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Show 'Sheep Death' Story To Be Televised May 22 Thirty years ago this spring, the United States initiated a series of above ground Atomic Bomb tests at the Nevada Test Site. KUED 7's "Thirty Years to Justice" set to air Wednesday, May 22 at 9 p.m. tells the story of thirteen Utah sheep ranchers who were unknowingly moving their herds near the Eastern boundry of the site when the worst radioactive fallout recorded at the Test Site was experience. Within sixty days more than 70 percent of the sheep herds exposed to the fallout were dead. The livestock operators were financially ruined. This dramatic event triggered a thirty year battle by thirteen Utah families with the United States Government ... a battle tainted by lies, deceptions, family deaths, and ultimately, the destruction of their faith in the American system of justice. Thirty Years to Justice is also the story of an era. An era marked by the rise of the Cold War, McCar-thyism, the Red Scare, and global confrontation policies embodied in the first sprints of the Arms Race. An era that demanded loyalty and. trust in the U.S. government, and fiercely punished those who did not .comply. The death of that era, the rise of the ranchers in seeking justice, and the relationship of the "little man" and his government lie at the heart of the program. For one brief moment, small town sheep ranchers from Utah became involved with the workings of their government in a headlong dash to head-off a perceived threat. Their lives would never be the same. Through the use of archival films, the era of the Tests will be recreated. Through interviews with the principle players still living, the conflict of small ranchers and big government will take on a human aspect. Through a startling paper trail left by the Government, a clear pattern of willful neglect, dishonesty, and cover-up will be documented. Thirty Years to Justice is a local production and exclusive presentation of KUED 7 produced, written ard directc-d by Ken Ver doia. |