Comments about ‘Surviving downwind — Mary Dickson's play blasts nuclear testing’

Here's one play that I won't be spending a dime on. Why on earth would I pay money to be force-fed by Mary Dickson and her anti-nuclear agenda? A couple of clicks away and we find support for Ralph Becker as mayor.

This has an agenda. This is full of leftist politics.

Nope. Not for me. But thanks Ivan for keeping your readers up on what not to see.

Wowwie,

You are missing the whole point of the play. Maybe you better stay away, you probably won't understand it anyway.

If leftist politics is about protecting us from being human guinea pigs, thank heavens for the leftists!

I pray you never have to stand by and watch your sister die a painful 10 year death as a result of nuclear testing.

As a downwinder, who has been through cancer years later, I can tell you: this issue does not boil down easily.
There are a dozen separate significant issues.

Yeah, it's been danged inconvenient to deal with the disease and the treatment. I've watched friends die painful deaths, and others quick unexpected deaths.

I know scientists who were in the middle of the tests, who have burned faces, and risked more than the downwind civilians.

But this one doesn't come up much: For the same reason it took a huge number of civilians dying in Japan to stop the slaughter of larger numbers in WW2, maybe we served a higher purpose in the interests of world peace.

And once you know how meaningful yet temporary and fragile this mortal life is, and that there is a brighter future, it's not too hard to stop blaming, and seeking special compensation, for our particular brand of trials.

i applaud the rememberance and stories to be told, and if youve ever experienced ,like my friend thyroid cancer, its it own nightmare. it can only be the toxic exposure!!

Sorry but there is no justification for "it can only be the toxic exposure!"
We don't know for sure what caused my cancer. There are too many toxins and carcinogens, in all our everyday lives, for that.
Scientists now even understand how stress can be a cause.

Sorry Mary, but this play of yours is so full of holes. I'm still wondering how nuclear testing is to blame for your sister's lupus and your cancer.

Leftist politics is exactly what this is. You've been in Rocky Anderson's back pocket, a Ralph Nader supporter and our now squarely behind Ralph Becker's campaign.

This is about a hatred for conservatism. This is about a socialist mindset.

If your theory on being a downwinder in SLC had any merit whatsoever, the entire state of Utah would have the highest death-rate from cancer in the country.

Anti-nukes, global warming, and everything else you're espousing here is socialist rhetoric. Period.

Wowwie,

I can't believe that your personal attacks. I guess it's easier for you to call people names and call them socialists then face up to the facts.

Even the federal government admits that it knew nuclear testing caused cancer. Ask Senator Hatch, or would you call him a socialist, conservative hater as well? Oh, he is friends with Senator Kennedy - that must make him a communist in your book.

I guess you would tell Rep. Matheson that his father didn't die from fallout either.

Get a life!

Mary, God bless you for putting a personal face on the effects of fall out.

Wowwie,
I'm afraid to ask if you are LDS. I am really hoping you are not. I am tired of defending myself against evangelicals who seem to echo your views. They are the same people who think that Mitt Romney is of the devil since he is LDS.


Can you list any peer-reviewed journals or scientific studies to back up anything you claim? What are you sources to back up your claims about Anderson/Nader/Becker support? You seem to be quite assured about your info. Could you please share your sources?

I'm amazed that people are expressing opinions over the impact and point-of-view of this play since no one has seen it yet. It doesn't even open until October 19.

Suggesting that nuclear fallout is tied to cancer rates in Utah is not an attack on conservatism. Such a parallel defies logic. Cancer and auto-immune diseases can't and don't follow party lines - so what sense does it make to discuss it in that manner?

The Atomic Energy Commission, Pentagon, National Cancer Institute and other federal agencies have acknowledged the connections between fallout and cancer. The National Cancer Institute study states that every county in every state in the continental US received some level of fallout.

Suggesting that our government owes us full disclosure and should take responsibility for its actions is not an attack on anyone - simply an exercise of First Amendment rights and common sense.

Nuclear fallout is certainly not the cause of all cancers in Utah. But that doesn't mean it's not responsible for some. And that alone suggests the issue should be take seriously - let the government prove those who make this claim wrong!

JDDM...you want personal attacks? Read Mary's own writings. Read what she has written for The City Weekly. Read what she has said about conservatives, George W Bush, etc.

SLCNative...yes I can confirm Mary's support of said socialists. Do a search for Mary Dickson on the slweekly website. You will be led to a number of stories including her support of Nader, Anderson and Becker. What does ones religion have to do with anything concerning Mary Dickson and her crazy claims that people in SLC are downwinders?

JDDM,

Seriously...who is the one throwing out the personal attacks? I simply stated that I would not be seeing this play. Why? Because it is a leftist-politically charged play. THAT IS NOT A PERSONAL ATTACK!

