Letter to Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. regarding new Homeland Security Preparedness Action Guides

February 24, 2007

Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr.
State Capitol Complex
East Office Building, Suite E220
PO Box 142220
Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-2220

Dear Governor Huntsman:

First, I would like to thank you for your outstanding efforts on behalf of the people of Utah in stopping the Divine Strake test. I’m sure you know that you have made a huge difference in lives of at least thousands of people for decades to come.
Now, I write to you because the research I did on Divine Strake lead me to information I thought you would want to know, particularly because of the decision you will make regarding SB155.

State legislative support for this bill must, we assume, count on the ability of Energy Solutions, in coordination with state and federal emergency responders, to protect Utah citizens in case of any leakage of radiation into the air.

But I have found that the Department of Homeland Security has established a policy of “optimization”, presented in The Federal Registry on January 3, 2006 as “Preparedness Doctorate; Protective Action Guides for Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD) and Improvised Nuclear Devise (IND)” – to provide “support” for “decisions about actions that may need to be taken to protect the public when responding to or recovering from an RDD or IND incident.” They became effective immediately, though comments were still accepted.

Protecting the public may be the stated goal, but “optimization”means that the public’s well-being is no longer the highest priority. Instead, citizens and responders health risks are “balanced with a sensitivity to the range of involved stakeholders.”

If the legalese of the Directorate leaves the reader unaware of the danger, the responses that were sent in make it much more clear.

William Johnson, Executive Director of the National Association of Police Organizations, found the proposed radiation limits to be “far higher than acceptable” – threatening responders lives unnecessarily, especially when directed to protect “valuable property.” He also marks the unusual absence of the term “voluntary” and states that the guidelines should be responsive to the welfare of those workers who courageously sacrifice to help others.

Ruth E. McBurney, President of the Health Physics Society, a 51-year old organization of scientists specializing in radiation safety, points to confusing regulatory jurisdiction, occupational standards, and worker protection limits, and finds the lack of defined goals, ranges and limits (muddied through “Optimization”) to be “not appropriate.” Most important, she finds the Directorate’s new policies result in “inconsistent and inefficient public health protection policies regarding radiation safety” and recommends a strong adjustment in exposure limits.

Even Andrew Wallo, writing for the Department of Energy, Office of Air, Water and Radiation Protection Policy and Guidance, expresses a need for additional guidance for response and implementation, more clarification of vague language, and the use of the standardized terms already established by National Response and Nuclear Incident reports. In addition, he requests that examples or case studies be provided to demonstrate the use of the cost/benefit, multi-attribute “Optimization”-based decision-making.

Finally, It is the detailed response endorsed by 63 scientific, environmental, medical, foreign policy, and legal groups, and over 120 individuals (ranging from concerned citizens to scientists and policy analysts) that most thoroughly reveals the dangerous flaws in the Directorate’s rationalizing higher radiation exposure for the public. This letter provides information on specific federal data on radiation exposure and the resulting cancer mortality rates.

In addition, new information from The National Academy of Sciences Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation (BEIR) VII Report, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s study of 400,000 nuclear workers at 154 facilities in 15 nations is presented, showing that the Department of Homeland Security’s “optimization” policy, and the consequent exposures accepted, could result in “up to a third of those exposed getting cancer from the additional radiation.”

Such a governmental decision, they say, “would only compound the harm done and multiply the terrorist’s power.”

Could this really happen, here, in the United States? Yes. We only have to look to Ground Zero to know this. The enclosed report by the Sierra Club tells the story, not of a mistake made, but of a careless decision to misinform in 2001, which evolves into strategy by the time Katrina hits, and official policy soon after.

Governor Huntsman, I do not believe that your business expertise would lead you to such heartless policies. You are a kind and loving man. I know this to be true.

Indeed, I have spent time around your family. Maybe you have already realized that I am the same Barbara TerraNova who, along with my husband Dennis, picked up Sam and Jackie and Mr. Bean’s poop at your home some years ago, and who eventually brought Mr. Bean home to live with our family. (He passed away just last year, but he was well-loved and lived an active, entertaining life - even performing his own unique trick for guests - he sneezed on cue!)

So I know that even though you and I may disagree on some political issues, we would agree that the potential for increased cancers because of inefficiency and denial must get our attention.

This said, it is essentially that citizens, through their legislature and fairly elected officials, continue to be involved in what nuclear waste is allowed in our neighborhood. So I hope that you will, indeed, veto SB155 and retain our ability to be engaged, effective citizens.

Thank you for taking the time to review what I’ve enclosed, and for being dedicated to the well-being of Utahns.

Sincerely,

Barbara Bellows-TerraNova


Enclosed:
• Department of Homeland Security: Preparedness Doctorate; Protective Action Guides for Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD) and Improvised Nuclear Devise (IND) Incidents, The Federal Register, January 3, 2006.
• Letter from National Association of Police Organizations, Inc., dated April 12, 2006 (text pulled from html here Link unavailable otherwise)
• Letter from Health Physics Society, dated March 6, 2006.
• Letter from Department of Energy, Office of Air, Water & Radiation Protection Policy & Guidance, dated April 11, 2006
• Comments from Committee to Bridge the Gap, etal to Rules Docket Clerk, dated April 14, 2006
• Harmful Legacy of Pollution and Deception at Ground Zero: How Post 9/11 Disaster Policy Endangers America”, The Sierra Club, September 2006

My Testimony at Divine Strake Hearing*, Salt Lake City Capitol

Hello:

My name is Barbara Bellows-TerraNova.

