November 30, 2004

• Thousand of Indians around Bhopal remain at risk of poisoning 20 years after a major disaster in the city.
• I'd heard of this before, but thanks for the reminder. Corporations are most certainly evil.
• The Dow-Chemical.com story
• That link rocks, Argh. Thanks for posting it! (It took me several minutes, I admit it. Shoulda just scrolled up a bit.)
• Wow. I'd never heard this story. My Mom used to live very near the Dow Chemical plant on the coast of Texas. Everyone that lived there for a long time had dealt with the fact that many of their relatives would develop neck tumors. In women they would be benign, in men, malignant. I'm not sure why no one has been successful in suing this company for the suffering that they have caused.
• Here's another good page on the incident. Also includes a map showing where Bhopal is.
• This was actually a very good band
• It's hard to believe that letter from Dow is real. And, if fact, greenpeace says it isn't.. But, I bet it captures the thinking of Dow.
• Union Carbide 'caused' the explosion? Hardly! The gas leak happened because of UC's neglect and corruption, but in a country where the heads of religious organizations are embroiled in murder investigations and certified criminals hold cabinet positions in the central govt.*, this sort of corruption and neglect shouldn't be particularly surprising. * I know. I know. As an American, I really have no business pointing this sort of stuff out.
• So if the cop on my block is napping, then I'm not responsible for poisoning my neighbor when I spray anthrax all over his bed as he sleeps?
• That analogy is nonsensical and irrelevant. Nonsensical because the UC pesticide plant wasn't set up to murder thousands of people by leaking forty tons of MIC, and irrelevant because no one is suggesting that Union Carbide wasn't responsible. My point is simply that we should expect nothing to come of this new investigation by the BBC et al. I doubt anyone in the Indian govt. with the power to do somthing about it cares to do anything about it. They are probably already in Dow's pockets.
• I think the attitude toward the word "cause" was suspect. With all the horror in today's world I'd think it more interesting to debate just what this word means rather than discuss the dead.
• bbc world interview with yes men hoaxster pretending to represent a contrite dow chemical. the interviewee is impressive, if a little over the top. apparently people in bhopal were told about the interview and believed it. they were obviously upset when it became identified as a hoax.
• Bhopal activist dies with broken dreams
• Vandana Shiva Decries the "Outsourcing of Pollution to the Third World"
• India fury over US 'double standards' on BP and Bhopal: Barack Obama's tough stand on Gulf oil spill contrasts with lack of action on Bhopal, campaigners say