If I am wrong, please, by all means, tell me. Tell me on what points I erred?

I stated facts. Mary Dickson CANNOT prove that SLC is a downwind zone.

Oh, a couple more facts:
1. Parowan (where Governor Matheson was from) is somewhat closer to the testing ranges than Salt Lake City.
2. No one has proven that Governor Matheson's multiple myeloma was actually caused from fallout. It has been hypothesized!
3. Mary Dickson's sister died from Lupus. This isn't one of the typical downwinders diseases. In fact, Lupus can be caused by quite a few reasons, the most common is genetics.

Yes, I have a life.

Hey,

I was hoping to get a copy of the script of the play. Ive got an english assignment regarding the representation of nuclear technology in literature. Could anyone help me with where to get a script?
thanx

Wowwie:

"...her crazy claims that people in SLC are downwinders"

Ever heard of a man named Richard Miller? You might want to Google his "U.S. Atlas of Nuclear Fallout" (which has no connection with Nader, Becker, Mormons, or leftists). After looking at the map...then try saying things like "her crazy claims that people in SLC are downwinders." CAN YOU EVEN SEE SALT LAKE CITY ON THAT MAP???

Someone, namely Wowwie, has a personal vendetta against Mary Dickson. So...wonderful, stay away from her play. But DO NOT ATTEMPT to claim that her cancer and her sister's death (thanks for your sensitivity by the way) could not and were not caused by fallout! Are you a scientist? How many years of research have you done?

Thanks.

Dear True (giggle) Man,

No, I'm not a scientist. Niether is Richard L Miller.

Once again, PROVE to me that SLC was a hotbed of downwinder deaths. Once again, PROVE to me how multiple melanoma was the cause of death for Governor Matheson. Once again, PROVE to me how Mary Dickson's own cancer and her sister's lupus were cause by nuclear testing.

Yes, I too have done research on the subject. Look at the cancer rate data found on the National Cancer Institute's website, statecancerprofiles, and the American Cancer Society.

If we are to believe the hysteria of the downwinders, how is it that Utah has a lower cancer rate than the rest of the country?

Wowwie,

Why don't go and see the play and see for yourself the documentation Mary has gathered? How many of the declassified reports on nuclear testing have you read?

Are you afraid you might learn something.


The CDC states "Any person living in the contiguous United States since 1951 has been exposed to radioactive fallout, and all organs and tissues
of the body have received some radiation exposure."

Take a look at the fall out maps on the CDC website and you will see Salt Lake County in bright red (the color representing the greatest exposure).

The CDC is a government agency. Even the government admits the entire country was exposed and its maps show Northern Utah was plastered with fallout. And yes, the CDC is composed of scientists.

Davis County Republican,

First of all, please, drop the name Republican from your user name. We all know that isn't accurate. Honestly, who would put that as their name other than someone trying to pretend to be someone they are not?

Secondly, your quote from the CDC isn't quite accurate. If you read past your misquoted line it continues that "CDC and NCI scientists believe this risk is small for most people." Yes, both the CDC and NCI have confirmed that the chances of getting cancer from the fallout was EXTREMELY small.

Again, since we are THE MOST downwind state, how is it that Utah has one of the lowest cancer rates in the nation?

Do you want to see my voter registration card?

Are you calling me a liar?

Yes and yes.

If you are positioning yourself along with Mary Dickson on this issue, I HIGHLY doubt you are a Republican. Mary has aligned herself with the likes of Ralph Nader and Rocky Anderson.

You see, David County Republican, these are self-professed socialists. These are the ones that want us to do away with any sort of nuclear program. They want to dismantle the military, which they generally view as evil. They want a socialized healthcare system. They want the government to control most facets of our lives.

If it walks like a duck, sounds like a duck...chances are that it's a duck. In this case, however, it's a socialist mindset.

A few points for you.

1. I am indeed a registered Republican. When radioactive fallout blanketed Utah, it did not differentiate between the political parties. It rained down on everyone. This is not a political issue!!!

2. I am interested in how I misquoted the CDC study. I did a copy and paste directly from the CDC website.

3. I am no fan of Rocky Anderson. But, I don't believe he wants government to control our lives. In the 1950's the government took control of the lives of the people in Utah and turned them into unwitting pawns in the Cold War. The Cold War had 10's of thousands of casualties, only they didn't die till years later.

4. Last I checked Orrin Hatch was a Republican. He has helped pass legislation to hold the Government responsible.

5. I spend 11 years working for the Federal Government in Washington, DC under two Republican Administrations.

6. Why are you attacking everyone on this site? What is your agenda??????????????