An InView - Termination: The Lessons of Divine Strake
Nevada Test Site, Nevada - As promised here is the Divine Strake article, however we are THRILLED to announce that the government just CANCELLED the test! Below is a handful of related articles about the test and the governments official statment, released today, just a few hours ago. This is a huge victory for the grassroots democracy movement, the next step is electing a quality President in November 2008. Remember - do not sit back and think they will not try to slip one by us again, they will. Keep a look on this website, as we will be bringing you the most up-to-date info on this and other like tests planned for the USA. You can also keep an eye on http://www.stopdivinestrake.com for info on other testing.
We won!!!! Lets keep rolling on thru ‘08!!
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This is the official governement statement:
Cancellation of Proposed Divine Strake Experiment
The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) has decided to cancel the proposed Divine Strake experiment. “I have become convinced that it’s time to look at alternative methods that obviate the need for this type of large-scale test,” said DTRA Director Dr. James A. Tegnelia. This decision was not based on any technical information that indicates the test would produce harm to workers, the general public, or the environment.
Divine Strake was a scientific experiment designed to significantly advance the nation’s ability to defeat underground facilities that produce and store weapons of mass destruction. The experiment would have entailed detonating a large amount of a common blasting agent over an existing tunnel at the Nevada Test Site. It was to be the largest in a series of experiments that relied on the specific geology at that location.
DTRA will attempt to develop alternative scientific means for obtaining the important data that this experiment would have provided. Such methods to assess capabilities to defeat underground facilities do not currently exist. The agency will develop advanced analysis techniques and conduct confirmatory experiments at a much smaller scale to assist in developing new capabilities to defeat underground facilities.
There is a national consensus on the need to improve conventional capabilities to defeat underground targets that pose a threat to the United States. “DTRA remains committed to help develop non-nuclear means to defeat underground targets. I am optimistic that we will succeed,” said Tegnelia.
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This is an article from the Stop Divine Strake MySpace:
By Stewart N. Thorpe
Not delayed. Not postponed. Not alternate locations being considered again. Not yet another environmental assessment. The madness of Divine Strake is over. The madness that started in December 2005 finally concludes in termination. The activists’ actions built up enough momentum and awareness through a frustrating battle of more than a year has succeeded.
We have won.
We won.
Some 10,000 Utahan and Nevadans expressed opposition against Divine Strake. The public input for Divine Strake’s environmental assessment by the Pentagon was higher than any environmental assessment in history conducted by the Pentagon. Three counties in Utah made resolutions against Divine Strake. The Utah legislature would finally follow in the last minutes of the struggle to pass a resolution against Divine Strake.
And as with almost every activist effort in history, the government has followed with the old tried explanation that the activism had nothing to do to change their minds!
“I have become convinced that it’s time to look at alternative methods that obviate the need for this type of large-scale test,” Defense Threat Reduction Agency Director Dr. James A. Tegnelia.
The agency said it was not a result of any information that the test might hurt workers or the public, but that seemingly, after trying for more than a year to conduct Divine Strake, meeting public resistance that turned into public outrage in the second round, that 10,000 responses in opposition, suddenly they decide that the test was useless and alternatives existed that were better (as was suggested by some citizens many times before). The Pentagon wants to take away the feeling of complete victory from Divine Strake’s opponents.
Let us look back at the timeline of events to see if their explanation for termination makes any sense whatsoever:
The timeline and nature of the Pentagon trying to rush Divine Strake through, not keeping to the mid-December promise of public hearings, refusing public input, breaking more promises by turning the public hearings into public information sessions instead, denying alternate locations for reasons such as taking more time in preparation, and refusing a 60 day notice promise after Feb. 1 which is before the public input deadline on Feb. 7.
The Pentagon was trying very hard to push Divine Strake through as fast as possible.
And the second environmental assessment didn’t take into account particles smaller than 10 microns, so, of course, with fixed data like that, Divine Strake would seem to be less dangerous than your smoke detector. This fact was not as widely known and discussed. I personally made a point to inform people and the media about it. Even without it though, the first and second environmental assessment contradict each other so completely that it logically brings the professionalism or credibility of both environmental assessments into question. This was quite obvious to many people.
With all this in mind, we are expected to believe that on Feb. 22, they, previously doing everything to rush Divine Strake pass the public, suddenly had a change of mind if Divine Strake was actually a useful test. And that Divine Strake was terminated for reasons independent of the public outcry and input.
