_ page 6 March 31,1976 North Shore News

.. NADER:

When Ralph Nader says, ‘Here are the facts,” , .

you can bet that you are about to get the straight °
goods. His ability to roll facts, figures, names and.

dates off the top of his head like -a two-legged -

teletype machine is impressive, but his genius lies
in his ability to leaven those facts with common
logic, producing precise, clear conclusions.

Nader was brought to Vancouver last weekend
by the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsi-
bility. He spoke on the subject of nuclear power
and energy consumption at the Queen Elizabeth
Théatre on Sunday, where the North Shore’ News
spoke with him earlier 1 in the day.

by Rex Weyler ies

NSN: Mr. Nader, why is the issue of nuclear power so high
on your list of priorities now? —

NADER: Because no other sechnology or. industry is so

frought with danger as the nuclear power industry, and 1 feel.
that if the people of North America, and the whole world, .

knew that their governments and corporations were dealing.
death to them and their children they would stop the insanity... .
I think that I can help educate people to the dangérs.of. contracted cancer and died becuase of nuclear contamina-
nuclear power, and to'the: realities of why. the nuclear Power *tion,’?. but. we know that it is happening. It ‘involwes 2
statistical correlation between the amount of radiation in our
a environment, and the number of lukemia and cancer victims.

- But, you See, we have t © ‘make this correlation as a collective. ;

plants exist. :

So Canada. ‘says; ‘Well, we will sign an international
agreement.’ When the bombs go off: what will. they do?
Those agreements are > worthless. The case. in a India ‘proved:
that. . ,

\ .

NSN: Then why do ‘they do it? oF

NADER: Because they. can make’ money for the 2 industry.

The problem. is that. most Canadians don’t have a say in

policy, just like most ‘Americans don’t have a say in U.S.
policy. These. decisions. are being made by. giant
industry-government bureaucracies. The people should have
a vote in these matters, but right now they don’t. The fact that ©
This continues is a national insanity. We are committing

technological suicide. Psychologists now proclaim individuals -

insane, but I think it is time to seriousiy consider the.
- possibility that our entire culture needs some type of therapy.

NSN: | “What is it that we need?

NADER: | We need to: make a an “important psychological leap

. that will close the gap between our technology: and our
.. morality..We must learn’ to understand something that

humankind has not been faced with before.. We must ‘learn -
that something can hurt us even though it doesn’t sting.

‘This is 1 how it works: It is difficult to say “that man

md “We must transcend our - psychological heritage. We are
—- soiling our lown nest, and humans-are the only animal that

“will soil its nest. Nature has been abused, and so turns on the

‘Ge

‘abusers—us! Until we see how our technology can harm us,
-we can’t make good judgements about how to use it.

Can yeu see this psychological leap happening?
“NADER:

“NSN:

It is happening. That’s what consumerism . is all

. about. eee are. waking up—in America, i in Canada,. around

an;

‘Assuming we. ido wake up in time, what is the path we

. Should take to supply. our energy needs.

“There's no energy problem in North Amerioa—there | Isa
monopoly problem.”’

NSN: What are the dangers? ee RD Los
One of the major problems is’ the spread ‘of
radioactive materials about. the earth. These by-products of -
nuclear power are lethal, they cause caricer, lukemia. and.
other diseases. Because the effects do not show up as quickly
as when someone is, say, hit by a car, people a are e.not aware of .
the problem. ~

”

a

We are producing and distributing death across the face of"

the earth.'It is an accumulative, silent death,’ and: ‘we are all:

the victims.

G.E. Becktall Interprises sold a reactor ‘to India which they, ;
built in Tarapoor. The Indian government brings. ‘ini’ local:
villagers to. work in the plant where they’ pet seriously:

contaminated with radioactivity. They use these people

fresh crew.

long as they can, then they send them back and bring in a’

It is like a big lukemia distribution centre given to the wold -

by North American technology.

;

‘ NADER: :. :
' North. America is the energy that we waste. We throw away

. NSN:

‘Perhaps the ‘greatest source of energy for us in

more: energy than nuclear power gives us. Compared to other

-eduntries in the world—and not under developed countries,
but: industrialized - ‘countries like Sweden, Germany, and
“Japan—we j are using twice the: energy to do the same thing. ,

ae Take. ‘Sweden for example. It is a cold country and highly
“industrialized, ‘and has a standard of living higher than North

America. Their per capita energy consumption is less than

half that of the. United Sates!

