Yellowcake and body bags, Iraq and Vietnam

Yellowcake instead of drugs, Iraq flashback to Vietnam
By Brenda Norrell
Censored News
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com

MONTREAL and LAKOTA TERRITORY -- During the Vietnam War, secret US operations transported drugs in the body bags of US soldiers. During the Iraq War, the US secretly transported Iraq's uranium to a private company in Canada, Cameco. It is the same uranium mining company that Lakotas are fighting in their territory in Nebraska and First Nations are battling for poisoning their land and water in Canada.
The US secretly transferred 500 tons of uranium out of Iraq to Cameco. The US spent 70 million taxpayer dollars doing this in the summer of 2008.
During the Vietnam War, the US smuggled drugs out of Vietnam in body bags of soldiers, a fact exposed by CIA agents at the time.
Iraq’s yellowcake was transferred from Tuwaitha, 12 miles south of Baghdad and then to Diego Garcia, a British territory in the Indian Ocean where the United Kingdom and the United States operate a joint military base. Finally it was transported to Montreal.
“While yellowcake alone is not considered potent enough for a so-called 'dirty bomb' — a conventional explosive that disperses radioactive material — it could stir widespread panic if incorporated in a blast. Yellowcake also can be enriched for use in reactors and, at higher levels, nuclear weapons using sophisticated equipment,” according to MSNBC.
The cleanup in Iraq was by Iraqis trained at Chernobyl, according to MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25546334/
Why?
The media seems to have forgotten about this secret shipment of Iraq's yellowcake. But Cameco will not go away. Cameco is exploiting and poisoning Indigenous lands with uranium mining and gold mining, from Saskatchewan to Wyoming and Kazakhstan.
Currently, Lakotas are fighting Cameco in court in Nebraska over uranium mining.
The question remains why the majority of gold, copper and uranium mining corporations that are exploiting and assassinating Indigenous Peoples around the globe are based in Canada.

More at CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/07/iraq.uranium/
Cameco mining:
McArthur River
Key Lake
Rabbit Lake
Cigar Lake
Crow Butte
Smith Ranch-Highland
Inkai
Cameco homepage:
http://www.cameco.com/

Photo at top 2003: A US soldier pushes a Uranium 'yellow cake' barrel which was brought by Greenpeace activists for a protest outside the former Iraqi Presidential Palace, which now houses the US Administration office in Iraq, Friday July 4, 2003 in Baghdad. The environmentalist group is calling the attention of the US civilian administration to take action in safeguarding the nuclear facility in Tuwaitha which allegedly can be disastrous due to high radiation levels after it was looted during the war. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez0

Transporting Nukes: Catastrophic accidents waiting to happen

Transporting Nukes/Nuclear Materials: Catastrophic Accidents Waiting to Happen
Eagle Watch #12
October 18, 2009

We Indigenous always consider our future generations and the world they will inherit from us. We have a huge responsibility to stop all this nuclear development.

The issue of transporting dangerous nuclear materials is a no brainer yet it goes on all the time, on our busy highways, in planes over us and on rivers, lakes and oceans all around the world. Moving all these radioactive toxins around must be stopped. Just in our area, Nishnaabe and Ongwehonwe territory, there is an alarming amount of uranium and nuclear products being trucked around.

For starters, the yellowcake that comes thousands of kilometres from northern Saskatchewan is trucked to Blind River and Port Hope along the busiest highways in the land. Some of the processed radioactive powders, pellets and fuel bundles are then put on ships and sent down the St. Lawrence River and on to ports in the USA, Asia, France and elsewhere. An accident of just one load would be a major disaster. When it does happen, it is hushed up, minimized, swept under the carpet and the victims are muzzled.

Several years ago, some Russian plutonium was flown to Canada, most likely landing at Trenton Air force base on Lake Ontario. Then the 15 kg of MOX was flown by helicopter to Chalk River. It probably flew right over Sharbot Lake!

