No More Nukes!! No Way!!!
Home(Don't Waste Michigan) Essay by Red Coyote Singer       Citizen Comment

Peace people from Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, and Indiana met in the windy city December10th to protest the conference of the nuclear industry meeting in the Palmer Hotel in the gold coast area of Chicago. Protesters gathered signatures on petitions to stop radioactive waste recycling and to stop the rebirth of the dying and destructive nuclear industry. After the tragic events of September 11th, it is imperative to establish safe alternative technologies as a terrorist attack on a  nuclear facility would have holocaust proportions.  Police and most by-passers were in solidarity with the protesters, and stickers with a picture of a nuclear reactor and the words, "NO MORE....NO WAY!" were handed out. Protesters sang and played music, the nuclear blues and other songs...The mock nuclear waste cask was driven by some of Santa's anti-nuclear elves, circling the protest for hours, as there was no place big enough in Chicago to park the cask. Protesters are also concerned about the threat of terrorist strikes on nuclear waste shipments if the nuclear waste is transported to Yucca Mountain and dumped on the Nevada people from waste facilities piled up all over the US/world. There are many issues, including Native American rights, geological unsuitability, etc. regards  using land for nuclear waste dumping.

Check out the Peace and Harmony in the Creation for more information....or the NEIS or NIRS websites.......there is also a photojournal website about the Newe Sogobia......If you like photos.....be sure and check out the slide show below with some of the photos taken of the December 10th protest....
David Kraft, director of NEIS, says, that although the people in the conference would not speak to us, we will not go away, and we will call them on it when they propose a renaissance of the nuclear industry......when one remembers Three Mile Island, Chernobyl,Sellafield, Hanford, Fermi, etc etc.......one realizes the truth.....a rebirth of the nuclear industry is not a renaissance----it is a return to the dark ages-----  
Please view the slide show below::: and read the citizen comment.................................... photos and article (c) Kathryn Barnes
                                                             Photo slide show of the Non-Violent Protest in 2001
in Chicago of the nuclear industry"nuclear renaissance"
Please wait for the images to load in.......
There are 10 photos in the slide show......
Photos © Kathryn Barnes:                                                                                                             
                       Friends at the University seminar after the protest

Citizen Comment regarding radioactive waste placement at Yucca Mtn:

I was there in Chicago when nuclear industry procedure on Monday, December
10, demonstrated thoroughly characteristically as to WHY Yucca Mountain, or
any other centralized nuclear radwaste site requiring the transport of
unlimited numbers of shipments through vulnerable citizen routes, the only                    Want to add a comment?
available, for an unlimited time period, WHY such action is so totally                               
unacceptable to all Americans (indeed, to ALL people).

We long-time and widely educated anti-nuclear activists had gathered at the
Chicago Palmer House site of the 3rd annual conference entitled Renaissance
of Nuclear Power.  With its interesting and erudite agenda of speakers on
many nuclear industry subjects, all highly biased in their view and employ,
the conference had NO PUBLIC INPUT, not even allowing either speakers,
attendance or the informative news packet prepared by representatives of over
120 organizations.

Obviously, no credible decision of this world import can, nor would
scientifically, be made with the deliberate exclusion of this kind of highly
credible evidence, impact, or opinion.....just as, I might add, the NMD
decision based on the nationally televised Congressional "Hearing" is also so
obviously unbalanced as to be tragically laughable.

As to details:

On what page of the extensive "reports" is the public guaranteed FULL
protection from Yucca Mountain or transit nuclear accident, terrorism, or
human error?

On what page of said reports is the safety of any and all nuclear processes
proven?

On what page is continued production of nuclear wastes  and waste "disposal"
proven on a cost-benefit basis, front end to back end ?

On what report page do industry representatives undergo valid
cross-examination on safety issues?  On long-time impacts?  On environmental
consequences, short and long-term?   On the endangered species, humankind?

Until these kinds of basic questions are genuinely and comprehensively
answered in classic scientific method,  we, as United States and as world
citizens, may not proceed on the politically outlined plan.

in peacism -- internationally -- heiwa/salaam/mir/paz

Corinne Carey
Grand Rapids coordinator of Don't Waste Michigan
email me