| JuryFury.com
A New Issue Every Monday ! SUBSCRIBE NOW !! Online School of Politics |
||
| Areas of Interest THE USA American Foreign Policy US House and Senate US Presidents State & Local Politics Regional Politics Politics of China The British Commonwealth Indian Subcontinent Middle East The European Union Africa Latin America ASEAN NATO United Nations The Non-aligned Movement Eastern Europe New Nations of the 20th Century General Topics Constitutional Law Human Rights Nuclear Disarmament & Treaties International Warfare Environmental Law Peace Treaties Economic & Social Alliances International Organizations Journalism & Media Racism and Democracy Women in the Workplace Family Law Courts and Practices The Judicial System Higher Education Education and Government Health Care & Insurance Rights of the Disabled Copyright & Working Online Legal Representation Legal Insurance Pornography Domestic Violence Religion & Law Workers Rights Employers Rights Prison & Life after Social Organizations Welfare & Poverty Taxation and Democracy Third World Aid Programs Space Exploration Alternative Energy Petroleum Industry & Cars Nuclear Power Programs for the Arts Sports Education Policing the Internet Privacy and freedom Immigration Food and Regulation War on Drugs War on Pharmaceuticals Public Housing Pollution and Control Sexual Harrassment Discrimination Electoral Process Consumers Rights Investors Rights Abortion Death Penalty Social Security Gender & Sexuality Grassroots Organization ACLU World Watch Oxfam UNICEF United Negro Fund Ford Foundation (suggestions welcome at our chatsite) Law of the Economy Join I-Traderschool, our sister magazine, for debates and news. |
Bush's Environmental Policy Bush Jr., Earth Day, Smog and Drug Industry by Sophia Barkat That bombing a nuclear plant can only cause nuclear fall-out does not occur to Bush Jr. and his gang from Gilligans as they talk about taking N. Korea on. They still insist on claiming that they take the Earth seriously. Don't believe me, refer to my prior post on The Department of Energy and it's link to Earth Day. For obvious reasons however, environmentalists did protest the Administration. I quote from the link:http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030422/hl_nm/environmentalis\ ts_bush_dc_1 "Last week, the Bush Administration announced a proposal designed to cut diesel emissions from farm and industrial equipment by 90 percent over the next decade, a move that environmental groups praised as a big step toward minimizing health damage from smog and soot." (Todd Zwillich, Reuters ) Looks like they waited until last week to open the doors at the EPA. "Groups criticized the Administration for regulations it finalized on December 31, 2002, that opened loopholes in Federal rules requiring power plants and other polluting factories to install pollution-control technologies in many of their facilities. The new rules slowed curbs to smog and mercury emissions laid down by the Clinton Administration. " (Todd Zwillich, Reuters) Seems like they are undoing what Clinton did. It must be hard to notice smog and hydrocarbons in the air if you grow up in some parts of Texas, which has the worst air-ratings from its oil refineries etc. I read in some old high-school book that when heavier gases like carbon dioxide and heavier hydrocarbon particles they keep oxygen out resulting in long-term health problems related to circulation of Oxygen in the body. Not only does the brain get less oxygen but also the cells which use it to breakdown organic compounds or food. We also get the Greenhouse Effect due to the presence of Carbon Dioxide, which acts as a trap of infra-red radiation and causes the temperature of the earth to rise, much as it does inside a greenhouse. There's also more carbon monoxide - which has one less oxygen atom per molecule than carbon dioxide and therefore acts to steal oxygen away from our blood, resulting in suffocation and death. The article also states that: " Smog contains fine particles collectively known as "soot," as well as several toxic gasses that have been blamed for rises in cancer rates in urban areas. Mercury has a wide range of ill health effects, including neurological and lung damage. " I'm not sure about how serious the link is between smog and cancer, In fact, when scientists make these claims one thought that immediately jumps through my mind is "what effect does this have on insurance premiums?" Do facts like this push insurance premiums higher on city dwellers for this reason? I think there is some kind of effort by drug companies to sponsor research and such announcements such that legislators can make the drug legal. This might create a market for that drug, since doctors will now try to prescribe the drug to patients. Or, the opposite might happen. Insurance companies and HMOs in league with doctors - as they now do - push the miracle drug: the cure for "smog created cancer", and they might manage to increase the premium on insurance for city dwellers (or wherever smog is high). We have known mercury is poisonous for a while. I don't doubt that. Too Much Lead in More Than the Environment by Linda Waters Here's the story, part of which appears below my comments: http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2003/2003-07-24-02.asp The Bush Administration is notorious for giving the environment a back seat (much more glory and excitement waging wars). This ten-year study with all the agencies involved is another example. Ten years? While glacier melting is causing one lake in Alaska to rise 6" per day? Are they trying to kid people into thinking all these agencies are going to work together over the next ten years and come out with some kind of understandable report? I'll give it two years at most. Action is needed now, not in ten years (and that's just for the report)- and then to study the effects over the next hundred years? Please! I really got a bitter laugh over the second paragraph in this article where the NCAR scientist says they have "strong evidence" for global warming. Duh! Where's he been lately? And it's not just global warming that needs to be addressed. Just as we are finding out that the human body cannot be considered one organ at a time, so nature is bound by each of her parts- what happens to one part affects all. This is a pitiful example of Bush inadequacy. Maybe he's just doing a token study and leaving the real courage to face these issues for another administration. I sure hope so. Here's a part of the article: "Climate Research Called No Excuse for Inaction WASHINGTON, DC, July 24, 2003 (ENS) - The Bush Administration today released a 10 year research strategy for developing knowledge of climate change and its potential impacts on the environment and human lives. The strategic plan builds on the expertise of 13 federal departments and agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Critics say the comprehensive study should not replace action to curb U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases." "We have strong evidence of global warming and high degree of consistency," said Dr. Warren Washington, a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, who is involved in creating and carrying out the research plan. "There is uncertainty over exactly how much it is going to warm over next 100 years." |
Encourage Discussion Join Juryfury Chat Promote Juryfury.com Join online discussion Groups Archives Writers Needed Be a Columnist Be an Editor Become an Owner Writing Training Program Internship Program for Students Advertise with Us Our Staff & Contributors Our Magazines Quietpoly.com I-Traderschool Juryfury.com The Company Our Address: QuietPoly Inc. 240 W. Saunders. Dr. (#146) Flagstaff, AZ 86001 Tel (928) 214-7365 quietpoly@yahoo.com Our Affiliations (pending member) MediaChannel.org IndyMedia.org |