It’s been nearly two weeks since a massive derailment of freight cars on the outskirts of East Palestine, Ohio, unleashed an environmental nightmare on the region, with toxic chemicals spewing into the air from a massive fire and leaching into the water and ground.
Government’s primary job is to protect public safety. This catastrophe and the 67 mass shootings just this year are glaring examples of some of our obstructionist GOP politicians not doing their number one job. This country runs on corporate money and the blood if its citizens.
This, and the overall downfall of the US, began with Reagan. It was then that "deregulation" became the catch phrase that would end all issues in America. Sure, if you were a rich industrialist. Follow the trail, and you'll see the downhill slope we've been skidding down since then. Unions being eliminated, companies moving operations overseas to skirt EPA regulations, political money becoming darker and darker, and a cabal of judges groomed by wealthy Republicans. Now, here we are. Gov. DeWine in cahoots with the railroads (donors), telling people all is well, nothing to see here. Courts throwing out lawsuits brought to hold corrupt corporations liable, and unregulated companies flaunting the rules in the name of profits. If there is blame here, it lies at the doorstep of the Republican party and it goes back some 40 years.
Trump ended Obama’s regulations on trains, break systems in particular. Details ran in The NY Times, I believe. Norfolk-Southern raced to the site to execute the controlled burn, which destroyed evidence about what might have gone wrong. Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine refused federal assistance offered by Biden, in e might think to avert federal investigation. It seems the Republicans are colluding yet again ... no legislation to stop mass shootings, regulatory safeguards against toxic pollutants.
Very toxic in certain circumstances as liquid phosgene quickly turns to a gas & moves downslope, close to the ground and may aggregate & collect in depresions such as craters caused by explosions. UPDATE: The EPA Head is on site today, 2/16, to evaluate Region 5 conditions & report publicly.
The entire line of b.s. rhetoric launched by the Republicans is pure unadulterated disinformation. That is expected. The tragedy lies in the fact that a not insignificant portion of the public is undiscerning, suggestible and utterly pleased to hop onto any train, burning or otherwise that leads to castigation of the administration, nevermind that the present infrastructure issues reflect the monstrous bilking and greed and disregard of the prior administration, given the fact that figurative ground has yet to be broken on most new infrastructure projects as recently funded by the sane, humanitarian-focused administration. But, meh, details...
The Republican motto- don't let the sun set on framing every disaster under the aegis of Democrat culpability....
If they, for example, rescind all AP courses throughout the notion, mayhaps they can continue to perpetuate the profligate hoodwinking of the constituency.....
Per CBS the train was around 150 cars long. The reduced maintenance crew had ONE hour to inspect ALL cars. That is humanly impossible to do anything close to a thorough inspection.
I'm sick of politicians beholden to corporations. I vote in every election from local to federal. I research candidates. I call my state and federal Congress people to express my concerns and opinions. I hope one day we can change things.
"The costs of such disasters continue to be passed on to the public while the profits gained by squeezing the workforce and cutting safety corners inure primarily to the company’s major shareholders." This is so key. Pretty much sums up the core problem of the system we live in: The people reaping the benefits have no structural reason to care about the costs, and the people paying the costs can't accumulate the resources needed to influence the decision-making. Might something like this scare shareholders enough? Am I allowed to hope?
Just remember all this come election day, and vote accordingly. And not just on the national level, but state and local as well. Get as involved as you can, and try to get others around you to ignore the "dog whistling" coming from the Right. Then, we can all Hope!
Can't help but feel skeptical of the reports that air and water testing is coming up completely clean. There's many examples of the government covering up dangers to public health. Three Mile Island and Camp Lejeune spring to mind. They literally just filled in the chemical burn trench like it was no big deal and did nothing about the contaminated soil. You can't tell me that's not going to be an issue down the road. This whole thing REEKS of a cover-up from all sides. The Biden admin has already declared themselves Team Big Railroad when they quashed the union strike. Where is Pete B.? Haven't even seen a statement or even a quote from him about this whole fiasco. I guess I'm just jaded at this point, but I don't trust anyone involved.
There are reports that the lab company that the company is using always produces results that the company wants. I don’t know what to believe, honestly. Some great investigative journalism is needed.
Well, the GOP seems to think that the IRA funds approved just a month ago should have all been spent to eliminate railroad derailments. BUNK !!! (Note: I would have used stronger language, but I stopped myself. I also note for comparison that there was a severe truck wreck, with a truckload of hazardous chemicals that were emitting poisonous vapors, on a major Interstate (I-10) here in Arizona that closed the entire freeway in both directions for over a day. I wonder how and when the GOP will try to place the blame on Biden for that wreck . Same old pattern with the GOP, they never have anything to save to really improve our country so they just sling SH*T.
