As many of you may already be aware, one of my pet peeves is big business shipping U.S. jobs overseas in exchange for cheap labor.  The reward for the citizens of the United States is not just a loss in jobs but tainted, dangerous and often deadly, cheap products for your family at the local discount store.  Sound like a fair trade?

One of the biggest offenders for taking our jobs and sending us dangerous products is the nation of China.  Radiator fluid in toothpaste and mouthwash, baby formula with melamine, toys with lead paint, water dots that act as roofies and melamine in pet food that caused sudden kidney failure in thousands of our pets all jump to mind.

These problems, when discovered, were all quickly dealt with by our government agencies.  Thanks to quick action by those agencies we did not have to rely on the Rand Paul theory of:  Let people die from a bad product, once a few people die others will figure out that you shouldn’t buy that product.  Thank you Rand Paul, Republican Senate candidate from Kentucky, for making all Americans feel safe!

One issue that I have written several times about is tainted Chinese drywall.

This drywall made in China is unsafe in a home or business.  It will out-gas chemicals that corrode copper and aluminum wiring in the home.  It makes a home or office unsafe to breathe in.

It is very easy to fall into the trap of blaming China for shipping this product to America.  It is also easy to blame the government agencies that are supposed to check these products for contamination.

However, it is becoming apparent there were warning signs in many American businesses,  there was a problem with this drywall.  But these self same businesses ignored the warnings and placed this dangerous product in thousands of American homes.

Any worker who spends a number of years on a job can tell you that you do not just rely on what your eyes tell you.  Equipment, machinery and chemicals all have a certain sound and smell to them.  People with years of experience can tell if something is wrong by the sound a machine pr0duces or the smell a product gives off.  I speak from experience here, often I knew there was something off with my equipment by its sound or smell.

Of course, those in the head office would consider this foolish.  How can you tell there is a problem by a smell they would, and did, ask when workers expressed concern about drywall coming from China.  They ignored these warnings in the pursuit of profit and now point the finger at China.

Yes, China did make the contaminated product and ship it to our nation.  Of that there is no doubt.

It was installed in homes in the Gulf Coast area, primarily those that suffered damage in hurricane Katrina.  Of this there is no doubt.

These same hurricane victims cannot live in their homes because of the danger this drywall presents.  Again, there is no doubt.

The obvious result is that law suits are flying fast and furious between homeowners, contractors, building suppliers and the Chinese manufacturers.  The only question is where some or all of the blame lies for allowing this product into American homes.

The answer to that question is not so obvious.  Yes, the big bad Chinese made the product.  Yes, our government agencies that were gutted under the Bush Regime allowed it through. However, it now appears our last line of defense against this product entering our homes was ignored.

That line was thin and it was blue.  I am not talking about police here but the very experienced and professional American blue collar worker.  The warnings they gave about this product were ignored by the corporations for whom they work.  The experience they have over a collective of what must be hundreds of years was ignored by a professional manager with absolutely no experience in the field.

Now it seems clear, given the warnings from numerous workers, several American companies were aware of the potential problems with this drywall.  But they ignored it for the sake of profit.

Sadly it is not just the big bad Chinese that seem to be seeking profit from the poisoning of American citizens.  It is our own greedy corporations as well.

For some reason I am not surprised and I do appreciate the workers who raised the red flag.  I would like those workers to know that.

To read more about these new developments click here:

http://www.propublica.org/feature/chinese-drywall-stinks-mums-the-word

We need to listen more to experience.

We have all heard the stories about law enforcement being just a bit gung-ho in the enforcement part of the law.  We have seen the TV and web footage of them  using tasers on everything from small children to loudmouthed seniors for no apparent reason other than they can.

I want to note right now that I have always respected the men and women who risk their lives every day to defend our rights and liberties, properties and homes.

That being said though, like any group of people with power over others there will always be those that abuse that trust.  That is when we witness a phenomenon that has been called ‘the thin blue line’, where otherwise very good police with excellent records and high moral standing close ranks to defend their brothers and sisters, whether they deserve that defense or not.

We have seen it time and time again.  Good cops covering the truth to defend those who abuse their power.  If one officer speaks up to tell the truth then they become a pariah in the law enforcement community.  Where this mentality originates I’m not sure,  but law enforcement, our communities and our judicial system all suffer because of its existence.

As many of you know I lived in Los Angeles for over two decades.  During that time the LAPD, and the LA sheriffs department had their fair share of problems.  Planted evidence in the O.J. Simpson case allowed a man who was probably guilty to walk away from a murder conviction.  The Rodney King beating and resulting actions to cover the crime and protect the officers involved resulted in the need for National Guard troops to secure the streets of the city.

