Internet Diary .. Background Report 2 October 30th

The Police (continued)

Yesterday´s Report 1 raised some criticism, which should be clarified. First, the words "sinister breed": while this is a mere descriptive phrase to a foreigner, Germans have pointed out that this is "Nazi language". Sorry about that -- no racial slurs were intended. Secondly, not all the police in Wendland are from "special units" -- additional (normal) forces will be called in if needed. So there will be both "normals" and "specials" on duty. The problem is that they all wear similar uniforms, so citizens can´t tell the difference. The criticism was that "they´ve all been lumped together". Indeed, they have.

As was pointed out in a letter-to-the-editor yesterday, "The police are here, not as friends, but as enemies of most of the citizens in this county. They don´t protect the interests of the majority of Wendlanders, but.....they enforce the business interests of a few large enterprises. Don´t tell us that they´re merely obedient servants of the state. We know why they´re here, and they shouldn´t wonder if they´re not welcome."

Media Reports Inadequacies in Castor Transport Regulations

The "Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz (BfS)" (National Radiation Protection Office) is the agency responsible for permitting castor transports. Our local newspaper, the Elbe-Jeetzel Zeitung, sent a letter to the BfS requesting clarification of disputed issues. Yesterday (October 29) the newspaper published the BfS reply under the headline: "The BfS Leaves Many Questions Unanswered". Here is a summary of the article:

Question: Three months ago, the TV-report "Plusminus" reported that the calculations for castor safety in the event of an accident were incorrect, especially concerning inadequate shock absorbers. Is this true? Answer: Possibly, but we have not yet completed our investigations.

Question: Have you interviewed the experts cited in the "Plusminus" report? Answer: So far we have invited only the mathematician Dr. Windelberg.

Question: Dr. Windelberg stands by his calculations, proving that your figures for

castor safety are incorrect. What is your comment? NO ANSWER

Question: You made a change allowing castors to be offloaded with only wooden blocks as shock absorbers. What is your scientific or technical reasoning for this change? NO ANSWER

Question: How many complaints have you had on the subject of the castor transports or about the temporary storage facility at Gorleben? NO ANSWER

Question: Have you investigated the possibility of an airplane crashing into the storage facility? If so, what are your conclusions? NO ANSWER

Yet the BfS internet page states that there are no indications that leave any doubt as to the safety of castors; therefore "there is no need for any technical review or

stopping the castor transports."