LLAW’s ‘All Things Nuclear’ #517 (Sunday, 01/21/2024)
“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”
LLAW’s THOUGHTS & COMMENTS :
A heartbreaking story from and about the people who have experienced this sad tale from beginning to a very much still open end. It is about those who lived downwind during the nuclear bomb testing at the Nevada Test site from 1951 to 1992. The official trailer of the documentary is further down in this article. (Click on the image below to watch watch the trailer.)
We are commonly told by governments and the nuclear industry that atmospheric radiation is not a serious health risk. I cannot believe that anyone could possibly believe such a lie and the constant propaganda that humanity is subjected to. What do you think our world(s) of all living things, including Mother Earth herself, would be like during and after a nuclear war? ~llaw
From:
Documentary ‘Downwind’ shows deadly consequences of nuclear testing on tribal lands
By Lillian Karabaic (OPB) and Winston Szeto (OPB)
Jan. 21, 2024 6 a.m.
Western Shoshone Principal Man Ian Zabarte, who lost his family members to diseases caused by radiation exposure, says it amounts to racism against Native Americans that the U.S. government detonated more than 900 atomic bombs on his ancestors’ land in secret from 1951 to 1992.
On Jan. 7, the film “Oppenheimer” snagged five Golden Globe awards. It’s a blockbuster directed by Christopher Nolan about the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan in 1945.
But flying under the radar is a documentary called “Downwind,” another movie about nuclear weapons.
Mark Shapiro is the co-director of “Downwind,” he lives in Portland.
Ian Zabarte from Las Vegas is the Principal Man of the Western Bands of the Shoshone Nation of Indians, and is featured in the documentary.
They joined OPB’s “Weekend Edition” host, Lillian Karabaic, to discuss “Downwind” and the tragedy that inspired the documentary.
The following transcript has been edited for clarity and length.
Mark Shapiro: So we came across a pretty remarkable story. We found out that during the Cold War and into the nineties, from 1951 to 1992, the United States detonated 928 nuclear weapons at the Nevada Test Site, which is about an hour from Las Vegas. And we found that to be remarkable, and the radiation from all those tests impacted communities downwind.
Lillian Karabaic: You co-produced this documentary with Douglas Brian Miller. The documentary came out last summer around the same time as “Oppenheimer.” Can you tell me how you both came up with the idea to make the film and explore that connection?
Shapiro: Both of our families had cancer in our families and were impacted deeply by cancer. And, we felt like this shouldn’t be breaking news, that people should really know that for 40 years in one location, they tested a hundred nuclear weapons larger than Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined in some cases, and then over 800 underground weapons tests that also vent into the communities. And I think the biggest thing that surprised us, too, was this giant swath of land the size of Rhode Island, 1,350 square miles, is deeded Shoshone land. So that was another topic that we thought the government really took part in an unforgivable era, and we wanted to expose that.
Related: ‘Barbie’ leads Golden Globe nominations with 9, followed closely by ‘Oppenheimer’
Karabaic: Ian, one of the things that Mark just mentioned was that the Nevada Test Site sits right on your ancestors’ land, and the U.S. government launched more than 900 tests there. How could that happen?
Ian Zabarte: Well, the United States entered into treaty relationships with the Western Shoshone, the Western bands of Shoshone Nation of Indians in 1863. And that was a time when America’s need was great. So we all ourselves with the union, with the North, to help prosecute the war against the South, our lands, and our resources continue to make this nation the great land it is. Our lands bind this nation together, not just Shoshone, but all tribes and the treaties we entered into.
So, what happened was the United States came into our country in secret. They developed the US nuclear facilities, and they came to our country to test the bombs that they built, and they did this in secret. They didn’t ask our consent. They didn’t tell us what was happening, and we didn’t know the problem. That secrecy is counter to democracy, and we’re all not just the Shoshone; we’re all downwinders, and we’re all living with the burden of the adverse health effects that are known to be plausible from exposure to radiation, in this case, from radioactive fallout.
Karabaic: So one of the things you mentioned is that it’s so secretive. They didn’t tell you they were doing these tests, even if they had treaty access to the land, they certainly didn’t for doing nuclear tests. When did you start to realize the impact of the nuclear tests on your community?
