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Re: NIRS RESPONSE TO MY RADSAFE POSTING
Mr. Carlson:
Does the P.E. behind your name signify that you are a
professional engineer? If so, I am curious. Why would an engineer
support such an organization as NIRS? It appears to me, right or wrong,
that either you are into wind or solar, or you are bitter about something.
No offense intended, unlike the exchange that prompted my response to you.
I am interested in your response, privately or publicly.
Tim Welty
* This posting is not intended to represent the position of the University
of Arkansas
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Tim Welty/Southwest Radiation Calibration Center/Fayetteville, Arkansas
Phone: 501-575-6309/FAX: -7318/E-mail:tjw@engr.uark.edu
WWW: web.engr.uark.edu/engr/enrc/srcc.html 17/06/97
On Sun, 3 May 1998, GACMail98 wrote:
> I just can't resist. Let's see -- according to Ms. Weiner:
>
> 1. "If the shoe fits, it usually pinches a little." In other words, to
> object is to admit. While a good portion of the postings to RADSAFE are the
> former, I doubt those who post them would characterize them as the latter.
> Let us all read Ms. Weiner's future postings with her grandfather's words in
> mind.
>
> 2. "Oil money funds anti-nukes." An amusing thought, but certainly only a
> gibbering id. . . Oops, I'm sorry, you're serious, aren't you?
>
> 3. "The NIRS budget, while not huge, is certainly not small." Each year,
> Sandia probably equals NIRS's FY 1998 budget in wasted copy paper (including
> the paycheck for a particular Sandia employee). But, then, this calculus also
> equates statistical insignificance (as in "statistically insignificant excess
> cancers") with zero.
>
> 4. "To the best of my knowledge, they have (or at least had in 1984) no
> technical or scientific expertise at all -- they generally tried to hire it."
> Either Ms. Weiner is working for Sandia pro bono (a fair wage for her day's
> work to be sure and a savings in paper to boot), or she was hired for other
> than technical or scientific expertise (let's see -- clerical, janitorial -- I
> know -- she's in Transportation Systems, so she's an auto mechanic, but, no,
> that's technical. . . hmmm.). (With apologies to all clerks, janitors, and
> auto mechanics.)
>
> Now, how does that fit? Pinch anywhere?
>
> Seriously, though, while the Ruth Weiners of the world are unable to believe
> that NIRS has done and continues to do a lot of good work for a lot of good
> people, you don't have to agree with everything they do to know we are better
> off with them than without them. After all, if Ms. Weiner is any indication,
> do we really want the Sandias of the world running things unopposed?
>
> Go get 'em, Michael!
>
> Glenn A. Carlson, P.E., JD
> St. Peters, MO
> GACMail98@aol.com
> ----------------------------------------
>
> In a message dated 98-05-01 18:37:39 EDT, you write:
>
> << Subj: NIRS RESPONSE TO MY RADSAFE POSTING
> Date: 98-05-01 18:37:39 EDT
> From: rfweine@sandia.gov (Ruth Weiner)
> Sender: radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu
> Reply-to: radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu
> To: radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu (Multiple recipients of list)
>
> ---------------------------- Forwarded with Changes
> ---------------------------
> From: nirsnet@igc.apc.org at hubsmtp
> Date: 4/30/98 2:15PM
> To: Ruth Weiner at PO821CC2
> Subject: your comments
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> --
>
>
> Dear RADSAFERs:
>
> I thought you all might be interested in the attached charming note I
> received
> from NIRS. As my grandfather used to say, "If the shoe fits, i usually
> pinches
> a little."
>
>
> Clearly only my own opinion
>
> Ruth F. Weiner
> Transportation Systems Department
> Sandia National Laboratories
> 505-844-4791
> fax 505-844-0244
> rfweine@sandia.gov
> ______________________________ Forward Header
> __________________________________
> Subject: your comments
> Author: nirsnet@igc.apc.org at hubsmtp
> Date: 4/30/98 2:15 PM
>
>
> Dear Ms. Weiner:
>
> "nirs.org," eh? Let me tell all you RADSAFERs something about NIRS, the
> Nuclear
> Information Resource Service. This is what used to be known as a nuclear
> intervenor organization: they intervene on behalf of challengers to nuclear
> power plant siting, and generally on behalf of anti-nuclear groups, in
> administrative and legal proceedings. In 1984 (believe it or not) I was
> interviewed for the position of Executive Director of NIRS. During the course
> of
> the interview, I learned that 70% of the NIRS budget came from a member of
> the
> Rockfeller family. An eye-opener to me, as a naive academic, but probably not
> news to those who realize that oil money funds anti-nukes.
>
> Apparently you are still a naive academic. While it is true a large portion
> of the NIRS budget back then came from the Rockefeller family (but several
> members, not just one), calling that oil money is inane. In fact, the last
> time I heard that argument it was from the Soviet govt complaining about
> NIRS... Third and fourth generation Rockefeller money is no more oil money
> than describing money I may give away from my grandfather's legacy as being
> from the plumbers union (he was a plumber). None of the members of the
> Rockefeller family who give to NIRS (and hundreds of other organizations of
> all kinds, they are quite generous across the board) have any connection,
> other than their family tree, to the oil industry. By the way, the
> percentage of Rockefeller family contributions (all members) is
> approximately 15% of our FY 1998 budget. To the best of my knowledge, NIRS
> has never received any money from anyone actually affiliated with the oil
> industry (energy industries tend to support each other, and of course, some
> oil companies have uranium interests--they really don't tend to fund groups
> like ours). We certainly haven't knowingly accepted any money from the oil
> industry, the gas industry, the coal industry or the renewables industry or
> any other energy-related industry. Not that we wouldn't necessarily, at
> least from renewables, which we support, but we haven't.
>
> Needless to say, I
> didn't take the job (I had no intention of taking it, but was curious about
> the
> organization). The NIRS budget, while not huge, is certainly not small.
>
> Depends on what you consider small. Our FY 1998 budget is $470,000--that's
> not much more than my counterpart at the NEI earns all for himself...
>
> I am
> absolutely appalled that NIRS propaganda should be treated as informative.
> To
> the best of my knowledge, they have (or at least had in 1984) no technical or
> scientific expertise at all -- they generally tried to hire it.
>
> Actually we have three scientists on our staff of six (admittedly no PhD's
> however). But our function is not primarily research (our budget--see
> above--doesn't pay for a lot of full-time PhDs); it is information
> dissemination and networking. We work closely with many scientists, in many
> fields, at other organizations and government (though I don't understand the
> problem with hiring scientists either--isn't that what Sandia does?--who
> help us, particularly on difficult technical issues--I should think that
> would be an indication of the seriousness to which we insist on obtaining
> credible, scientifically defensible information. I certainly think our
> information is more accurate than most things coming out of Sandia....
>
> Michael Mariotte
> Executive Director
> NIRS
>
>
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> Errors-To: melissa@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu
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> Originator: radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu
> Sender: radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu
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> From: Ruth Weiner <rfweine@sandia.gov>
> To: Multiple recipients of list <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
> Subject: NIRS RESPONSE TO MY RADSAFE POSTING
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