Now, sadly, there is yet another outrageous case of law enforcement officers stepping way over the line, and of other law enforcement officers on site allowing them to do so.

We are now waiting to see how the police involved justify multiple taser hits to an 86 year old, bedridden grandmother who is in poor health in her own home.  They claim they tasered her because she sat up threateningly in her bed, risking the safety of the ten to twelve armed police officers in her bedroom.  When the taser hits failed to completely subdue her one of these brave officers leaped into action to take the suspect into custody by stepping on her oxygen hose and cutting off her air supply until she could be handcuffed hard enough to make her flesh tear and bleed.

These officers must be very proud of themselves!  Especially when you consider the fact that the original 911 call from the house was not to summon the police, but came from the woman’s grandson seeking paramedics and medical aid for his grandmother.  He was worried her apparent condition and because of her bad health.

Where was the concerned grandson while the police abused this woman?  He had been handcuffed and removed to the backseat of a police cruiser after protesting the very mention of tasering his grandmother.

This sad story comes from Oklahoma City.  It looks to me like a complete and total failure of what our police officers duties are supposed to be.  Protect and serve is the motto for most police departments across our nation.  There were ten or twelve officers in that room.  They all had guns, tasers, pepper spray and handcuffs.  They all knew it was a medical emergency 911 call to which they were responding.  They all allowed this poor woman to be tasered, oxygen deprived and abused.

I do not really care what supposed threat this poor old woman’s actions posed to these officers.  I do not care that they removed her grandson from the room before they began using and abusing their power against this bedridden 86 year old woman.

What I find profoundly disturbing in this case is that not one, not a single police officer in the room, made any attempt to stop this crime from happening.  These highly trained law enforcement officers all felt that a elderly woman who had called for medical help deserved this treatment. If  just one  had the guts to say wait a second, they would have been the one who was right.

I have not yet seen a picture of the police involved in this case.  I must assume they are all at least 150 years of age to believe an 86 year old disabled woman was a life threatening danger.  They must be the weakest, oldest and most cowardly of all the law enforcement officers in our nation.

In my opinion they are, to a person, a disgrace to any uniform and should face charges themselves.

The thin blue line is understandable, you put your life in the hands of those you work with.  Where its wrong is when the police themselves become criminals, abusers of power and betrayers of the public trust.  At that point it is the duty of any and all law enforcement officers to take every step possible to stop the crime and to see those who committed it punished.

It is not a surprise that there is a law suit pending against the police department, the city and the officers involved in this case.  What is a surprise is that there are no criminal charges pending against the police that committed this crime.

The truth is this is another scandal for law enforcement and a black eye on every member of every police department in this country.

To read more on this case, click here:

 http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/06/24/28330.htm

The sign is to warn against high voltage, perhaps its appropriate around cops, too. 

It seems that two of the most wishy-washy senators in Washington DC have pooled their collective gray matter to be certain of one thing.  They have decided that our Constitution, Bill of Rights and the entire system of due process are wrong and they wish to correct them.

How?  By stripping the citizenship of ANY American accused of terrorism immediately upon being charged.  They furthermore wish to strip the same citizenship of ALL Americans that they feel have lent support to those accused of terrorism.  In other words be very careful who you come in contact with.

Why?  So the suspected terrorists, and those who lent them support, can be shipped to a military base and have ‘enhanced interrogation’ performed on them in violation of our own justice system and international agreements on the treatment of prisoners.  Then they could be tried in a military tribunal rather that a civilian court of law.

No innocent until proven guilty.

No right to face your accusers.

No right to legal council.

No Miranda rights.

Guilt by association does apply.

Exactly what part of our government would determine who is and is not a terrorist?  The State Department and the Secretary of State.  Exactly who should be charged with lending support and who would determine that is not really clear.  Maybe we could have a new branch of state police, say like the KGB?

Aside from the potential of stripping any American citizen at any time of their most fundamental rights it also sounds as if this pair of so-called patriots seeks to set up an entirely new government agency to see how guilty you are in the tangled web of association.

In the last attempted terrorist attack by the guy I call the Keystone terrorist, who lent him support?  Who would have their citizenship stripped and be shipped off to Gitmo for enhanced interrogation?

There could be quite a few American citizens that would have their most fundamental rights stripped from them in this instance.  The guy that sold him the car over Craigslist, the family that owned the home he rented and the people that run the fireworks shop where he bought the M-80′s could all be hauled in under the new Lieberman-Brown bill.  How about the people that sold him the airline ticket and let him board the plane?  The cab driver that drove him away from Times Square and all their family members?

