Nuclear 'Three Stooges' on Algonquin land

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WHY ARE WE BLUE ABOUT “BLUE WOLF” AND “BOLD EAGLE” - CANADA VOTES TO REOPEN DEADLY LEAKING NUCLEAR REACTOR IN UNCEDED ALGONQUIN TERRITORY 1 reader comment

By Jennifer Tsun
Algonquin Territory
Dec. 14, 2007
When something happens at 6 Nations Iroquois territory, there is usually an echo at Sharbot Lake in Algonquin territory [28 miles north of Kingston Ontario]. What do these two unconnected places have in common? The struggles are both about our land. Since the Cabot Charter of 1496, the common goal of the colonial system has been and continues to be the elimination of the Ongwehonwe/Nishnaabe people. We are seen as mere impediments to the greedy desire to appropriate all our resources.
In mid-September, when the Ardoch and Shabot Algonquins and allies were anticipating an invasion, the 6 Nations were attacked by hundreds of police. Nine men and women were beaten and arrested. They face court appearances in January 2008. We can bet they won’t be tried by a jury of their peers. Instead the judge will be appointed by the very same colonial regime that issued the Cabot Charter saying it was okay to “conquer all non-Christian people”. Same old, same old.
Indigenous people have always tried to be accommodating to the poor ruffians who mismanaged their own resources so poorly that they had to cross an ocean to survive. The Algonquin protesters against uranium mining quickly dismantled their camp three weeks later as an act of "good faith". Judge Cunningham has called for mediation to discuss the illegal uranium mining that Frontenac Ventures plans to start on Algonquin land in January 2008. When crimes are committed against people in European society, do the Europeans mediate with those who have trespassed on their land, stolen their resources or assaulted them? Not likely. The Ardoch and Shabot Algonquin “leadership” now appear to be putting all their eggs into the farcical mediation basket that began this past week. We still don’t know if the December 17th meeting will even let our people in to observe those who pretend to represent us.
No one is monitoring Frontenac Ventures. No one has asked the Canadian people or the rightful owners of Turtle Island whether they want to deal with the waste products this will produce. A small group is watching close by while others are on standby.
THE THREE STOOGES AND ‘ATOMIC ENERGY OF CANADA LIMITED’ AECL. Chalk River Laboratories “CRL” is on the Ottawa River at the heart of Algonquin land. It’s a big nuclear bomb waiting to go off. CRL is tied to the U.S. nuclear weapons industry through the medical “isotope” business. Medical isotopes are made from a radioactive substance for imaging and treating diseases, which are made in nuclear reactors. At least 2/3 of the world’s supply is made at Chalk River. About one month ago production was stopped because of dangerous radioactive leakage from these old reactors.
The “nuclear police” force will soon move into Chalk River. Many "Aboriginal youth” are being aggressively recruited and “groomed” to serve on the front lines. Remember what happened at the Chernobyl disaster in the Ukraine. The front line did not survive. Neither did a large number of people in the immediate area and throughout the world. Some police forces are even trying to snag our boys at pow wows. The Ontario Provincial Police's “Blue Wolf Drum” is a state-financed propaganda ploy that sends our boys to drum throughout the land to attract more of them into policing and the military called the “Bold Eagle” Program. Is this residential school pogrom #XVII? Do the assaults on our youth ever stop? Why haven’t we been given the resources we need to rebuild our communities from the destruction created by the colonists?
Remember the 1950's comedy trio, "The Three Stooges"? The new version is Julian Fantino as “Moe” [OPP commissioner], Jim Potts as “Larry” [big pubah advisor on policing] and Randy Cota as “Curly” [the Uncle Tom of the Algonquins]. Moe gets to abuse Larry. Larry gets to abuse Curly. Curly doesn't get to abuse anyone, except his own people.
Curly gets slapped in the face, poked in the eyes and hit on the head with a hammer. He gets his nose tweaked with pliers and his butt hit with a spiked 2x4.