Seems now like the union contract forced down the throats of the railroad workers was maybe not such a good thing. Actually it seemed like it at the time too. There is lots of blame to go around certainly, but the situation may have been better or headed in a better direction had the current administration supported the workers.
It was a very tough call. The union had struck a deal negotiated by the White House, but then the rank and file rejected it, if I recall. The threat of a strike during the holiday shipping season was pretty stark. Had it gone forward the economy would be hit hard, and that could have cost us the election. I don’t know what I would have done, were I in Biden’s shoes at the time.
I don't know that I would lay this at the feet of winning an election. While the bill to solve the issue was introduced in December, it didn't pass until the end of November and Biden signed it on December 2nd. It was actually blocked in the Senate by Sanders so it was a non-factor except as a talking point in the race. I don't recall it being much of a topic of discussion that the general public might have been aware of until mid-November. There was a lot of concern about short- and long-term supply chain disruptions and that was, in my view, the impetus for forcing the agreement, not the election of 2022.
We will never know for certain because Dewine colluded with Norfolk Southern to refuse federal involvement. Which makes it easy to point fingers in all directions. Which suggests a cover up. Brakes, I think.
And … which makes it awfully convenient for J.D. Vance to point to overworked, underpaid workers … which is what we do know. The RR Union deal is documented. Any evidence on the breaking system went up in a puff of toxic smoke and into the lungs of every living thing in East Palestine. DeWine and Norfolk Southern weren’t even discreet.
This is what makes me so sad, as a resident of Ohio. My neighbors voted for DeWine, Vance, et al, and CHOSE to ignore all the signs. It's not like they didn't SEE the signs, they CHOSE to NOT see them. And from what I'm seeing, even THIS isn't taking the blinders off. Oregon, here I come!
Unfortunately, for the Republican party, connecting the dots is beyond their limited capabilities. They love chaos and finger pointing, even to the point of ignoring public safety. I am beyond fed up with this entire party. As for their voters, they are just as awful as the people they vote for. We all suffer because of their willful ignorance and their desire to " own the libs" , no matter the cost. They cling to their hate, fear and guns, and the Republicans love keeping them riled up. It's what they do best.
I’m under no illusions that the GOP can connect the dots. But elections and change are won on swaying moderate voters, perhaps those who didn’t think this would ever impact them.
Calling the Republican response "disingenuous" is an unduly generous understatement. Yes, there is plenty of blame to go around, but it's mainly on the railroad industry and their profit-driven lobbyists and *trump and the mainly Republican legislators who fought and won against Democratic attempts to increase (ratger than decrease) the number of inspectors and tge instalkation of safer automatic braking systems. To blame Buttigieg and the Biden administration is cynical, ludicrous gaslighting.
And I appreciate that in you. It's not a question of both-sidesism; it is a question of fairness, and, if warranted, giving the benefit of the doubt. But when faced with disinformation and blatantly false accusations, I think we need not worry much about kindness. But I much prefer your even-handed style to that of, say, Brian Tyler Cohen's, where every Republican nastiness is a bombshell, and every time they say something stupid they're "humiliating" themselves. In order to self-humiliate one needs a sense of shame, so such an accusation is meaningless for Cohen's targets - even though he's usually right and potent in calling them out. So please stick with fair-and-balanced and clear-and-factual, Jay. It's why we love you.
The Norfolk Southern freight train transporting toxic chemicals when it derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. Period. THEY decided to transport a large quantity of a toxic potentially dangerous commodity through many towns, near homes and people.
It was reported that "The train broke down at least once between when it departed from Madison, Illinois, on Feb. 1 and when it derailed on Feb. 3, employees familiar with the matter told CBS News." Further, it was reported that they got a warning when one of the cars was on fire as it went through roughly 20 minutes outside of the town, and they did not stop to investigate it.
It seems to me this has the makings of a whopping big class-action suit -- unless the the railroads are protected by regulatory or legislated bars to lawsuits.
Government’s primary job is to protect public safety. This catastrophe and the 67 mass shootings just this year are glaring examples of some of our obstructionist GOP politicians not doing their number one job. This country runs on corporate money and the blood if its citizens.