The government recently decided that the solution to the millions of cubic metres of radioactive material at Port Hope would be to move it by truck to a nearby site. "All the waste will be consolidated in an engineered mound west of Baulch Rd. and south of Hwy. 401, to then be managed for hundreds of years." How is that any better? It'll get blown and spilled all over the place along the way. CNSC Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission approved and licensed this demented plan.

Now we have GE Hitachi wants to make LEU fuel bundles at their Peterborough plant where they already make the basic uranium fuel bundles for CANDU reactors. The LEU bundles contain 5times more uranium and are for reactors as far away as Japan, India and China. The materials used to make the bundles come from Toronto and Wilmington, North Carolina, once again on busy highways. Then the finished bundles are driven to reactor sites like Darlington, Pickering and Bruce or to ports for shipment around the world. An accident could happen at any time.

The "approved and designated trucking routes" for the GE-Hitachi nuke factory form a network of municipal (e.g., Monahan Road, Lansdowne, and The Parkway), regional (e.g., Highway 115) and provincial highways (Highway 401). These are all busy roads and often quite slippery in winter.

We all know that vehicle accidents happen so much it is routine. They often involve big transport trailers, 18-wheelers on busy freeways. Toxic spills are frequent, downplayed and under-reported. Multiple collisions are common. Sometimes these crashes result in fiery infernos.

If a nuclear load caught on fire on the 401 near Toronto, the consequences would be catastrophic. Some eight million people live and work in the region. An accident only has to happen just once to destroy the area for thousands of years to come. Countless numbers of people would be dead and many more would be sickened with cancers, heart disease and behavioural disorders. Babies would be born deformed and many pregnancies would end in miscarriage. This would also happen to all the animal life around us. Government and Industry would Deny, Deny, Deny! The cost in suffering and economics would be astronomical. Why take such a risk? It is insane!

Following the publication of our recent report, "Stop the Expansion of Peterborough Nukes", we received an article from a reader. "For Lack of a Database: Uranium truck rollover in North Carolina", was written in January, 2007 by Michael Hopping. Here's an excerpt from it:
"On the evening of December 21, 2006, a tractor trailer hauling 3159 kg of low-enriched (fuel-grade) uranium dioxide overturned on the I-95 exit to eastbound I-40 at Benson, North Carolina. A blip of press interest followed the accident, but by Christmas it was gone. We might have hoped the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and federal hazardous materials bureaucracies filed the incident in long-term memory for future reference. That doesn’t appear to be the case. So, for lack of a more appropriate venue, this is the report that should have been.
"The Accident
A Tri-States Motor Transport tractor trailer rig picked up the 20-foot long overseas shipping container loaded with uranium at Virginia’s Portsmouth Marine Terminal. It was bound for the Global Nuclear Fuels (GNF) fuel rod fabricating plant in Wilmington, NC. The container, which was bolted to the flatbed trailer, remained attached when the rig rolled off the curving exit ramp and came to rest on its side in a grassy area.

"...the material on board was uranium dioxide powder enriched to approximately 5% U-235. (U-235 is the uranium isotope responsible for starting fission, the nuclear chain reaction, inside a reactor.

"...If any significant quantity of enriched uranium dioxide were dumped in a pile it would undergo uncontrolled fission—go critical. On the scale of a nuclear power plant this is called a meltdown."

That's the exact stuff that will be brought to Peterborough to be put in the fuel bundles. Are the 1,400 jobs at GEHitachi worth the risk?

These highway crashes involving nuclear materials can happen anytime anywhere along the route. Fortunately this one did not end in catastrophe. Increasing the movement of nuclear materials increases the probability of a serious accident. No container is invincible yet the complacent nuclear industry recklessly moves nuclear materials around every day, claiming it is safe. It is a risky gamble not worth taking. These arrogant nuclear nuts need some kind of therapy for their gambling addiction. They're gambling with our lives and our futures.

