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Show Utah: Future Biological Warfare Testing Ground? By Karen Charnholm For now, the 5 million planned facility at Utahs Dugway Proving Ground to conduct biological warfare tests is on hold. In a press release last week. Governor Norm Bangertersaid he wasadamantly opposed to the construction based on several briefings and personal views." According to the governors office, Bangerter has asked for a more extensive environmental impact statement. a citizens review board, and research into selection of a different site with maximum remoteness. Construction of the lab was stalled a year d ago when the. Washington. Foundation on Economic Trends sued, compelling the Department of Defense to produce an environmental impact statement. Army officials continue to contend that the new Biological Aerosal Testing Facility would be used only to develop defensive strategies for biological agents. The Army claims its current facility is outdated, and the new building would have the highest containDC-base- Drums provide morning wake-u- p the Nevada Peace Camp. Peace-fin- call, peaceful mood, and entertainment for activists at ment level possible. l Experience By Laura Reeves and Jennifer Killian The moon was just fading at the Nevada Peace Camp. Drums were beating a slow greeting. An icy wind chilled the blue-gre- y horizon, a horizon which would soon bum and simmer with heat waves. The contrast of the environment matched the juxtaposition of the entire setting. Five thousand people gathered together 3 at the Nevada the weekend of March Nuclear Test Site. Five thousand people united in peace, committed to ending the single most violent prospect of modem times. A quiet, beautiful, peaceful desert lies all around the testing complex. Inside the Test Site itself, underground tunnels have been constructed forthe preparation of a destructive force incomprehensible to most human minds. Four low strands ofbarbed wire are all that separate the bodies of people. On one side are the camoflauged officers from Nye County. Nevada, and the special defense forces brought in for this event. They stand to overimplacably, or ride take trespassers. On the other side of the fence are people of every walk of life and every state in the Union. They shout, We love.you to the members of every group; they bare their souls to total strangers who seem suddenly more important than any family of life they ever knew. Four thin wires and great walls in the form of different philosophies, and societal identification present formidable barriers. The wires were crossed in hopes of wearing down the walls. This is the situation into which we were suddenly plunged. It was again a contrast. TVvo bewildered college students among many veterans in the movement. We listened to names spoken in awe and reverence: Brian Willson, who lost both legs at the Concord Naval Station when a 'train carrying explosives to Central America refused to stop as he lay on the tracks; Daniel Ellsburg, author of the Pentagon Papers; Holly Rauen, an and legend in the peace movement. ' 11-1- three-wheele- However, critics say a higher containment level isnt necessary for the agents the Army has listed it will be testing, and the availabl ity of such a facility will Increase the liklihood that it would eventually be used to develop more lethal biological agents. Also, the rs old-tim- er We ate, slept and woke to the rythmic beat of the drums. It was a primordial feeling as old as. the desert and dust that swirled around us. We literally held hands with 5,000 people at once. Instantly, as we sat on the ground with our eyes closed, we felt the strength, the sensation of all that was present. The ancient mountains, the rocky soil, the hardy plants and shrubs which have survived it for hundreds of years, the ghastly power being produced only 40 miles away, and the hope, and good spirit of thousands of souls bonded in one dream. Some felt that it was a religious experience. We felt that it was a spiritual experience, whose god was the dream, the dream of a for all people. Or at peaceful the least, a dream of a future free of nuclear weapons. Avan load of 13 complete strangers started the trip to the Test Site that Friday night. They gave up warm beds and their time and money for a purpose. The photographer, the musician, and the mother crunched together with the college students and left over 60s hippies. Names were exchanged .13 times; 13 backgrounds assimilated. Driving duties were divided among enthusiastic volunteers. Nervous jokes were bounced off genuine smiles. The nights stars lit the way as the winds of fate blew us toward our goal, and each other. How fast can friendships form? Two days is the answer in this case. Quiet people sharing quiet moments.. Selfish people sharing a tent. Oddballs sharing the outskirts of the scientific community fears contamination of the environment and workers even with the sophisticated new plant. According to a recent BioSclence article, the defense officials are basing their claim for the need of increased biological warfare research efforts on their belief that the