E. meningoseptica might be self limiting if it has a short life and expends all its energy on replication. In other words, the replication is it's only function regardless of how lethal it is. It might not have a food source at all which means there is no way into it's biology to end it's life. The focus then has to be the cell membrane.
Friday, March 18, 2016
Pressure treatment of organisms
We know a hot planet will provide opportunity for microscopic organisms for many reasons. Normal pressure on Earth (air pressure, PSI or the British equivalent) can provide suppression of mutation. It is conceivable that any MINOR change in air pressure on a hot planet will provide a new HABITAT for these same organisms or give rise to others.
I am impressed by all the new organisms finding their way to the surface of the human immune system.
When investigating environments where these organisms have erupted, such as the Zika Forest, include atmospheric pressure as part of the organism's identity. It will pay off in the long run.
I would say expose them to weightless environments, but, that would be foolish and simply provide danger to the astronauts. The investigation can be done on Earth in research facilities.
Atmospheric temperatures on Earth change with elevation, but, so does the temperature.
I am going to take a lunch break.
I would say expose them to weightless environments, but, that would be foolish and simply provide danger to the astronauts. The investigation can be done on Earth in research facilities.
Atmospheric temperatures on Earth change with elevation, but, so does the temperature.
I am going to take a lunch break.
The USA has to address the relationship it has with the companies that reside within it's borders.
I didn't set out to make this point, but, it occurred to me how important it is for some companies to be on a list of national security concerns.
This is Sandoz.
...By offering a broad portfolio (click here) of high-quality affordable medicines, Sandoz also contributes to the stability of healthcare systems worldwide, providing significant savings that can be used for the funding of costlier novel therapies, thus encouraging continued pharmaceutical innovation. In this way, Sandoz represents a key pillar of the overall Novartis strategy of offering an all-inclusive range of medicines to patients, physicians and healthcare providers along the entire healthcare spectrum. Novartis is currently the only company with a leading global position in both patent-protected and generic pharmaceuticals, allowing Sandoz to benefit from the cross-divisional flow of specialist technical, clinical and regulatory expertise....
The idea a vital company to global and national security can simply wander off the map to follow profits by cutting operating costs in another country is ridiculous.
This is more than American jobs, it is about how we support humanity including Americans. Sandoz is highly technical and demands excellent professional employees, but, it makes the point. It isn't just about bailing the companies out and then having a right to tax their exit; it is about the company, the products and the vital importance they play to global and national security.
ie: GM. They retooled for WWII. No one would consider GM a company they could do without for their jobs, but, the potential to implications in national security extends beyond the products on the market.
There needs to be a relationship with companies that provide such dynamics to the USA and it's economy. Stability has to be at play.
CEOs do not operate on the best interests of countries and employees. They are threat to company stability and the role that company plays to national and global security.
Orphaned vaccines is a prime example of the failure of government.
This is Sandoz.
...By offering a broad portfolio (click here) of high-quality affordable medicines, Sandoz also contributes to the stability of healthcare systems worldwide, providing significant savings that can be used for the funding of costlier novel therapies, thus encouraging continued pharmaceutical innovation. In this way, Sandoz represents a key pillar of the overall Novartis strategy of offering an all-inclusive range of medicines to patients, physicians and healthcare providers along the entire healthcare spectrum. Novartis is currently the only company with a leading global position in both patent-protected and generic pharmaceuticals, allowing Sandoz to benefit from the cross-divisional flow of specialist technical, clinical and regulatory expertise....
The idea a vital company to global and national security can simply wander off the map to follow profits by cutting operating costs in another country is ridiculous.
This is more than American jobs, it is about how we support humanity including Americans. Sandoz is highly technical and demands excellent professional employees, but, it makes the point. It isn't just about bailing the companies out and then having a right to tax their exit; it is about the company, the products and the vital importance they play to global and national security.
ie: GM. They retooled for WWII. No one would consider GM a company they could do without for their jobs, but, the potential to implications in national security extends beyond the products on the market.
There needs to be a relationship with companies that provide such dynamics to the USA and it's economy. Stability has to be at play.
CEOs do not operate on the best interests of countries and employees. They are threat to company stability and the role that company plays to national and global security.
Orphaned vaccines is a prime example of the failure of government.
Aggressive medicine rather than symptomatic application.
Were the victims of Elizabethkingia meningoseptica immune suppressed? If yes, were they on immune suppressing medications?
Challenges in the laboratory diagnosis of this organism complicate a true understanding of its role in disease. Difficulties in culture, including variable (strain-dependent) growth on MacConkey agar (1) and misidentification on some automated laboratory platforms (4,7), contribute to diagnostic challenges.
It needs a new agar. PROTEINS only. Then take the proteins away.
Forget mass spec, run it through an electron microscope. Get ABSOLUTE diagnosis and not just the best guess. WHAT DOES THE DAMN THING LOOK LIKE!!!!!!!
By the time all the guess work is done, the person is dead. Get over it. SPEND THE BUCKS. Any university and the NIH of all places would be happy to help. There needs to be a protocol to prevent the spread of the organism. The NIH should develop the protocol for the electron microscope. THE BEST way is to use the same one over and over and then terminally disinfected with pressure every time it is used.
Patient support. The body systems have to receive support similar to that of septic shock. Be prepared for the worst to happen. Keep their blood pressure under control. Put in Triple Lumens at the very least, but, it would be better to monitor cardiac output as well. Expect them to collapse and prevent it at first instance. Those measures can always be backed off minute by minute in an intensive care setting. Medicine doesn't usually invoke extreme measures until a patient manifests those symptoms. I think these patients should be supported from the beginning.
The cascade of failure under septic shock is too late to apply measures to save the patient. With such plasma infusion should begin with first understanding of it's positive diagnosis.
Ask Sandoz (click here) for any research on iGg serum that would have antibodies known to attacks similar infections.
I think that is it for now. I am sure everyone at NIH has thought about this anyway.
Oh, fever. Cooling blankets, but, everyone knows that.
Also, DIALYSIS water if kidney support is necessary. USE STERILE WATER ONLY. Acute failure can occur, but, it will reverse if the people live through it.
Challenges in the laboratory diagnosis of this organism complicate a true understanding of its role in disease. Difficulties in culture, including variable (strain-dependent) growth on MacConkey agar (1) and misidentification on some automated laboratory platforms (4,7), contribute to diagnostic challenges.
It needs a new agar. PROTEINS only. Then take the proteins away.
Forget mass spec, run it through an electron microscope. Get ABSOLUTE diagnosis and not just the best guess. WHAT DOES THE DAMN THING LOOK LIKE!!!!!!!
By the time all the guess work is done, the person is dead. Get over it. SPEND THE BUCKS. Any university and the NIH of all places would be happy to help. There needs to be a protocol to prevent the spread of the organism. The NIH should develop the protocol for the electron microscope. THE BEST way is to use the same one over and over and then terminally disinfected with pressure every time it is used.