There is still time until October 21 to send your comments to the CNSC regarding the nuclear factory expansion at Peterborough. You can get their screening report from "CEAAInfo" and send your comments to:
CNSC
Send comments by mail, fax or email to:
Dr Caroline Ducros
Environmental Assessment Specialist
Environmental Assessment Division
Directorate of Environmental and Radiation Protection and Assessment
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
P.O. Box 1046, Station B
Ottawa, ON K1P 5S9
Phone: 1-800-668-5284
Fax: 613-995-5086
Email: EA@cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca


KITTOH

Part of the solution to any problem is getting the facts straight. Someone puts a lot of resources into denials and lies to pacify us the people. They want to soothe us into a stupour. If you find this article useful and interesting, help to circulate and discuss.

We welcome your feedback! Forward, post and consider printing for your cyberphobic friends and relatives.

Notes and Sources
GNF Global Nuclear Fuels is a partnership between General Electric, Hitachi, and Toshiba.
http://www.northumberlandtoday.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2134175
http://www.michaelhopping.com/features/nuclearconnection.html
http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/article/711907--chernobyl-part-2-the-accidental-tourists

BC Demonstration: In defense of Teztan Biny

DEMONSTRATION at the Mining Association of BC reception:
Wednesday October 21st @ 6:00 pm
Fairmont Waterfront
900 Canada Place Way
The destruction of Teztan Biny (Fish Lake) and the surrounding area goes against every single traditional law and value that has been instilled in us since time immemorial. It is our responsibility to protect the wildlife, our land, the lakes, the rivers and the air for future generations. It is time to stand up and speak out against this proposed development.
UNITY is the key. Please assist in making this demonstration a success and pass this message on to your friends and family who may be interested in joining our group.
The demonstration has been called by the Tsilhqot'in Nation in defense of Teztan Biny (Fish Lake) and other lakes threatened by mining development, and in defense of indigenous sovereignty, title and rights. Please come and stand in solidarity with the Tsilhqot'in and demand justice! (Loretta Williams, TNG Mining Coordinator) Chief Marilyn Baptiste and others will be there. Please note: If you are there and have any photos you'd like to share, please email them to info@fonv.ca
Taseko Mines EIS on Prosperity deficient a second time; First Nations suggest investors and public take note.
Williams Lake, October 19, 2009 -- The federal panel reviewing the proposed Taseko Mines Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine Project sent the mining company's revised environmental impact statement (EIS) back a second time, saying the EIS is still deficient. In the panel's letter to Taseko,it notes deficiencies in information requested about the proposed tailings storage facility and in traditional Aboriginal use of the area.
Taseko Mines has gone public trying to point a finger at First Nations for delaying this important process, notes Chief Bernie Elkins, of the Tsilhqot'in National Government. However, it is Taseko that has held up the process by failing to provide the panel with the information it needs to go to public hearings.
The Panel noted that Taseko Mines still has not provided the information it has requested on traditional Aboriginal Fishery Usage and First Nation and Cultural Heritage. Taseko was required as part of its EIS to describe First Nations use of the area that its project will impact if approved.
Despite spending tens of millions of dollars on its EIS, Taseko's treatment of First Nation's impacts is shamefully poor, as the panel pointed out back in June, the first time it found the EIS deficient,states Chief Marilyn Baptiste, of the Xeni Gwet'in First Nation. The Panel encouraged Taseko to work with us and to fund traditional use studies to deal with this deficiency, but despite spending millions Taseko refused to approve a very modest budget for this work.
Chief Baptiste goes on to point out that as a result, the Panel found Taseko's EIS deficient a second time because it still does not provide sufficient information on the use of the area by First Nations. By trying to skimp, save and understate the potential impacts of this project for First Nations, Taseko has delayed the review process. And the Panel continues to hold them accountable for this.
Taseko is now paying for its refusal to work with First Nations.
Chief Elkins also notes that even if the First Nation's traditional use information had been provided, Taseko would still be holding up the process because of deficiencies in critical hydrology informationidentified by the Panel.
The Tsilhqot'in National Government says it is important that the public realize this process is not one that should be rushed through because of a bottom line. We are in a process to decide the fate of an ecosystem and watershed, something that took thousands of years to create, says Chief Elkins. This process should take time because we have serious concerns that this mine represents a disastrous precedent for mining policy in Canada and puts all lakes in Canada at risk of destruction for the storage of contaminated mining waste.
First Nations are not the only ones with grave reservations about this proposed mine, confirms Chief Baptiste. This project is far from a done deal.
-30-
For further information, please contact:
TNG Communications DepartmentChief Bernie ElkinsTelephone: 250-392-3918Email: chiefesdilagh@gmail.com