Soviet Union is developing and using biological warfare. The two indicents the Army uses as evidence are the yellow rain" phenomenon in Afghanistan and Southeast Asia, and an outbreak of anthrax in the USSR in 1979 which convinced many that a leak must have occurred in a Soviet biological warfare ' ' facility. If true, these events signal a Soviet bio- weapons buildup in violation of the Biological WeaponsConvention Treaty signed by President Nixon in 1972 and since ratified by 103 nations. This treaty outlawed the development, stockpiling, and offensive use of bioweapons, but not the research for defensive purposes. There was wide agreement at the time that the effect of biological weapons was too unpredictable and uncontrollable to bet of clear military use. Many still believe that to be true. Major public controversy on a local level began with a petition drive when the proposed Dugway facility plan was announced a year ago. Recently, a group of over 56 scientists at the University of Utah has submitted a petition to Governor Norm Bangerter, both state sena tors, and the commanding officer of the Dugway Proving Grounds, Col. James D. Tripton, expressing concerns and asking for more research into the project. Naomi C. Franklin. University of Utah research professor of biology, was quoted in the Salt Lake Tribune as saying members of Salt Lakes community of physicians and professional biologists have found reason to doubt the wisdom of current planning for research on biological warfare at Dugway. The critics claim the program is futile, unsafe, and. will siphon both funding and goodwill from intended positive applications. such as the development of vaccines and biochemicals to improve human health, improvement of agricultural crops, and the understanding of biological systems. Now a divisive public issue, biological weapons has a long histoiy. In World War I. chemical agents such as chlorine and. mustard gas killed or injured more than a million soldiers and civilians. Outrage at these deaths prompted 40 nations in 1 925 to sign the German Protocal, which prohibited the use of chemical and biological weapons, but place no constraints on research, production. and stockpiling. In 1941, the Army started conducting biological warfare research. Dugway Proving Grounds has been the site of biological testing since 1952. In 1969,6000 sheep were found dead in Skull Valley, Utah due to nerve gas that escaped from the testing area. Last September a multinational congress met to review the 1972 convention that bans the development, production, and possession of biological weapons for offensive purposes. Both the U.S. and USSR are signers of the convention, but the U.S. has charged the Soviets with several violations. Although mutually acceptable measures for treaty verification were attempted at the September and subsequent meetings, the validity of the 1972 agreement is in question. Critics assert that regardless of the Soviets actions, the line between defensive and offensive biological warfare research is hazy and that increased spending by the Department of Defense threatens to escalate a biological arms race. In response to the University scientists petition, the Army will be holding a second public hearing on March 22 at the Capitol. The public comment period on the Armys draft environmental impact statement on the proposal is due to end March 28. Dugway spokeswoman Kathy Whittaker said the Army would take the statements on both sides from the hearings, compile the at needed issues. A information, and k final environmental impact statement would then be published on these findings in late August or September. re-loo- mainstream. Divergent personalities in their similiarites. During the ride home from the Test Site, ' everyone opened up and shared his version of the experience over some liquid refreshments. We compared notes while lying on each others shoulders and found the experiences to be quite similar in nature. We arrived home, all ofussubtley changed. We were closer to one another, but different than when we left. con-vergi- Here Comes the Bunny By Glnny Gale The Student Life Committee is sponsoring the Annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 2 at 10:30 a.m. at the Dane Hansen Memorial Stadium. The event is free for all children of Westminster students, faculty, and staff. The Easter Bunny will be on the premises opportunities (bring your Cheryl Moore, campus will provide educational entertainchaplain, ment by readi ng the Easter story. for BYOC photo own camera). March 29, 1988 Issue 14 The Easter Egg hunt will be divided into age groups to help insure fair opportunities during the hunt, and prizes will be given in several categories. This year the committee hopes to provide prizes such as books, in addition to the usual Easter confections of chocolate and jelly beans. In case of inclement weather, the event will take place in the Shaw Center, located in the center of campus adjacent to the stadium. Support is shown for fellow trespassers before crossing the fence and being arrested at the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. Forum 3 |