permaculture

["Kenneth Benway" <ken@arcadiandesign.org>]

Lawrence,
The camp Lejeune situation as well as the tragedy in Texas that Tommy
has
articulated is of grave concern to me. What makes the Camp Lejeune
situation unique from a legal stand point is that the violator of the
communities liberties is the Federal Government rather that private
corporations as in Texas. Actually the Federal Government is technically
a corporation under the UCC (Uniform Commercial Code) and so are the
corporations.
What is essentially the same in both situations however, is the
violation of the community's property rights and personal freedom. From
the standpoint of law I don't know the best way to hold the responsible
parties accountable for their negligence. At the very least in both
cases the first step must be to halt whatever practices have contributed
to the situation and creating a supply of uncontaminated water. Due to
the wide spread nature of the contamination of both ground and surface
water (not to mention the soil) perhaps rain catchment and distribution
systems would be the most sustainable and cost effective way to address
the long term demand. Continuing to haul water into the area from
outside sources is going to get expensive if it continues indefinitely.
Whole house carbon filters coupled with Reverse Osmosis and Deionization
for drinking and cooking water could also help using the existing water
supply. With regard to contaminants in the soil perhaps some sort of
phytoremediation may alleviate the toxic soil conditions to some degree.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how?

On one final note, one of the obstacles that have faced litigation
efforts in cases like this is that corporate (fictitious) entities are
treated as persons under the law, this notion in my view is insane. If
you've watched the documentary "The Corporation" one of the final
conclusions reached is that we need a constitutional amendment
abolishing these corporate rights, then we can really start making some
headway with these polluting bastards! 

Ken Benway
Arcadian Design
St Petersburg Fl
www.kenbenway.com


-----Original Message-----
From: permaculture-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:permaculture-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Lawrence F.
London, Jr.
Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 10:41 PM
To: permaculture
Subject: Re: [permaculture] Ron Paul

Tommy Tolson wrote:

> How many cancer victims do we bury before we get fighting mad at
polluters?  
> Cancer is 95% environmentally caused and US citizens do not have the 
> power to be genuinely responsible for cleaning up the environment 

Here you go, in tonight's news:
|

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/06/12/toxic.tapwater/index.html
Camp Lejeune water pollution, cancer link investigated
POSTED: 8:13 p.m. EDT, June 12, 2007

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Some 75,000 Marines and their families at Camp
Lejeune in North Carolina were exposed to toxic tap 
water that may have caused cancer and birth defects, a federal health
official testified Tuesday.

Results of a new study of the base's water were released Tuesday, the
same day lawmakers heard emotional testimony from 
families who were affected by the water, which contained 40 times the
amount of toxins considered safe by today's standards.

Camp Lejeune's water supply was polluted from 1957 until 1987 by TCE, a
degreasing solvent, and PCE, a dry cleaning 
agent. The chemicals apparently came from a dry cleaning store near the
base, according to the government.


At least 850 former Camp Lejeune residents have filed legal claims.
Pollution discovered in 1982

In 1992, federal regulators set the maximum allowable amount at 5
micrograms of PCE per liter, Sinks told CNN in a 
telephone interview after he testified before the House Oversight and
Investigations Subcommittee.

But residents at Camp Lejeune were exposed to an average of 70
micrograms of PCE per liter, with the highest levels 
around 200 micrograms per liter.

The contamination was discovered in 1982 in several wells that fed into
two of the base's eight water systems, according 
to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, a federal
public health agency.

The agency, which has been studying the contamination since 1993, blamed
leaking underground storage tanks, spills and 
drum disposal as well as solvent-disposal practices at an off-base dry
cleaners.

Its Web site, www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/lejeune, lets Marines enter the
dates they lived on the base and learn about their 
exposure.

The chairman of the committee, Democratic Rep. John Dingell of Michigan,
said he will examine handling of the water 
investigation in 2005 by the Environmental Protection Agency's criminal
division.

An EPA investigator, Tyler Amon, acknowledged Tuesday that officials had
considered accusing some civilian Navy 
employees of obstruction of justice.

Amon, who testified despite objections from the Bush administration,
said some employees interviewed during the criminal 
investigation appeared coached and were not forthcoming with details.

Rep. Ed Whitfield of Kentucky, the panel's ranking Republican, said he
was puzzled why criminal charges weren't pursued.

"We have many people who have died," Whitfield said. "We have many
people who have suffered significant health problems."

===============================

Repeat:

"Amon, who testified despite objections from the Bush administration,
said some employees interviewed during the 
criminal investigation appeared coached and were not forthcoming with
details."

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