Women fight mining companies

Women fight South American mines
Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/oct/12/women-fight-south-american-mines
Photo: Goldcorp Terrorism by mimundo.org

UK urged to pressure South American governments to refuse mining licences
Women say mining is damaging their homes and environment
Kathryn Hopkins
12 October 2009
A group of South American women arrived in Britain this week to highlight the plight of indigenous people around the world fighting international mining companies.
In a desperate attempt to save their land and livelihoods, women from Ecuador, Peru and Guatemala will lobby the UK government and European parliament to put pressure on their governments to refuse mining licences. Maria Sian, 40, from San Juan Sacatepéquez in Guatemala, said: "What I'm looking for is for people here to press our government to not give out licences to international mining companies because the results that I see are death and destruction."
Carmen Mejia, 25, from a village called Agel in the San Miguel region of Guatemala, has been protesting against Montana, a wholly owned subsidiary of Canadian mining company Goldcorp Inc. She alleged that explosions, dust and the vibrations of heavy trucks to and from the open-pit gold mine have changed the face of her village.
Another woman, Gregoria, who cannot give her full name for legal reasons, said: "As the mine advances and occupies more land, some families find that their houses have cracks and are now on the edge of a precipice. There are armed security guards everywhere."
She said people faced chronic skin infections, hair loss and feared for the safety of their children living in houses which may collapse due to substantial cracks. The women were harassed by miners and intimidated by the police, she said they "cry in desperation, feel constantly depressed". "Life has become very difficult. Sometimes suicide becomes an option," said Gregoria. "The authorities don't want to know, we don't count." The Guardian was unable to reach a representative of Goldcorp for comment.
Lina Solana, 40, from Ecuador has a similar story. She has several charges against her for protesting against Canadian mining company Corriente Resources. "The company's activities damage the Amazonian ecosystem."
She said the exploration caused environmental damage and problems with the water but also social problems such as corruption and the criminalisation of protests. "There is a lot of verbal aggression from the police towards females protesting against the mines. They call us sluts and smelly Indians."
The Guardian was unable to reach Corriente for comment.
The women have been aided by the Latin American Mining Monitoring Programme. It said: "Women often feel that life in the community is so transformed by the mining conflict that 'peace is gone, there is no more happiness'. Another worrying development for women is that abuse against them becomes 'normal' and unworthy of police attention."

Mohawk Nation News: Where has the Great Law gone?

