Oil’s Toxicity, as Exposed by the Exxon Valdez Spill: A Discussion Near You?

RFA Staff March 15, 2005
Sound Truth and Corporate Myth$: The Legacy of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, a newly released book from Dr. Riki Ott, exposes the long-lasting harm to human and ecosystem health of the 1989 environmental tragedy. Riki Ott is currently touring the country discussing the true toxicity of oil.
In her latest book, Dr. Riki Ott exposes the profound legacy of the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989. The author chronicles the long-lasting environmental harm to Prince William Sound, Alaska, and investigates the health problems suffered by many cleanup workers. Exxon's spill provided a portal to understanding a startling truth: oil is much more toxic than we previously thought. Sound Truth and Corporate Myth$ frames the larger story of the discovery of the truly toxic nature of oil....

"Does toxicity of oil increase as it weathers? Answer : It Depends" by Jerry Neff (click here)

ToxFAQs™forPolycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) (click here)

PAHs are found in coal tar, crude oil, creosote, and roofing tar, but a few are used in medicines or to make dyes, plastics, and pesticides.

Officials worry about Coffeyville oil spill into Verdigris River

July 2, 2007
Coffeyville, Kansas
Photgrapher states :: Water, water everywhere...

It may very well be more than water everywhere.

By Associated Press

7/2/2007 10:02 AM

Last Modified: 7/2/2007 11:50 AM
BARTLESVILLE - An oil spill from a Kansas refinery headed toward Oologah Lake on Monday along the Verdigris River, swollen from several days of heavy rainfall.The oil spilled into the river from the Coffeyville Resources refinery on Sunday and was headed toward Oologah Lake, a water source for the city of Tulsa."There are nine public water supplies along the Verdigris and the Oologah Lake, and none of them are currently affected," said Skylar McElhaney, a spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Quality. "Some of the water plant operators are increasing the level of disinfectant as an additional safety measure."It was unclear if the oil was crude or diesel, McElhaney said, but officials were optimistic the spill would dissipate before it reached Oologah Lake."By the time it gets here, there's a good chance it will be dissipated," said Ross Adkins, a spokesman for the Tulsa District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.Oologah Lake, about 30 miles northeast of Tulsa, provides flood control in the Verdigris and Arkansas River basins. The lake, which has 209 miles of shoreline that includes equestrian and hiking trails, is used by boaters, water skiers, canoeists, sailors and fishermen.

July 2, 2007

South Lake Tahoe, California

Photographer states :: Angora Fire. Fire is now 100% contain and were back home now took these pictures around the high school the fire came as close as 10ft from the back of the school. Butt we lost over 254 homes from an illegal campfire. thank you to all of the firefighter that was able to save mine and hundreds of other homes.

This is the way Texas cares for it's people?

July 2, 2007

Dennison, Texas

Photographer states :: HIGH WATER IS DANGEROUS PERIOD. Lake Texoma Flooding has brought the water way up on the 89,000 acres lake. notice the high voltage power box and the kids are both in the water together. Come on people Wake Up

The current Executive Branch has no reverence for the truth. Yet, they can make war and kill people without conscience.

The link above is to the concept of "Separation of Powers" of the USA Consitution. It was designed for Checks and Balances of powerful people. Realizing that is the understanding that Dick Cheney could never have one foot in each branch of government.

A basic 'run down' on the importance of the three branches of government. The USA Constitution when taken aside and out of context to the Declaration of Independance and Bill of Rights can be dangerous. The USA Consitution "set up" the government in 'the spirit' of the Declaration of Independance. The Bill of Rights was to 'clarify' the 'rights' guaranteed under the Consitution and expand on them.

So, considering the sturcture of the new American government was to secure the rights of individuals from their government or perhaps better said as a result of their government, the most powerful branch of government was always supposed to be a 'representative legislature' designed to carry out the will of the people of the USA. The other branches of government 'have a function' based in the laws passed by the majority of the legislature. Without the legislature the Judiciary and Executive Branches wouldn't have a function. Their actions are dictated by the Legislative Branch.

In the case of the Vice President, which has dearly little function except to stand ready to assume the Presidency should that person no longer be fit to serve; the 'function' is 'lent' to the Senate, as it's President, to resolve a tie. That 'action' is 'a service' to the country by the Executive Branch. In other words, for the Legislative Branch to 'function' beyond it's own politics there has to be a 'check and balance' or literally an equally divided Senate could 'deadlock' the process of legislation forever. That is why the Executive Branch 'lends' it's Vice President to the Senate. It's a 'check and balance' to the best interest of the country.

If the current Vice President continues to attempt to resturcture the 'power balance' of the Executive Branch as it 'manifests' in it's role in the Senate then there is dearly nothing saying the Senate Pro Tempore, and more than likely as well, The Speaker of the House has an equal right to lay claim to rights in the Executive Branch and therefore should have the ability to conduct business within the White House to be prepared to take over the Presidency if they are called upon.

