Sept. 27, 2006 - 21:19 MDT

TIME MARCHES ON

Anybody remember the Cold War ? The frantic building of defensive weapons and all that ? Been over for a long time, and a lot longer time since we were going at it hammer and tongs, stocking weapons like mad, digging silos and things such as that.

Been a while since Rocky Flats stopped manufacturing and also a while since they started dismantling the factory and installations, and trying to figure out where to send the atomic waste.

But it ain't over 'til its over ya know. An article in the Rocky Mountain News this morning buried mid-paper, contributed by Bloom News Services quoted in full herein:

COURT TO HEAR FLATS CASE

"The U.S. Supeme Court said Tuesday it will hear a 17-year-old case involving the operators of the former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant and an engineer-turned-whistleblower awarded $4.2 million."

"Boeing Co., owner of Rockwell International, wants to overturn the award won by James S. Stone, who accused the company of lying to the U.S. Department of Energy about environmental problems."

"Boeing argues the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals made it too easy to win suits under the U.S. False Claims Act, which lets whistleblowers sue on behalf of the federal government."

The dispute centers on the requirement that whistleblowers be the "original source" of information about wrongdoing. Boeing said in its appeal that Stone possessed only "background" information."

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I am confused. If that "background information" proved to be true and that Rockwell was truly guilty of what the "background information" claimed - - what honest recourse does Rockwell have ?

In essence it seems to me, in a roundabout way, Rockwell is admitting guilt and carping because the source was "Background" and complaining the Court of Appeals made things too easy for ones suing.

Guess I better go gargle to get the bad taste out of my mouth. Law, politics and things of that ilk blunder, founder and suffer indigestion while TIME MARCHES ON . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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