A government that would send an underarmored, undermanned military into
Iraq would also cut corners on safely disposing of WMD at home. So, the good people of Madison County who've had to fight their own government
all these years had better remain ready to keep locking horns with the Pentagon. It took years of informed public opposition, aided by U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell's
influence on Capitol Hill, to dissuade the Pentagon from building a chemical
weapons incinerator at Blue Grass Army Depot near Richmond. Finally, the decision was made to use a much safer chemical neutralization
process to rid Kentucky of its aging chemical arsenal. Now, the Pentagon is pushing for shortcuts in the neutralization process
that would save money but also increase the risk of fire and explosions. The question that arose most recently is whether rockets should be cut
apart during neutralization, as originally planned, or before, when the weapons
are more volatile. Five fires broke out as rockets were sheared at chemical weapons incinerators
in Arkansas and Oregon this spring. The citizens advisory board that has a say in the decision-making process
should hold out for the safest feasible process.