Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Happy Wonderer · 04-10-2003, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by enemigo
Fox is also reporting a possible mobile bio/chem weapons lab has been found:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,83840,00.html

richard

Sounds real high-tech, it must be a weapons lab. The "several bins and containers" is pretty suspicious. And a remote-controlled winch? Wow! What sneaky bastards. I wonder if the winch had hook on the end] for lifting things?

That would clinch it...

Quote:

Resembling a refrigerated truck from the outside, and containing guided-missile support equipment, the truck was found to have a false internal wall that concealed an remote-controlled electronic pulley-and-winch system and several open bins and containers.

hw

Mr. Superbad · 04-10-2003, 02:04 PM

Jesus Christ

Quote:

Three weeks into their campaign in Iraq, coalition forces still haven't found any secret caches of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons -- but they may have jeopardized public safety by breaking into a sealed nuclear storage facility south of Baghdad, according to UN sources.

UN sources said they are concerned at reports that radiation is escaping from a nuclear storage building that U.S. marines entered three or four days ago.

"The marines barged in there, blasted through the seals, opened the building up, breaking these very important containment measures," said a UN official who is familiar with the site, the old nuclear power facility at Al-Tuwaitha, 20 kilometres south of Baghdad.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog, had "many tonnes" of uranium waste under lock and seal in drums stored in a secure building before the war.

"When they arrive at these places they should take certain precautions. . . . They're putting their own people at risk," the official said.

[...]

The IAEA has been "monitoring this building for more than a decade, visiting two times a year to make sure seals were still on and intact," a UN official said.

"Al-Tuwaitha is the single most inspected facility in Iraq," the official added.

UN experts had been to the site as recently as February, checking seals and inspecting previously inaccessible underground chambers. The Osirak nuclear power reactor complex at Al-Tuwaitha was destroyed when it was bombed by Israel in 1981.

This is ridiculous.

Mr. Superbad · 04-10-2003, 02:41 PM

Experts:US "Discovery" Of Nuclear Materials Already Known

Quote:

"What happened apparently was that they broke IAEA seals, which is very unfortunate because those seals are integral to ensuring that nuclear material doesn't get diverted," the expert said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Several tons of low-grade uranium has been stored at Tuwaitha, Iraq's principle nuclear research center and a site that has been under IAEA safeguards for years, the official said. The Iraqis were allowed to keep the material because it was unfit for weapons use without costly and time-consuming enrichment.

The uranium was inspected by the U.N. nuclear agency twice a year and was kept under IAEA seal - at least until early this week, when the Marines seized control of the site.

"It's hard to believe that the U.S. military would not be well aware of this site - it's the center of Iraq's nuclear research activities," the expert told AP. "Just as you wouldn't be surprised to find hamburgers at McDonald's, no one should be surprised to find nuclear materials at this site."

Easy Be · 04-10-2003, 02:41 PM

Quote:

I did read the article, but sincesome satellites are used to search for (low grade) natural uranium resources that are often burried under several hundreds of meters solid rock I asumed a silly concrete bunker wouldn't be an effective means of covering things up.

OK

I apologize for assuming you just hadn't read the article. In that case something smells funny. I would bet on fox news to provide the smell.

Optional · 04-10-2003, 02:58 PM

Oh shit...

Anybody know whether or not the soldiers that went in there were at significant risk from 'many tonnes' of nuclear waste?

-me

Loren Pechtel · 04-10-2003, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Easy Be

What else can set off a gieger counter besides illegal substances?

Nuclear materials. That doesn't have to be weapons. We might be looking at a very sloppy nuke waste dump.

You can find lethal radioactivity being used for civilian purposes, also. Consider the CDC's gammacell. I don't know the exact energy but I suspect it would kill you if you so much as looked in it's mouth. It's meant to deliver a very lethal blast of radiation. It's purpose is peaceful, though--killing a biological specimen so studies that don't require a living organism can be done without the risks of dealing with level 4 bugs.

Loren Pechtel · 04-10-2003, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by matthias j.
I did read the article, but sincesome satellites are used to search for (low grade) natural uranium resources that are often burried under several hundreds of meters solid rock I asumed a silly concrete bunker wouldn't be an effective means of covering things up.

No satellite can detect uranium under hundereds of meters of solid rock. The satellite could be hunting for geological features or other surface things that hint as to where it might be.

Warwick · 04-10-2003, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mr. Superbad
All the "may have's" and "possibly's" are driving me nuts. Is fox incapable of confirming anything?

&

This is how Fox News works.

Pesticides = Chemical weapons!....

You just typed that Fox covers themselves by saying "possibly" then you go on to charge that they are claiming something for certain.

You are trying to attack Fox News becasue they have a bias to the right instead of your comfortable left.

tribalbeeyatch · 04-10-2003, 04:54 PM

Alright, who let the mind reader in here?

Mr. Superbad · 04-10-2003, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Warwick
You just typed that Fox covers themselves by saying "possibly" then you go on to charge that they are claiming something for certain.

You are trying to attack Fox News becasue they have a bias to the right instead of your comfortable left.

My comments may have led you to believe I was saying Fox News was claiming things for certain. It's certainly a possibilty that I was just blowing off steam with their worthless reporting. It could be I was exaggerating.

Fox News is possibly the worst news source ever. They may be repeating useless unconfirmed stories to convince people of something which isn't true. It could be that if they throw enough mud some of it will stick.

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04-10-2003, 02:58 PM	#15
Optional Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Chicago, IL, USA Posts: 1,049	Oh shit... Anybody know whether or not the soldiers that went in there were at significant risk from 'many tonnes' of nuclear waste? -me

04-10-2003, 04:54 PM	#19
tribalbeeyatch Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: On the edge Posts: 509	Alright, who let the mind reader in here?

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