This, and the overall downfall of the US, began with Reagan. It was then that "deregulation" became the catch phrase that would end all issues in America. Sure, if you were a rich industrialist. Follow the trail, and you'll see the downhill slope we've been skidding down since then. Unions being eliminated, companies moving operations overseas to skirt EPA regulations, political money becoming darker and darker, and a cabal of judges groomed by wealthy Republicans. Now, here we are. Gov. DeWine in cahoots with the railroads (donors), telling people all is well, nothing to see here. Courts throwing out lawsuits brought to hold corrupt corporations liable, and unregulated companies flaunting the rules in the name of profits. If there is blame here, it lies at the doorstep of the Republican party and it goes back some 40 years.
Trump ended Obama’s regulations on trains, break systems in particular. Details ran in The NY Times, I believe. Norfolk-Southern raced to the site to execute the controlled burn, which destroyed evidence about what might have gone wrong. Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine refused federal assistance offered by Biden, in e might think to avert federal investigation. It seems the Republicans are colluding yet again ... no legislation to stop mass shootings, regulatory safeguards against toxic pollutants.
Very toxic in certain circumstances as liquid phosgene quickly turns to a gas & moves downslope, close to the ground and may aggregate & collect in depresions such as craters caused by explosions. UPDATE: The EPA Head is on site today, 2/16, to evaluate Region 5 conditions & report publicly.
Sound like hell on earth, worse than a burn pit.
The entire line of b.s. rhetoric launched by the Republicans is pure unadulterated disinformation. That is expected. The tragedy lies in the fact that a not insignificant portion of the public is undiscerning, suggestible and utterly pleased to hop onto any train, burning or otherwise that leads to castigation of the administration, nevermind that the present infrastructure issues reflect the monstrous bilking and greed and disregard of the prior administration, given the fact that figurative ground has yet to be broken on most new infrastructure projects as recently funded by the sane, humanitarian-focused administration. But, meh, details...
The Republican motto- don't let the sun set on framing every disaster under the aegis of Democrat culpability....
If they, for example, rescind all AP courses throughout the notion, mayhaps they can continue to perpetuate the profligate hoodwinking of the constituency.....
"... continue the profligate hoodwinking of the constituency...." Clever writing Mia with spontaneous super syntax.👏
🤗
Per CBS the train was around 150 cars long. The reduced maintenance crew had ONE hour to inspect ALL cars. That is humanly impossible to do anything close to a thorough inspection.
I'm sick of politicians beholden to corporations. I vote in every election from local to federal. I research candidates. I call my state and federal Congress people to express my concerns and opinions. I hope one day we can change things.
"The costs of such disasters continue to be passed on to the public while the profits gained by squeezing the workforce and cutting safety corners inure primarily to the company’s major shareholders." This is so key. Pretty much sums up the core problem of the system we live in: The people reaping the benefits have no structural reason to care about the costs, and the people paying the costs can't accumulate the resources needed to influence the decision-making. Might something like this scare shareholders enough? Am I allowed to hope?
We must always hold on to hope!
Just remember all this come election day, and vote accordingly. And not just on the national level, but state and local as well. Get as involved as you can, and try to get others around you to ignore the "dog whistling" coming from the Right. Then, we can all Hope!
Can't help but feel skeptical of the reports that air and water testing is coming up completely clean. There's many examples of the government covering up dangers to public health. Three Mile Island and Camp Lejeune spring to mind. They literally just filled in the chemical burn trench like it was no big deal and did nothing about the contaminated soil. You can't tell me that's not going to be an issue down the road. This whole thing REEKS of a cover-up from all sides. The Biden admin has already declared themselves Team Big Railroad when they quashed the union strike. Where is Pete B.? Haven't even seen a statement or even a quote from him about this whole fiasco. I guess I'm just jaded at this point, but I don't trust anyone involved.
There are reports that the lab company that the company is using always produces results that the company wants. I don’t know what to believe, honestly. Some great investigative journalism is needed.
Frankly, I've always taken what the EPA says with a huge grain of salt. They, like many government agencies, don't exactly have the best track record.
Well, the GOP seems to think that the IRA funds approved just a month ago should have all been spent to eliminate railroad derailments. BUNK !!! (Note: I would have used stronger language, but I stopped myself. I also note for comparison that there was a severe truck wreck, with a truckload of hazardous chemicals that were emitting poisonous vapors, on a major Interstate (I-10) here in Arizona that closed the entire freeway in both directions for over a day. I wonder how and when the GOP will try to place the blame on Biden for that wreck . Same old pattern with the GOP, they never have anything to save to really improve our country so they just sling SH*T.
