March 20, 2010 - Gamma values shot up 10x background in Las Vegas on Thursday

Something is wrong with the Department of Energy's (DOE) radiation monitoring equipment in Las Vegas.

For the past 7+ days, graphs of gamma radiation values recorded by a Community Environmental Monitoring Program (CEMP) station outside the Atomic Testing Museum have shown strange-looking patterns.

Until March 18th, what was happening was that gamma maximums  spiked only in the late morning and early afternoon hours, but the average gamma readings didn't fluctuate at all, and the minimum gamma readings were all negative values (-20, -30 uRem/hr).

That all changed on March 18, when at 10am (local time) average gamma levels - which were unchanged for a long time - shot up to 10 times background levels for at least one 10 minute period.  Also, the gamma maximums since March 18 have not ceased (at late afternoon) - they're 24/7; their values were ranging from 15 microRem/hr to over 100 microRem/hr on March 18, and on March 19 and 20 max. gamma values soared to near 140 microRem/hr, which is 14 times background levels.

Also, since March 19th, it appears - this is my speculation - that the Desert Research Institute, which has the DOE contract to oversee the CEMP network, has been manually or automatically rendering 'quality-control' erasing of ANY spikes in the average gamma values.  They've done this before (during the Milford Flat Fire incident of 2007 when they erased 'public' data without explanation).  You can tell by the broken green line in the graphs below.  This line should be uninterrupted.

This points clearly to instrument error. Since the DOE has let this go on for 7+ days without correction, we can only assume that Las Vegas has been without functioning radiation monitors for at least one week.

Visit idealist.ws for more.

On September 14th, the Las Vegas Review Journal revealed that the DOE is preparing to conduct three subcritical nuclear tests this fall.  The article notes: 'That will make 26 conducted since 1997 and the first since scientists from New Mexico's Los Alamos National Laboratory conducted an experiment in August 2006.'

It is my belief that U.S. subcritical testing has pushed non-nuclear countries to become nuclear.  We have 'proliferated' other countries just by these 'subcrit' tests alone. 

You have to wonder why, on Sept. 13th, the news-wires were abuzz with reports that North Korea might be conducting its third nuclear test this fall.  Did the North Koreans get wind of the DOE's plans?   After all, before its first nuclear test, the North Korean government's first public mention of a nuclear test came on Sept. 7, 2006.  Eight days earlier, the United States' successfully carried out its 23rd subcritical nuclear experiment.   In the Sept. 7th announcement, North Korea's Central News Agency noted that a South Korean group, the National Alliance for the Country's Reunification, made a statement accusing the United States' subcritical test as an "obvious criminal act of disturbing the global peace."

Each time any country carries out a nuclear or a subcritical test, the 'curators' of the Peace Clock Tower at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park reset their 'Peace Clock,' which consists of two digital clocks beneath an analog clock (showing the current time).   One digital display shows the days since August 6, 1945, when the A-bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.  The other counts the days since the most recent nuclear test.  When a nuclear test is conducted, the number of days is reset to zero to enhance the strength of the protest from Hiroshima. 

Going back to the year 2006, the Peace Clock was reset on August 30, 2006 when the U.S. conducted its subcritical nuclear test dubbed 'Unicorn' and again reset on Oct. 10, 2006 upon North Korea's nuclear test.

A subcritical test, according to the curators of the museum, is a nuclear test.   And the curators are not alone in that assessment.  Past subcritical tests by the U.S. have attracted severe criticism from Japanese leaders and from scores of other nation leaders across the globe.  Read the scathing remarks by the European Parliament, and the Conference of Mayors for Peace here . 

The U.S. plans for these subcrits will reset Hiroshima's peace time-keeping.  As long as these subcrit tests continue, the U.S. will add to the failure of the international community at stopping the clock from counting peace into thousands, then millions, of days.  Today, September 14th,  the clock indicates that the number of days since the latest nuclear test is '112.'  112 days ago the North Koreans conducted their second nuclear test. This fall is going to be a pathetic season for this clock.  If things happen according to DOE's plan, the U.S. will reset this clock before it gets to 200, then again to zero a few weeks later, and again back to zero.  And perhaps the North Koreans will be provoked, and again the clock will be set BACK TO ZERO. 

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park curators wisely remark on their website: 'We must work toward abolishing all nuclear weapons and seek for an age of coexistence among humankind without dependence on military force.'  The Peace Clock is their gauge of the success of that work. 

Please help them succeed.  Send a note to your senator opposing subcrits.  It is easy to do.  Feel free to use the below template and find your senator's email or snail mail address here

Dear Senator ___________

I urge you to take action to stop sub-critical nuclear weapons tests.  These tests raise the risk of another nuclear arms race while violating U.S. Treaty agreements.

Oppose legislation which would increase funding for these nuclear programs which help spread nuclear weapons through the world - now is the time to put nuclear weapons aside and work for peace.

Sincerely,

Your Name

See a replica of the Peace Clock here 

Read the Hiroshima Mayor's protest letter to the 2006 U.S. subcritical test

Because of September 11, the Department of Energy has decided to not allow online public access to documents that ironically are drawn up to adhere to a federal environmental act that heavily encourages public participation. The DOE says it is doing this to 'protect' us whereas the DOE is undermining American's most influential environmental policy act. Read the op-ed piece, 'DOE saying it's protecting us is a hard pill to swallow,' here