Patient support. The body systems have to receive support similar to that of septic shock. Be prepared for the worst to happen. Keep their blood pressure under control. Put in Triple Lumens at the very least, but, it would be better to monitor cardiac output as well. Expect them to collapse and prevent it at first instance. Those measures can always be backed off minute by minute in an intensive care setting. Medicine doesn't usually invoke extreme measures until a patient manifests those symptoms. I think these patients should be supported from the beginning.
The cascade of failure under septic shock is too late to apply measures to save the patient. With such plasma infusion should begin with first understanding of it's positive diagnosis.
Ask Sandoz (click here) for any research on iGg serum that would have antibodies known to attacks similar infections.
I think that is it for now. I am sure everyone at NIH has thought about this anyway.
Oh, fever. Cooling blankets, but, everyone knows that.
Also, DIALYSIS water if kidney support is necessary. USE STERILE WATER ONLY. Acute failure can occur, but, it will reverse if the people live through it.
"Time for Trump"
No one asked Donald Trump to run for the presidency. This is his time. Sarah Palin has endorsed him. This has very little to do with Hillary Clinton.
The act of listening is one of the safest, (click here) most clichéd strategies in Washington. Candidates embark on public relations-friendly “listening tours.” Committee members nod as experts testify. Congressional leaders sit through sessions with frustrated members, rope-a-doping their party’s most spirited lawmakers by responding to tirades with an open ear.
The strategy is exactly what Speaker John A. Boehner gave his conference Wednesday, telling Republicans to wait and see what the Senate delivers on the Department of Homeland Security funding bill before gathering their pitchforks....
There is a party that grew out of the 2008 collapse of the GOP. Donald Trump has been disgusted with the Republican candidates that can't win and he decided to lead the party to leadership. There is nothing suspicious about that. I think everyone was surprised and OBVIOUSLY no one in media, the public sector or The Party itself bothered to realize who the Tea Party is and who their supporters are.
The GOP is NOT going to blame this on Hillary Clinton. No one recruited Donald Trump.
Trump has invested plenty in the GOP, including being a sponsor of CPAC. Enough speculation. He believes he would be throwing good money after bad in this election. He has a right to assert his political voracity to run for office. He has been asked to run for President of the USA by his supporters for the last two if not three campaigns. Losing is losing and he believes he can win. Who knows, it might just happen. No one thought he could get this far.
He is an American, self funded and that alone is fresh air for the Republican Party. More and more I am hearing, "...but, he is talking about issues that are real...." And this isn't just Republicans saying that.
Since 2008, EIGHT YEARS AGO, the American middle class is disappearing. The Americans in poverty has never been higher than after 2008. The people that had good paying jobs before 2008, are now working two and three jobs in order to replace that income. Their issues HAVE TO TAKE PRECEDENT to this election. How much more are Americans expected to shoulder for Wall Street?
Donald Trump is treated as if he is alone and the entire GOP is against him. That is not the case. He has allies. They are not minor people in the world.
The act of listening is one of the safest, (click here) most clichéd strategies in Washington. Candidates embark on public relations-friendly “listening tours.” Committee members nod as experts testify. Congressional leaders sit through sessions with frustrated members, rope-a-doping their party’s most spirited lawmakers by responding to tirades with an open ear.
The strategy is exactly what Speaker John A. Boehner gave his conference Wednesday, telling Republicans to wait and see what the Senate delivers on the Department of Homeland Security funding bill before gathering their pitchforks....
There is a party that grew out of the 2008 collapse of the GOP. Donald Trump has been disgusted with the Republican candidates that can't win and he decided to lead the party to leadership. There is nothing suspicious about that. I think everyone was surprised and OBVIOUSLY no one in media, the public sector or The Party itself bothered to realize who the Tea Party is and who their supporters are.
The GOP is NOT going to blame this on Hillary Clinton. No one recruited Donald Trump.
Trump has invested plenty in the GOP, including being a sponsor of CPAC. Enough speculation. He believes he would be throwing good money after bad in this election. He has a right to assert his political voracity to run for office. He has been asked to run for President of the USA by his supporters for the last two if not three campaigns. Losing is losing and he believes he can win. Who knows, it might just happen. No one thought he could get this far.
He is an American, self funded and that alone is fresh air for the Republican Party. More and more I am hearing, "...but, he is talking about issues that are real...." And this isn't just Republicans saying that.
Since 2008, EIGHT YEARS AGO, the American middle class is disappearing. The Americans in poverty has never been higher than after 2008. The people that had good paying jobs before 2008, are now working two and three jobs in order to replace that income. Their issues HAVE TO TAKE PRECEDENT to this election. How much more are Americans expected to shoulder for Wall Street?
Donald Trump is treated as if he is alone and the entire GOP is against him. That is not the case. He has allies. They are not minor people in the world.
March 17, 2016
By AP
Lansing, Mich. (AP) — Health officials (click here) have confirmed that a western Michigan resident died after contracting a bloodstream infection matching a Wisconsin outbreak.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says Thursday that it was notified March 11 by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the match. The person was an older adult with underlying health conditions.
Wisconsin officials say 17 people with infections caused by Elizabethkingia (ee-LIZ'-ah-beth-kin-GEE'-ah) bacteria have died since November and that the outbreak is the largest recorded in published literature.
The bacteria is common in the environment, but rarely causes infections.
CDC spokeswoman Melissa Brower says "it shouldn't be assumed" the person from Michigan had been to Wisconsin because the states are in the same geographic region.
From the CDC website, the Elizabethkingia meningoseptica is affiliated with what is called a nosocomial infection. A nosocomial infection is a hospital acquired infection. Evidently, the lungs are involved. Patients in critical care units can be on life support including ventilators. Ventilators are part of the surgical suite as well. General anesthesia requires ventilator support of the patient.
Elizabethkingia meningoseptica (click here) is an infrequent colonizer of the respiratory tract; its pathogenicity is uncertain. In the context of a 22-month outbreak of E. meningoseptica acquisition affecting 30 patients in a London, UK, critical care unit (3% attack rate) we derived a measure of attributable morbidity and determined whether E. meningoseptica is an emerging nosocomial pathogen. We found monomicrobial E. meningoseptica acquisition (n = 13) to have an attributable morbidity rate of 54% (systemic inflammatory response syndrome >2, rising C-reactive protein, new radiographic changes), suggesting that E. meningoseptica is a pathogen. Epidemiologic and molecular evidence showed acquisition was water-source–associated in critical care but identified numerous other E. meningoseptica strains, indicating more widespread distribution than previously considered. Analysis of changes in gram-negative speciation rates across a wider London hospital network suggests this outbreak, and possibly other recently reported outbreaks, might reflect improved diagnostics and that E. meningoseptica thus is a pseudo-emerging pathogen.
...The outbreak in the UK was from water sources. Water faucets. Get rid of the crusty mess that occurs. FIRST take swabs for nosocomial infection and then clean them mercilessly. If the lab swabs show the organism REPLACE THE FAUCETS....
