Building Bombs

The subject of this Oscar nominated documentary is the mammoth Dupont operated Savannah River nuclear weapons plant in South Carolina, where the mandate to build an effective deterrent to (often imaginary) foreign aggression never took into account the more genuine (and continuing) threat to the local population. Filmmakers Susan Robinson and Mark Mori provide a fascinating history of the American nuclear weapons industry, showing the appalling consequences of bureaucratic negligence, mismanagement, greed, and stupidity, after nearly fifty years of what one congressman candidly (and proudly) admits is a prosperous boon to the economy, rather than a necessary evil of National Defense. One complaint: the presentation is already effective without the obvious, ominous music cues. The film gained some notoriety when it was banned by PBS, supposedly because the viewpoint is so clearly and unapologetically partisan, but more likely because no one wanted to risk offending any corporate sponsors. The narration is by noted actress/activist Jane Alexander.

When we hear the word nuclear, the things that come to mind are nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants. The idea is that one is for war, the other for peaceful use. Unfortunately, it's not that simple. There are nuclear plants that have gotten used for producing the material that goes into nuclear weapons. The Academy Award-nominated "Building Bombs" focuses on one such facility. The Savannah River Site occupies a large piece of land in South Carolina and has caused all sorts of environmental problems (while of course touting itself as a job creator).

Everyone should see this documentary as a look at one of the most significant dangers facing our country, and the lies about this danger. I noticed that one of the people in the "special thanks" section of the credits was Kevin Rafferty (producer of "The Atomic Cafe") who died last year.