Seems now like the union contract forced down the throats of the railroad workers was maybe not such a good thing. Actually it seemed like it at the time too. There is lots of blame to go around certainly, but the situation may have been better or headed in a better direction had the current administration supported the workers.
It was a very tough call. The union had struck a deal negotiated by the White House, but then the rank and file rejected it, if I recall. The threat of a strike during the holiday shipping season was pretty stark. Had it gone forward the economy would be hit hard, and that could have cost us the election. I don’t know what I would have done, were I in Biden’s shoes at the time.
I don't know that I would lay this at the feet of winning an election. While the bill to solve the issue was introduced in December, it didn't pass until the end of November and Biden signed it on December 2nd. It was actually blocked in the Senate by Sanders so it was a non-factor except as a talking point in the race. I don't recall it being much of a topic of discussion that the general public might have been aware of until mid-November. There was a lot of concern about short- and long-term supply chain disruptions and that was, in my view, the impetus for forcing the agreement, not the election of 2022.
We will never know for certain because Dewine colluded with Norfolk Southern to refuse federal involvement. Which makes it easy to point fingers in all directions. Which suggests a cover up. Brakes, I think.
And … which makes it awfully convenient for J.D. Vance to point to overworked, underpaid workers … which is what we do know. The RR Union deal is documented. Any evidence on the breaking system went up in a puff of toxic smoke and into the lungs of every living thing in East Palestine. DeWine and Norfolk Southern weren’t even discreet.
This is what makes me so sad, as a resident of Ohio. My neighbors voted for DeWine, Vance, et al, and CHOSE to ignore all the signs. It's not like they didn't SEE the signs, they CHOSE to NOT see them. And from what I'm seeing, even THIS isn't taking the blinders off. Oregon, here I come!
Spot on. We are in Virginia, wondering where to go next. Certainly not Ohio.
Unfortunately, for the Republican party, connecting the dots is beyond their limited capabilities. They love chaos and finger pointing, even to the point of ignoring public safety. I am beyond fed up with this entire party. As for their voters, they are just as awful as the people they vote for. We all suffer because of their willful ignorance and their desire to " own the libs" , no matter the cost. They cling to their hate, fear and guns, and the Republicans love keeping them riled up. It's what they do best.
I’m under no illusions that the GOP can connect the dots. But elections and change are won on swaying moderate voters, perhaps those who didn’t think this would ever impact them.
We literally can only hope.
Good article and it all makes sense.
Calling the Republican response "disingenuous" is an unduly generous understatement. Yes, there is plenty of blame to go around, but it's mainly on the railroad industry and their profit-driven lobbyists and *trump and the mainly Republican legislators who fought and won against Democratic attempts to increase (ratger than decrease) the number of inspectors and tge instalkation of safer automatic braking systems. To blame Buttigieg and the Biden administration is cynical, ludicrous gaslighting.
I try to be “fair and balanced” as it were. It’s not always possible, granted.
And I appreciate that in you. It's not a question of both-sidesism; it is a question of fairness, and, if warranted, giving the benefit of the doubt. But when faced with disinformation and blatantly false accusations, I think we need not worry much about kindness. But I much prefer your even-handed style to that of, say, Brian Tyler Cohen's, where every Republican nastiness is a bombshell, and every time they say something stupid they're "humiliating" themselves. In order to self-humiliate one needs a sense of shame, so such an accusation is meaningless for Cohen's targets - even though he's usually right and potent in calling them out. So please stick with fair-and-balanced and clear-and-factual, Jay. It's why we love you.
Unfortunately Norfolk Southern has donated to SO MANY candidates on both sides of the aisle.
This is true. There are many in the Democratic Party who are beholden to them.
The Norfolk Southern freight train transporting toxic chemicals when it derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. Period. THEY decided to transport a large quantity of a toxic potentially dangerous commodity through many towns, near homes and people.
It was reported that "The train broke down at least once between when it departed from Madison, Illinois, on Feb. 1 and when it derailed on Feb. 3, employees familiar with the matter told CBS News." Further, it was reported that they got a warning when one of the cars was on fire as it went through roughly 20 minutes outside of the town, and they did not stop to investigate it.
It seems to me this has the makings of a whopping big class-action suit -- unless the the railroads are protected by regulatory or legislated bars to lawsuits.
One has already been filed.
Israel attack Palestine or better the association of Israeli interests.
It was an attack on US soil...
https://fritzfreud.substack.com/p/israel-attack-palestine