Outbreaks have been linked to hospital water sources in adult critical care units (8,13); these outbreaks have been suggested to be attributable to the tolerance exhibited by Elizabethkingia species to such environments.
Ventilators should be cleaned with BOTTLED STERILE WATER and surgical cloths along with the chemicals that sanitize the ventilator ONLY! Ventilator sterilization has to be reviewed. If there is heat applied then the organism has become resistant to the heat and a different temperature may have to be employed OR temperature and ADDED PRESSURE.
No cutting corners because some damn CEO demands it. If that is what is giving this organism opportunity the CEO needs to be fired!
gram-negative nonfermenting obligate aerobe
Nonfermenting means it doesn't use the body's sugars to grow.
This is a strange one and borders on the environment of a fungus. However, this obligate aerobe doesn't use sugars to grow. We are in trouble. It is a mutant determined to survive in an environment no matter what. I don't know if that departure from consuming sugars is an enhancement to treatment or deterrent. Fungus are some of the worst infections a human being can get and evidently, this thing is as virulent as it's cousin.
The lungs are rich with oxygen and nutrients and water. The respiratory organisms are exceptionally dangerous. One might recall SARS.
Typical medicines minocycline, rifampin, SXT, and quinolones. Typical food carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Carbohydrates and fats produce sugars in metabolism. Proteins???
Starve the damn thing. Remove the amino acids from it's environment and see if it grows.
By AP
Lansing, Mich. (AP) — Health officials (click here) have confirmed that a western Michigan resident died after contracting a bloodstream infection matching a Wisconsin outbreak.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says Thursday that it was notified March 11 by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the match. The person was an older adult with underlying health conditions.
Wisconsin officials say 17 people with infections caused by Elizabethkingia (ee-LIZ'-ah-beth-kin-GEE'-ah) bacteria have died since November and that the outbreak is the largest recorded in published literature.
The bacteria is common in the environment, but rarely causes infections.
CDC spokeswoman Melissa Brower says "it shouldn't be assumed" the person from Michigan had been to Wisconsin because the states are in the same geographic region.
From the CDC website, the Elizabethkingia meningoseptica is affiliated with what is called a nosocomial infection. A nosocomial infection is a hospital acquired infection. Evidently, the lungs are involved. Patients in critical care units can be on life support including ventilators. Ventilators are part of the surgical suite as well. General anesthesia requires ventilator support of the patient.
Elizabethkingia meningoseptica (click here) is an infrequent colonizer of the respiratory tract; its pathogenicity is uncertain. In the context of a 22-month outbreak of E. meningoseptica acquisition affecting 30 patients in a London, UK, critical care unit (3% attack rate) we derived a measure of attributable morbidity and determined whether E. meningoseptica is an emerging nosocomial pathogen. We found monomicrobial E. meningoseptica acquisition (n = 13) to have an attributable morbidity rate of 54% (systemic inflammatory response syndrome >2, rising C-reactive protein, new radiographic changes), suggesting that E. meningoseptica is a pathogen. Epidemiologic and molecular evidence showed acquisition was water-source–associated in critical care but identified numerous other E. meningoseptica strains, indicating more widespread distribution than previously considered. Analysis of changes in gram-negative speciation rates across a wider London hospital network suggests this outbreak, and possibly other recently reported outbreaks, might reflect improved diagnostics and that E. meningoseptica thus is a pseudo-emerging pathogen.
...The outbreak in the UK was from water sources. Water faucets. Get rid of the crusty mess that occurs. FIRST take swabs for nosocomial infection and then clean them mercilessly. If the lab swabs show the organism REPLACE THE FAUCETS....
Outbreaks have been linked to hospital water sources in adult critical care units (8,13); these outbreaks have been suggested to be attributable to the tolerance exhibited by Elizabethkingia species to such environments.
Ventilators should be cleaned with BOTTLED STERILE WATER and surgical cloths along with the chemicals that sanitize the ventilator ONLY! Ventilator sterilization has to be reviewed. If there is heat applied then the organism has become resistant to the heat and a different temperature may have to be employed OR temperature and ADDED PRESSURE.
No cutting corners because some damn CEO demands it. If that is what is giving this organism opportunity the CEO needs to be fired!
gram-negative nonfermenting obligate aerobe
Nonfermenting means it doesn't use the body's sugars to grow.
This is a strange one and borders on the environment of a fungus. However, this obligate aerobe doesn't use sugars to grow. We are in trouble. It is a mutant determined to survive in an environment no matter what. I don't know if that departure from consuming sugars is an enhancement to treatment or deterrent. Fungus are some of the worst infections a human being can get and evidently, this thing is as virulent as it's cousin.
The lungs are rich with oxygen and nutrients and water. The respiratory organisms are exceptionally dangerous. One might recall SARS.
Typical medicines minocycline, rifampin, SXT, and quinolones. Typical food carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Carbohydrates and fats produce sugars in metabolism. Proteins???
Starve the damn thing. Remove the amino acids from it's environment and see if it grows.
The President of the Senate needs to address the Senate. It urgently needs his guidance.
Joe, the moral content of the Senate has been sacrificed for politics. It is time to use the power afforded the President of the Senate to address the 100.
...Although (click here) the President pro tempore’s powers are limited and not comparable to those of the Speaker of the House, as the chamber’s presiding officer, he is authorized to perform certain duties. For example, he may decide points of order (subject to appeal) and enforce decorum in the Senate chamber and galleries.
Early in the nation’s history, some Presidents pro tempore appointed Senators to standing committees. While they no longer do so, election to the office is considered one of the highest honors bestowed by the Senate, and Presidents pro tempore are traditionally accorded a somewhat larger salary and allowances for staff....
Melanie Campbell is still waiting for the questionnaires she sent to Republicans as well as Democrats. The Democrats have already recognized and honored her with an answer.
Melanie Campbell (click here)
March 18, 2016
By Cherri Gregg
Philadelphia (CBS) — The National Coalition of 100 Black Women’s (click here) annual luncheon is inspired by a legend.
March 18, 2016
By Cherri Gregg
Philadelphia (CBS) — The National Coalition of 100 Black Women’s (click here) annual luncheon is inspired by a legend.
Madam C.J. Walker was the first American woman to become a self-made millionaire.
Born in 1867 in Louisiana, she invented hair care products for African American women, building an empire while giving back at levels unheard of during her time.
“Her story is synonymous with our organizational agenda and our mission,” says Robyn Younger, president of the National Coalition of 100 Women, Pennsylvania Chapter.
The group’s annual Madam C.J. Walker Luncheon and Economic Empowerment Seminar draws more than 700 attendees from across the region....
I think if President Obama made a choice of a black woman for the Supreme Court he might be surprised at the movement he would have received in his final months of office to confirmation. I have nothing against Chief Judge Garland. Republicans are calculating a time line to confirmation of Judge Garland. That is not healthy for the country and the wrath they would have received regarding a black woman nominee would have cost them their jobs.