Many say that the definition of a terrorist in our country is: anyone that supports violent means to overthrow our government or a portion of the same government.

Others would say that the definition of a terrorist is: anyone who seeks to undermine our government and way of life in any way.

These are both pretty broad descriptions.  Who would decide exactly who is a terrorist?  Obviously they are not all from overseas, many who fit these definitions are born and raised right here in our own country.  A few examples are:

Militia members that plan to kill a police officer then bomb their funeral.  Not just the members but their family, friends, church members and associates.  They could be considered to be practicing terror.

Mine owners who ignore safety regulations that result in a mine collapse killing dozens of American citizens and interrupting the vital coal supply for our nation.  The owners families, fellow board members and even the stockholders are all now suspect.  They could be considered terrorists.

How about owners of a major bank that played games with our nations financial stability?  People who stripped American citizens of their homes and jobs.  People who devalued our currency, crashed our stock market and brought our nation to the brink of financial ruin because of their greed.  Are they financial terrorists?  Many Americans would say: YES they are!  Would they fall under this bill?

How about an oil company that did not take ALL available safety precautions to avoid an environmental and economic disaster in our nation?  A company that through negligence has created a situation that threatens millions of American jobs, hundreds of thousands of American small businesses and billions of dollars of our economic infrastructure.  A company that threatens to eradicate sections of our culture for all time and thus diminish our nation as a whole.  A company whose greed could exterminate up to 400 species of wildlife native to our nation.

Are they financial terrorists?  I say they are!  Are they Eco-terrorists?  Most defiantly!  Should they be charged with crimes against our nation?  Yes!  Should they be charged with crimes against humanity?  I will wait to see what the outcome of this economic and environmental disaster is before I render my opinion on that.

Then we have to look at a very small, very powerful group of men that seek to strip our rights away from us.  They will wrap their actions up in the flag and cry ‘God and country’ at every opportunity but their actions betray them.  They will prey on your fears to increase their power over you and the laws we live by are dammed for it.  Currently Lieberman and Brown seek to strip every fundamental right we have under our law from us.  Furthermore they seek to create some sort of Gestapo like government agency to determine exactly who is and is not an American and how guilty you are simply by having contact with a person they deem as a terrorists.

There are many that would say that Mr. Brown and Mr. Lieberman are terrorists for the following reasons:

They seek to violate the Constitution of The United States Of America.

They seek to disregard the Bill Of Rights.

They seek to throw away innocent until proven guilty.

They seek to set up a paramilitary police force to determine your loyalty to our nation.

I think these two men are terrorists for even suggesting that our country take such actions in such an obvious violation of our core laws and rights.

Maybe we should charge them with being subversive terrorists for suggesting we ignore our Constitution!  Take them and their families into custody and find out exactly who they are working for at Gitmo.

You see gentlemen, it is a double edged sword.  Since you both are big religious guys I will give you a little bible quote:  Judge not, lest ye be judged.

Just look.  These guys seem harmless enough.  But one likes to pose nearly naked in magazines and the other seems to be more allied to Israel than the United States in many cases.  Guess which is which.

We all might say its about time.  But, the feds have obviously been doing a lot very quietly.  Like watching and then raiding threatening militant groups and now indicting the former president of Blackwater along with four others from the embattled military contractor.

From AP;

RALEIGH, N.C. – The former president of Blackwater Worldwide and four other former officials at the embattled security firm were indicted Friday on federal weapons charges, partially the result of a raid two years ago by agents that rounded up 22 weapons, including AK-47s.

The indictment issued Friday charges Gary Jackson, who left the company last year in a management shakeup, along with four other former workers. The charges against Jackson include a conspiracy to violate firearms laws, false statements and possession of an unregistered firearm.

Also indicted were former general counsel Andrew Howell, former executive vice president Bill Mathews, Ana Bundy, who at one point had oversight of the firm’s armory, and Ronald Slezak, who was hired to oversee documents related to the company’s status as a firearms dealer.

The charges open a new front of the government’s oversight of the sullied security company. Several of the company’s contractors have previously been charged with federal crimes for their actions in war zones, but the company’s executives have so far weathered a range of investigations.

Read the rest here.

Indicting and even imprisoning these leaders of the conservative Christian front group will not bring back the people they are responsible for killing.  Nor will it bring back the reputation the US has lost because of these little tin soldiers and their hero Bush.  But it would be a start toward making amends and regaining our former respect.

Lets hope President Obama and his Democratic administration will prosecute these evil men to the fullest extent of the law.  No one deserves it more.