One Stooges episode involves a disaster at a nuclear reactor plant. Can you see today’s 3 "nuclear police inspectors" arriving at Chalk River, being met by Homer Simpson played by Bob Lovelace, the elder of Ardoc Lake and and AECL Chairman of the Board, Mr. Burns, played by his look-alike George White of Frontenac Ventures?
The Stooges trudge around in their defective “protective” gear. It’s made by Ottawa-based “Med Eng”, a subsidiary of Allen-Vanguard, known world wide as the foremost in private high tech security. It’s tested at Mining Resources Engineering Limited, MREL's facilities near Sharbot Lake. MREL has been making, testing and selling bombs worldwide from Sharbot Lake. Yes, these are Canada’s partners in crime.
The Stooges wear their “gamma watches” bought from Environmental Instruments Canada Inc., of Saskatoon. The Stooges ignore the alarms on the watches that are singing “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” in B-. Then they take a long shower in MREL's aqua ram foam, all taped with MREL's fast cameras that capture every little radioactive fart and other explosions.
After whacking Larry and Curly in the ears, cranky Moe dances from one reactor to another. There are 5 at Chalk River. Two are nearly 60 years old, long overdue for retirement. One is the National Research Universal NRU reactor which has been shut down for the past month that is causing a global shortage of medical isotopes. Parliament met Tuesday December 11th to re-open this reactor. There’s little concern about leaking radiation and a possible nuclear explosion. Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he got “independent advice” that it’s safe and they’re waiting for parts.
AECL's spokesman and expert, Brian McGee, senior VP and Chief Nuclear Officer, says he didn't know the reactor needed scheduled maintenance since 2005 to keep its license. Maybe the radiation is making them all forgetful.
Stooge Larry is down in the pits taking samples from the leaking fuel that’s seeping halfway to Ottawa by now, in a colorful glowing radioactive plume. He'll have to explain this to their bosses in Washington and London.
Curly and his buds are doing security and cleanup. Accidents and spills at Chalk River are part of history. Hundreds of soldiers from Petawawa who cleaned up the mess later got cancer. The government refused to help them. Those who pursued this were told it never happened.
AECL's web site won't tell you about the 1952 accident with National Research Experiment reactor NRX, or the 1958 accident with NRU, both at Chalk River. [ccnr.org].
GNEP GLOBAL NUCLEAR ENERGY PARTNERSHIPLast week, "Lying", Gary Lunn, Canada’s Minister for the Depletion and Exploitation of Natural Resources, quietly signed Bush's GNEP (Global Nuclear Energy Partnership). Last September, when all eyes were on the International Atomic Energy Association IAEA meeting in Vienna, Prime Minister Stephen Harper emphatically refused to sign to bring nuclear waste back to Canada. When backs were turned, Stephen “Gerda Munsinger” Harper signed like the whore who coyly says “no” when everyone is watching and later sneaks off into the bushes to do the deed.
Gary Lunn and the US Department of Energy secretary Sam Bodman claim nuclear energy is a clean, sustainable source of electricity. What corporation is telling them this, GE? GE wants controlling interests but foreigners are presently not permitted to own majority shares in a Crown corporation. Rumors have it that after a review AECL is going to be “privatized”. The Global Nuclear Energy Partnership GNEP document is meant to “repatriate” Canada’s nuclear waste. Lunn reassures everyone, “This will not happen. In any case, the agreement is not binding”. Italy signed on November 13th. There are now 18 members. Of course, they all want to dump on our Indigenous lands without our prior informed consent. Why do you think Canada refused to sign the UN Declaration on Indigenous Rights? They don’t want to consider the health and well-being of the people for seven generations to come. Neither the press release nor the GNEP agreement appeared on the Natural Resources web site until Wednesday, December 5th, after we called about it. The press release did appear at U.S. Department of Energy and the Canadian Nuclear Association CNA web sites last week and was announced in a short clip on CBC and other media. Don’t you just love the media that slips in little blurbs in between distracting stories like serial killer “Robert Pickton” found guilty of murdering dozens of women in British Columbia. The media pretends this is full disclosure to the public.
