Go Terry! Go Channel 4! Go Pete!!
Every once and a while something inspiring happens. That moment is a rare thing in Utah, and perhaps the rest of the country as well. It's even more inspiring when it comes from the mainstream media. These days, the corporafication of the media and the attempts to stretch coverage as far right as possible to avoid the dreaded and disingenuous label of "liberal media", plus the more entertainment and less serious nature that T.V. news has become, have made couragous moves like we have seen here unbelievable.
ABC 4 has come out against the Divine Strake test at the Nevada Test site. They even hand delivered viewer comments to the Department of Energy in Las Vegas.
And then there was the 10 pm broadcast Wednesday night.
I can't get a link to video that will work, so I've ganked the transcript off "The World According to Me"
Terry Wood, ABC 4 News anchor
When Darwin Morgan, the Department of Energy spokesman accuses ABC 4 of “advocacy journalism”, he is right.
Objectivity is the goal of a good, professional journalist, and for months, ABC 4 has reported objectively on Divine Strake.
But after looking at the facts, ABC 4 has taken a determined stand in opposition.
This is my 40th year as a broadcast journalist. 30 of those years I’ve spent here in Utah, and I have never taken a position of advocacy before.
But more than a professional journalist, I am a citizen of Utah. My children live in Utah. My grandchildren live in Utah, as do those of the ABC 4 staff.
By the government’s own admission, the mushroom cloud from Divine Strake will pass over Utah.
The Dept. of Energy says it will not harm us, but we have heard that before in Utah. Their promises that the fallout from the atom bomb tests would not hurt us were either out-and-out lies or naively stupid.
I, too, am willing to put my professional reputation and career of 40 years on the line in taking a stand against Divine Strake. It is that important to the health and well-being of our families.
I am not willing to obediently accept the Dept. of Energy's assurance that it will not cause us harm in the years to come. They may be right, but I do not want to take the chance.
Obviously, more than 7-thousand of you feel that way, too.
ABC4, Terry Wood, and Divine Strake in the Utah Blogosphere:
The World According to Me: Terry Wood: My New Hero
KNVU's For the People: Dr. Ed Firmage and Cliff Lyon on the Divine Strake
& Terry Wood lays the smack down on Divine Strake
Dee's 'Dotes: Utah ABC's Channel 4's bravery on confronting the government on Divine Strake
Deanna Taylor on One Utah: ABC Channel Takes a "Determined Stance" Opposing Divine Strake
The Utah Amicus: Terry Wood = Edward R. Murrow. Terry Wood, I am sooo proud of you!
& Three Utah Republican Senators vote "Nay" on Resolution Against Divine Strake
and I would be remiss if I didn't include the very inspiring comments that were made at the Govenor's public hearings by Pete Ashdown (post from Pete Ashdown's campaign blog: Divine Strake Hearing Comments)
My name is Pete Ashdown, and I am not an elected official.
I want to thank everyone for coming out tonight. This is an important part of this process. As I have looked at Divine Strake over the past two years, I have always asked one question. I always see the Department of Defense and the DTRA saying, If we can do this, we’ll know this. But what I never see them doing is asking, “Why are we doing this?”
Saddam Hussein came out of a ten_foot hole. Adolph Hitler, which had the __ he had the backing of a nation behind him, came out of a 30_foot bunker. And he came out all by himself. So I went to the DTRA session, the information session, and I asked __ I asked Why are we doing this? And they had the great posters __ I don’t know if some of you saw __ that bunkers are a growing threat. Well, it seems to me that the growing threat are teenagers using cell phones and fertilizer to blow up our troops, not build bunkers with alien technology.
And I said, What’s wrong with dropping a five_ton bomb on the hole to the bunker so you can’t get access to the materials inside, and whatever is inside can’t get out?
Well, we want to destroy what’s inside too. Why? Well, it could be uncovered. They could remove the dirt. They could get it out. Who are we fighting? How can they do this? How can they avoid our spy satellites? How can they avoid our predator drones and use earth movers to uncover their bunkers? It’s baloney. It’s pure baloney. It’s military masturbation, and I’m tired of being forced to watch it.
When it comes to nuclear weapons, the United States is the chain smoker telling the rest of the world to quit. It starts today. We do not need nuclear weapons, and I will say it again. Senator Hatch, stop this test. I applaud Governor Huntsman for the opportunity to speak without being arrested. But I want Governor Huntsman to know that I will get arrested if this test goes forward, and I challenge Governor Huntsman to join me and thousands of other Utahns who will walk out on that range and get arrested so this test does not happen.
