Science `worth fighting for'
By ANDY LENDERMAN | Associated PressSeptember 22, 2007
Supporters of Los Alamos National Laboratory encounter criticism at Capitol rally
Supporters of Los Alamos National Laboratory took an unusual step Friday and held a public rally at the Capitol, arguing that a well-funded lab is good for national security and science missions.
Some lab critics showed up, too, to say that a well-paid Los Alamos will support the manufacturing of plutonium pits, which are the triggers for nuclear warheads.
``We believe science is something worth fighting for,'' said Srinivasan Srivilliputhur, a materials scientist at the lab.
He said of the critics from the Los Alamos Study Group at the rally: ``We have been demonized. We are dedicated scientists working to protect this country.''
At issue is the federal budget for fiscal 2008. The version passed by the House of Representatives would reduce nuclear weapons programs nationwide by $396 million, with most of the cuts at LANL and Sandia National Laboratories. One worst case scenario at Los Alamos would result in 2,500 layoffs. The Senate has not passed a budget.
However, New Mexico's senators are pushing to fund the lab at last year's levels in a continuing resolution that's likely to be passed by Congress before the new federal budget year begins Oct. 1. The continuing resolution would let the government operate at basic levels while Congress hammers out a final spending bill.
Staffers from Los Alamos first predicted that the levees would break in New Orleans, provided explosives detectors to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and worked on models that track potential pandemic flu, said Ron Dolin, an engineer who worked on those projects.
Dolin and Srivilliputhur were joined by about 14 other scientists who held signs with slogans like ``LANL Stops Terror'' and ``Save Our Science.''
``We cannot afford to disarm ourselves unilaterally,'' Srivilliputhur said.
Representatives of the study group held a banner that read ``Stop the New Bomb Factory.''
The Senate version of the budget spends $251 million more on pit production than the House version, said Greg Mello of the group.
``Most of the jobs in question are plutonium warhead (pit) production-related jobs,'' Mello wrote in a flier. ``In practical terms, today's rally to `save LANL jobs' is mostly a rally to save plutonium pit production-related jobs.''
Jay Coghlan of Nuclear Watch New Mexico also said the idea that science would be saved by maintaining the current budget is disingenuous because the proposed cuts are in the weapons program.
Santa Fe County Commission Chairman Harry Montoya spoke in support of the lab, as did State Sen. Carlos Cisneros, D-Questa.
Contact Andy Lenderman at 986-3073 or alenderman@sfnewmexican.com.
18 comments:
The SS LANL is taking on lots of water and beginning to sink. Those in the luxury sections at the top deck are still having a pleasant evening and listening to the music of a wonderful quartet. The lower class staff in the bowels of the ship see the flooding taking place and know the full extent of the damage. And just like the SS Titantic, when the end comes, the "better" class will have lifeboats awaiting their escape. The working staff will be going down with the ship.
Is Director Anastasio playing his cello?
The RMS Titanic only had violins.
I'm against violens in the work place. Can't we all just be peaceful?
Somebody call HR! We need a PADDCR (Principal Associate Director of Deck Chair Rearranging).
``We believe science is something worth fighting for,'' said Srinivasan Srivilliputhur, a materials scientist at the lab.
He said of the critics from the Los Alamos Study Group at the rally: ``We have been demonized. We are dedicated scientists working to protect our pit production budget.''
Someone has reported that Srinivasan Srivilliputhur, Ph.D., is leaving LANL next month for Texas, or maybe Oklahoma, where the prairie winds blow free and the coyotes howl, and there's never heard a discouraging word, all day. So, why was Srivilliputhur "leading" the rally, eh? Doesn't he care about the smokin' black hole he's leavin' behind? And what about the smokin' black hole left behind by Ron Dolin, who lost so heavily to Tom Udall? These guys don't seem to have LANL's best interests at heart, do they? Smells kinda sulfurous to me.
"Your Science Will Not Protect You."
Apologies to Audre Lorde.
Dolin and Srivilliputhur were joined by about 14 other scientists who held signs with slogans like ``LANL Stops Terror'' and ``Save Our Science.''
``We cannot afford to disarm ourselves unilaterally,'' Srivilliputhur said.
What, pray tell, does designing new nukes and building pits have to do with stopping terrorism or saving science? I fail to see the connection, and so does Congress.
LANL would have a much brighter future if it would take on more non-poliferation and national security WFO work. This work would help protect America and doesn't cause as many problems with some of our touchy neighbors. Congress would even add funds to this work if it was properly marketed by decent Program Managers, of which LANL seems to have none.
Why must LANS management hold on, tooth and nail, to the dieing and unpopular nuke work until the ugly end?
A handful of Los Alamos rabble rousers "held a public rally at the Capitol, arguing that a well-funded lab is good for national security and science missions"
...and for my personal finances. What's one more millionaire to the community that boasts the largest percentage of millionaires of any community in the nation?
--TCP1 Holdout
5:05 PM in addition I might add that Wallace, et al (you know the ones who say that they care about science) could be fighting this fight but are choosing not to. I think that is something people should be paying attention to. So many people are busy kissing Wallace's ass that they refuse to see what he is doing to this place.
The whole Signature Facility decision with MaRIE was very telling in my book. Terry got everyone exciting about bold new possibilities for science at LANL and then opted for the one project which NNSA would fund and which would help keep LANSCE on continuing life support. Some bold vision!
We've lost several TSMs from our group during the last few months. In all cases, the people who left were middle age, very bright, eager, and direct-funded by non-weapons work which they had helped to secure for LANL. They left LANL for other DOE labs and will likely be funded for the same work at these other facilities. With the loss of each of these scientists, LANL became just a little bit less diverse, not that LANS seems to really care.
People used to wildly speculate and occasionally laugh about the idea that there was some grand plan and that LANS and NNSA wanted to turn LANL into a weapons-only facility and an allied Pit Factory component.
They're not laughing any longer.
Anonymous at 9/22/07 11:51 PM tells of colleagues that have left for other DOE labs. What was not mentioned was that at these other labs, money brought into the lab accomplishes a lot more science because it is not taxed to death as it is at LANL.
Then there is the "hidden taxes" of nonsensical training such as how to drive on site that must be charged to your program.
Common sense died at LANL about that time that Admiral Butthead arrived. In fact, I think that he was the assassin.
The quality of management did not decrease with the Admiral's appearance. Just take a look at the "distinguished" awards. They are often given for no other reason than their programs are close to death.
Interesting concept 12:40 PM - many of the large team/program winners this year are situated in CLES.
Yes, the majority of distinguished performance awards are crap. This is particularly true of the large program awards. The project managers submit these awards for their teams to bring attention to themselves.
12:40, 1:23, and 3:14 PM - sounds to me like you are all just jealous. The Combine Nuclear Test Response Team and the Medical Isotope Team got awards because they are vital to this country. I am not aware that they are "close to death" by any means.
Lanl has worked hard to keep terrorism at bay.
Render safe
WFO in defense of our fighting men and woman.
LLNL has been doing the same
google ...
hotspot
JTOT
RAP
NEST
DOE Render Safe
and now the new MRAP
Go ahead and bite the hand that feeds .... jack ass
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