By BobbiV

Wow!  Finally it looks like Republican Senator John Ensign of Nevada is going to have to face up to the charges against him.

This conservative member of the Senate is one of the C-Street gang and got into trouble because of his adultery and other deceptions.  But as the scandal unfolded, it soon became apparent that Ensign may also have run afoul of not only Senate ethics but the law too.  So far afoul in fact, that it is a real possibility he will be indicted.

From Raw Story;

Nevada Republican Sen. John Ensign is likely to be indicted for a $96,000 payment he made to the husband of the aide with whom he had an affair, a leading Nevada political reporter says.

John Ralston of the Las Vegas Sun reports that prosecutors looking into the scandal surrounding Ensign’s affair with former aide Cynthia Hampton are focusing on the payment made by Ensign’s parents to the Hamptons. Critics have charged that Ensign used his parents to pay off the cuckolded husband, Doug Hampton.

But prosecutors believe the money may have been a form of “structuring,” an illegal activity where transactions are reclassified to avoid reporting rules. While Ensign’s defenders say the payment to the Hamptons was a “gift,” federal prosecutors believe it may have been a severance payment to Ensign’s aide, in which case it broke the law surrounding reporting of severance payments.

Read the rest here.

Here we go one more time with those conservative family values.  It strikes me that these Republicans and their Christian supporters who like to tell the rest of us how to lead our lives, would do well to pay a little more attention to the way they lead theirs.  They should listen a little less to the tea baggers and wing nuts of the right and listen a little more to the true tenets of their religion.

Anyway, for now it comes down to will Ensign resign or be indicted first?  Either way, as a Nevada resident, I just want him to go.

This whole thing has gotten so bad that the Senator's own home town newspaper called him a show pony with little knowledge of legislating. Ouch!

By BobbiV

The whole fight over net neutrality may have sneaked up on you.  Do you even know what it is?

Simply put, there are Internet providers who want to control what kind of content is carried on the cable they provide for your Internet access.  They are couching their legal fight in other terminology, but this is what it boils down too.

If Comcast or some other provider wants to charge you the moon and the sun in order to carry your little website or blog, they will be able to.  Even if they let your next door neighbors site stay up for very reasonable rates.  They will use some excuse like location or frequency of use or some other blather.  But, I do not believe these big telecommunications corporations are so altruistic that they will not just censor because of content.

Listen and watch  TYT about net neutrality.  Then please go below the video and sign the petition to keep the Internet open to all.

From Color of Change;

The Internet has made amazing things possible, like freeing the Jena 6, electing President Obama, even creating ColorOfChange. None of it could have happened without an “open” Internet: one where Internet service providers are not allowed to interfere with what is seen and by whom.

Now, Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon — the most powerful broadband providers — are trying to fundamentally change the way the Internet works. They’re seeking to make even bigger profits by acting as gatekeepers over what you can see and do online. If they succeed, the Internet would be more like radio and television: a few major corporations would control which voices are heard most easily, and it would be much harder for grassroots groups, individuals, and small businesses to compete with large corporations and well-funded special interests.

The FCC wants to do the right thing and keep the Internet open, but the big providers have been attacking their efforts, with help from Black leaders who have financial ties to the industry. And a court ruling yesterday just made the FCC’s job even tougher¹. If the FCC is to preserve an open Internet, they will have to boldly assert their authority and press even harder. It’s why they need to hear directly from everyday people.

Sign the petition here.

I have posted before about the problems with tainted Chinese drywall and the danger to those who live in  homes where it was used.  Now the federal government has gotten into the act in an attempt to help more than 3,000 homeowners with the effects of this dangerous product.

The tainted drywall is emitting toxic gasses, primarily hydrogen sulfide, into the homes where it was installed  The gasses that this drywall emits are strong enough to corrode and decay copper wiring, heating and cooling systems, computers, microwave ovens and telephone systems.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission stated that these gases can also “irritate the nose, lungs and throat”….Gee, you think?

The fact that the majority of these homeowners rebuilt after hurricanes with this tainted product and are now faced with gutting their homes once more makes this an even sadder story.  Law suits are flying around the world on this issue in an attempt to place blame and help homeowners with the cost of rebuilding yet again.  Though it is a valid question, blame in this situation will be hard to place.  Do you sue the contractor who installed the drywall in your home?  Or, should it be the supply center he purchased the drywall from?  The import company that shipped it into our nation?  The federal or state government who should have been testing this product?  The manufacturer of the drywall in China where the out gassing issue may be perfectly acceptable?  The insurance company that paid for it?

