What would Hurt bring to the race?

Besides his father Henry's money and the promise of uranium mining, we do not believe Robert Hurt would bring much to Southside or Virginia. We here at the blog support Tom Perriello because he's demonstrated that he is vitally interested in his constituents and the issues important to them, even in the areas he didn't carry in the previous election. Plus, and this is a big plus, he is not a shill for the uranium mining industry that begs to destroy Virginia, beginning with Hurt's home district, Southside. His daddy's investment in the mining endeavor at Coles Hill puts VUI and Coles money behind Robert Hurt but that's all the more reason to stick with Perriello who is not in favor of mining Virginia.

By Published by The Editorial Board
Published: October 18, 2009

Republicans in the Fifth District are going to have plenty of choices when they pick a candidate for the 2010 race against Rep. Tom Perriello.

The Virginia General Assembly drew the Fifth District for a Republican, and the GOP has wanted the seat back ever since the State Board of Elections confirmed that Perriello had squeaked out a 727-vote win over Virgil Goode last fall.

The conventional wisdom is that Perriello’s win was a fluke, but John McCain and Sarah Palin won more votes in the Fifth District than Goode did. For that matter, Goode didn’t do as well as the Virginia marriage amendment in 2006.

So, Goode may have been slipping and no one noticed.

To Perriello’s credit, he has voted against the president’s first budget, come out against a new assault weapons ban, worked hard on veterans care issues and publicly declared that he would not vote for public funding of abortion in a health care reform bill — all stances that show is he far from the Nancy Pelosi lapdog that his harshest critics claim he is.

The Republicans who want to beat Perriello know he is a tough campaigner and that the political landscape may be completely different next year. No one can say how strong the economy will be or if Americans will like the final health care reform bill that emerges from Congress.

Robert Hurt, of Chatham, has jumped into this tumultuous political environment, recently announcing his intention to run for the Fifth District seat. For most of us, the 2010 election is a long way off. For the GOP, it’s right around the corner.

Hurt has solid conservative credentials and has sponsored common sense legislation in the General Assembly dealing with criminal justice issues. He is a smart, personable candidate and will no doubt work hard if he gets the nomination.

But Hurt has never had to run against anyone like Perriello. When Hurt speaks, he sometimes sounds more like a lawyer instead of a man who happens to practice law. His father Henry’s involvement with Virginia Uranium Inc. could backfire on him, as could his handling of his dog biting someone in Chatham.

That may sound trivial, but in politics, everything is fair game.

Just as Republicans are motivated to unseat Perriello, Democrats want to hold onto the Fifth District seat, so no matter who the GOP picks next year, expect a lot of out-of-town money and national attention on this race.

We don’t know what kind of candidate the GOP is looking for, so there is no way to know what chance Hurt has to win the nomination. If we thought the Republicans wanted a candidate from the Dan River Region, Hurt would probably be a shoe-in. But all we know for sure is both sides want to win, no matter what.

http://www2.godanriver.com/gdr/news/opinion/editorials/danville_editorials/article/what_would_hurt_bring_to_the_race/14711/

URANIUM MINING AND THE GOVERNOR'S RACE IN VIRGINIA

The Richmond Times-Dispatch published a letter last month entitled “Mined Uranium Is Harmless Mineral” written by William Schmidt, a long-time power company employee.

We at Southside Concerned Citizens (SCC) have found that Schmidt’s half truths and distortions are typical of many paid nuclear power proponents. Schmidt spoke about weeks of exposure, a U. N. study showing no increased risk of lung cancer in uranium miners, and alpha radiation being harmless. Here is what he didn’t tell us:

Alpha radiation lasts forever (millions of years), and it accumulates in the body.

“Uranium in groundwater leads to health hazards.”

“Normal functioning of kidney, brain, liver, heart and other systems can be affected by uranium exposure, because, in addition to being weakly radioactive, uranium is a toxic metal. Uranium is also a reproductive toxicant.”

“---absorbed uranium tends to bio-accumulate and stay for many years in bone tissue---”

“Alpha radiation is not dangerous to life unless it is inhaled or ingested---it is the most destructive form of ionizing radiation—and can cause any or all of the symptoms of radiation poisoning”.

“It is estimated that chromosome damage from alpha particles is 100 times greater than that caused by equivalent amounts of other radiation.”

“Not only do alphas themselves cause damage, but approximately equal ionization is caused by the recoiling nucleus after alpha emission, and this energy may in turn be especially damaging to genetic material.”

“Miners who worked in uranium filled mines have a very high incidence of cancer relative to the rest of the United States population. Though the Navajo workers and families noticed this in the 1950s, bureaucrats dragged their feet and companies ignored their warnings.”

(Quotes are from Wikipedia’s research of available worldwide information. Also note that our govt. won’t release much health related information related to uranium for liability reasons.)

SO MUCH FOR MINED URANIUM BEING A HARMLESS MINERAL!

Let me repeat the above revelation concerning alpha radiation: Alpha radiation is dangerous to life when it is inhaled or ingested!

Well, duh! Guess what uranium mining does? It blasts and crushes solid bedrock into a fine powdery dust. Then the problems become three-fold:

1. How can the dust be confined to the site during the 40 year mining period?

2. How can a mountain of toxic, radioactive, powdery waste 200ft. tall by 400ft. wide and 14.2 miles long be kept out of our streams?

3. How can millions of cubic feet of deadly radon gas be confined to the site?

The answer to each of the three questions is the same: it cannot be done.

It is also important to remember that aside from being radioactive in all of its configurations, uranium is a toxic heavy metal which has proven to poison and genetically alter humans and animals.

Imagine the devastation to the farming community! Who would buy crops from tainted fields? Who would buy meat products raised on tainted fields or tainted waters?

Imagine the blow to tourism!

Now guess who would be the first candidate for a high level (and low) uranium waste repository? Virginia!

ABOUT THE ELECTION

Our Governor has the power to veto any legislation passed by the General Assembly; and that makes this year’s election so very important.

Creigh Deeds is a past member of SCC who has studied the uranium mining issue in depth and has vowed to oppose any uranium mining legislation that threatens the health, safety and welfare of the people.

Bob McDonnell, on the other hand, is a big business Republican who puts corporate profits above the welfare of people. As Attorney General, McDonnell ruled that towns, cities and counties do not have the power to enact legislation to protect their citizens from uranium mining.

Furthermore, he said he will “wait and see what the study says”. Those are buzz words used by the paid supporters of uranium mining! Also, remember the study will be paid for by Virginia Uranium Inc..

VUI is a well funded organization that employs as many as 25 lobbyists to do their dirty work, and they are adept at greasing the palms of pliable politicians. If We, The People, do not stand up for our rights we will have uranium mining with all its problems shoved down our throats.

Sincerely,

Jack Dunavant, P.E.
Chariman, Southside Concerned Citizens