Born in 1867 in Louisiana, she invented hair care products for African American women, building an empire while giving back at levels unheard of during her time.
“Her story is synonymous with our organizational agenda and our mission,” says Robyn Younger, president of the National Coalition of 100 Women, Pennsylvania Chapter.
The group’s annual Madam C.J. Walker Luncheon and Economic Empowerment Seminar draws more than 700 attendees from across the region....
I think if President Obama made a choice of a black woman for the Supreme Court he might be surprised at the movement he would have received in his final months of office to confirmation. I have nothing against Chief Judge Garland. Republicans are calculating a time line to confirmation of Judge Garland. That is not healthy for the country and the wrath they would have received regarding a black woman nominee would have cost them their jobs.
He has no respect for her and can only see one thing, charging Hillary Clinton with a crime based in the ONE thing no other Secretary of States had, a private server. Tie a rock around it and through it and her off the bridge.
He sees absolutely no virtue with the former Secretary. He doesn't believe she should be in government and never should have.
Enough. We have had enough of the hate Clinton political action committees.
Hillary Clinton is an attorney and doesn't need his insight to live her life!
It is no different than the hate campaigns about President Obama during his administration. The hate machine is focused on Hillary Clinton now and if that is any indication, she has an easy path to the White House.
Flint
The State of Michigan has a Rainy Day Fund that has yet been tapped to meet the need. The Flint River is still the source for Flint in the face of new pipes being laid by the efforts of the Mayor and Council.
Snyder needs to resign.
March 17, 2016
By Abby Goodnough Time and again, (click here) Gov. Rick Snyder of Michigan acknowledged in a tense congressional hearing Thursday that he had been aware of complaints about the drinking water in Flint, including from news reports his aides had emailed him. Yet he had accepted assurances, he said, that the problems were not severe....
Liar!!!!!!! He provided bottle water to his state offices because of the poison in the Flint water.
Snyder needs to resign.
March 17, 2016
By Abby Goodnough Time and again, (click here) Gov. Rick Snyder of Michigan acknowledged in a tense congressional hearing Thursday that he had been aware of complaints about the drinking water in Flint, including from news reports his aides had emailed him. Yet he had accepted assurances, he said, that the problems were not severe....
Liar!!!!!!! He provided bottle water to his state offices because of the poison in the Flint water.
Prime Minister Netanyahu have Israel on a course of it's own demise.
The news day is about 20 minutes old and every cable channel is already yelling about stopping Trump. Really?
March 18, 2016
By Tracy Connor
An American man (click here) described as an ISIS defector says he made a "bad decision" to follow a young woman to Iraq — and claims he left ISIS because he doesn't share the terror organization's views....
According to this man who left Virginia, USA to join Deash, there are fighters for this genocidal regime from every ethnicity around the world.
...Khweis, the American-born son of Palestinian immigrants in Virginia, spoke calmly and even smiled as he described his odyssey.
He said he left for Europe in December and wound up in Turkey where he met an Iraqi girl who said she was from Mosul....
The Palestinian conflict with Israel is a common thread with many American defectors. The killer on the military base in Texas had roots to Palestine. Israel isn't interested in settling a peace with the Palestinians and that has to be one of the highest priorities in USA middle east policy. Falling into fear and war resultant from that fear, for the USA, is the worst possible path for USA foreign policy. Israel has to come to the peace table. End of discussion.
March 18, 2016
By Chris Graham and Max Chalmers
UPDATE: The University of Sydney has released a statement justifying the decision to cancel the booking for the talk but reversing the initial decision. It reads:
This is common practice by The West. Emad Burnat, the filmmaker of "Five Broken Cameras" came to the USA to attend the Academy Awards where he was nominated. (click here) and was simply stopped in Los Angeles. A Saudi-Pakistani fiance can enter the USA without any concern to go on to kill Americans and her husband in the process, yet Palestinians that come to the USA are corned, detained and require intervention by others in order to enter the country. Speak the word Palestinian and watch what happens next.
The USA is rightfully the ally of Israel, but, it should never be it's co-conspirator to kill Palestinians and remove them from their land.
...“We need a U.N. (click here) that is a model of equal treatment and anti-discrimination at a time when we’re seeing an alarming rise in anti-Semitism,” she said. “At the same time, West Bank settlement growth raises honest questions,” and undermines the prospects for a two-state solution.
From the Jerusalem Post:
...Meir Huberman was born in 1941 in the Soviet Union, (click here) the son of Holocaust survivors who made aliya in 1950. He hebraicized his name to Dagan and was a man of contradictions and controversy. There was not one Meir Dagan. There were many....
The hopes of peace with Palestine that Ariel Sharon carried in his administration is ending with the loss of a generation of men.
...The person who groomed Dagan's image as a fearless officer and a man of action with a "knife in between his teeth" was Ariel Sharon. The two met when Sharon was head of southern command at the height of his fight against the Palestinian terror groups in Gaza. He appointed Dagan, then a major in the artillery as a commander of an elite jeep unit that at its outset was coined the "Balloon Reconnaissance Unit" because of the jeeps' large tires that allowed the vehicles to pass through sand. Later its name was changed to the "Rimon Reconnaissance Unit."...
The example of Dagan cannot be ignored. He was a man that fought in the worst of battles for Israel's sovereignty. He paid the price to Israel in putting his life on the line for his country. Yet, such men with strong ties to the Holocaust cast aside the leadership of Netanyahu. This is not an extremist view. It is a view of which many in Israel hold as their truth and future.
The USA needs to realize in it's leadership and alliance with Israel, there are many views of life in Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu is an extremist with no respect for the peace many in Israel want above all else.
March 18, 2016
By Tracy Connor
An American man (click here) described as an ISIS defector says he made a "bad decision" to follow a young woman to Iraq — and claims he left ISIS because he doesn't share the terror organization's views....
According to this man who left Virginia, USA to join Deash, there are fighters for this genocidal regime from every ethnicity around the world.
...Khweis, the American-born son of Palestinian immigrants in Virginia, spoke calmly and even smiled as he described his odyssey.
He said he left for Europe in December and wound up in Turkey where he met an Iraqi girl who said she was from Mosul....
The Palestinian conflict with Israel is a common thread with many American defectors. The killer on the military base in Texas had roots to Palestine. Israel isn't interested in settling a peace with the Palestinians and that has to be one of the highest priorities in USA middle east policy. Falling into fear and war resultant from that fear, for the USA, is the worst possible path for USA foreign policy. Israel has to come to the peace table. End of discussion.
March 18, 2016
By Chris Graham and Max Chalmers
UPDATE: The University of Sydney has released a statement justifying the decision to cancel the booking for the talk but reversing the initial decision. It reads:
In the course of a regular screening process, campus security was alerted to the fact that Mr Abunimah did not yet have a valid visa. As a result, the event was cancelled.