Thank you, Governor Huntsman. The writer, Theodore Roszak said that the world will be saved not by liberals [though I am one] but by Republicans who stand up and say: This isn't what we mean.

In August 2004, the Sierra Club put out a report called , which was updated after Hurricane Katrina. In looking at it, what we find Deception and Pollution at Ground Zerois that, of course, the Inspector General of the EPA came forward and said, We were told we had to change the wording, so that Wall Street could reopen.

It's now actually policy. The Department of Homeland Security has developed something called “optimization”, and according to “optimization”, well, health risk information is withheld, or put into the context of other social and commercial objectives and needs. It happened again after Katrina, when they used the opportunity to lower the standards for a variety of employment and trucking regulations. They just lower the standards at any excuse. And the EPA and OSHA no longer have any say in it, because they are now within the Department of Homeland Security.

Earlier, the young lady said something about starting a nuclear warfare again. It has already started.

In 1991, January 17th, Bush/Cheney – but that was the former president and Cheney as Defense Department head – began the nuclear war when they dropped tons and tons of depleted uranium on top of Iraq, and left that country a debacle. 500,000 children had died in Iraq from 1991 to the next U.S. invastion.

News started to come to light about depleted uranium in January 2001, as the new Bush/Cheney were getting ready to take over the White House. The reports in Europe were saying that NATO forces, who had been involved in Kosovo, were coming out with an immense amount of leukemia and cancers. The news was very large in the international press. We didn't particularly hear about it here.

The World Health Organization sent people to investigate, including Dr. Keith Baverstock, who was the head of the International Commission on Radiological Protection, the lead radiation scientist at the World Health Organization. He brought forward an article that said that there was far more health risks than were ever known about depleted uranium. The United States put pressure on the World Health Organization, and his report was shelved.

I say this because you have to understand the pattern.

We have slanted information -- like we're told it's "low level". That does not mean weaker. It means a smaller circle. Which means when it gets in your body, the small circle of radiation makes it hit all of the cells around it. That's why they found an enormous amount of people who are coming out with multiple cancers in the body, which is something doctors had never seen before.

So “low level” does not mean safer. Never believe that it does.

“Depleted” uranium does not mean empty. I don't know why the word “depleted” was chosen, but 99.03 percent of depleted uranium is exactly like uranium – and is exactly like the enhanced uranium that is the basis of nuclear warfare.

Unfortunately, people in the Middle East know that we've been using nuclear warfare on them for a very long time. They do find a bit of hypocrisy here.

The bunker busters that they are saying they want to test here, they pierce the earth because they have depleted uranium at the tip. DU works because, as it strikes, it suddenly vaporizes, and sharpens.

The vaporized particles remain in the air. That's what we breathe in, and that's what causes our cancers.

Unfortunately, depleted uranium also can affect the mantle of the earth. This is a very frightening concept, when we look at the tsunamis, when we look at the humongous earthquakes that shattered Afghanistan a couple of years ago.
They are continuing, and geologists are shocked about patterns that they have never before seen.

There was a Doctor Y.K.J. Yeung Sik Yuen, who presented a report to the UN Subcommittee on Human Rights Protection – from the section they just tore apart at the United Nations. That panel. Dr. Yuen presented the report, which included information about DU's effect on health, the environment, earthquakes, and its use as being a war crime -- in 2002. Then Bush/Cheney decided it would be a good idea to put the bully John Bolton in as U.S. Ambassador to the UN to shut the whole thing down.

It is important to understand that the Neoconservative movement is based on the teachings of Leo Strauss, who taught that it is best to keep people in place by creating “Noble Lies” about huge enemies that we must constantly fear. Use religion and patriotism to keep them in line, and always perpetuate warfare.

Lastly, I would like to know if anyone can help us find out who in our leadership has stock in what corporations.

I do believe that the former President Bush has stock in The Carlyle Group from his speaking engagements, stock that has grown substantially with the wars. I do believe his son, the "Decider", would be in line to inherit his portion. (This is why Bush fought so hard to get rid of what he called the “death tax”.)

It is important to understand that there are people that want this fighting to go on beyond logic. This is not what we want, and it is unconscionable that the world and its people sacrifice for the cruel few to profit.

I encourage you to go to the Huffington Post website. Yesterday's article about Elizabeth Cheney, the daughter of Dick Cheney, shows that she is both a major stockholder in Lockheed Martin, and is working on putting together the intelligence and plans to attack Iran, just like those in the Office of Special Plans did for Iraq.

We have to know this stuff. We have to talk about it. This is not the United States that we want.

Finally, the name “Divine Strake” does not strike me as “funny” when we now have a president who believes in the Rapture.

Thank you.

*Edited for clarity.