What does this drawing mean to you?   

To us it signifies that the Nevada 'proving grounds' set up in 1950 where over 1,000 nuclear tests were conducted didn't contain radioactive fallout.  The fallout went everywhere, across the continental U.S. (and beyond).  The entire continental U.S. in essence became the Nevada Test Site because the Rhode-Island sized piece of land withdrawn in Nevada for weapons testing wasn't 'big' enough for the tests.  The continental U.S. wasn't even big enough.  

Downwind, as far away as Maine and Florida and up and down the Pacific coast, U.S. residents became guinea pigs in an experiment whose damaging health effects are only recently coming to light despite efforts by the federal government to slow down, de-fund, or otherwise prevent health studies on what happened and what is happening to us because of the fallout exposure.   

What is certain is that few Americans escaped becoming guinea pigs.  

A U.S. government health study released in 2002 stated: "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."  

The fact remains that a wealth of information about our past and present nuclear world is shrouded in secrecy, shame and denial.  

Decades ago, Albert Schweitzer tried to warn us of the perils of this ignorance: 'That radioactive elements created by us are found in nature is an astounding event in the history of the earth and of the human race. To fail to consider its importance and its consequences would be a folly for which humanity would have to pay a terrible price.'  

Idealist.ws attempts to seriously consider the significance and consequences of our radioactive world.  We are a grassroots organization dedicated to providing clear, intelligible and insightful information and analyses about the effects of Cold War radiation in our environment.  

About Idealist

Idealist was founded in 2007 by Andrew Kishner, a person who is crazed about two things: libraries and the truth.  He started Idealist when his former web-project, www.StopDivineStrake.com, outlived its purpose; that website was one of several that helped stop the test!

In Idealist's short time of existence, we have had a number of accomplishments.  We helped stop the Divine Strake test through our roles as a Stop Divine Strake Coalition member, organizer of an anti-test 'rally,' webmaster of a key anti-test online resource, and as frequent op-ed contributor.  We were the first to point out after the test's cancellation that Divine Strake's sponsor would conduct smaller tests in lieu of the larger-scale test and that the nuclear establishment's self-regulation via 'categorical exclusions' (same means that the offshore oil drillers got 'waivers') fail to protect the health of the public.  Recognizing that the downwind public wasn't "in the clear" post-Divine Strake, we extensively argued for greater oversight of NTS actions via the initiation of a new Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Nevada Test Site.  We launched a campaign to get citizens to submit comments to the DOE to convince them to initiate a new EIS.  Our campaign comprised online advocacy (on Idealist), emails and person-to-person pleas with NTS stakeholders to get involved in the comment process, and op-eds on the topic.  On July 24, 2009, the DOE announced that - partly because of the public's comments on the matter - they would initiate a new EIS.   We also have been a strong advocate for reform of radiation monitoring around the NTS.  In 2007, we presented to anti-nuclear groups and activists and the Utah media (who mentioned our efforts in two articles) radiation data that was suppressed or deleted by the DOE or its contractor concerning the gamma spiking incident in Milford, Utah.   In 2010, we are working with a Las Vegas journalist who is bringing greater exposure to the issue of radiation monitoring gaps in Southern Nevada.  Idealist is continually working on these and other campaigns through independent research and analyses, and, when possible, organizing and protest actions.  Some of our  most pressing campaigns include stopping deployment of nuclear power sources in space, expansion of compensation for radiation fallout victims, stopping a new mixed-waste nuclear dump at the NTS, and bringing new light to gaseous nuclear power emissions.   

Idealist has no staff, no office, ....but, thanks to our supporters, the research and other efforts of this small grassroots organization is made possible.

This website's URL isn't conventional.   But it's not bad to be different, right?  

Dot ws (.ws) is technically the ccTLD (country code top level domain) for Western Samoa.  Years ago, it was marketed by a company for worldwide use as dot WebSite as an alternative to dot com.  The idea didn't work out so well; you don't see many dot ws websites around anymore.  Don't be thrown off by the looks of the URL.  It's what's inside that matters.

Add'l reading: Humor about nuclear testing in "Indiana Jones" lost on downwinders  Salt Lake Tribune, June 29, 2008

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Idealist's public document archives: 1. 2.

U.S. NUCLEAR tests: 128 A + 899 U in NV,
1 A in NM, 10 U (in NM, CO, AK, MS, central NV),
100+ A, U in Pacific, 3 A in S. Atlantic
(A=aboveground; U=Underground)

'The greatest irony of our atmospheric nuclear testing program is that 
the only victims of U.S. nuclear arms since World War II have been our own people.' 
- Forgotten Guinea Pigs Report, 1980

In 1986, the U.S. Dept. of Energy used the cover of the Chernobyl fallout cloud over the United States to release huge amounts of radiation into the air from a failed underground Nevada nuclear test. It was called Mighty Oak.

learn more on our global fallout page

 

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