As Mr Abunimah now has a valid visa, the event can proceed as planned
The University is an institution deeply committed to free speech and open debate, and we welcome all those on campus who wish to engage in public discourse.
As Mr Abunimah now has a valid visa, the event can proceed as planned
The University is an institution deeply committed to free speech and open debate, and we welcome all those on campus who wish to engage in public discourse.
Just two days after a prominent Palestinian-American journalist was finally granted a visa from the Australian Government after lengthy and unexplained delays, the University of Sydney has cancelled one of the public events he was to speak at, also without explanation....
This is common practice by The West. Emad Burnat, the filmmaker of "Five Broken Cameras" came to the USA to attend the Academy Awards where he was nominated. (click here) and was simply stopped in Los Angeles. A Saudi-Pakistani fiance can enter the USA without any concern to go on to kill Americans and her husband in the process, yet Palestinians that come to the USA are corned, detained and require intervention by others in order to enter the country. Speak the word Palestinian and watch what happens next.
The USA is rightfully the ally of Israel, but, it should never be it's co-conspirator to kill Palestinians and remove them from their land.
20 January 2016
Sadly, 2016 has begun much like 2015 ended (click here) – with unacceptable levels of violence and a polarized public discourse across the spectrum in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.
Stabbings, vehicle attacks, and shootings by Palestinians targeting Israeli civilians – all of which I condemn -- and clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces, have continued to claim lives.
But security measures alone will not stop the violence. They cannot address the profound sense of alienation and despair driving some Palestinians – especially young people.
The full force of the law must be brought to bear on all those committing crimes – with a system of justice applied equally for Israelis and Palestinians alike....
Palestinian frustration is growing under the weight of a half century of occupation and the paralysis of the peace process....
The growth of anti-semitism is the responsibility of Israel and it's continued invasion into Palestinian territories. Israel has the capacity to end hate rather than propagate it.
The current violence aiming at citizens is new and is occurring under Prime Minister Netanyahu and his pivot to the extremist right in Israel.
Conflict leads to a backlash of conflict. For Israel to begin a hard right turn against Palestine is completely counter productive and violates every diplomatic document that exists in the history of the two peoples.
The current violence aiming at citizens is new and is occurring under Prime Minister Netanyahu and his pivot to the extremist right in Israel.
Conflict leads to a backlash of conflict. For Israel to begin a hard right turn against Palestine is completely counter productive and violates every diplomatic document that exists in the history of the two peoples.
March 18, 2016
She ended her talk with a series of questions: Addressing the Palestinians, she asked how boycotts or efforts to delegitimize Israel would promote dignity and security for the Palestinian people and further the cause of a Palestinian state. For Israel, she asked what to say to members of the international community expressing honest — rather than anti-Semitic — frustration with the conflict. And she asked for an explanation for continued settlement expansion.
The first-of-its-kind HaaretzQ conference was held at the Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. The gathering brought out hundreds, mainly those aligned with the political left.
After Power spoke, Knesset Member Aymen Odeh, an Arab citizen of Israel and the leader of the Joint List political coalition — comprising mostly Arab members of Israel’s parliament — took the stage to raucous applause.
“Good afternoon my friends,” he said in English, then in Arabic and Hebrew.
“As a Palestinian, I cannot accept a world in which there is no place for Palestinians to shape their own future,” he said. “As an Israeli citizen, I know that Israel cannot be a true and just democracy so long as it occupies another people.”
“The occupation is the Palestinian people’s tragedy, but it’s also Israel’s prison,” he went on. “We must liberate both peoples from the prison of occupation.”
Explicitly invoking Martin Luther King and the civil rights struggle, Odeh spoke about the challenges of being what he called “unwanted” in Israel — of sending out resumes knowing your Arab name will outweigh your academic achievements, or hearing your Prime Minister tell his supporters on election day that Arabs are “coming out in droves.”...
From the Jerusalem Post:
...Meir Huberman was born in 1941 in the Soviet Union, (click here) the son of Holocaust survivors who made aliya in 1950. He hebraicized his name to Dagan and was a man of contradictions and controversy. There was not one Meir Dagan. There were many....
The hopes of peace with Palestine that Ariel Sharon carried in his administration is ending with the loss of a generation of men.
...The person who groomed Dagan's image as a fearless officer and a man of action with a "knife in between his teeth" was Ariel Sharon. The two met when Sharon was head of southern command at the height of his fight against the Palestinian terror groups in Gaza. He appointed Dagan, then a major in the artillery as a commander of an elite jeep unit that at its outset was coined the "Balloon Reconnaissance Unit" because of the jeeps' large tires that allowed the vehicles to pass through sand. Later its name was changed to the "Rimon Reconnaissance Unit."...
...The acquaintance with Sharon turned into a real friendship that lasted their whole lives. It blossomed especially in the sands of Sinai and the Suez Canal during the Yom Kippur War....
...However, more than anything, Dagan will be remembered as a brave man who did not hesitate to express his opinion, his truth and his world view, even if it meant that he butted heads with his superiors, especially Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who he did not hold in very high esteem, saying, "I do not believe in his leadership."...
The example of Dagan cannot be ignored. He was a man that fought in the worst of battles for Israel's sovereignty. He paid the price to Israel in putting his life on the line for his country. Yet, such men with strong ties to the Holocaust cast aside the leadership of Netanyahu. This is not an extremist view. It is a view of which many in Israel hold as their truth and future.
The USA needs to realize in it's leadership and alliance with Israel, there are many views of life in Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu is an extremist with no respect for the peace many in Israel want above all else.
Estrogen is a rather incredible chemical.
Researchers at American University in Washington, D.C. (click here) studied the rapid response that takes place in the brains of zebra finches in response to trauma and found that estrogen, produced by glial cells in the brain in response to injury, has the ability to control excessive inflammation.
These findings might represent a new approach to control excessive brain inflammation, a condition that has neurodegenerative effects and is associated with many conditions such as Parkinson’s disease.
The research results were presented by study leader Prof. Colin Saldanha at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Washington, D.C. The research by Saldanha’s group has been funded for more than a decade by the U.S. National Institutes of Health because of its potential application in treating neurodegenerative diseases....
Of course estrogen is a hormone. Hormones are steroids. Estrogen-dependent cancers are dangerous tumors. I think the use of estrogen is a mistake. There are herbal compounds found over the counter is a far better idea. There are also teas that actually result in a mild analgesic. The idea is to consult a herbalist before taking estrogen to reduce the symptoms of breast cancer. The survival rate of breast cancer is always improving. The best way to battle the cancer is trust people that provide the best path and advise. Estrogen dependent tumors should not be encouraged by use of the hormone.
February 22, 2016
The nation's gynecologists (click here) say that breast cancer survivors should have the option of using topical estrogen to relieve symptoms such as painful sex and urinary tract infections.
