(Image from PCWorld)
The cravenness of a certain species of public official never changes, and the dynamic of their behavior when forced to choose between public health and private profit is as predictable as gravity.
Yesterday's Southtown Star brings us the story of the latest batch of Rational Economic Agents to make it into the headlines...
Class-action lawsuit filed over water
April 24, 2009
BY WILLIAM LEE, staff writer
A Crestwood resident on Thursday filed a class-action lawsuit against the village, contending that officials intentionally concealed the presence of dangerous chemicals in a municipal well for 20 years.
The lawsuit, filed by Joseph Marzano in Cook County Circuit Court, says the contaminated well water was regularly mixed with Lake Michigan in Crestwood's water supply, endangering the health of village residents. The well finally was shut off in 2007 during a statewide testing of municipal wells by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
The lawsuit names Mayor Robert Stranczek and his father, former Mayor Chester Stranczek, as defendants as well as between one and 30 unidentified defendants whom it says were complicit in the alleged scheme.
Chester Stranczek, who ran the town for 38 years until retiring in 2007, knew of the use of the well water in the drinking water supply and approved of it to save money on the more expensive lake water, according to the lawsuit.
It says the well water contained chemicals, including vinyl chloride, a highly toxic synthetic chemical linked to cancer and other health problems.
Calls to Marzano's attorneys weren't returned Thursday night.
...
And if all this sounds depressingly familiar you mght be remembering January, 2006, when we learned that Dick Cheney's Halliburton was making our soldiers in Iraq drink toilet water:
Halliburton Cited in Iraq ContaminationAnd as I wrote back then:
By LARRY MARGASAK, Associated Press Writer 17 minutes ago
Troops and civilians at a U.S. military base in Iraq were exposed to contaminated water last year and employees for the responsible contractor, Halliburton, couldn't get their company to inform camp residents, according to interviews and internal company documents.
Halliburton, the company formerly headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, disputes the allegations about water problems at Camp Junction City, in Ramadi, even though they were made by its own employees and documented in company e-mails.
"We exposed a base camp population (military and civilian) to a water source that was not treated," said a July 15, 2005, memo written by William Granger, the official for Halliburton's KBR subsidiary who was in charge of water quality in Iraq and Kuwait.
"The level of contamination was roughly 2x the normal contamination of untreated water from the Euphrates River," Granger wrote in one of several documents. The Associated Press obtained the documents from Senate Democrats who are holding a public inquiry into the allegations Monday.
...
...
I guarantee you that Dubya’s dog has never had to drink shit-laced water, and the Aquafina his daughters suck down between mojitos never smelled like ass.
Or you maybe you're thinking of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen from 127 years ago.
From "An Enemy of the People":
...From seatbelts to cigarettes.
Peter Stockmann. As I said, I believe you exaggerate the matter considerably. A capable physician ought to know what measures to take--he ought to be capable of preventing injurious influences or of remedying them if they become obviously persistent.
Dr. Stockmann. Well? What more?
Peter Stockmann. The water supply for the Baths is now an established fact, and in consequence must be treated as such. But probably the Committee, at its discretion, will not be disinclined to consider the question of how far it might be
possible to introduce certain improvements consistently with a reasonable expenditure.
Dr. Stockmann. And do you suppose that I will have anything to do with such a piece of trickery as that?
Peter Stockmann. Trickery!!
Dr. Stockmann. Yes, it would be a trick--a fraud, a lie, a downright crime towards the public, towards the whole community!
Peter Stockmann. I have not, as I remarked before, been able to convince myself that there is actually any imminent danger.
...
From evolution to airbags.
From global climate change to the minimum wage.
From the repeal of Glass-Steagall to the water in the little town of Crestwood.
A tiny fraction of a shameful list of that goes on and on and on in a maddening rhyme scheme which never varies.
The reason that Ibsen could write a play -- over a century ago, on the other side of the world -- which would resonate so perfectly with headlines about small-town perfidy and Big Time corporate corruption is that this pattern of human behavior is as sadly calculable as the orbit of planets.
First, as long as the bubble grows and everyone is getting rich, the burghers are only too happy to have an expert lend his credibility to their enterprise:
...
Peter Stockmann. Taking one thing with another, there is an
excellent spirit of toleration in the town--an admirable
municipal spirit. And it all springs from the fact of our having
a great common interest to unite us--an interest that is in an
equally high degree the concern of every right-minded citizen
Hovstad. The Baths, yes.
Peter Stockmann. Exactly---our fine, new, handsome Baths. Mark my
words, Mr. Hovstad--the Baths will become the focus of our
municipal life! Not a doubt of it!
Mrs. Stockmann. That is just what Thomas says.
Peter Stockmann. Think how extraordinarily the place has
developed within the last year or two! Money has been flowing in,
and there is some life and some business doing in the town.
Houses and landed property are rising in value every day.
...
Then the expert discovers a rot at the heart of the venture, and quickly moves to call it to the attention of his "friends" -- the men of commerce -- knowing they will want to protect the public and do the right thing:
...