Note how they focused on the dangerous NRU reactor for medical isotopes products. They know damn well that some of their other uses are much less likely to win public approval. The isotopes are sold by “MDS Nordion”, an Ottawa company. The aim of the agreement is "to accelerate development and deployment of advanced fuel cycle technologies to encourage clean development and prosperity worldwide, improve the environment and reduce the risk of nuclear proliferation." Note how they used the word “aim”. They know very well that it is dangerous, that such aims cannot be achieved through this kind of science fiction fantasy. Even George Orwell wasn’t this cynical. One of GNEP's seven objectives is to "develop and demonstrate, inter alia, advanced technologies for recycling spent nuclear fuel for deployment in facilities that do not separate pure plutonium with a long term goal of ceasing separation of plutonium and eventually eliminating stocks of separated civilian Plutonium”. Plutonium is used for making bombs! This raises the question. Would there be a shortage of medical isotopes if they weren’t using these resources to make bombs? Don’t be fooled! The hawks are in full flight. This is not a “cold war” era. Little kids in school are being told that they are “peace pals” when they prepare Christmas boxes for the troops overseas. Those are boys with guns defending capitalist interests at the expense of whatever civilian population happens to get in their way. There has been no decent attempt to sit down and make peace among the people in the countries where war is being waged. They’re leaving it all up to adolescent boys with guns and no education. This shortage of isotopes is closely connected with the “hot war” that has pushed the military agenda in Canada higher than it ever was in World War II without the knowledge or consent of the Canadian people. It’s crazy. The UN was founded to create peace. World institutions have been corrupted and co-opted. Ours are being ignored.
BILL C-5: NUCLEAR LIABILITY Canada's Parliament is debating Bill C-5, "An Act respecting civil liability and compensation for damage in case of a nuclear incident". This is to raise the Nuclear Liability limits from $77 million to $650 million. No other industry is legislated in this way.
Should there be a large nuclear accident, the “operator” is liable, not the manufacturer. Canadian taxpayers would foot the bill for generations to come. However, according to the fine print, the liability and personal insurance are VOID in the event of “war or a terrorist attack”.
Canadian MP's that were formerly critical of the bill like NDP Dennis Bevington (Western Arctic) seem fatalistically ready to accept it. He represents “Port Radium” where uranium was first mined using Dine people to carry the ore in burlap bags. Later a majority of them died from horrible cancers.
Nathan Cullen (Skeena—Bulkley Valley, NDP) says, "… there are serious and significant implications when dealing with a nuclear accident”. He asked why does the government need “to list bodily injury, psychological trauma, close personal relationships to somebody affected, liability for economic loss, costs of wages, power failure and environmental damage." They want to limit their liability on these very afflictions as they are a “limited” company.
Brad Trost (Saskatoon—Humboldt, CPC) expounds that: "In 2003 the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission ..found the economic loss, the personal loss, cetera from a major incident… at $100 million."
On the other hand, a paraplegic as the result of a car accident recently got $7 million for loss of use of his legs, his pain and suffering and loss of income.Let’s do the math. $650 million divided by $7 million means they have made provisions for less than 93 people. Looked at another way, a serious nuclear accident which would affect about 3 million people, would divide up $650 million and each would get $213.33. Hmmm... So who’s making the billions while we take the risks? The land and the people are being put up as the collateral. With this in mind, remember that government agencies like the Department of Veterans Affairs are notoriously bad at looking after their own. The compensation packages look great on paper. Even when the injury is of an anticipated kind, just try and collect it. You’ll find all kinds of loop holes and nonsense that boil down to no help at all. You’ll be SOL [Shit out of luck!] The nightmares are real to those who live in them. Mario Laframboise [Argenteuil-Papineau-Mirabel, Bloc Quebecois], says of the “secret” talks of the Prime Minister with the U.S. on the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, “I find it very inconsistent of the government to introduce a bill to increase compensation for damage while the prime minister is currently prohibiting his ministers from discussing the entire nuclear energy plan”. Laframboise seems to have blanked out on his government’s push for a deadly niobium mine in his riding at Kanehsatake Mohawk Territory. People need to hear it loud and clear:(1) Stop nuclear development. We don't need it.(2) We already have more nuclear waste than our coming generations can reasonably be expected to deal with.
