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Here's a glowing musical tribute to Rick Mercier

Date published: 7/17/2002

In response to Rick Mercier's excellent column "If You Hear the Whistle Blowin', Pray Them Boxcars Ain't a-Glowin" [July 9], I've written a song parody, below, to be sung to Johnny Cash's immortal "Folsom Prison Blues."

Yucca Mountian Blues

Them nuke waste trains are comin'.

Nevada's where they'll send

The nation's waste, all combined,

For decades, on end

To dump in Yucca Mountain.

There's no more draggin' on.

Them nuke waste trains are rollin,'

Soon out of sight and gone.

Nevada hates Bush Baby,

For making them the dump.

Yes, Bush had double-crossed them,

And played them all for chumps.

Their lives gambled, like casinos.

If nuke waste spills, they'll die.

If they live where spills are goin',

Watch Geiger counts run high.

(instrumental break)

Nevada has been beaten

By Bush, the mighty czar.

And if he comes back their way,

With feathers, he'll be tarred!

The nuclear waste is comin'

From the whole country.

And those trains must keep a-movin'

Until catastrophe.

(instrumental break)

Well, Yucca Mountain really isn't

A fool-proof scheme--you'll find:

This mountain's rock is riddled

With faults that can't be lined.

Bush went ahead with Yucca Mountain,

Sends nuke waste there to stay.

Now Nevada folks all bristle;

They threw their votes away.

Bill Tong

San Francisco, Calif.

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Date published: 7/17/2002