The one question I am not hearing many people ask is how much blame should be placed with the homeowner?  Please note, I am not taking sides on this but this is a valid question.  Even if the home restoration was being paid for by an insurance company the homeowner has the right to ask for different products to be used.  Did these homeowners take an active part in the rebuilding of their home or did they just let others handle it?

As someone who worked for over two decades in home maintenance and restoration I know a fire, flood or mold contamination can be overwhelming to a homeowner.  As a person who specialized in the indoor home environment for transplant patients, those who are chemically sensitive and those who are highly allergic, I find it strange that these homeowners wish to bear no responsibility for what was placed in their homes.

The fact of the matter is that any man made product you bring into your home will out gas for several years.  A prime example is “new carpet smell” which is the result of the chemicals most carpets are made from being released into the air.  Computers, televisions, drapes and furniture are all sources of out gassing you are exposed to everyday in your home, office, bank and car.  For most it is not problematic and some find the smell quite pleasant.

Sadly, most people are not aware of this fact.  It is a non-issue in their lives until it somehow becomes a problem in their own home.  Then it quickly develops into a major, and in some cases, life threatening issue.

I view adult chemical sensitivity like any other adult onset allergy, be it strawberries or shellfish.  It builds up in your system until you just cannot tolerate any more.  The more you are exposed the worse it will become.  Some will have no reaction their entire lives while others can become crippled by it.  Ultimately, you are the person responsible for the amount of chemical exposure you tolerate in your own home.

The burden of rebuilding their homes is tragic for those involved.  Where the blame should be placed has yet to be determined.  My advice to any who read this and are facing restoration in their own homes is to be involved with the process.  Check the materials being used to rebuild your home, do not just sign off on it.  If you are not sure of your own ability to judge what you should use then there are a number of private consultants you can call on to help.  Believe it or not a good place to find a environmental consultant is your insurance company.  They use them on a regular basis to confirm that restoration firms have done their job and a home or office is safe after mold or asbestos abatement.  You may have to pay for their service yourself but in the long run it could save you a lot of inconvenience and trouble.

To read more on the status of these homeowners, the related law suits and health issues click here.

How long before homeowners who find themselves in the middle of this tainted Chinese drywall mess can live again in their houses without fear?

Post by BobbiV

You gotta know its that bustling hideout for all the right wingnuts and their Mormon buddies, Utah.  They seriously want to prosecute women for having miscarriages. 

This is in the form of Bill HB 12 that has passed both the state senate and house.  It is awaiting a signature by the Governor of Utah to make it the law of the state.

From Care 2 (emphasis mine);

A disturbing bill is making its way through the Utah legislation. HB 12 has passed both the State Senate and the House and is now awaiting a signature from Governor Gary Herbert. The bill is a response to a case where a young, pregnant Utah woman allegedly paid a man to beat her so she would miscarry.

 HB 12 was supposedly designed to criminalize illegal abortions, treating them as homicide. However, some language in the bill has dangerous implications for pregnant women. The bill states, “A person commits criminal homicide if the person intentionally, knowingly, recklessly, with criminal negligence, or acting with a mental state otherwise specified in the statute defining the offense, causes the death of another human being, including an unborn child at any stage of its development.”

 Read the rest here.

Okay, fellas, just who decides what is reckless?  If I ride a bicycle, is it reckless?  If I fly on a plane, is it reckless?  If I exercise, is it reckless?  Please tell me so I know what is safe.  Is it better for women to isolate themselves and not move from the moment they find out they are pregnant until the child is born?  Won’t that lead to unhealthy babies?  Is that reckless?

Now, I will be the first to admit, the story of the woman hiring a man to beat her so she would lose her baby is very sad for both the child and the mother.  But did the Utah legislature take into consideration how desperate this woman must have been to do this?  Perhaps of the stick up their collective asses wasn’t lodged so tightly, they might realize making abortions early in pregnancy almost unobtainable in their state is going to lead to more situations like this.  They might also realize that it may happen to someone close to them.  Say a young daughter or niece.

However, I am sure the legislators would do what the wealthier in the country have done since before we became a nation.  They would send their daughter or niece out of state or overseas for an abortion, then pretend it never happened.  All the while they would be pontificating to the less wealthy of their state about the sin they would be committing and the severe penalties they would face by receiving the same medical help they facilitated for their loved one.

Conservatives need to realize abortion is legal.  They also should realize it should be legal and safe.  They must stop their wingnut fringe from injecting religion into legislation.  It belongs in the pulpit, not in politics.

One last thing, just what is being done to the fathers of these children?

Let us Pray - not - Let us Prey! Keep these in church and off the reproductive organs of women.