Women with estrogen-dependent breast cancer are generally told to avoid the hormone because it can fuel recurrence. But topical vaginal estrogen doesn't seem to have those risks, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said on Monday.
As many as 20 percent of breast cancer patients taking medications to block estrogen quit the therapy or consider quitting because of the side effects, which include vaginal dryness and bleeding, ACOG says.
Topical estrogen is a common treatment for these problems, also known as vaginal atrophy, which can crop up with menopause. Oral hormone treatments have been linked to increased cancer risk, but vaginal estrogen is taken at a lower dosage and doesn't travel through the body in the same way. This local treatment comes in a ring, tablet or cream that goes into the vagina....
Of course estrogen is a hormone. Hormones are steroids. Estrogen-dependent cancers are dangerous tumors. I think the use of estrogen is a mistake. There are herbal compounds found over the counter is a far better idea. There are also teas that actually result in a mild analgesic. The idea is to consult a herbalist before taking estrogen to reduce the symptoms of breast cancer. The survival rate of breast cancer is always improving. The best way to battle the cancer is trust people that provide the best path and advise. Estrogen dependent tumors should not be encouraged by use of the hormone.
February 22, 2016
The nation's gynecologists (click here) say that breast cancer survivors should have the option of using topical estrogen to relieve symptoms such as painful sex and urinary tract infections.
Women with estrogen-dependent breast cancer are generally told to avoid the hormone because it can fuel recurrence. But topical vaginal estrogen doesn't seem to have those risks, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said on Monday.
As many as 20 percent of breast cancer patients taking medications to block estrogen quit the therapy or consider quitting because of the side effects, which include vaginal dryness and bleeding, ACOG says.
Topical estrogen is a common treatment for these problems, also known as vaginal atrophy, which can crop up with menopause. Oral hormone treatments have been linked to increased cancer risk, but vaginal estrogen is taken at a lower dosage and doesn't travel through the body in the same way. This local treatment comes in a ring, tablet or cream that goes into the vagina....
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Chris Hayes did I hear that right?
One type of American is better than another?
Why does that not sound like you. The entire media can learn a lesson from others that don't isolate Americans into extremes, but, engage every American to participate in their democracy.
I think every tatoo artist is due an apology from Mr. Hayes.
One type of American is better than another?
Why does that not sound like you. The entire media can learn a lesson from others that don't isolate Americans into extremes, but, engage every American to participate in their democracy.
I think every tatoo artist is due an apology from Mr. Hayes.
The Republican Bush Royalty simply can't handle their own reality.
I nominate Sarah Palin. It looks like Paul Ryan was threatened with his political life.
Why bother with any more caucuses or primaries? That question really needs an answer. There are people who have honored the primary and caucus process, invested millions or more like a billion and there are new voters. Why not call it a convention and sort it out later? There is no reason to go forward with any more primaries if the GOP is throwing the baby out with the bath water.
The GOP is in breach of their contract with their voters. They have promised a political process that would culminate in a convention. The chairman, House Speaker Ryan, is throwing everything out and holding an open convention. It will cause riots. The GOP should be sued and the primaries and caucuses yet to be held closed down.
The Tea Party needs it's own convention. The Republican Party doesn't exist anymore EXCEPT in CORRUPTION at any cost.
The Karl Rove dictatorship is on the March. Governor Kasich is not royalty. Sorry, facts of life of a Republican. Kasich is good to support the Bush for President campaign as a Republican but it is completely outrageous to think Kasich can be president.
That is the problem you see, the entire Republican Party doesn't know their place. They have to have Rove's blessing before even thinking they can realistically run for president. After all he was Bush's Brain.
Rove hasn't had a really good turd blossom since "W" left the White House.
Every candidate was suppose to kiss the King Trump ring, but, that is the ONLY thing that was suppose to happen. King Trump was suppose to sit on his thrown and keep the Tea Party in line. That is the problem you see, King Trump decided to be a real American for a change. Shame on him, he got disgusted with the corruption.
Now mind you, Dictator Rove couldn't get one seat elected in 2012. Hello?
If the Democrats were this corrupt with their electorate, President Obama would never have seen an inauguration. We would still be waiting for our first minority President. Republicans can't hold a candle to the great integrity of the Democratic National Committee. Democrats speak their mind. Ask the Chairperson how many times in a year she is threatened with her political life.
March 17, 2016
House Speaker Paul Ryan (click here) on Thursday said that it was "unacceptable" for Donald Trump to suggest there would be rioting if he is not chosen as the Republican nominee.
"Nobody should say such things in my opinion because to even address or hint to violence is unacceptable," he told reporters on Capitol Hill.
On Wednesday, Trump said on CNN that if he does not win the GOP nomination at the convention in July: "I think you'd have riots. I'm representing a tremendous many, many millions of people."
For the first time, Ryan, who will be the chairman of the convention in Cleveland as Speaker of the House, acknowledged there could be an open convention....
Why bother with any more caucuses or primaries? That question really needs an answer. There are people who have honored the primary and caucus process, invested millions or more like a billion and there are new voters. Why not call it a convention and sort it out later? There is no reason to go forward with any more primaries if the GOP is throwing the baby out with the bath water.
The GOP is in breach of their contract with their voters. They have promised a political process that would culminate in a convention. The chairman, House Speaker Ryan, is throwing everything out and holding an open convention. It will cause riots. The GOP should be sued and the primaries and caucuses yet to be held closed down.
The Tea Party needs it's own convention. The Republican Party doesn't exist anymore EXCEPT in CORRUPTION at any cost.
The Karl Rove dictatorship is on the March. Governor Kasich is not royalty. Sorry, facts of life of a Republican. Kasich is good to support the Bush for President campaign as a Republican but it is completely outrageous to think Kasich can be president.
That is the problem you see, the entire Republican Party doesn't know their place. They have to have Rove's blessing before even thinking they can realistically run for president. After all he was Bush's Brain.
Rove hasn't had a really good turd blossom since "W" left the White House.
Every candidate was suppose to kiss the King Trump ring, but, that is the ONLY thing that was suppose to happen. King Trump was suppose to sit on his thrown and keep the Tea Party in line. That is the problem you see, King Trump decided to be a real American for a change. Shame on him, he got disgusted with the corruption.
Now mind you, Dictator Rove couldn't get one seat elected in 2012. Hello?
If the Democrats were this corrupt with their electorate, President Obama would never have seen an inauguration. We would still be waiting for our first minority President. Republicans can't hold a candle to the great integrity of the Democratic National Committee. Democrats speak their mind. Ask the Chairperson how many times in a year she is threatened with her political life.
March 17, 2016
House Speaker Paul Ryan (click here) on Thursday said that it was "unacceptable" for Donald Trump to suggest there would be rioting if he is not chosen as the Republican nominee.
"Nobody should say such things in my opinion because to even address or hint to violence is unacceptable," he told reporters on Capitol Hill.
