Letter: A compelling reason to donate

Wednesday, April 24, 2002 | 9:08 a.m.

Normally I either disagree with, or I am disinterested in, the contents of Brian Greenspun's columns. However, his April 21 column, "Nuclear confrontation," literally hit me where I live. Then on the next page, Erin Neff's column about "Yucca Bucks" gave me a place to put my money where my mouth (and heart) is.

As a 30-year resident of Las Vegas, I find it astounding that anyone who lives in this state could ever believe that storing nuclear waste here is a good thing. Former Gov. Robert List must either be senile or brainwashed to believe that it will bring prosperity to our state. Or he must badly need the big bucks they're paying him to parrot this line.

I would think we should have learned something from past history. Yes, atomic testing brought jobs to some of our residents, but it also brought sickness to people who were exposed to the ensuing fallout. And we still don't really know the long-term effects on the water table, the wildlife, air quality, etc., for future generations. I believe the nuclear industry uses whatever means it can to justify its own existence, even "fairy tales about the gold at the end of the rainbow."

Just remember, fairy tales always had a monster, an ogre, or some evil being, who was usually defeated by someone else's goodness. If nuclear waste goes awry in some manner, be it traffic accident, leakage, earthquake, or whatever, there may not be someone else's goodness still here to defeat the havoc it wreaks. What a legacy to leave to our children, children's children, ad infinitum.

As for me, I plan to pay my Yucca Buck-plus to the Nevada Protection Fund. In my small way, I will fight for my community as long as I have breath. It's good to know I will be in good company.

NANCY HARDIN

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