The Pentagon wanted to execute Divine Strake. Their actions were especially designed in the second round to bypass the public input as much as possible. They broke promises doing so. They had even a public input deadline, Feb. 7, that was after the date, Feb. 1, which is when a government lawyer said she couldn’t give the public 60 day notice when Divine Strake was to be executed. All of their actions testify of the determination, solid determination that the Pentagon had for Divine Strake.
No, the Pentagon ran into more public resistance, skepticism, and outcry than they ever expected.
Enough that the Pentagon, the most powerful military entity in the world, backed down.
Divine Strake was not safe. So many objected to their environmental assessment’s credibility and the wisdom of Divine Strake’s nuclear purpose. The media was aroused and got on track. In fact, Channel 4 in Utah became so convinced by people like us objecting to Divine Strake that they would take an unabashed stand as a news station against Divine Strake’s safety.
The Pentagon doesn’t want to face up to being defeated by the public.
What happened? It was the power of the people that happened. The public outcry came from the grassroots, us. It was the grassroots that made the test into a media event and brought it into public awareness and discussion.
It was the grassroots, us, the people, that relentlessly would not let Divine Strake become forgotten in the public conscious. It was the people that locked unto Divine Strake with an iron grip. With the letters to the editors, contacting various elected and non-elected officials, flooding the media for more attention, protests, petitions, and more, word got out about Divine Strake.
And the public outcry turned from resistance to outcry to determined and united resolution to stop Divine Strake.
And in the second round of Divine Strake (after it was postponed the first time), the fury grew threefold.
The Pentagon now knew that if they did postpone it again for a third environmental assessment, it would be more difficult, if not impossible, to fix the parameters of the data again. Even if they could find another loophole to mislead the public to Divine Strake’s safety, the third round’s fury would even be greater. With few exceptions, the public didn’t buy the Pentagon’s assurances. Lee Benson was an exception. In an act of lazy journalism, he relied on the so-called “experts” who didn’t critically examine the scope of the data to realize that the second enviornmental assessment didn’t include particles smaller than 10 microns. It is precisely that size of particles that are more likely to be dangerous and more likely to suspend in air and travel.
And the Pentagon knew if they gave in to do an Environmental Impact Study by an independent group, who wouldn’t fix the parameters of the data, that they would exposed as liars.
The Pentagon knew if they refused to do a third environmental assessment or allow an Environmental Impact Study and went ahead anyway, the public outrage might lead to undesirable consequences. I would fully expect to see pictures and videos of concerned fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, grandmothers, and grandfathers being arrested and possibly brutalized against in civil disobedience against the test.
The Pentagon also knew that if they admitted to terminating Divine Strake because it may have been a public health hazard, it would lose more face and credibility than it already has.
Don’t let them save face or to save their credibility.
Their behavior of breaking promises, refusing public input by turning public hearings into public information sessions, by the absurd conclusions of the first environmental assessment which were completely contradicted by the second environmental assessment, by refusing a 60 day notice on a date before the deadline of public input, by fixing the parameters of the second environmental assessment, the Pentagon has no credibility in future promises of safety and has forfeited public trust and respect by its bullish, flagrantly indifferent actions.
As V for Vendetta says in the movie: “People should not be afraid of their government. The government should be afraid of the people.”
And today, the Pentagon, without saying it, has admitted that today, it terminated Divine Strake because it was afraid of the people.
If a lesson is to come from Divine Strake, it is this:
Government itself will never faithfully champion democracy. The only champions of democracy is us, the people, the grassroots of power.
Governments, even ones with noble words in Constitutions and Bill of Rights, will naturally prefer to conduct its will outside of the will of the its people. And neither Constitution nor Bill of Rights nor three branches of government will ever preserve and create democracy or freedom.
When we use our power, when we stand up for our will, when we fight for it, we become something more:
We become democracy, and we become freedom.
It is with our labor and our money that the government exists. Simply put, real power lies with us. It always has. And it always will.
And, as we have learned from Divine Strake, elections and voting do not safeguard and ensure the will of the people. Voting is neither the beginning or the end for being of a citizen of democracy and freedom.
Grassroots, the power of the people, is the blood of democracy and freedom. Nothing else will or can sustain democracy and freedom. The destiny of freedom and democracy is ours to protect and prosper, not the Pentagon, not the President, not Congress, not the police, not the FBI, not the CIA, not even the NSA, but us and us alone.
The real threat to democracy and freedom doesn’t come from terrorists.
You cannot take away freedom from people if they absolutely refuse to give up their freedom.
Freedom is not something that can be taken from us.
Freedom is something that is only lost when we give it up.
But we will never give it up.