I had the pleasure and honor to escort world-renowned anti-nuclear activist Dr. Helen Caldicott around for a couple of days this past weekend. Helen is my long time personal hero. What a thrill it was to spend time with her this past week.

My son and I drove her from Spokane down to Richland, WA for a rally organized by Occupy Portland to bring awareness to Hanford, which is a mostly decommissioned nuclear production facility occupying nearly 600 sq. miles in southern Washington. It's where the atomic bomb was developed during WWII.

After the rally, we made an excursion through some of the most desolate land in the country as we explored parts of the Hanford Reservation. We drove as far as we could until we came to a checkpoint. The military security guard said we couldn't go any farther. I took some photos and video along the way.

Unfortunately, I missed the beginning of Dr. Caldicott's address at the rally when I went to my car. This is the last 7 minutes of it.

Dorli Rainey was also a speaker. She is the 84 year old woman who was pepper-sprayed by police at a Seattle Occupy event. I talked with her briefly. She told me that police targeted her and that they know her. She is the sweetest woman. It's difficult to think that the cops would do that to a woman so defenseless.

I hope you take the time to watch the entire video. It's powerful stuff. Helen has a very special gift of articulate and impassioned speech. I had to escort her to a photo shoot directly after she spoke and it took forever as so many people swarmed her to shake her hand, say a few words of thanks, or to hand her literature about their group or cause. I was in awe.

Photos and video taken April 15, 2012.

Sorry if you can't view the photos. I was told by one person that they couldn't.

Video 1: Dr. Helen Caldicott at Hanford Rally

Photo 1: Dorli Rainey and me
Photo 2: Event organizer extraordinaire Miriam German and Helen
Photo 3: Helen and kids
Photo 4: Dorli and Helen
Video 2: my son Austin, his Australian heeler, Buckley, and Helen on the Hanford Reservation.
Photo 5 Hanford reactor
Photo 6 Hanford landscape
Photo 7: Hanford facility
Photo 8: Helen reading sign

Thanks for watching!