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NEWS > U.S.A. > DRUNK DRIVING AMONGST NUCLEAR WEAPON DRIVERS AT ALL TIME HIGH
DRUNK DRIVING AMONGST NUCLEAR WEAPON DRIVERS AT ALL TIME HIGH
December 4 2010
Washington, D.C. – There is absolutely no doubt that the most potent and powerful weapon that mankind has created is the nuclear bomb. While nuclear technology is not only destructive, in fact from it, the reality is that the destructive potential of 
weapons using that technology is massive and beyond anything that human beings have created before. As such, the care of those weapons is understandably of great concern to those charged with protecting not only the safety of their country but also the safety of, ultimately, the entire world.
Unfortunately, like virtually every other field of business, those put in charge of nuclear weapons are still human and thus prone to the whims of human nature. While outside observers may hope that the people charged with taking care of such precious loads are highly trained, highly paid personnel, the reality is far from that hope. Case-in-point, the growing number of cases of drunkenness amongst drivers of trucks carrying nuclear weapons across the United States which has recently come under investigation by the Department of Energy. With at least 16 cases of agents drunkenly driving nuclear payloads through American cities, many in the department are concerned that their lax policies on on-the-job drinking may eventually result in a disaster of unimaginable proportions.
“Alcohol incidents such as these, as infrequent as they may be, indicate a potential vulnerability in OST's critical national security mission. I was appalled to learn that some couriers responsible for transporting nuclear weapons and material were found to be drinking on the job,” said Rep. Jim Langevin who chairs the House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee. “We cannot tolerate any behavior that falls short of the level of excellence required and expected when it comes to protecting and handling our nation's most powerful and dangerous weapons. As the report suggests, a potential vulnerability in the secure transportation of nuclear materials is entirely unacceptable.”
Approximately 600 agents are charged with the transport of nuclear weapons.
“This is certainly a major concern across the board. Obviously, the first concern is of an accident. Drunk driving causes accidents and if that were to occur on a truck with a
nuclear payload, the results could be a little messy to say the least. These trucks travel through ordinary American towns which are wholly unequipped to deal with a nuclear detonation. Frankly few cities in the country could deal with such a situation and that is an issue,” said a DOE insider. “The other problem, and perhaps the bigger one, is what to do about the issue. These people are government employees who have long enjoyed certain privileges that ordinary workers haven’t and removing those privileges would cause a lot of anger and could create security issues itself. Never mind the possibility that any potential ban on drinking in the workplace would likely have to applied across the board. That would not sit well with a lot of people in the Senate and the House.”
A robust Arrive Alive program in D.C. prevents much drinking and driving amongst government officials.
“This is perhaps one of the more disturbing stories to come out of the government for a lot of people. Most would naturally be upset that nuclear weapons are travelling through their streets in the first place, but to fear that they are weaving back and forth with a drunk driver is something different entirely. Drinking and driving is inherently dangerous, but this is potentially cataclysmic,” said Scrape TV Apocalypse analyst Seth Morris. “Realistically it would only take one bad incident to really cause a problem. I mean we aren’t talking about the end of humanity or anything like that, but killing thousands and creating a nuclear wasteland anywhere is really something that should be avoided if at all possible.”
The agency currently has a ban on other intoxicants such as marijuana which was causing far too many pit stops.
Mike Michaels, American Correspondent
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