Zabarte: When I was about 18 years old, I returned to the reservation, which is centrally located in the Great Basin, and I saw my family dying, and I didn’t understand why they were dying. My grandfather’s skin fell off. And as we began to understand that the nuclear weapons testing and the fallout came through our communities, I was angry and confused about how this could happen just like everyone else’s. How could this happen?
At the same time, the United States Bureau of Land Management was blaming Shoshone livestock [and] Shoshone ranchers for destruction of the land that was caused by nuclear weapons testing, blaming our livestock, blaming the Indians for destroying the land for the destruction caused by the fallout.
Related: Eugene peace activists to commemorate dropping of atomic bombs on Japan
Karabaic: That’s really terrible. One of the things that I saw in the documentary was that the Atomic Energy Commission picked this Nevada Test Site to detonate more than 900 atomic bombs because they said the people living near the site were a “low-use segment of the population.” What came to your mind when you learned about that?
Zabarte: Well, what came to my mind when I learned about that and you start looking further into what they do, they also talked about how they had all of the names for all of the tests selected and picked so that they were not offensive, but 20 of the tests were named for Native American tribes, just like American helicopters are named for the battles wars with Indians that they fought. As I said, we made this nation the great nation it is. We were not conquered. We have five peace treaties with the United States. Our lands bind this nation together.
And what we’re really dealing with is other Americans who think it’s OK to violate, abuse, and exploit Native Americans, and that is racism. This is a very serious issue and that’s why I can’t let it go. I can’t move on. People say, “Why don’t you just let it go?” I said, “Because it’s killing my family. It’s killing my land. It’s killing my people. And that will not stand. It’s being done in secret. And killing Indians in secret will not stand.”
Karabaic: The ongoing effects of suffering, the health effects and dying from this, the U.S. government said, “oh, OK.” And implemented this Radiation Exposure Compensation Act in 1990, and the amount they said was worth compensation for all the health effects was $50,000. Do you think that $50,000 is enough compensation for those who are downwind?
Zabarte: No, it is not. And as I said, we’re all downwinders, and you just don’t know it.
Karabaic: I’d like to play a snippet from the documentary. Here’s Darwin Morgan. He served as the public relations director for the Nevada Test Site from 1996 till 2021. Take a listen.
Darwin Morgan [clip]: We were able to win the Cold War with what we did at the site. It contributed greatly to the winning of the Cold War. You saw that Russia wasn’t able to match what we were doing. And so when it all came to the end, what we did at the Nevada Test Site helped win the Cold War helped assure the security of the United States, the people of the United States. And so nuclear testing contributed to that.
Karabaic: Mark and Ian, what would you take from what Darwin Morgan said?
Shapiro: I think it’s interesting because we talk about the challenges of war and how you handle war, what you’re going to do to prevent war, and I think that Mr. Morgan was talking about the idea that it was served as a deterrent for other countries, not to detonate nuclear weapons. I just think as I look back and Mary Dixon in our film talks about how many nuclear tests are too many. A lot of people think, obviously even the first test in New Mexico was too many. But to continue to do that 928 times when the United States can serve as a model for the rest of the world, it’s irresponsible and unforgivable in my opinion.
Karabaic: Given the popularity of a movie like “Oppenheimer,” what kind of impact do you want to see “Downwind” have on society?
Shapiro: I think there are some things that need to be addressed immediately, including, you mentioned the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. It’s scheduled to sunset in June of this year. So the $50,000 compensation, those amounts won’t be available after June this year unless Congress, they extend the bill, which we hope will happen. As Ian mentioned, is $50,000 enough? I don’t think so. Most people don’t think so, but it’s a start.
The Nevada Test Site is still operational and doing research. They’re still doing things at the Nevada Test Site. So that’s something that I think is unforgivable, given the fact that it’s not American land; it’s Shoshone Nation land, so that needs to be addressed. But we look at our film as the people impacted in the wake of “Oppenheimer,” and as Ian mentioned, we’re all downwinders.
Karabaic: Yeah. Thank you both for joining us. There are a lot of people who have been kept in the dark for a really long time about the impact on Indigenous communities and all of us. I hope that more folks know this history.
