October 6, 1997
Comments On DOE Studies, Statistics, and Numbers
Please See "Downwinders Denied Checkup Funds"Once more it's business as usual at DOE and with its federal pay
masters! Dose us, lie to us, make us sick, kill a lot of us, and then
tell us to go screw ourselves! 50 years and counting, so why does this
surprise me? It doesn't, what does is that we ever let our guard down
low enough to trust 'em when they make such promises in the first place!They never have lived up to a promise to their victims yet. Yet we seem
to always be ready to jump on the promise bandwagon with each new call
for a study, or hearing back in D.C., as a sign they are cleaning up
their long running act -- something all on broadway should envy.Currently there is much joy and elation that a "new" series of articles
has been done nationally on the problems faced by the victims around DOE
facilities. And once again the DOE has "promised" to look into the
matter, maybe to do some more studies, and there are calls for hearings
back in good old D.C.. Who is fooling who here folks?Of course they will pay attention and look into the matter, just as long
as it reduces the public relations problem, and just as long as enough
of the victims and their advocates jump on the bandwagon and "believe"
one more time. And of course they will probably do more studies now to
see if they hurt anybody, and use that as evidence this is not your
father's DOE, ONE MORE TIME. But it will be the same old, let's do
another study and take as long as we can, and hold up doing anything
else until the study is done, and let's hope more of the victims,
especially the vocal ones will have died off before the study is
finished!And they will leave the door open, with just enough hints of "real
concern and understanding this time", in the hopes a significant portion
of the victims and their advocates will jump on the new study bandwagon
and use it as their organizing focus, fall for promises of new openness
and citizens participation. And the funding proposals will flow for
activist work on and around these new studies.And there will be a hearing or too, to add more public relations
evidence to the spin control that things have changed and the DOE is
responding. Calls will go out for all the victims to write letters to
the Congress people, and forcing hearings will be a movement battle cry.And when it's all over there will be more promises the DOE will do
something, will come on out and check the cages of us, their human
subjects. Some Congressional report will be issued decrying all this,
and cheers will be raised as to how we all forced DOE into a corner over
this, and more funding proposals will fly so the fine work can continue.And at the end of the day, DOE will smirk and rub its hands, because we
all fell for their promises and the finer points of the B.S. shoveling
method, one more time. And at the end of it all, just like here in this
case, the victims of it all will be left out in the cold, alone, in pain
and fear, suffering and dying, in a tidal wave of DOE, Administration,
and Congressional promises, that don't mean anymore today than they did
yesterday.There is, and always has been, one and only one alternative, and that is
the alternative of numbers. There are, always have been, and until
things change, always will be plenty of victims out there. Enough
victims to scare the living hell out of the victimizers if they should
ever decide to get organized and stop playing for justice by the systems
rules -- reports, hearings, studies. It is long past the time we victims
should waste our time waiting for promises that are never going to come
and to start organizing on our terms. Until then, it will be one more
story like this after another, after another, after another.As always,
J Truman
Director
Downwinders