[CPEO-MEF] Camp Bonneville/Censorship

[StellaVB@aol.com]

October 27, 1999

Dear Kaye,

An ominous turn has taken place in the Camp Bonneville process.  The
county project manager, Janice Panichello has not only been  pulled from
the project but censored and it's this censorship that is the heart of
this letter to you.  The facts are censorship is an insidious, captious
act that reeks of intolerance, misunderstanding and ultimately hypocrisy.
I have had to endure censorship  in regards to three documents since
involvement with this project. The last two, the EE/CA Draft and the EA
Draft, required me to obtain them through the Freedom of Information Act.
Never would I have imagined this would evolve to the point of involving a
human being.  Who will be next and for what reasons/excuses?  LTC Knight
because he has always been a source of documents for the RAB members?
Janet Renfro due to her passion to have Camp Bonneville become a nature
preserve?  Frank Funk due to his love of horses and the desire to ride
them on the pristine land of Camp Bonneville?  Myself because the issues
of safety, UXO and chemical contamination in soil and water sources, Harry
Craig (EPA) due to his opposition to the methodology being used by the
Army Corps Engineers?  Army Corps of Engineers due to their methodology
techniques?  Eric Waehling due to his trying to be a mediator and please
all sides?  Mary Casad due to her presenting this process to the public
from her job requirements/boss perspectives?

This site involves thousands upon thousands of pages of information that
one not only needs to obtain but read and then try to assimilate into
readable, understandable formats for the lay people or community.Project
Managers must do the previous sentence in order to be effective.  Janice
has done such work, always has answers to my questions or obtains such
within 72 hours, makes herself available for discussion, obtains documents
that I have trouble finding for myself, has set up meetings with county
officials (Rich Lowry, prosecuting attorney for the county was the latest)
and her finest asset to this project, my personal and professional
opinion, was bringing Lenny Siegel, Center for Public Environmental
Oversight to the RAB meeting during the summer of 99.  I have watched
issues evolve during the last several years to it s proper order:  the
safety for human lives and the environmental/human impact due to UXO and
chemical contamination.

I have heard there has been unprofessional behavior periodically
throughout this process.  Everyone around the RAB table are humans with
different perspectives, different agendas but ultimately these differences
create more dialogue and generates more information we all need to obtain
and learn.  If, at times, it has become unprofessional, it is simply a
matter of being mere humans and not gods.  I would hope there is allowance
for frail human traits to come through without projecting it into the
business end of this project.  I do not believe there is one person on
this planet who has acted 100% professional 100% of the time, to damn such
behavior is narrow and short sighted and, unfortunately, most of us could
say we have done such damnable behavior ourselves.  

I don t have the answers on how to correct this ominous turn of events
Kaye but I do know something needs to be done as it is becoming a  runaway
train of thought and action.

Sincerely yours,
Stella Bourassa
23017 NW 88th St.
Vancouver, WA  98682
360.604.8520   


You can find archived listserve messages on the CPEO website at http://www.cpeo.org/lists/index.html.

_____________________________________________________________
Got a Favorite Topic to Discuss?  Start a List at Topica.
http://www.topica.com/t/4