FOR GENERAL E-MAIL REDISTRIBUTION: Comments garnered from activists, bystanders, protesters and sympathizers during various anti-Cassini demonstrations and rallies over the last two years (1996 & 1997).
BACKGROUND:
NASA begins a long term program of launching plutonium 238 in unprecedented quantities this October 6 ('97) ostensibly for reasons of science and for the Department of Defense. Many point to how much all this is costing in tax revenues, who benefits from those large and long term revenues, and arguing the reason is neither good science or defense, but Corporate welfare in a very big way.
Many in the scientific community who are not on the government pay roll are pointing out precisely how dangerous launching plutonium 238 can be to life on earth should any one of these launches fail, either at launch or in the upper atmosphere. In spite of years of lack of news coverage (Sonoma University calls it censorship) people are beginning to talk about this. Public awareness of plans and activities held in secrecy is the last thing NASA wants. Functional democracy begins with free and open discourse. Some argue that the reason U.S. leadership can afford to be so disconnected from the interests of working people in the rest of the country is because public engagement of the issues (discourse) is diminished or so skewed.
The following spontaneous and unpolished material is presented in the interests of stimulating discussion on the issue of plutonium launching.
- "The October 6 Cassini launch is a point of no return. With Cassini's launching the U.S. empire lays the final seeds of its own undoing." "Do you remember all those old black and white movies about the mad scientist making some poison or some machine to destroy the world? Well, they're all employed now, getting that nice fat, bi-monthly government check...thanks to NASA." "Prophecy is not a spiritual thing. Its mathematical, around the fourth or fifth grade: the trajectory of physical and historical events. Any fourth grader could see we're heading for horrific times if they were given the facts of what all is going on now. That's the key. Keep people in the dark."
- "This is all about empire and violence. Look for violence and you'll see empire at various stages of development, right from the very beginning. The greatest violence is global destruction and unaccountability. That is the pinnacle of power. People used to think that position was reserved for God. Not any more. Not at NASA. Playing God is clearly their objective. You think they'll get by with this? Sure, maybe for a year or two. But the statistics and probabilities are against them on something this risky and long term -their history of "human error". I know I don't want to be around when their shit finally hits the fan (as it inevitably will), not with this plutonium loaded on everything. Do you know how many years that stuff can eliminate life by what it does at the cellular level? Its remarkable. NASA can get by with launching plutoniu because people aren't thinking , no body is home. Grab a beer, sit back on your couch, and watch it on TV this October 6: NASA beginning to set the stage for the end. Doesn't it make you proud to be an American?"
- "NASA has bragged for years that the reason their existence is relevant to the rest of us is because they invented Teflon. Tell me, when we can no longer grow vegetables in Florida, we going to eat Teflon? I guess were going to have to learn to do that if we're going to learn how to survive this here plutonium launching business."
- "I think plutonium launching is great. I've been praying all my life for Christ to return. With the global conflict NASA's fixen to set up, I'll see Christ's return in my life time. And with people everywhere rendered helpless by this stuff falling from the sky, they'll finally pray and repent of their sins like they should've a long time ago."
- "I feel this is a Black issue. African Americans need to think about their brothers and sisters in Africa on October 6 and pray hard. The launch trajectory is over Africa. This could come down on the continent of our origins if some final booster rockets fail. Now you damn sure know why they're not launching this poison over their white brothers in Europe. If one of these plutonium mother loads lands in Paris, Moscow or Shanghai they'd have damn good reason to launch one of theirs back at us. You know of anyone in Africa (that) has an ICBM?" "They run out of places to put this trash down here. So they puttin' it up there. Its going to come back down and kill us all. And all because they can't figure out another way to make a living."
- "The nameless and forever unnamed Decision Makers made a big mistake deciding to go ahead with this Cassini thing. They are either mad or clueless about what will be the cost of this thing to themselves...personally. Not only are their positions history. We are."
- "What Cassini can do reminds me of the song "Red Rain" on Peter Gabriel's CD "SO"...or like that artist's depiction on that NOVA special of what happened when that large meteor hit the earth and wiped out the dinosaurs. If I were the government, I'd tell PBS not to run that segment any more, and I'd pull Peter Gabriel from the shelves."
- "Violence is what this is about. State sponsored violence. There is no intelligent life across that fence (pointing at Cape Canaveral). Just violence, plans and schemes for more violence: uncalled for violence upon you and me and our kids and their kids. God I'd hate to be one of those people. Idiots, liars and thugs. No moral backbone or public consideration whatsoever. Kind of like the politicians in Washington, wouldn't you say?"
- "A science magazine recently featured a full page picture of deformed frogs with legs growing out of their heads. The caption stated that frogs are called a "sentinal species". The slightest thing wrong with their environment they get deformed or they die off. These frogs are being found all over the world. The magazine didn't speculate what was going on. But plutonium dioxide messes up the genes like that. After a half a century of exploding nuclear materials underground, in the oceans, overhead, the rising background radiation is starting to show its effects. Every other launch out here is a secret military launch. Why the secrecy? Plutonium on board, I think. You know what we'll be seeing next century if NASA goes ahead with all this plutonium launching? More and more people looking like those frogs."
- "Have you noticed how the lightning has been more violent and frequent this year? Most people wouldn't notice this because they live in closed, moving coffins called automobiles and they sleep inside hermetically sealed, air-conditioned cubicles called apartment complexes watchin' "reality" on an idiot box centrally placed in their living rooms. But getting nixed by a bolt of lightning is exactly what its like to get hit by one of these highly selective and "surgical" orbiting lazar battle stations they've built. Don't like Arafat? NIX. Don't like you? NIX. Their hands stay clean and no one can say who did it, although its not difficult to imagine. Have you seen that glossy brochure they've put out bragging on this capability? Bragging about it!"
- "Up to this point (July 26, 1997) no politician and no network news has touched this issue (NASA's long term plutonium launching plans) because no one has the balls. Plutonium launching represents the pinnacle of the U.S. imperialistic development. The politicians are all sold out to it -all of 'em done bought and paid for several times by GE, Westinghouse, Lockheed, you name it. This here is legislatively guaranteed welfare for white-collar workers far into the next century...and more bubbly for Wall Street. This here Cassini WILL fly on October 6 just to prove that we taxpayers don't run things; centralized capital runs things. At the end of this century this here country is "Of the Corporation, By the Corporation and For the Corporation."