On Wednesday, Trump said on CNN that if he does not win the GOP nomination at the convention in July: "I think you'd have riots. I'm representing a tremendous many, many millions of people."
For the first time, Ryan, who will be the chairman of the convention in Cleveland as Speaker of the House, acknowledged there could be an open convention....
Senator Debbie Sabenow of Michigan was on the US Senate floor presenting a bill she has sponsored that would bring empowerment to towns like Flint to prevent any such tragedy again in the USA. She is asking the US Senate to vote on the bill when the Senate returns. Is that too much to ask of
Mr. McConnell? To actually do some WORTHY work rather than chronically complaining as if it really matters.
Mr. McConnell? To actually do some WORTHY work rather than chronically complaining as if it really matters.
EPA provides guidance documents to help states and public water systems (PWSs) implement the Lead and Copper Rule. The materials below can assist in complying with requirements of the Rule.
Where is Snyder's Emergency Manager that stood in the breech to COMPLIANCE with the law and EPA's regulator authority?
That man in the background says it all.
Flint — It has become a haunting moment: (click here) Emergency Manager Darnell Earley and Mayor Dayne Walling both tasting Flint River water, a drinking source that eventually led to one of the biggest health crises in Michigan history.
That day on April 25, 2014, when Flint was switched to the corrosive water that would eventually expose its residents to high levels of lead has catapulted both men to testify before Congress Tuesday in a week when others, including Gov. Rick Snyder, are also expected to appear.
But much of the spotlight has been on Earley, the longtime urban administrator and expert who had previously worked in Flint, because he was in charge during the transition from Detroit’s water system to the Flint River while a new Karegnondi Water Authority was built....
The City of Flint has had five separate emergency and financial emergency managers in six separate terms. They all should be called to testify.
There are two different emergency management laws involved with Flint, Michigan's water contamination. The Public Law Pre-Snyder is a far different law than the one instituted by Governor Snyder.
Exactly, THE PRESENCE OF MIND. The EPA was operating on the BELIEF the laws were all that was necessary. The EPA had no indication Michigan's Emergency Manager law threw out the book and completely rewrote the rules.
Section 1417 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) (click here) establishes the definition for “lead free” as a weighted average of 0.25% lead calculated across the wetted surfaces of a pipe, pipe fitting, plumbing fitting, and fixture and 0.2% lead for solder and flux. The Act also provides a methodology for calculating the weighted average of wetted surfaces.
The Act prohibits the “use of any pipe, any pipe or plumbing fitting or fixture, any solder, or any flux, after June 1986, in the installation or repair of (i) any public water system; or (ii) any plumbing in a residential or non-residential facility providing water for human consumption, that is not lead free.”...
The Emergency Manager Law post-Snyder is state law. The federal government can't act like a Bat Out of Hell and begin throwing it's weight around. When the federal EPA warned Michigan about the corrosion there was a certain moral understanding in that warning. The federal EPA was acting from the perspective the federal laws were being enforced, but, with a change of water source there needed to be a modification made to eliminate the corrosion.
As time went on and there was a persistent problem with repeated warnings about the corrosion issue the federal EPA was becoming worried. The NEXT step for the federal EPA was to access the federal courts to gain operating authority over Michigan's EMERGENCY MANGER LAW not the environmental laws. The federal EPA has to receive clear JURISDICTION from a court of law to override the STATE LAW standing in the way of enforcement of the federal laws.
This problem DOES NOT belong to the federal EPA. This problem begins and ends at Governor Snyder's Office. The US/federal EPA did not have the authority to walk into Flint, Michigan and turn the water off unless they had the federal judgement to do that.
The people in Flint are the ones that asserted their citizen rights under the First Amendment to speak out and find traction to bring about a faster resolve, hence the awareness by the public in 2015.
What is completely astounding is the scope, the poisons and the COMPLETE indifference of the state government. Never in the wildest imaginations did the personnel in the US EPA had idea there was a complete tragedy occurring while they were demanding compliance with corrosion control. They never had the presence of mind to realize how completely out of control Michigan was at the time there were ten deaths and brain damage of children and health problems of the people of Flint. They had no clue and quite frankly if the US EPA received such a letter from the citizens it would be considered a lack of education and/or lack of respect for a Republican Governor. That is just a guess, but, I am sure the US EPA was worried, but, not so concerned they would have expected such tragedy. It wasn't until THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE came to bear that everyone, including the country, had a change in the presence of mind to realize the tragedy that had occurred in the USA by a Governor out of control.
The House hearing today is SELF-SERVING to every Republican on the committee and a complete STRATEGY to shift blame to the federal government (Obama). To some it seems as though the EPA is making excuses, but, the reality OF THE LAW imposed on regulatory personal is acting in STANDARD PRACTICE. In other words, the US EPA knew there was a problem, but, the scope of the problem is not within STANDARD PRACTICE found in other states. That defense by Secretary McCarthy is valid. She can't be held responsible for her actions because she gave Governor Snyder more credit than he deserved. She never thought an American Governor was capable of such malpractice.
When the tragedy was finally LEARNED by the US EPA and the people of the USA at large it was something that set off enormous reaction to save the people of Flint. The entire country was appalled and didn't know exactly where to start except to act in the supply of water to the people. That is when the people of the USA took control and bottled water has been pouring in while the State government remains in violation of US EPA laws.
At some point the people of the USA have thrown the state government to the dogs and worked with the Mayor and Council to rebuild the infrastructure of Flint. That is not the way USA government is suppose to work. But, people in the USA are great people and they take on problems that should not be theirs. The US House and Senate have yet to adequately address the problem yet alone the tragedy and demanding Snyder to resign. The Republicans in the House and Senate are worthless to the people of Flint. They are leveraging power to shift blame REGARDLESS of the laws.
The governing law is the Lead and Copper Rule which demands, quit correctly, the STATE to be sure the laws are applied and enforced. That is why the US EPA could not take over Flint's water. They DID NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY, by law. They had to move before a court with EVIDENCE to gain authority.
...EPA provides guidance documents (click here) to help states and public water systems (PWSs) implement the Lead and Copper Rule. The materials below can assist in complying with requirements of the Rule.
The current Lead and Cooper Rule is under US EPA review. Just because it is under review due to be written and published in 2017, it does not remove it's brevity. It is STILL the law of the land.
Perhaps one of the changes has to be a change to federal authority, BUT, that would mean more money appropriated to the US EPA for testing, enforcement AND INTERVENTION. If the US EPA had control over Flint's water it would never have lost the Detroit water. It may be that this experience in Flint is one too many times for the USA. Perhaps the federal authority should be written into the law and monies reapportioned from any state subsidies to the US EPA.
The USA House and Senate should be ashamed of their political strategies regarding the people of Flint. That is another reason why the people have to exert control without the Congress involved. REGULATIONS are correct and have to be applied without challenge. THESE ARE THE LIVES OF THE USA PEOPLE, not an amusement park for Wall Street.
