Page One

Friday August 18, 2000

Elk-eater should fight crime and poverty, not radioactivity 

 

Editor: 

Once again, the Daily Planet published a letter from a member of the cult of radiophobes who constantly warns us of the danger of radioactivity. This time a member retold the urban legend of a person who became contaminated by eating elk in Northern Canada. Apparently, this elk-eater kept tripping off radioactive alarms wherever he went. 

Unfortunately, we never learned from the cultist, why the grass in Canada makes people radioactive, while the grass here does not. Also, I wonder where the elk-eater traveled to trip off so many radioactive alarms. At work, I see radioactive monitors; during my travels, I have never seen any.  

Maybe, this legendary elk-eater journeys to other lands than you and I. 

It is fun to have urban legends. We all enjoy the tale of the two youngsters, whose braces get stuck together while kissing. However, it is not a joke when these cultists, who will believe anything bad about radioactivity, convince the Berkeley City Council to spend taxpayers money and time to protect us against these urban legends. It is sad that they divert resources in our community against things such as fighting poverty and crime. 

Howard Matis  

Nuclear Physicist 

Oakland