Letter: ‘Atomic Train’ proves fiction makes better films

Thursday, May 27, 1999 | 9:30 a.m.

And I guess fiction makes better movies than fact and real-life stuff and I guess it also gives some journalists material to write a series of stories focused on the fiction.

What I know is a whole lot more than Sen. Richard Bryan and Rep. Shelley Berkley apparently know, though. I know nuclear weapons are no longer transported on trains. In fact, and it's important to deal with the facts, the last rail shipment of nuclear weapons took place in 1985. Fact No. 2 is nuclear weapons and spent fuel are never transported together.

Another fact is since 1965, there have been more than 2,500 shipments of spent nuclear fuel in the United States without injury or environmental consequences as a result of the radioactive nature of the cargo.

To jump on the anti-nuclear bandwagon -- or should I say train in this case -- is irresponsible and just meant to raise the fear of people who don't know better and don't know the facts but believe almost everything our elected officials tell them. Thank goodness most of our congressional delegation knew better and knew what the "Atomic Train" was all about. With the recent tragic events that have occurred I think the networks could focus their programming on something more educational and still be interesting to the viewer but it all goes back to the advertising dollar -- the networks have to compete with the cable companies and the pay-per-view.

That's entertainment!

BILL VASCONI