope so, because if there IS an accident, and there is a release, no 
matter how insignificant .. the US nuclear program is done, dead, 
finished, finito .. PERIOD!  Don't kid yourself that this will not be 
the case... It will be time to pack it in...

In summary, I personally do not delegate ALL accountability to my 
elected, and appointed politicans. To do so would be reckless .. The 
government needs oversight, and we, the people, who are the rightful 
government, need to be accountable to ensure that the government does 
our bidding, except as I stated previously, NATIONAL SECURITY, which 
we, the general public, are not privy to.

------------------
Sandy Perle
Technical Director
ICN Dosimetry Division
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Office: (800) 548-5100 x2306 
Fax:    (714) 668-3149
  
sandyfl@ix.netcom.com
sperle@icnpharm.com

ICN Dosimetry Website:
http://www.dosimetry.com

Personal Homepage:
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/1205

"The object of opening the mind, as of opening 
the mouth, is to close it again on something solid"
              - G. K. Chesterton -