‘Where do we waste it?:

NADER: | “Everywhere. Back i in 1963 the U. S. government
initiated a ‘‘save energy” campaign. You. know, turn off the
lights, stop’ flying. generals around to’ their favorite golf
courses, turn the heating off in unused: buildings,and on and
on. They saved 24 per cent in the. first year! They \ were so
-ashamed they didn’t tell anybody.

So this. is the Place to start. You don’t need what you 1 don't
“use. ; mo,

_ receivable for big business. id

is extremely efficient... ws

.NSNr Canale also Is Involved In colling reactors around thio a
world. Our government says that It Is out soclal reapansibility
to share our technology with underdeveloped countries. an

NADER: ‘ “WConnda felt a responsibility to the people of the .
world they. would never sell or build’ another nuclear reactor:
They are. not sharing thelr technology, they. are selling the’.
- most dangerous’ technology ever devised to countries less,
able to handle. the Problems than we are in North ‘America.
Lo

The sales re present a global criminal act by the government
of. Canada... Not’ only are’ the reactors dangerous for. the
citizens of these various countries, but they provide the: raw |

material so that the governments of India, Argentina,. South.

We're not t going to: have a very good name: in the history
Korea and others can produce nuclear weapons. — books’? “

: ‘ : :
we . : v

“We are’ leaving a logacy’ of death: to. tatace’ ‘gonorattons.

“Ottawa and Washington a are basting b bazaars: 108 accounts 2

NSN: What are the ‘most promising alternate: energy
-NADER:. As Buckminster Fuller and others have poirited
out, there are many. Solar energy is ideal. -It involves a rather.
low level technology, there i isa a virtually e endless ss supply, andi it

NSN: Why isn’t it used?
NADER: Because Exxon ¢ or ‘the utilities have not figured out
‘how to monopolize. it.. You:see, the sun has:some very bad.
properties: when it, comes. t “making large profits off -its

energy. It is not- ‘susceptible: to: monopoly ownership; the.sun: -

can go straight to your home, bypassing your friendly. utility —

company. So therefore-the technology has not been:developed © .
on a large scalé. Why should Exxon finance it—they can geta

better return by developing the types of energy ‘that they can >
monopolize. And the governments won’t finance it because ~
they would be undercutting their friends in the oil, electric, -
and nuclear business. -Governments. and: corporations are —
interested in centralized energy, not energy that anyone-can:
get their hands on.. It is a case of: myopic: greed versus
common sense.. Beye
And these companies are too big to go bankrupt. They go to
Washington—or Ottawa—instead. Nuclear. energy; is being
subsidized by governnient, using - your ‘money. . “These
corporations have an interesting economic philosophy:. they
socialize their risks. and they capitalize their profits.’ ‘For
example, not one nuclear. power plant in the U.S is-insured
by a private company. They all have “limited . liability :
guaranteed by ithe government. So the consumer pays to build
them, pays to insure ‘them, and pays to’ use them. es

NSN: In- California the consumers. have managed: to put al
referendum on the ballot to halt nuclear Plantes: is, this, a = alee Lo
that consumer power is working? .

NADER: More than anything’ it is. a sign that: t people’ have
awakened to the reality of what nuclear power means: People
are beginning to learn that we are leaving.a legacy. of death to :
our future generations. a . Os

~ Even if a nuclear plant n never has a ‘melt-down,. we, are _.
producing radioactive products like plutonium that:someone
will have to guard for a quarter of a million-years.:1 think the.
_ people of California are sing. that a they ¢ don't wan
that kind of legacy’ behind: :

What would you think of 1 a. _genératicn ‘the developed si an. .
energy source, used it for 50 years or so,.:then, ‘left. its
poisonous garbage for you. and your. ‘children. ‘to’ ‘Iook''after,
People don’t want ‘a plutonilum-baséd’ society, where we

would have to create a garrison state just to: protect the

_ plutonium from’ people who might. want to. build a. bomb...

We think skyjackers were a menace}. walt ‘inti: some gay a
phones the mayor of New York and tells him ‘that ‘an atomic:

bomb is planted in the city, and for. ety million dollars he will |
_ consider not setting it off. _

So this is the aif that we are  ahing our eileen it is ly _
Insane, _

NSN: | How tori. would it take to phase out le at 7
once'we decide to get rid of thom. : mi eo

“NADER: It's not a question’ af phasing them aut: We’ anita 7
“faut them down! We. don't need them. The oud will. say .
we can’t stop now," but: we can and we shoud.

NSN: ' ‘Are you confident that we ‘will?
NADER: -

”

iknow we will," Be “ai oe

yt