The Pelindaba Nuclear Research Facility in South Africa

The Pelindaba Nuclear Research Facility, the primary nuclear site in South Africa, was the setting for an armed raid last year with terrifying implications. In the 1970’s the South African government began a secret military program, like far too many nations around the world, to arm with nuclear weapons. By the 1990’s however, under international pressure, and with the promise of international incentives, South Africa disarmed its nuclear arsenal. The stockpile of nuclear fuel, in the form of highly enriched uranium (HEU), stayed in the country however and today resides at the Pelindaba Nuclear Research Facility about 18 miles west of Pretoria.

HEU is a very difficult substance to process, and is the most difficult phase of the manufacture of a nuclear weapon. Once the uranium is properly refined there’s a relatively simple method involved in making a crude nuclear weapon, which would not be difficult for anyone with a PhD in Physics to figure out. Unfortunately it takes only a few pounds of the highly enriched uranium to make a crude atomic device. It is estimated that 1,000 pounds of HEU are currently stored at Pelindaba, which be worth, conservatively, hundreds of millions of dollars on the Black Market. The South African government has repeatedly assured the international community however that the facility is a fortress, heavily guarded against any potential attack. The events of a chilling raid last year however, demonstrated otherwise.

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A crew for the CBS investigative journalism program 60 Minutes was roughed up at a Chinese electronic waste site. 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley and his crew were in the Middle Kingdom to trace the illegal black market electronic waste in the world’s most populous country. Upon entering a facility in Guiyu, on the south coast of China, the crew was attacked by a gang of workers who attempted to take their cameras. The crew managed to escape and brought back footage of the incident to air on CBS this week.

The workers at the facility had reason to want to take the cameras as their activities are highly illegal even in the loosely regulated world of Chinese industry. Improper dismantling of e-waste for the black market, as was being done in Guiyu, produces some of the most harmful pollutants known to man. The City of Guiyu is afflicted with some of the highest levels of cancer causing agents on Earth while pregnancies there are 6 times more likely than normal to result in miscarriage and 7 out of 10 children have too much lead in their blood.

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Pat Tillman, who left his life as a professional football player and joined the army after September 11, was killed in Afghanistan in April 22, 2004. Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman, a book about Tillman’s life, written by Mary Tillman, Pat’s mother, comes out this week. Mary Tillman went on CBS 60 Minutes with Katie Couric tonight to talk about her search for the truth surrounding her son’s death.

Here are some excerpts from Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman, by Mary Tillman with Narda Zacchino:

(Pvt. Bryan) O’Neal heard what sounded like running water coming from the rock, and then he realized he was covered with blood.

Pat had been shot three times in the head.

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On 60 Minutes last night Murat Kurnaz, an ex-terror detainee, spoke about the torture he received while in Kandahar and eventually Guantanamo. Kurnaz, a German citizen of Turkish descent, was traveling in Pakistan for religious reasons when he was picked up by police and handed over to the Americans.

The story comes roughly a month before the release of Errol Morris’ new film Standard Operating Procedure. I’ve written about the film a lot here on TakePart, both because it’s a Participant Productions film that I’m very proud of and also because I’m simply a huge Errol Morris fan. What’s especially exciting is that the film not only comes at a critical time in terms of the information it presents, but also that the film is getting a lot of praise, including winning the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.

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According to President Pervez Musharraf who’s saying former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is to blame for her the assassination.

“For standing up outside the car, I think it was she to blame alone — nobody else. Responsibility is hers,” the former general told CBS’ “60 Minutes.”

As usual female victims are always at fault, huh?

Bhutto was killed December 27 in Rawalpindi, south of the Pakistani capital Islamabad, while she was standing in an armored moving car after rallying supporters for now-postponed parliamentary elections. Her head was above the roof and unprotected at the time of the attack.