Nevada blast test put on hold amid court fight

[bishop]

article

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Pentagon's plans for an explosive test next month in the Nevada desert have been put on hold for at least three weeks because of a lawsuit over the controversial experiment, which critics contend may be part of an effort to develop new nuclear weapons. The National Nuclear Security Administration announced Tuesday that the massive blast planned for June 2 -- intended to help the military learn how to better target underground facilities -- had been postponed because of the "scheduling of legal proceedings" in a federal court suit. While the blast does not involve nuclear material, the experiment is planned for the NNSA's test site north of Las Vegas, where most of the nation's nuclear testing was once done. Despite assurances from the Pentagon, critics of the plan, including Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, say they are concerned the experiment may be part of an effort to develop and potentially test new nuclear weapons. Matheson said such a test would amount to "ignoring" a requirement for congressional approval. The Pentagon has conceded that information learned in the test could be applied to existing nuclear weapons. A spokesperson for Matheson said he hoped the delay announced Tuesday would allow the public to learn more about the planned blast. In the test, known as "Divine Strake," more than 700 tons of fuel oil and fertilizer -- 280 times the amount used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing -- would be exploded in a huge pit, in an attempt to heavily damage or destroy a 1,100-foot tunnel beneath the pit. Planners hope the explosion will help them develop new techniques to attack underground targets, such as facilities used by North Korea and Iran to shelter their nuclear infrastructure. The Pentagon estimates the blast could send a cloud of dust more than 10,000 feet into the air. Critics fear the dust could could spread radioactive particles from old nuclear tests. But the Pentagon insists that the dust will be free of radioactive particles and the blast won't even been seen off the test site, although planners have said strong winds in the area would force them to postpone the explosion. The specter of nuclear-laden dust is a sensitive subject for those living downwind of the test range in Nevada and Utah, where generations of people have dealt with health problems blamed on fallout from above-ground nuclear tests in the 1950s. The word "strake" used in the experiment's name is a nautical term, referring to planking extending along the length of a ship.

[brien]

Quote by: bishop article

They just can't resist blowing things up. They could care less about radioactive particles that have half lives of hundreds of years. Bastards. :(

[Kite]

I know that the pentagon isn't exactly trustworthy, but I do think they would stop short of intentionally harming us. Besides, I kinda want to see something blow up. :)

[brien]

Quote by: Kite . Besides, I kinda want to see something blow up. :)

Then sign up for Iraq. Plenty of things blowing up over there.

[bishop]

i definitely hope the locals win their lawsuit... it's bullshit that they would have to be needlessly put at risk for the military's little experiment. and, maybe i'm wrong about this, but i believe the winds in that part of the country are supposed to be pretty damn strong - so the risk of radioactive particles flying over to residential areas is very real.

leave it up to the government to beat the terrorists to the punch.. if they go ahead with this test, and the locals receive the fallout, the military will have successfully attacked the american public with a dirty bomb before the terrorists.

*i trust my government masters so much that i'm willing to let them dirty bomb my neighborhood!*

[brien]

Quote by: bishop i definitely hope the locals win their lawsuit... it's definitely bullshit that they would have to be needlessly put at risk for the military's little experiment. and, maybe i'm wrong about this, but i believe the winds in that part of the country are supposed to be pretty damn strong - so the risk of radioactive particles flying over to residential areas is very real. leave it up to the government to beat the terrorists to the punch.. if they go ahead with this test, and the locals receive the fallout, the military will have successfully attacked the american public with a dirty bomb before the terrorists. *i trust my government masters so much that i'm willing to let them dirty bomb my neighborhood!*

I say the Pentagon's Generals families should all pledge to live downwind from this explosion for a period of at least one year. See how many take the pledge. :rolleyes: I don't think we would see many takers.

[bishop]

it's not like the people living in that area haven't already been hit with enough radiation..

gotta love this tasty bit of b.s...

But the Pentagon insists that the dust will be free of radioactive particles and the blast won't even been seen off the test site, although planners have said strong winds in the area would force them to postpone the explosion.

naturally, the pentagon goes "trust us, nothing to fear, you're all safe".. and then the planners toss in the caveat saying that they wouldn't conduct the test if there are strong winds.. certainly seems that the pentagon is completely full of soft thai turds.

each passing day, i despise our government more and more.. seeing the military eager to dirty bomb the public definitely doesn't improve my opinion. for once, i'm starting to see some value in osborn's revolution dreams - which would be necessary if the people who are supposedly there to defend us begin to dirty bomb us.


*fuming*

[tman_ndsu08]

Who cares? It's just Nevada.

It's not like we're talking about Utah here.

[Matt W]

Anything of substance to add, tman?

[Kite]

...Utah is made of salt!
Thats right. I said it.

The location is irrelevant, the important part is what would happen to the people living downwind of this blast. Is there any evidence to suggest that the fallout from previous nuclear bombs is still dangerous? I know about the deformities and such due to long term exposure, but what about anything more recent?

[brien]

Quote by: Kite ...Utah is made of salt! Thats right. I said it. The location is irrelevant, the important part is what would happen to the people living downwind of this blast. Is there any evidence to suggest that the fallout from previous nuclear bombs is still dangerous? I know about the deformities and such due to long term exposure, but what about anything more recent?

Ask yourself, would you want to be living downwind? If the answer is no, then it is obvious it is dangerous. If your answer is yes, then you will find out the truth after a few years of the exposure. I would bet no one would want to risk the chance of expsoure by living downwind of any blast that could even "possibly" spread nuclear contaminated dust. Like I say, let the Generals all live there and see what they do. Somehow I doubt they will take me up on the offer because they know the truth.

[Arawn-ap-Hywel]

Bet if they asked nicely the Iranian's would let them use some of their desert

[Technosoul]

That makes me sick - nothing like stirring up all that (still radioactive) nuclear dust with another bomb blasting away. The "three weeks on hold" will not make much difference - they will blast away anyway. It almost looks like we are in a "arms race" with Iran - first they test their new missle, now we are going test our new 'whatever" it is. It is like those news interviews before a boxing match. A lot of "flexing" before the "big fight".

Now if I was posting that news story the headline would have been...

"Modern technology MEETS caveman intelligence."

Ooogi Booga