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Lieberman Sends
Nuclear Note
to Executive Branch

Tony Hoffart

Senator Joe Lieberman, in his capacity as chairman of the Senate's
Homeland Security Committee, has assigned gloomy homework to 16
federal agencies, asking them for full descriptions of their preparations
in case of a nuclear device detonating on U.S. soil. It's the nightmare
scenario, terrorists importing a nuclear weapon and setting it off in an
American city. Therefore, the agencies will soon be receiving a letter
from Lieberman and ranking Republican Senator. Susan Collins,
asking them to answer a series of questions.

What annoys me is that all this is, is the fear mongering. It's the current
administration's only defense against liberal arguments. Whenever the
American people start to get a little disillusioned with the idea of
torturing terrorists, or fighting pointless wars, a little news article like
this one comes out which reminds the people that there are bands of
whooping religious extremists loaded to the teeth with nuclear weapons
backed up on the four-lane-highway leading to Times Square.

So I ask the people who might be worried about these alleged nuclear
weapons - how many nuclear explosions have gone off in countries
that don't have 8-10 security agencies working around the clock,
thinking up ridiculous preventative scenarios for events that won't
occur? How many big mushroom clouds have there been? In fact, how
many nations do you know that deliberately detonated a nuclear bomb
on another nation's soil?

And when stories about national security and nuclear threats hit the
networks, isn't it curious how they never bring in a nuclear scientist to
talk about such security? How hard is it to track a nuke? What actually
is done other than tapping our phones and torturing suspected
terrorists?

I work in the oil industry, and one of the things we in the business do to
scan and understand rock formations 2 to 3 km below the surface, is
that we shoot nuclear isotopes down there into the rock formations.
Those isotopes send readings back to our instruments allowing
geologists to literally map that formation based on where the isotopes
travel. That means they send particles through miles of rock that we
can sense.

So if we have instruments that can read particle readings through
miles of rock, does it maybe makes sense that we might have
instruments that can say,  pick them up through miles of air? More
than likely there are ways to shield these signatures, but how hard is
that to accomplish? How heavy would such a container be, and how
would you ship it over? The logistics of such an endeavor make it not
feasible.

Now with that said, here's what we can fear. The real danger isn't
nukes tucked away in closets, it's dissident citizens brewing up
explosives with normal household chemicals These are the activities
that can't be easily tracked or monitored, except by the people of a
country themselves. The how of it is by being aware of the world
around you. Suspicion isn't the answer, because it turns everyone
against us, but if everyone is neighborly and open, then the people
who aren't will stick out like a sore thumb.

And thus my message - don't look to your government to protect you,
because they're ineffective at it and will only subvert your freedoms.
Instead,  open your eyes, not to what they would tell you, but what you
see around yourself. Talk to people, converse and be friendly and
aware. In doing that, you will avoid danger.   -----May 2008
This Month's Contents

Podcast Interview................................. "My Illness Was a Blessing"

News and Politics.........  Tony Hoffart
Current Issues..............  Lindsey Kay
Technology...................  Natasha Stillman
Humor...........................  Vicola England, Kirk Starr
Science.........................  Paxton Daryl Branson
World Events................  Ilias Kountoupis, Peter McCarthy
Sports...........................  Patricia Volonakis Davis
Religion.........................  Mr. Snowy
Women's Issues............  Charlotte Steggs
Leading a Good Life......  Tom Hames,  Miranda Krebbs
On Growing Older.......... Cyd Madsen, Michelle Solange
Motherhood...................  Grace Bon, Amy Flanigan

This Month's Guest Writer................  Amber Burke

About the Writers at Harlots' Sauce Radio
email this writer at: tonyhoffart@harlotssauce.com