Is Mr. Cheney ready to deal with that reality as he attempts to cover up his "W"rong doings in the name of powers of the Vice President? I doubt it. See, if Cheney can state he has a foot in two branches of government there is nothing preventing others to make the same claim. What Dick Cheney is attempting is unconstitutional, although the Robert's Court in collusion would state differently. The backlash from such a decision in regards to the other branches of government may very well destroy the USA Constitution in it's entirety.

As far as 'the place' for the Judiciary. It simply adjudicates the laws. It doesn't write the laws but ensures the laws are fairly applied to the people of which their 'representation within legislation' demands same. The laws are due to 'representation' of the people, not the 'rule' of a ruling class. Huge difference.

The Executive Branch is simply that and no more. They are Executives that carry out 'the will of the people.' They abide by the legislation and carry out 'the business' of the nation, both internationally and domestically. The President can also propose legislation according to the needs of the nation 'as realized' by the Executive Branch in it's 'function.' But, the Executive Branch can't pass legislation. Here again, the 'veto' power of the Executive Branch is to be sure the 'will of the people' is honored. The 'veto' is a check and balance.

The 'idea' that Cheney actually has powers of Legislators is an outrageous statement. This 'limited vote' in the Senate carries no 'consistency' and cannot have a daily brevity to the legislation. He is simply 'called up' to serve the people in the role of the President of the Senate. He is not empowered to 'affect' legislation on a regular basis. His assertions to anyone whom loves this country is obvious. In saying that some would say whom loves this country more than the people in the Executive Branch? My reply? Are you serious? The country belongs to the people. The people love this country more than any 'representative' to the three branches of this government has a right to lay claim.

I'm sorry, but, there is one characteristic that reigns true of the Bush Executive Branch and that is anarchic self-righteousness. It's unforgivable. I have heard how every president has the opportunity to do all kinds of clemecy and pardons. This president has sent our military to war without reason against another sovereign country. When Bush exonerated Libby from paying a price that the judicial system leveled as a responsible reaction to the severity of the crime as the 'Lies of Libby' disabled Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald from taking the case forward.

Libby's false testimony caused the case to languish in uncertainty. As a result the only way the 'CIA Outing Case' could go forward was to a conclusion was to find Libby a liar and prosecute him for the crimes he committed. This is not political vengence. This has nothing to do with politics. It's about an Executive Branch that does not adhere to 'The Rule of Law' and instead plays by it's own rules. The crimes Libby was convicted of are all very serious reasons to prosecute. "The Truth" is the foundation our laws are built on, without it our judicary is compromosed.

So, with that I'll get on with the week, but, sadly in reflection on the poor health of our nation from all aspects.

I TOLD YOU SO ! Basically, Bush didn't find it difficult to grant a pardon. He found it difficult not to. He's playing politics. The Oval Office went to a lot of trouble to 'roll out' the Libby clemency. They prepared a statement by the president that was released at the same time the information was released. It was carefully worded to include compassion for the family, etc., etc. He even 'gently' indicted the system as being to harsh in it's conviction. Bush is dead "W"rong about that.

The "Lies of Libby" are significant and should have been met with the strongest penalties. The act of outing a CIA agent vindictively as a former Ambassador wrote an Op-Ed in hopes he could reach the nation about, and here again, 'the truth' of his work in Iraq and Niger is unconcionable. It was done to threaten every member of the government's intelligence community that the same will happen to them if they decided to tell 'the truth' to the nation. Literally, the act of outing Plame could have been a death sentence. She was in the USA when it happened but other agents could have been outed while in a country whereby they could be killed easily. I mean what the Oval Office did was simply outrageous.

Bush won’t rule out pardon for Libby (click here)
Calls the decision 'difficult' and says he considered many factors in letting the conviction and fine stand.

WASHINGTON -- One day after canceling the 30-month prison sentence of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, President Bush declined to rule out an outright pardon for Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff."I rule nothing in or nothing out," Bush told reporters today after visiting wounded troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.Bush said the decision to commute Libby's sentence was "very difficult." He said, "I considered his background, his service to the country, as well as the jury verdict."In commuting Libby's sentence, Bush let stand the convictions for perjury and obstruction of justice in conjunction with the CIA leak case. The other terms of Libby's sentence -- two years' probation and a $250,000 fine -- still stand. A pardon would leave Libby with a clean slate: no convictions and no probation or fine.Libby, 56, was Cheney's chief of staff and a powerful figure inside the Bush White House during the buildup to the Iraq war....

Remember who this is? She's with her lawyer while pregnant. Who lied to put her in Iraq? Do you realize the deaths resulting from lies by Bush?

Lynndie England (L), the military police officer who became the public face of inmate abuse at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad, arrives with her attorney Kristin Didonato at a hearing to determine if she will be tried on charges ranging from prisoner abuse to committing indecent acts in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, August 3, 2004.

Spec. Charles A. Graner Jr., 35, another soldier in England's unit, also has been charged with abuses and was involved in a romantic relationship with England; he faces adultery charges for allegedly having sex with England last October. She was visibly pregnant in court last month, and her lawyers have said the child is Graner's.

