[Gasification] Gasification Digest, Vol 10, Issue 61

[David G. LeVine]

At 12:02 AM 5/1/2007, you wrote:
>I live in the Canadian Province that supplies the largest single source of
>electrical power in North America, and we are only in the 6 or 7 Gw
>range.... (and of this 5-6 Gw is exported out of our province..... most of
>that to the U.S.).

Greg, how many of you glow in the dark?  I bet the number is smaller 
than the number who have been injured by farm and industrial accidents.

Those who are so anti-nuclear that they only see nuclear = bad tend 
to ignore the human suffering caused by industrial and farm accidents 
-- many of which cripple or kill -- and only see the small number of 
nuclear accidents which have occurred.  Yes, Chernobyl is a huge 
disaster, but looking back to when steam power was new, the accidents 
while it was being harnessed and understood were worse (based on the 
percentages of populations) than nuclear is now. Yes, waste disposal 
is a problem, and it has been made into a political one rather than 
an engineering one.  Refusal to recycle waste is stupid (this applies 
both to nuclear and other waste.)  Scrap yards recycle metals, they 
are dangerous, dirty work.  Would you stop that process and have huge 
piles of dead automobiles cluttering the landscape?  They would 
damage the ecosystem and result in inefficient and damaging mining processes.

Can an automobile axle be turned into a firearm for a 
terrorist?  Yes, absolutely.  Heck, a jack handle can kill.

Can nuclear waste be used by terrorists to kill?  Yes, absolutely.

Can dirt and meat be used by terrorists to kill?  Yes, 
absolutely.  Put it in a bottle, let it ferment for a few days and 
the botulism will kill better than nuclear waste.

Can pyrolysis gasses be used to kill?  Yes, absolutely.  Ever hear of 
CO poisoning?

The point that one technology CAN be misused has to be weighed 
against its potential value.  Just because one doesn't understand the 
engineering problems means that the political problems come to the 
forefront.  Political solutions ARE killers.

David G. LeVine
Nashua, NH  03060