1 Billion Gals of Toxic Sludge Oozes Towards River

Sunday, December 28th, 2008

In case you missed it on Dec- ember 21st a TVA levee wall burst in Oak Ridge, Ten- nessee. But it wasn’t water in the retention pond, but rather 1,000,000,000 gallons of coal ash sludge, a byproduct of coal fired power plant.

Initially TVA estimated the spill at about 350 million gallons, but had to up the spillage estimate to 1 billion gallons upon closer examination. The sludge spill roared downhill and reached depths of 6′ burying cars, porches and even downing power lines. (Source)

So what’s in a billion gallons of coal ash sludge? Well concentrated levels of mercury and arsenic, according to environmental experts. TVA experts claim there’s no danger to humans from the chemicals. This claim despite hundreds of fish turning up dead in nearby waters. (Source) Naturally many local residents aren’t too comforted by the TVA’s assurances.

The spill is working it’s way into the Tennessee River, the source of drinking water for 1 million Tennesseans. TVA has built a rock wall to try to stop the sludge from oozing in.

“You have acute problems we are dealing with today, but we’ll have chronic problems for a long time. This whole area has been devastated environmentally.” - Stephen Smith of CleanEnergy.org (Source)

Tags: Coal Ash, Oak Ridge, Sludge, TVA
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Pope Sidius Benedict Now Bigger Dick to Gays

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008

So the news of the day is, the Pope now a bigger dick to gays then Rick Warren. Rick Warren has removed the anti-gay language from his website. (Source) Meanwhile Pope Benedict XVI has upped his anti-gay rhetoric.

Warren’s been in the news a lot subsequent to being chosen to give the invocation at the Obama inauguration. Author of The Purpose Driven Life, Warren was attacked by the left for his anti-gay comments equating gays with pedophiles. But now he may be softening his position, taking the anti-gay language off his Saddleback mega-church’s website.

Now Benedict XVI is making headlines equating homosexuality with the destruction of the human race. (Source) The Pope argued that saving humanity from gays and transsexuals was just as important as saving the rainforest for animals. (Source)

Really your holiness? Gays are a bigger threat to the planet than the destruction of the rainforest?

What do you think readers?

Tags: Gays, Pope Benedict, Rainforest, Rick Warren
Posted in Internet, Religion, Sex, news | 2 Comments »

Midnight Rules - Bush Does Not Go Quietly

Sunday, December 21st, 2008

Bush is not going to leave office soon enough for most Americans, but before he goes he’s not quite done screwing up the country. Using a practice called “midnight rules” Bush is cramming through tons of last minute rules changes that have the force of law.

These rules run the gamut of nearly every federal agency. One of those rules could have wide ranging ramifications for every American who uses a pharmacy or visits a doctor or hospital.

Under Bush’s rule medical practitioners and pharmacists may refuse to perform medical practices, prescribe or dispense medication or even provide information, if it in any way conflicts with their religious beliefs. Want to buy a pack of condoms? Better hope the clerk’s not a Catholic.

Need a blood transfusion? Better hope the doctor’s not a Jehovah’s Witness, because they can now legally refuse to give you one.

Of course the big one is abortion. Fundamentalist Christian healthcare providers can now legally refuse to even discuss the options. Even worse anti-choice activists can infiltrate clinics taking any position from receptionist to nurse, then use the Bush ruling to deny service. Previous to the ruling those employees could be fired for that type behavior, but now they’re protected by the force of law.

While Obama can overturn these rulings, they’ll be challenged in court, bogging down the new administration and impeding progress.

Tags: Bush, Choice, Medical Ethics, Midnight Rules, Obama, Religion
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Head Scarf Controversy in Atlanta Courtroom

Thursday, December 18th, 2008

The Associated Press is reporting that an Atlanta judge briefly jailed a Muslim woman named Lisa Valentine for contempt of court, for refusing to remove her head scarf at the security checkpoint. Mrs. Valentine was apparently at the court accompanying her nephew who was facing a traffic violation hearing.

According to Mrs. Valentine’s husband, Omar Hall, she was stopped by security guards at the metal detector for refusing to remove her head scarf and barred from entering. She then apparently turned to leave the courthouse, and swore at the security officers. Officers arrested her on the spot and took her before the judge where she was held in contempt. She was quickly released following pressure brought by the Council on American-Islamic Relations with Federal officials, citing a violation of her religious freedoms.

Naturally Muslim groups are calling her jailing “outrageous” (source), but is it? Is it really outrageous to expect courtroom security officers to enforce these rules for everyone’s safety?

Here’s an image of a Muslim woman in a Burqa. Can you really say you’d be fine with letting her pass through a security check point dressed like this?

So what’s the answer? Putting a Muslim woman at all security checkpoints so they can go and privately be screened by a member of their own faith? Definitely not. Not only would this be outrageously expensive, it smacks of preferential treatment and in my opinion violates the separation of church and state. How could the government hire Muslim women to take this security position without violating discrimination laws? It could not.

Maybe you don’t think it’s a big deal. So some Muslim women want to enter the court wearing the head scarf or Hijab. What about Catholic Nuns, do they have to remove their head gear? What about Sikhs, do they take off their turbans? My answer to that is an emphatic yes, and yes.

Religious tolerance is one thing, but it should always take a back seat to the welfare of the citizenry. For example, when Christian Fundamentalists refuse medical treatment to their critically ill children, they have been charged with child abuse. Or when other Christian Fundamentalists have beaten their children, in some cases to death, while “exorcising them of demons” they’ve been rightly charged with assault and murder. (Reference)

Mrs. Valentine said, she “just felt stripped of my civil, my human rights,” but what about the rights of everyone else in the court room to a modicum of security, surely that supercedes any argument of religious tolerance.

Tags: Atlanta, Burqa, Court, Hijab, Lisa Valentine, Muslim, Security
Posted in Internet, Opinion, Religion, news | 1 Comment »