On September 26, 2005, England was convicted of one count of conspiracy, four counts of maltreating detainees and one count of committing an indecent act. She was acquitted on a second conspiracy count. She was sentenced to three years in a military prison for her crimes.
On September 27, 2005, England apologized only for appearing in the pictures, and never for the maltreatment and assault she committed on the prisoners.
England worked in the kitchen of a prison (Naval Consolidated Brig, Miramar) from which she was paroled on 3 March, 2007, after having served 521 days. She will remain on parole through September 2008, when her three-year sentence will be complete and she will receive a dishonorable discharge.

Her sentence wasn't commuted when she was pregnant. Right? She was surrounded by her family during all this time. All that occurred was felt by those that loved her. Her family has been through a great deal as well. So has she. No capital crimes were committed by Lynndie.

Text

President’s Statement on Libby

The following statement was released by President Bush on July 2, 2007:

The United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit today rejected

Lewis Libby’s request to remain free on bail while pursuing his appeals for the serious convictions of perjury and obstruction of justice. As a result, Mr. Libby will be required to turn himself over to the Bureau of Prisons to begin serving his prison sentence.

I have said throughout this process that it would not be appropriate to comment or intervene in this case until Mr. Libby’s appeals have been exhausted. But with the denial of bail being upheld and incarceration imminent, I believe it is now important to react to that decision.

From the very beginning of the investigation into the leaking of

Valerie Plame’s name, I made it clear to the White House staff and anyone serving in my administration that I expected full cooperation with the Justice Department. Dozens of White House staff and administration officials dutifully cooperated.

After the investigation was under way, the Justice Department appointed United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Patrick Fitzgerald as a Special Counsel in charge of the case. Mr. Fitzgerald is a highly qualified, professional prosecutor who carried out his responsibilities as charged.

This case has generated significant commentary and debate. Critics of the investigation have argued that a special counsel should not have been appointed, nor should the investigation have been pursued after the Justice Department learned who leaked Ms. Plame’s name to columnist

Robert Novak. Furthermore, the critics point out that neither Mr. Libby nor anyone else has been charged with violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act or the Espionage Act, which were the original subjects of the investigation. Finally, critics say the punishment does not fit the crime: Mr. Libby was a first-time offender with years of exceptional public service and was handed a harsh sentence based in part on allegations never presented to the jury.

Others point out that a jury of citizens weighed all the evidence and listened to all the testimony and found Mr. Libby guilty of perjury and obstructing justice. They argue, correctly, that our entire system of justice relies on people telling the truth. And if a person does not tell the truth, particularly if he serves in government and holds the public trust, he must be held accountable. They say that had Mr. Libby only told the truth, he would have never been indicted in the first place.

Both critics and defenders of this investigation have made important points. I have made my own evaluation. In preparing for the decision I am announcing today, I have carefully weighed these arguments and the circumstances surrounding this case.

Mr. Libby was sentenced to thirty months of prison, two years of probation, and a $250,000 fine. In making the sentencing decision, the district court rejected the advice of the probation office, which recommended a lesser sentence and the consideration of factors that could have led to a sentence of home confinement or probation.

I respect the jury’s verdict. But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby’s sentence that required him to spend thirty months in prison.

My decision to commute his prison sentence leaves in place a harsh punishment for Mr. Libby. The reputation he gained through his years of public service and professional work in the legal community is forever damaged.

His wife and young children have also suffered immensely.

He will remain on probation. The significant fines imposed by the judge will remain in effect. The consequences of his felony conviction on his former life as a lawyer, public servant, and private citizen will be long-lasting.

The Constitution gives the President the power of clemency to be used when he deems it to be warranted. It is my judgment that a commutation of the prison term in Mr. Libby’s case is an appropriate exercise of this power.

I guess when it comes to responsibilty for the follies of the wealthy and powerful drip trickle just doesn't work !

Thanks for the memories, Georgie.

U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq at 3,583 (click on title of entry, thank you)

By The Associated Press 07.02.07, 8:30 PM ET

As of Monday, July 2, 2007, at least 3,583 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 2,942 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.
The AP count is six higher than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Monday at 10 a.m. EDT.
The British military has reported 156 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 20; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, seven; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia, three; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Romania, South Korea, one death each.
The latest deaths reported by the military:
_ A soldier was killed Monday by an explosion in Salahuddin province.
_ Two soldiers and one Marine were killed Sunday in Anbar province.
_ A soldier was killed Sunday by small-arms fire in southern Baghdad.
The latest identifications reported by the military:
_ Army Staff Sgt. Robb L. Rolfing, 29, Milton, Mass.; died Saturday in Baghdad of wounds from small-arms fire; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Carson, Colo.
_ Army Pfc. Jonathan M. Rossi, 20, Safety Harbor, Fla.; died Sunday in Baghdad of wounds from an explosive and small-arms fire; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Bliss, Texas.
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed