Clinton St VOL 8, NO. 2 Q u & ^ l v SUMMER 1986 STAFF ^Zo-Editors David Milholland - Lenny Dee Associate Editors Jim Blashfield, Michael 1 Helm, Paul Loeb Washington State Coordinator Judy Bevis Design David Milholland Guest Designers Candace Bieneman, Tim Braun Cover Separations Sharon Niemczyk Ad Sales—Oregon Dru Duniway Sandy Wallsmith Ad Sales—Washington Judy Bevis Ad Production Coordinator Stacey Fletcher Ad Production Joyce Fletcher Camerawork Tim Braun, Laura Di Trapani Typesetting Archetype, Harrison Typesetting, Inc., Lee Emmett, Marmilmar, Sherry Swain Proofreading Steve Cackley Contributing Artists John Callahan, T. Michael Gardiner, Stephen Leflar, Craig Marsden, Tom Prochaska, Mary Robben, Carl Smool, Marly Stone, Robert Williamson, Matt Wuerker Contributing Photographers Matt Wuerker Interns Zola Mumford, Lil-E Restagno, Tracey Steinberg Printing Tualatin-Yamhill Press Thanks Dave Ball, Linda Ballantine, John Bennett, Stephen Conover, Chris Daniels, Edward/Natalie Diener, Jeannine Edelblut, Barbara Griswold, Gary Gunther, Michelle Hunt, Marianne Jones, Craig Karp, Susan Kronberg, Linda Keene, Shannon Kelley, Deborah Levin, Peggy Lindquist, Tyra Lindquist, Theresa Marquez, Melissa Marsland, Alice/Del Milholland, Kevin Mulligan, Bill Nagle, Jan Nicholson, John Pickett, Alex Specter, John Wanberg, Amos/ Marcia Vogel, The Clinton 500 The Clinton St. Quarterly is published in both Washington and Oregon editions by CSQ—A Project of Out of the Ashes Press. Washington Address: 1520 Western Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101, (206) 682-2404; Oregon address: P.O. Box 3588, Portland, OR 97208, (503) 222-6039. Unless otherwise noted, all contents copyright ®1986 Clinton St. Quarterly. W arjopowmir? < MATS SOVEREIGN?) GOTTODO < hWW FT?> EDITORIAL TI his spring, the winds have voided all ideologies, boundaries, and barriers that divide us on this planet, bringing us much closer together. Well, not everyone. President Reagan, still smarting from the European rebuff of the U.S. bombing of Libya, responded to the Ukranian tragedy by demanding that the Soviets allow U.S. scientists complete access to their nuclear installations. The offer was not reciprocal. While in fact the Soviet response to the Chernobyl disaster was flawed by stonewalling, wherever such disasters have occurred in recent times, from Three Mile Island to the Florida missile pads to Bhopal, the “ responsible” parties firs t concern has been to limit damages—to careers which might be derailed, to the companies' or governments’ future freedom of action, and finally, after other bases are covered, to those people, be they astronauts or civilian bystanders, who found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was eery to read of events in the Ukraine and days later be told that the highly volatile particles had made it halfway around the world to us here. While authorities in such matters typically tried to downplay the impact of radioactive iodine and other elements in our air, water, and foodstuffs, what emerged was even scarier—we simply don’t know what safe levels of nuclear w a s te p r o d u c t s a re in o u r environment. Most of Europe banned use of fresh milk products and produce while radiation levels were highest, in many cases ten times what we received, though some were more concerned about the impact on sales of their agricultural goods. France, specifically, allowed all products to be freely distributed and sold, while neighboring West Germany and Italy were holding t l n, reacting to criticism levied against the policy, the French Ministry of Agriculture decided to cut hard and deep, by banning all agricultural products from Eastern Europe. Our own guidelines were not n rer. It was a heavy dose of the true uncertainty of the nuclear age. At least we’ve been able to deal with this situation somewhat openly. For at nearly the same time we received the first candid admissions about the high- level releases of radioactive iodine during the 1940s from Hanford, releases claimed to be for testing human responses to radiation. Though much information remains to be seen of Hanford activity in subsequent decades, of both purposeful and accidental escape of these invisible particles, we should at least understand the mentality that continues to hold sway over these matters. Hanford was constructed "way out west” to remove the s till unknown technology from population centers. And now, more than 40 years later, despite literally failing the initial studies of sites for a national nuclear waste repository, Hanford leapt past two locations east of the Mississippi, where the largest number of commercial reactors operate, due to political pressure from those same population centers. Opposition to the waste repository here in the Pacific Northwest, even from many who have previously supported nuclear energy and development, has been gratifying. How much is sincerely felt, in the uncompromising interest of our regions’ citizens, and how much is momentary political QM Subscribe Now! Subscriptions are $16 for two years. Attractive postcards will be sent to all those on your list. | TO_________________________________________________________________________________________ ADDRESS_______________________________ CITY_________________ STATE ZIP___________ FROM_____________________________ ______ ________ ___ ______________________________________, Send the following person a subscription. I have enclosed $16 for 8 issues. TO __________________________________________________________________________________________ ADDRESS______________________________ _ CITY________________STATE______ Z IP ___________ FROM____________________ _ ___ __ _______________________________________, _______ ____ The first 100 subscribers get a two-year subscription plus a set of 10 Musicmaster favorites. Be the first on your block. Mail to: P.O. Box 3588 CSQ Portland, OR 97208 CONTENTS C z o v e r ...................... Anton Kimball Murder, Inc. Robert S he rr ill......................... 4 Where the Money Went James S. H e n ry .................... 8 Letter to a Friend Nils Peterson........................ 12 Body and Soul Sara G raham ........................ 16 Why I Like Dead People Sallie T isda le ........................ 22 How to Relate to Handicapped People John Callahan............................. 22 Under the ☆ New, Improved ☆ Volcano Matt Wuerker.............................. 25 Amusing Ourselves to Death Neil Postman ........................ 30 On the Cold Storage Dock Mary Lou Sanelli................... 34 Save the Best for Last Kirby O ls o n ................ 37 Grey New World Craig Marsden ....................... 42 Ad In d e x .......................................... 43 posturing, remains to be seen. What has become clear is that the people of our region have got to begin forging a unified front regarding this great unknown on our lands and near our waterways. Hanford’s N reactor which has no protective cladding, a near facsimile of the Chernobyl reactor, is still allowed to hum away producing plutonium for our vast nuclear arsenal, out of reach of state authorities, operating as it does under national prerogative. The region's commercial and military reactors are s t i l l producing “ temporarily” stored wastes, with no clear end to that storage. And corroded tanks on the Hanford reservation continue to spew forth their wastes—-out of sight, out of mind. The very invisibility of the problem has repeatedly allowed such crises to pass quickly from public concern back into the hands of “ experts.” If you write one letter this summer, let it be to inform all those who represent you that this time you won’t be s i le n t - won 't wait for another incident to momentarily raise the public ire. It’s possibly too late to make our world nuclear-free, but i t ’s never too late to try. Clinton St. Quarterly 3
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