CONFUSION BETWEEN KAIANEREH’KO:WA & HANDSOME LAKE CODE

Mohawk Nation News
http://www.mohawknationnews.com
MNN. Oct. 16, 2009. PART I. Kaianereh’ko:wa, our way, is meant to help us regulate our lives and resolve issues peacefully to everybody’s benefit. It isn’t a law. There are no police, jails or judges. It’s not a religion. Everything is scientific and based on natural law, which is provable. Handsome Lake followers are lead to believe they are traditional. They are unaware their ideas come from a foreign ideology on how a people behave that is not based on natural but on the unproveable supernatural.
The Kaianereh’ko:wa provides that everyone is equal and has a voice. The opening thanksgiving outlines the relations between all elements of the natural world. People are the power base. Issues are resolved through a complex system of consensual decision making.
The longhouse is a symbol of the Kaianereh’ko:wa and the world around us, which covers all of Great Turtle Island. The Rotinoshonni’on:we are the people who make the longhouse. The ceiling is the sky, the four directions are our walls and our mother the earth is our floor. The people are sacred. Literally longhouses are shelters to live in, places to meet or where we put away our stuff. It is not a place to worship a god up in heaven that has created us!
We have stories about our creation to connect us to the natural world. We will not know the face or place that the power of creation dwells, only the evidence of that power which we acknowledge. Everything was based on what we could see and observe, not blind faith and control of information by a few.
Has anybody listened closely to the thanksgiving rituals being done? Predominance is given to one creator, a god, who made us, before thanking the rest of creation. Has anybody noticed some of our speakers now talk about going to heaven instead of returning to our mother the earth?
Our people have a lot of mental and physical energy. We don’t want to fight because we care about each other. Our energies are being redirected against each other instead of strengthening our family ties.
What happened to the excitement of a few years ago when the longhouses were full of people, activities, socials and fun. Why aren’t people attending?
Is there a disagreement between those who stick to the Kaianereh’ko:wa and those who follow or are influenced by the Handsome Lake Code? Does anybody wonder why young people aren’t going to the longhouse for answers to political, social or economic questions? They go there to have their babies named.
What is stopping us from standing up for our true way? Young and old need the Kaianereh’ko:wa to keep us on the right path. Handsome Lake Code seems like the easy way out through pacification and avoidance. When the Kaianereh’ko:wa is defended, questioners are called trouble makers by self-appointed leaders.
In the early 1800s Skaniatario, or the Handsome Lake Code, was created using native culture combined with Christian undertones. Skaniatario is a Seneca family title in the Confederacy. He was an alcoholic and committed wrongs against his people. He used witch hunts and other superstitions to scare the people. He forfeited and alienated himself and was banished. When he left he had no name, no clan and no birthright.
The Handsome Lake Code is a hierarchical order of spirits. They even arrange nature according to some idea of power reflecting the colonial system where a few are on top while the rest are left in the dark.
The conflict is between the inner directed people who are guided by the Kaianereh’ko:wa and the knowledge we have to figure things out. The Handsome Lake followers base their decisions on faith and prayers like a religion. The beauty of listening to a speaker is to hear their words coming from their mind, not just to hear a recital. Discussions are avoided about the violations of the Kaianereh’ko:wa.
Religion weakens, confuses and controls people. After every so-called native resistance the colonists push religion to pacify us. After the War of 1812 it was the Handsome Lake Code. After the American Revolution it was the Quakers. At Lakota it was the medicine power of Wovoka and the Ghost Dance. White people became afraid and murdered the people during the ceremonies. Since the 1990s the religion has been the healing circles.
The Kaianereh’ko:wa advocates co-existence as a separate nation. The Handsome Lake Code advocates integration and compromise.
The main issues are always sovereignty, respect for our nation, land claims and Indigenous jurisdiction. US and Canada know that any legitimate agreement has to be made with us. The colonial band and tribal councils are working with longhouses that will validate the band council’s authority.
Elder Karonhiaktajeh always said that we’re always trying to stop them from putting a steeple on our longhouse, which, he said, makes it comfortable for Christians to come in and take it over.
Maybe we should all refresh our memory of the Kaianereh’ko:wa. Weren’t we taught to question everything and ask for proof? Remember that the Handsome Lake Code is highly influenced by foreign dogmas. The Two Row Wampum is very clear that we can’t have one foot in the canoe and one in the ship.
Kahentinetha MNN Mohawk Nation News, http://www.mohawknationnews.com/ kahentinetha2@yahoo.com Note: Your financial help is needed and appreciated. Please send your donations by check or money order to “MNN Mohawk Nation News”, Box 991, Kahnawake [Quebec, Canada] J0L 1B0. Or go to PayPal on MNN website. Nia:wen thank you very much. Go to MNN AKWESASNE category for more stories; New MNN Books Available now!