for all of us, but especially those who live along the Gulf, this clip speaks to the ones that haven't been thought of yet:
The reports keep coming in of workers not being allowed protective gear; not being allowed to seek outside medical attention without being cut from the payroll...
I worked with a lot of dangerous chemicals for part of the time I was at GM, running the phosphate coating system for the bare metal between the body and paint shops. There were known carcinogens you weren't supposed to breathe; there were other chemicals that would be immediately absorbed through your skin before you could wipe it off if you weren't wearing rubber gloves. Most of the time I was very careful about taking every precaution advised as I did my job.
I am grateful I was allowed to!
Between the EPA, OSHA and our President, you'd think someone could make sure these workers are allowed the same opportunity!
Just recently there was a huge settlement to pay the rescue worker from September 11 who were poisoned by the collapse of the buildings that terrible day. The military, far too late for far too many, is finally owning up to it's poisoning of our soldiers in Vietnam with Agents Orange and Blue.
How long before these workers, trying to save an eco-system from a modern day "robber-baron" the likes of which the world has never seen, are fighting to have their needs taken care of while their poisoner returns to paying dividends?
July 4th approaches, along with our annual celebration of our independence. Perhaps we need to declare our independence once again, from corporate tyranny!
May the week be kind to each of you!
alan
4 comments:
Alan I know that many of those who read your blog are US based, and I want to say here that we Brits are as sickened by this as you are. This could just as easily have happened off our coastline - in the North Sea - where BP (and Exxon Mobil, and Shell, and all the rest of them) have dozens of rigs. Big Oil doesn't give a shit.
I hadn't come across this angle - about the perils of the clean up - before. Deeply shocking.
Yet the fact remains, the world lives and breathes oil, and until we break ourselves of this appalling addiction, we will not be able to break the power of the oil companies...
Happy 4th of July, Alan!
It just boggles my brain that greed has come to this point where they are willing to destroy anything that gets in their way.
I wish Our President would push them aside and take over.
What he said.
Post a Comment