Where I Stand — Brian Greenspun: Hope for Nevada

Friday, July 30, 2004 | 5:15 a.m.

Brian Greenspun is editor of the Las Vegas Sun.

WEEKEND EDITION

July 31 - Aug. 1, 2004

Why am I working? I am supposed to be on vacation!

Actually, there are some in my family who will challenge the notion that the first couple of weeks in August are delineated as vacation time for me, choosing instead to consider the first twelve months of every year as coming within that loose definition.

The idea for an August vacation started with my parents, especially my father, who needed the month of August to escape the heat as well as get a respite from his five times a week "Where I Stand" column, which was the front page mainstay of the Las Vegas Sun while he was publisher.

In order to assuage his guilt and give the people of Las Vegas myriad viewpoints, Hank Greenspun offered his column space to numerous political, civic and community leaders to express their points of view while he ducked out of his writing obligations for the month.

Some traditions are worth continuing. This is one of them. And even though I have been a bit lax in my writing responsibilities the past few months, the idea of a month in which I can read what others in the community are thinking, and not have to consider what I should write about, is an idea worth pursuing.

Hence, the decision to not only continue my father's vacation tradition but also the community service aspect of giving others, many of whom are more knowledgeable, the opportunity to share their thoughts with our readers. Those columns begin this week.

To those who have agreed to put themselves and their thoughts on the line, thank you. This stuff isn't easy, especially when you consider the fact that every word is parsed by someone looking for a fight and not shy about telling you what they think. Your hard work will add to the base of knowledge of our citizens and, therefore, the quality of democracy that we will have.

But, since I have some space left before I sign off for the month, I want to share a couple more thoughts with you about Yucca Mountain and the latest attempt by some in this state to make all presidential candidates "equal" in their positions on the high-level nuclear waste dump.

Firstly, they are not equal. They are not even close. My colleague Jon Ralston's flashes notwithstanding, what President George W. Bush did to the state of Nevada overwhelms any single or multiple of Senate votes that Sen. John Kerry may have cast against our interests. Let me explain.

There is a former Republican governor of Nevada whose job it is to promote, and whose allegiance belongs to, the nuclear waste industry. In doing so, Bob List has made every effort to convince Nevada families that the dump is inevitable and that we might as well start negotiating for benefits because there is nothing we can do to stop the trucks and trains from rolling our way. He has been singularly unsuccessful in trying to persuade Nevadans to give up the good fight.

In fact, the recent U.S. Court of Appeals ruling in Nevada's favor has given lie to the "inevitability" claim and given all of us more reason to double and redouble our efforts to stop the federal government's plan to bury our state, its people and its economy under 70,000 tons of the most deadly substances known to man.

The certain way to put a stake in the nuke waster's heart is to elect John Kerry president because he has promised this country to find a better way to deal with the waste other than transporting it through major cities across the country and, ultimately, 90 miles from Las Vegas.

If he becomes president, the Environmental Protection Agency does what he wants, the Department of Energy does what he wants and the Congress does what he wants or gets its act vetoed. A bonus to Kerry's election will be that our governor and other GOP elected officials in this state will be free to be more than "disappointed" in President Bush's decision to make Nevada the dumping ground of the nation, causing Nevadans to stop questioning whose side the leadership in this state is really on.

Contrast that picture with the current one in which President Bush decided -- all by himself because he was the only person on the planet who could make the call -- to send radioactive poison to Nevada for the next 30 years. And he did it in the face of what is now court-confirmed science that says the standards the government used were scientifically flawed and insufficient.

To continue his charade on behalf of his friends in the nuclear power industry, President Bush in a second term will have to make sure the EPA changes the rules, the DOE accepts those changes and the Congress does what it can to nullify any scientific safeguards that the court and the National Academy of Sciences say are essential for the health and safety of Nevadans.

Those are the choices we have in the upcoming election. There will be many reasons and issues to consider when deciding for whom to vote. But for those of us whose families and whose futures are on the line, in the bull's-eye and hanging in the balance of the nuclear waste issue, I believe there are no reasons more important than this one.

So bring on the rhetoric. Challenge the voting records and smother us in sound bites. The truth does not change. President Bush put the bull's-eye on our back and Sen. Kerry promises to take it off.

Which future for your kids has your vote?