Day: June 19, 2009

Clueless Florida Republicans ‘Celebrate’ Juneteenth

Buck Banks

The Republican Party of Florida is at it again, showing its stupidity and insensitivity toward African Americans. How? By trying to morph into a celebration what was actually a crime against slaves. At the same time, they are trying to align themselves with the Republican Party of Abraham Lincoln, a radical band of reformers and abolitionists whose Congress overrode the veto of white supremacist President Andrew Johnson to pass civil rights laws only to see them overturned by an “activist” Supreme Court.

Is Juneteenth something to celebrate? Certainly not. However, it is absolutely something to acknowledge

Here’s another example of the Republicans trotting out a black party member to show America that Mr. Lincoln’s party is still a great place to be black. Hey, Michael Steele, how are you celebrating Juneteenth?

Here’s the latest product from nimrod Jim Greer and his merry band of dolts:

Representative Jennifer Carroll, Chairperson of the Republican Party of Florida’s African American Republican Leadership Council, and RPOF Chairman Jim Greer today released the following statement regarding “Juneteenth,” a celebration recognizing June 19, 1865, the day the last American slaves learned that they were free:

“‘Juneteenth’ is a celebration of the day when the last remaining slaves received word that President Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation, resulting in their freedom. As the Party of Abraham Lincoln, the Republican Party of Florida is built on the foundation of freedom, and this principle is as important to us today it was so many years ago, when President Lincoln helped to found the Republican Party as the anti-slavery party,” said Representative Carroll. “Over 140 years, we have championed these convictions. From the Civil Rights laws of the 1860s to the landmark 1954 decision in Brown vs. the Board of Education, which called for the end of segregation in public schools, the Republican Party has always been an advocate for civil rights.”

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The Week of Bad Asbestos News

Buck Banks

An Environmental Protection Agency declaration and a Supreme Court ruling were two major stories about asbestos that made headlines this week — neither of them good news.

Wednesday the Environmental Protection Agency declared a public health emergency in and near Libby, Mont., where decades of asbestos contamination from a vermiculite mine has left hundreds of people dead or sickened from asbestos-related lung diseases.

They are just two more stories about American corporations’ greed and irresponsibility, and — only tangentially — the people they harm

It was the first health emergency ever declared under the Superfund law, the 1980 statute that governs sites contaminated or threatened by hazardous substances. The Libby site, formerly owned by W.R. Grace & Co., was designated a Superfund priority in 2002.

In the case of the Supreme Court ruling, the court decided for Travelers Companies Inc., one of the largest U.S. property and casualty insurers, saying a lower court erred in overturning the approval of the company’s nearly $500 million settlement of asbestos-related litigation.

The settlement also barred new lawsuits against Travelers stemming from its relationship with Johns Manville Corp.., which had been the country’s largest miner of asbestos and a major manufacturer of asbestos-containing products. The 7-2 vote basically indemnifies Travelers against any future claims for injury or illness caused by Johns Manville asbestos products.

To gain some insight into these stories, Pensito Review interviewed Richard Moyle, national awareness coordinator for the Mesothelioma Cancer Center at Asbestos.com about the significance of these two asbestos-related stories. The Mesothelioma Cancer Center at Asbestos.com is a one-stop resource on all asbestos issues ranging from occupational exposure to mesothelioma doctor locations and treatment options. The center also provides legal information.

Pensito Review: Asbestos has suddenly gotten a lot of media attention because of the Supreme Court’s finding and the EPA’s declaration. Is the mainstream media getting it right about the potential dangers and health effects of asbestos?

Richard Moyle: I obviously haven’t seen all of the stories from the news media, but yes, the articles I have read on the situation seem to be pretty accurate. Basically, all you need to know about asbestos products is that they are generally not harmful unless disturbed or deteriorated in any way.

For example, if you have asbestos insulation in your home, it doesn’t pose a serious danger so long as it stays in good condition and remains behind the walls. If a hole is punched through a wall of a home containing asbestos insulation it could damage the asbestos and send the microscopic fibers into the air where they can then be inhaled or ingested.

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Look Out, Jeb Ahmadinejad

Trish

“This guy, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, I mean, he claims victory and he is very unpopular…And the danger politically of this, he could ruin the political career of his brother, Jeb Ahmadinejad. You got to be careful.”

— David Letterman, discussing the Iran election during a monologue