Dr. Stockmann. Indeed I have been busy, Katherine. But here I had
none of the necessary scientific apparatus; so I sent samples,
both of the drinking-water and of the sea-water, up to the
University, to have an accurate analysis made by a chemist.
Hovstad. And have you got that?
Dr. Stockmann (showing him the letter). Here it is! It proves the
presence of decomposing organic matter in the water--it is full
of infusoria. The water is absolutely dangerous to use, either
internally or externally.
Mrs. Stockmann. What a mercy you discovered it in time.
Dr. Stockmann. You may well say so.
Hovstad. And what do you propose to do now, Doctor?
Dr. Stockmann. To see the matter put right, naturally.
Hovstad. Can that be done?
Dr. Stockmann. It must be done. Otherwise the Baths will be
absolutely useless and wasted. But we need not anticipate that; I
have a very clear idea what we shall have to do.
...
Poor, dumb bastard:
As true 127 years ago as it is today, this is what Reaganomics and "the magic of the marketplace" look like up-close and personal.
This is why civilization requires both fact-based regulation of the natural proclivities of commerce, and a progressive government with the money and muscle to make sure those regulations are enforced.
Because when we don't -- sooner that you'd believe possible -- we end up poisoning children for profit.
10 comments:
lest it go unsaid - Dr.Stockman's other mistake was to trust the media/press to do the 'right thing' (act in the public interest as opposed to their own).
The Ibsen reference is brilliantly apt. This whole "wisdom of the marketplace" shit always made no sense to me. Why is it always "individual greed -> lots of greedy people -> unicorns and rainbows" bullshit, instead of "individual greed -> lots of greedy people -> systemic greed"?
Ok, I grew up in Oak Forest Il, within bike distance of Crestwood. The school district cut across both our communities (and Midlothian in between).
Roughly 20 years ago, I attended a slumber party at a friend's place in Crestwood, and I vividly remember the glass of water with the brown stuff floating in it. Not thirsty anymore!
So on one hand I am not shocked to find this out. On the other hand, I am shocked that somebody did something about it.
Water is too important to have a profit motive attached to it. The end.
Bah, accidentally hit "post" before filling in name.
-- Not thirsty formerly in Oak Forest
An Ibsen reference! This has given me no end of delight.
But what I really want to see is if you can work in Peer Gynt somehow!
Great post.
Here in central Florida, because of years and years of the usual scandal, graft, am radio agit-prop and tradition of cracker-Reaganism we can't get a stim-funded commuter rail line approved. State House is more interested in ACORN-proofing election campaigns, EFCA-proofing the workplace, and abortion-proofing pregnancy.
Sprawling development is the racket down here, and it's chock full of 'poisons'. Used to be possible to say it was an invisible range of toxins, but that was decades ago. Bummer.
Crestwood is on the banks of one of the longest man-made open sewers in existence.
A way-station for Chicago's waste on it's journey to St. Louis, New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico.
Stunning 19th century technology grandfathered into modern life.
Its supply is "treated sewerage" blended with Lake Michigan water for it's trip downstream with towns, cities and whole counties adding their swill to mix along the way.
What could possibly go wrong with a water well bored into the water table along its route?
Chester "Save a Buck" Stranczek was a hero to his town. He kept taxes down. He wasn't AS corrupt as the usual Crook County pols.
He also wasn't much of a scientist.
The well-water supplement wasn't a secret, it was just forgotten over time. Stupidity compounded?
Every home I've ever been in around/along the S&S canal uses bottled water and most had home treatment systems for the ancillary use.
Decades of development catering to city dwelling exodants, yuppies and pollution generating industry probably should have included a
dos and don'ts handbook.
Number one on the list being "Don't Drink the Water". #2. Don't bathe in the water. #3. Avoid prolonged exposure to the water.
#4. Make sure your health care is covered.
Welcome to Paradise.
USA Today reported recently that California is heading for its third yeard of drought, with conditions even worse than usual. More fires, more ruined crops, more jobs lost. Water matters.
The coming battles over oil and carbon are only the first salvos in a series of battles that could last centuries, all over resources: water, food and land to grow things on.
http://hellodollyllama.blogspot.com/2009/04/ready-to-fight-world-war-for-water.html
drifty:
I grew up in Chicago Heights. My grandfather and father both died from Adult leukemia, not a hereditary disease. With Dau Chemical and 4 steel mills in town, I've often wondered what happened to the air and water in town before, and after, OSHA came about. But then, "Da Heights" is where the mayor and all the city commissioners can all end up in jail at the same time, so anything is possible. Just glad I moved away. Never took a drink directly from the faucet my whole childhood, it looked almost like an apple/orange juice blend.
"The reason that Ibsen could write a play -- over a century ago, on the other side of the world -- which would resonate so perfectly with headlines about small-town perfidy and Big Time corporate corruption is that this pattern of human behavior is as sadly calculable as the orbit of planets."
We ARE a greedy and species sucking parasite, aren't we. *G*
Hell of a turn of a phrase Drifty . . . . one of the best I've seen , , , , nice work, hoss. Teh Wow, I Bow.
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