The last major remnant of Saddam Hussein's nuclear program -- a huge stockpile of concentrated natural uranium -- reached a Canadian port Saturday to complete a secret U.S. operation that included a two-week airlift from Baghdad and a ship voyage crossing two oceans.


The removal of 550 metric tons of "yellowcake" -- the seed material for higher-grade nuclear enrichment -- was a significant step toward closing the books on Saddam's nuclear legacy. It also brought relief to U.S. and Iraqi authorities who had worried the cache would reach insurgents or smugglers crossing to Iran to aid its nuclear ambitions.



http://www.usatoday.com/news/topstor...92730685_x.htm




Good thing that stuff couldn't be used to make WMDs.. That would have been scary..

Ahhhh ... we're back full-circle to the weapons of mass destruction angle, huh?

It would be nice to read a story like this about Iran one day.

Originally Posted by ForrestCroce

Ahhhh ... we're back full-circle to the weapons of mass destruction angle, huh?

Nope - it was about stealing all the oil through no bid contracts (benefiting Texans) from day 1.

The Yellow-cake needed to be removed due the health risk of the locals

are they going to have a war again?LOL

Originally Posted by jv17

are they going to have a war again?LOL

Only if they find more stealable oil.

I don't understand the nuclear thing completely, yellow cake uranium isn't used for weapons? I thought it was? I guess if this is wmd material I don't get why it wasn't totted as the smoking gun we came in looking for in the first place.

Uranium can be used for weapons, but usually isn't. Plutonium is; it's one of the byproducts of uranium fission (alpha particles colliding with uranium that doesn't degrade by fission). That's what is put in centrifuges to refine to bomb-making grade, under controlled conditions (Plutonium is one of the most toxic substances known to man, never mind its radioactivity).

tim

Wow thanks for the info.. Did you actually know that off the top of your head or did you look it up?

Originally Posted by Learning Newbie

Nope - it was about stealing all the oil through no bid contracts (benefiting Texans) from day 1.

What about 9/11 being a factor? If it was about oil why don't we just invade Canada?

Originally Posted by Learning Newbie

Only if they find more stealable oil.

When could just take over tankers in the high seas like modern day pirates.

That's off the top of my head, just glancing at a periodic table to refresh my memory. I keep one in my PDA for quick reference. In any case, plutonium is the heaviest byproduct of uranium fission (because not all of the uranium will split, which is why it will convert to plutonium when hit by alpha particles) so when the byproducts are put in a centrifuge plutonium sinks to the bottom. That's why the declared nuclear powers are so worried about these certain types of centrifuges going to countries with nuclear plants. None of the trans-uranic elements, including plutonium, occurs naturally. They have to be manufactured by the means I just described.

tim

Originally Posted by homebizseo

What about 9/11 being a factor? If it was about oil why don't we just invade Canada?

9/11 wasn't a factor at all. We were attacked by a group of Saudi Arabians, led by a member of the Saudi royal family. So we conquered Iraq and forced a bunch of no bid contracts giving Texas oil companies access to their oil reserves. 9/11 was a convenient excuse to fool people who weren't paying attention - nothing more.

Originally Posted by Learning Newbie

9/11 wasn't a factor at all. We were attacked by a group of Saudi Arabians, led by a member of the Saudi royal family. So we conquered Iraq and forced a bunch of no bid contracts giving Texas oil companies access to their oil reserves. 9/11 was a convenient excuse to fool people who weren't paying attention - nothing more.

Why not invade Canada then? Its closer and has alot of untappped oil.

Yellow cake makes a fairly decent "dirty" bomb even if it isn't the best material for a true nuke.. It can be spread a lot of ways to contaminate a rather large area, especially when you take today's EPA in to account..

We actually knew about the yellow cake long before invading.. It was one of the materials that the UN knew about and demanded it be surrendered.. It wasn't.. And that refusal was one of the reasons listed to support the invasion..

Yes, it is possible to use this as a WMD.. But it isn't really considered one of the "smoking guns" because everyone already knew about it.. Which sort of confuses me.. If you know he has WMD material, and you decalre that as a reason to invade, and you find it, and remove it, why doesn't it "count" as a WMD??

i remember having this issues about, what is it called again? Anthrax, antrax or something? where was that made from? Still possible to use it as form of weapon ain't it not?