Mark Shapiro is the co-director of the documentary “Downwind.” Ian Zabarte is the Principal Man of the Western Bands of Shoshone Nation of Indians. The documentary is streaming online on Peacock, Prime Video, Apple TV, and other streaming services. Thanks for joining us today.
Shapiro: Thank you, Lillian. We really appreciate you having us here.
Zabarte: Thanks again. I appreciate your time.
ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:
There are 6 categories (including a bonus category at the end for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity that also play an important role in humanity’s lives) as do ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links to the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:
All Things Nuclear
Nuclear Power
Nuclear War
Nuclear Power Emergencies
Nuclear War Threats
Yellowstone Caldera (There are three Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in tonight’s Post.)
Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.
A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (per above). If a category heading does not appear, it means there was no news reported from this category today. There are three Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available at the end of this Post.
(A reminder, just in case: When linked, the access to the media story will be underlined. If there is no link to a media story of interest you can still copy and paste the headline and lead line into your browser to find the article you are seeking. Hopefully this will never happen.)
TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS (01/22/2024):
All Things Nuclear
NEWS
Documentary 'Downwind' shows deadly consequences of nuclear testing on tribal lands
Oregon Public Broadcasting
Zabarte: Well, what came to my mind when I learned about that and you start looking further into what they do, they also talked about how they had all ...
Nuclear goes backwards, again, as wind and solar enjoy another year of record growth
Renew Economy
“One of the things that western nuclear proponents claim is that ... “Yet China can't scale its nuclear program at all. It peaked in 2018 with 7 ...
The Independent
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Nuclear Power
NEWS
Everyone seems to want uranium right now - AFR
AFR
Governments appear to have finally grasped that nuclear power is the only cheap and reliable low-carbon power available.
Nuclear goes backwards, again, as wind and solar enjoy another year of record growth
Renew Economy
Due to the ageing of the reactor fleet, the International Atomic Energy ... Nuclear power's share of global electricity generation has fallen to ...
IAEA: Area around Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant mined again - Sarajevo Times
Sarajevo Times
Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, confirmed that the area around the Zaporozhye nuclear power ...
Nuclear War
NEW
Russia-Ukraine war: US pushing Kyiv to adopt 'active defence' throughout 2024 - The Independent
The Independent
Russian troops have planted mines around Europe's largest nuclear power plant, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Is Kim Jong-un Really Planning an Attack This Time?
The New York Times
An intensification of nuclear threats from North Korea while the world is preoccupied with other wars has ignited an urgent debate over Mr. Kim's ...
Are Nuclear-Armed Nations Entering a New Arms Race in 2024? Experts Weigh In.
Truthout
If the war ended in a way in which Russia could claim some measure of victory, that would normalize nuclear blackmail as an instrument of statecraft, ...
Nuclear War Threats
NEWS
Is Kim Jong-un Really Planning an Attack This Time?
The New York Times
An intensification of nuclear threats from North Korea while the world is preoccupied with other wars has ignited an urgent debate over Mr. Kim's ...
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, January 20, 2024 - Critical Threats
Critical Threats
... threats against a founding member of NATO that shares no borders with ... nuclear escalation and that Russian use of nuclear weapons remains unlikely.
North Korea seeks to diminish the South's power - GulfToday
Gulf Today
... nuclear arsenal and by repeated threats of nuclear war against Washington and Seoul. ... nuclear attack. In eliminating the idea of a shared sense of ...
Yellowstone Caldera
NEWS
Grammar Guy: Don't anger the volcano - Kenosha News
Kenosha News
There's a super volcano under Yellowstone National Park called the Yellowstone Caldera that last erupted in a big way about 640,000 years ago. The ...
Bayfront snow timelapse 1-19 to 1-20 - YouTube
YouTube
13:13 · Go to channel · Yellowstone Caldera Magma Affected, Rises After Large 6.1 Earthquake At Mariana Islands. Mary Greeley News New 3K views · 21: ...
Billings Gazette
... Yellowstone expedition ride along the southern shore of Yellowstone Lake. ... New data for rhyolite lava flows in Yellowstone caldera suggest the ...
You'd think we'd know by now.
Shirley, not Edward