The Ambushed Grand Jury: How the Justice Department Covered Up Government Nuclear Crime : And How We Caught Them Red Handed [Paperback]

Wes McKinley (Author), Caron Balkany (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1891843281 | ISBN-13: 978-1891843280 | Publication Date: March 1, 2004

What happens when citizens investigate the government’s cover-up of dangerous nuclear crimes? And catch them red-handed? The Ambushed Grand Jury is the true story of how a cowboy Grand Jury foreman, an FBI whistleblower, and a volunteer lawyer proved the Justice Department’s cover-up of government and corporate contractor crimes at the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant near Denver, Colorado.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Many of us suspected this cover-up. Now we have the proof. -- Walter L. Gerash, trial lawyer

Whoever dreams of a better earth should take this story to heart. A fascinating, scary, very important story. -- John Nichols, author, "The Milagro Beanfield War" and "The Sterile Cuckoo"

About the Author

Caron Balkany is a long-time public interest and environmental lawyer. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico and the Florida Keys.

Wes McKinley is a cowboy from southeast Colorado who served as Foreman of the Rocky Flats Grand Jury. He is a former math and physics teacher.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Apex Pr (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891843281
• ISBN-13: 978-1891843280
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,101,626 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Think you can trust the government when it comes to nuclear safety?, September 4, 2007

By 

Gail Merrill (New Canaan, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ambushed Grand Jury: How the Justice Department Covered Up Government Nuclear Crime : And How We Caught Them Red Handed (Paperback)

I found out about the nuclear link to cancer (radiation.org is one source) after I got non genetic breast cancer 11 months after my mother died of it. I realized our government was not telling the public about the nuclear dangers and the impact on our health. Then I read this book. This book begins with an FBI agent describing a criminal investigation that explored the involvement of the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI superiors. Learn about these nuclear crimes, the government's role and the people who stood up for the truth. Stunning information! Fabulous book!

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The devious nuclear industry, May 9, 2010

By 

Esther Cook (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Ambushed Grand Jury: How the Justice Department Covered Up Government Nuclear Crime : And How We Caught Them Red Handed (Paperback)

This is essential information for nuclear activists, and for survival in areas heavily affected by the nuclear industry including Greater Denver, Colorado; Oak Ridge TN; Hanford, WA; and all other sites from the nuclear warmaking industry--or the "peaceful atom." The pattern of lies and dishonor revealed in this book is common to the entire nuclear industry in all its aspects.

The book describes crimes against the environment, (violations of American law as well as nature's laws). There was a grand jury convened to investigate these crimes and indict the guilty parties. The jury felt that certain people should be indicted, but the government prosecutor violated the ordinary rules of American jurisprudence to bargain all indictments out of existence.

Naturally, this upset the Grand Jury--but I think the government was right in that action. Crimes occurred, all right, but were due to two entire agencies: both the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense valued the production of plutonium pits more than environmental regulations. To single out individuals is simply inaccurate and unfair. Nor is blame necessarily the wisest way to handle a disaster. The future is what counts, and handling the future may require removing the disincentives for facing the truth which come with criminal investigations.

The threat to the future from Pu-235 and other legacies of the bomb-making era is grave indeed. Handling it requires much more honor and forthright information than the government has produced so far. Understanding the deviousness revealed in this book will be necessary to get that improved information, for a better future for the entire human race.