Message-Id: <v01540b01b05c42e6c627@[12.64.1.22]>
To: pinhole@exploratorium.edu
From: kstreet@worldnet.att.net (Karen Street)
Subject: Re: Cassini, more Nasa answers
Date: Sun, 5 Oct 1997 14:59:01 +0000
Geoff,
It's hard to guarantee nothing will go wrong. You just have to use your
best judgment. And our best judgment belongs to the people who have been
studying the issues.
What went wrong at Three Mile Island? We lost a very expensive power
source. Was the public in danger? No.
The criterion I use is this: at what point is it worth one person driving
to a protest?
When we drive, we participate in a system in which 75,000+ Americans will
die this year, 45,000 from accidents and 30,000 from pollution. An enormous
number will have their lives ruined. The environment is being damaged, and
costs to agriculture are in the billions. The Canadians are upset because
half their acid rain comes from us. And then there's global climate change.
So the question is one of balance. Do we put our energy into a concern that
generates no interest among scientists? Or do we concern ourselves with
issues that have the scientists and world leaders in a tizzy?
Karen Street