HUNGER STRIKE CONTINUES"Where will AECL be in 2107?" We’ve learned they plan to leave Chalk River by 2080. They don’t plan to be around when our grandchildren’s skin starts falling off their bones!Donna Dillman is still on a hunger strike protesting uranium mining. She shows no signs of quitting. Donna’s now in a wheelchair and could be force fed when she is finally bed ridden. That's what the Brits did to the Irish and that's what the Americans are doing at Guantanimo Bay, even though it is illegal by international law.
On Tuesday, December 11th, Donna will go to water only. She asks that people flood Ontario Premier McGuinty's office with calls and emails. As Aaron Neville, said, "There's been times that I thought I couldn't last for long. Now I think I'm able to carry onIt's been a long time comin’, but I know a change is gonna come."
Jennifer Tsun, McDonalds Corners, Algonquin Territory
Notes and Sources:Premier Dalton McGuintyQueen's Park, Rm 281, Main Legislative Building Toronto ON M7A 1A4 Tel 416-325-1941 Fax 416-325-3745dmcguinty.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org and/ordmcquinty.mpp@liberal.ola.orgSee: https://www.premier.gov.on.ca/feedback/feedback.asp- for an online form.
Emails for Canadian MP's involved in nuclear liability debate:ThibaLo@parl.gc.ca, ChongM@parl.gc.ca, TrostB@parl.gc.ca, BigraB@parl.gc.ca, CardiS@parl.gc.ca, LafraM@parl.gc.ca, CulleN@parl.gc.ca, GallaC@parl.gc.ca, HawnL@parl.gc.ca, McTeaD@parl.gc.ca, AlghaO@parl.gc.ca, AnderDa@parl.gc.ca, BevinD@parl.gc.ca, DebelC@parl.gc.ca, OuellCh@parl.gc.ca, CrowdJ@parl.gc.ca, ChowO@parl.gc.ca, LunnG@parl.gc.ca, BerniM@parl.gc.ca,
Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility <http://www.ccnr.org/>
MNN "Boy War Toys Club: Members Only" <http://www.mohawknationnews.com/>(click on news and then go to sharbot lake section)
GNEP <http://www.gnep.gov/default.html>
Hansard on nuclear liability debatehttp://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Pub=Hansard&Doc=11&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=39&Ses=2
We welcome your feedback. Send email to <kittoh@storm.ca>We intend to connect the dots between a number of issues.
Post by MNN Mohawk Nation News http://www.mohawknationnews.com/ kahentinetha2@yahoo.com

READER COMMENT
They didn't mention anything about the 2 "incidents" in the 50's, cause there's not too many people left that will remember them. I learned a bit about Chalk River when I worked producing nuclear fuel pellets for Candu reactors worldwide at G.E. in T.O. That plant is still making fuel pellets. They are also located in a very populated residential area at Lansdowne and Dupont. When I worked there, they had an inspection process for the pellets, only very slight flaws (well "visible" flaws) were allowed to pass on to the "canning" stage. That's where they are put into metal tubes that are then put into bundles to be fed into reactors. Last I heard from anyone that I knew that still worked there, what used to be denied on final inspection by us, is now allowed and even pellets with more flaws. Even when I worked there, I was appalled at the ease with which someone could enter. I used to joke that the entire city could be held for ransom by a single person with not much more than about a gallon of heavy water. Security was, honestly, that lax. The "limit" on liability payments we seen coming down the tubes when they put in the system on the residential school "settlements." They were losing their shirts in individual court cases and had to protect the bank, so to speak. Look anywhere in the world where the original peoples of that area are located near anything "potentially dangerous" and you will find the same kind of legal double talk that keeps liability payments way below what it would be anywhere else that people of "influence" live.