Flint — It has become a haunting moment: (click here) Emergency Manager Darnell Earley and Mayor Dayne Walling both tasting Flint River water, a drinking source that eventually led to one of the biggest health crises in Michigan history.
That day on April 25, 2014, when Flint was switched to the corrosive water that would eventually expose its residents to high levels of lead has catapulted both men to testify before Congress Tuesday in a week when others, including Gov. Rick Snyder, are also expected to appear.
But much of the spotlight has been on Earley, the longtime urban administrator and expert who had previously worked in Flint, because he was in charge during the transition from Detroit’s water system to the Flint River while a new Karegnondi Water Authority was built....
The City of Flint has had five separate emergency and financial emergency managers in six separate terms. They all should be called to testify.
There are two different emergency management laws involved with Flint, Michigan's water contamination. The Public Law Pre-Snyder is a far different law than the one instituted by Governor Snyder.
Exactly, THE PRESENCE OF MIND. The EPA was operating on the BELIEF the laws were all that was necessary. The EPA had no indication Michigan's Emergency Manager law threw out the book and completely rewrote the rules.Section 1417 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) (click here) establishes the definition for “lead free” as a weighted average of 0.25% lead calculated across the wetted surfaces of a pipe, pipe fitting, plumbing fitting, and fixture and 0.2% lead for solder and flux. The Act also provides a methodology for calculating the weighted average of wetted surfaces.
The Act prohibits the “use of any pipe, any pipe or plumbing fitting or fixture, any solder, or any flux, after June 1986, in the installation or repair of (i) any public water system; or (ii) any plumbing in a residential or non-residential facility providing water for human consumption, that is not lead free.”...
The Emergency Manager Law post-Snyder is state law. The federal government can't act like a Bat Out of Hell and begin throwing it's weight around. When the federal EPA warned Michigan about the corrosion there was a certain moral understanding in that warning. The federal EPA was acting from the perspective the federal laws were being enforced, but, with a change of water source there needed to be a modification made to eliminate the corrosion.
As time went on and there was a persistent problem with repeated warnings about the corrosion issue the federal EPA was becoming worried. The NEXT step for the federal EPA was to access the federal courts to gain operating authority over Michigan's EMERGENCY MANGER LAW not the environmental laws. The federal EPA has to receive clear JURISDICTION from a court of law to override the STATE LAW standing in the way of enforcement of the federal laws.
This problem DOES NOT belong to the federal EPA. This problem begins and ends at Governor Snyder's Office. The US/federal EPA did not have the authority to walk into Flint, Michigan and turn the water off unless they had the federal judgement to do that.
The people in Flint are the ones that asserted their citizen rights under the First Amendment to speak out and find traction to bring about a faster resolve, hence the awareness by the public in 2015.
What is completely astounding is the scope, the poisons and the COMPLETE indifference of the state government. Never in the wildest imaginations did the personnel in the US EPA had idea there was a complete tragedy occurring while they were demanding compliance with corrosion control. They never had the presence of mind to realize how completely out of control Michigan was at the time there were ten deaths and brain damage of children and health problems of the people of Flint. They had no clue and quite frankly if the US EPA received such a letter from the citizens it would be considered a lack of education and/or lack of respect for a Republican Governor. That is just a guess, but, I am sure the US EPA was worried, but, not so concerned they would have expected such tragedy. It wasn't until THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE came to bear that everyone, including the country, had a change in the presence of mind to realize the tragedy that had occurred in the USA by a Governor out of control.
The House hearing today is SELF-SERVING to every Republican on the committee and a complete STRATEGY to shift blame to the federal government (Obama). To some it seems as though the EPA is making excuses, but, the reality OF THE LAW imposed on regulatory personal is acting in STANDARD PRACTICE. In other words, the US EPA knew there was a problem, but, the scope of the problem is not within STANDARD PRACTICE found in other states. That defense by Secretary McCarthy is valid. She can't be held responsible for her actions because she gave Governor Snyder more credit than he deserved. She never thought an American Governor was capable of such malpractice.
When the tragedy was finally LEARNED by the US EPA and the people of the USA at large it was something that set off enormous reaction to save the people of Flint. The entire country was appalled and didn't know exactly where to start except to act in the supply of water to the people. That is when the people of the USA took control and bottled water has been pouring in while the State government remains in violation of US EPA laws.
At some point the people of the USA have thrown the state government to the dogs and worked with the Mayor and Council to rebuild the infrastructure of Flint. That is not the way USA government is suppose to work. But, people in the USA are great people and they take on problems that should not be theirs. The US House and Senate have yet to adequately address the problem yet alone the tragedy and demanding Snyder to resign. The Republicans in the House and Senate are worthless to the people of Flint. They are leveraging power to shift blame REGARDLESS of the laws.
The governing law is the Lead and Copper Rule which demands, quit correctly, the STATE to be sure the laws are applied and enforced. That is why the US EPA could not take over Flint's water. They DID NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY, by law. They had to move before a court with EVIDENCE to gain authority.
...EPA provides guidance documents (click here) to help states and public water systems (PWSs) implement the Lead and Copper Rule. The materials below can assist in complying with requirements of the Rule.
The current Lead and Cooper Rule is under US EPA review. Just because it is under review due to be written and published in 2017, it does not remove it's brevity. It is STILL the law of the land.
Perhaps one of the changes has to be a change to federal authority, BUT, that would mean more money appropriated to the US EPA for testing, enforcement AND INTERVENTION. If the US EPA had control over Flint's water it would never have lost the Detroit water. It may be that this experience in Flint is one too many times for the USA. Perhaps the federal authority should be written into the law and monies reapportioned from any state subsidies to the US EPA.
The USA House and Senate should be ashamed of their political strategies regarding the people of Flint. That is another reason why the people have to exert control without the Congress involved. REGULATIONS are correct and have to be applied without challenge. THESE ARE THE LIVES OF THE USA PEOPLE, not an amusement park for Wall Street.
Consider this racial reality.
It is my observation of the Trump white man and the Democratic minorities there is economic IDENTITIES that differ between them that enforces racism.
Where does the Trump white man achieve his economic status? Small family business and supplemented with other incomes such as newspaper delivery or a spouse that works outside the home as well as within the family business. Yes?
The American minorities find success in Wall Street employment such as McDonalds and/or Walmart. Those are simply examples of where they are employed. Why is Wall Street hiring ethnic minorities in the USA? Because of federal law that penalizes them for discrimination.
Yes? I stand firm on my beliefs and morals, too.
Where does the Trump white man achieve his economic status? Small family business and supplemented with other incomes such as newspaper delivery or a spouse that works outside the home as well as within the family business. Yes?
The American minorities find success in Wall Street employment such as McDonalds and/or Walmart. Those are simply examples of where they are employed. Why is Wall Street hiring ethnic minorities in the USA? Because of federal law that penalizes them for discrimination.
Yes? I stand firm on my beliefs and morals, too.
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