Thank you very much.
(emphasis mine)
ABC 4 has come out against the Divine Strake test at the Nevada Test site. They even hand delivered viewer comments to the Department of Energy in Las Vegas.
And then there was the 10 pm broadcast Wednesday night.
I can't get a link to video that will work, so I've ganked the transcript off "The World According to Me"
Terry Wood, ABC 4 News anchor
When Darwin Morgan, the Department of Energy spokesman accuses ABC 4 of “advocacy journalism”, he is right.
Objectivity is the goal of a good, professional journalist, and for months, ABC 4 has reported objectively on Divine Strake.
But after looking at the facts, ABC 4 has taken a determined stand in opposition.
This is my 40th year as a broadcast journalist. 30 of those years I’ve spent here in Utah, and I have never taken a position of advocacy before.
But more than a professional journalist, I am a citizen of Utah. My children live in Utah. My grandchildren live in Utah, as do those of the ABC 4 staff.
By the government’s own admission, the mushroom cloud from Divine Strake will pass over Utah.
The Dept. of Energy says it will not harm us, but we have heard that before in Utah. Their promises that the fallout from the atom bomb tests would not hurt us were either out-and-out lies or naively stupid.
I, too, am willing to put my professional reputation and career of 40 years on the line in taking a stand against Divine Strake. It is that important to the health and well-being of our families.
I am not willing to obediently accept the Dept. of Energy's assurance that it will not cause us harm in the years to come. They may be right, but I do not want to take the chance.
Obviously, more than 7-thousand of you feel that way, too.
ABC4, Terry Wood, and Divine Strake in the Utah Blogosphere:
The World According to Me: Terry Wood: My New Hero
KNVU's For the People: Dr. Ed Firmage and Cliff Lyon on the Divine Strake
& Terry Wood lays the smack down on Divine Strake
Dee's 'Dotes: Utah ABC's Channel 4's bravery on confronting the government on Divine Strake
Deanna Taylor on One Utah: ABC Channel Takes a "Determined Stance" Opposing Divine Strake
The Utah Amicus: Terry Wood = Edward R. Murrow. Terry Wood, I am sooo proud of you!
& Three Utah Republican Senators vote "Nay" on Resolution Against Divine Strake
and I would be remiss if I didn't include the very inspiring comments that were made at the Govenor's public hearings by Pete Ashdown (post from Pete Ashdown's campaign blog: Divine Strake Hearing Comments)
My name is Pete Ashdown, and I am not an elected official.
I want to thank everyone for coming out tonight. This is an important part of this process. As I have looked at Divine Strake over the past two years, I have always asked one question. I always see the Department of Defense and the DTRA saying, If we can do this, we’ll know this. But what I never see them doing is asking, “Why are we doing this?”
Saddam Hussein came out of a ten_foot hole. Adolph Hitler, which had the __ he had the backing of a nation behind him, came out of a 30_foot bunker. And he came out all by himself. So I went to the DTRA session, the information session, and I asked __ I asked Why are we doing this? And they had the great posters __ I don’t know if some of you saw __ that bunkers are a growing threat. Well, it seems to me that the growing threat are teenagers using cell phones and fertilizer to blow up our troops, not build bunkers with alien technology.
And I said, What’s wrong with dropping a five_ton bomb on the hole to the bunker so you can’t get access to the materials inside, and whatever is inside can’t get out?
Well, we want to destroy what’s inside too. Why? Well, it could be uncovered. They could remove the dirt. They could get it out. Who are we fighting? How can they do this? How can they avoid our spy satellites? How can they avoid our predator drones and use earth movers to uncover their bunkers? It’s baloney. It’s pure baloney. It’s military masturbation, and I’m tired of being forced to watch it.
When it comes to nuclear weapons, the United States is the chain smoker telling the rest of the world to quit. It starts today. We do not need nuclear weapons, and I will say it again. Senator Hatch, stop this test. I applaud Governor Huntsman for the opportunity to speak without being arrested. But I want Governor Huntsman to know that I will get arrested if this test goes forward, and I challenge Governor Huntsman to join me and thousands of other Utahns who will walk out on that range and get arrested so this test does not happen.
Thank you very much.
(emphasis mine)