Should I be shocked to discover that contaminants dumping has been going on for decades in Niagara County? Well my ignorance and apolitical past is showing. I received a response from Assem. Delmonte to my e-mail requesting she take action on the GE PCB waste coming from cross state. The letter noted that waste has been coming to NC for some time from 30 states, Canada and Puerto Rico! CANADA??? PUERTO RICO???!!!!
Should I be shocked or should I get with it like the county as a whole, stuff the rage and pretend that “that’s just the way it is and you can’t really do anything about it”? Surely some yahoo out there is going to accuse me of being a tree hugging Environmentalist like that’s a bad thing. Or some other shills, more interested in pompously self-righteously moralizing about the so-called hypocritical candidates for office and traditional corruption, will simply ignore this potentially critical moment in our county.
My first impulsive reaction was to put my house up for sale and get the hell out of this cess pool of a county. Even if I were going to fight this, does one stand inside a burning building while trying to put out the fire? Does one treat a patient dying of cancer with aspirin? I’ve been here over 15 years and am as much responsible for our plight as the native residents. But I must ask where they have all been since this devastation started. A very small handful of true citizens are aware and active. I applaud them and apologize to them for my own ignorance and inactivity.
But how do we explain this popular malaise and capitulation to such egregeious State exploitation and domination of our county. One caller to the Scott Leffler show quipped, “Hey, wasn’t Tony Soprano in the waste management business?” Funny and insightful. Possibly a “criminal element” has been behind the prostitution of our land for decades for the sake of profit. But it does not really matter because what is being done is criminal in and of itself whether mob criminals or the State. They are two sides of the same coin if either are complicit in this immoral and sordid sacrifice of our land and image.
However let’s not pass the political buck. In the end only the people are responsible. This includes our supposed representatives. Letter writing is not enough. Undoubtedly, apparently trucks are coming into NC as we speak. If as Delmonte points out, “Even higher levels of hazardous waste imports in New York will occur if more land disposal capacity is permitted by the DEC,” then we had better put up a sign (which is really already on our backs): NIAGARA COUNTY: Open for Business/We’ll take anything you have to dispose. Give us your PCBs, your dioxins, your radioactive waste, your sludge and anything else that no self-respecting community would allow to rest in their front yards. But we’ll take it because we don’t give a shit. We accept it. In fact we seem to find it acceptable because we don’t have any self-respect.
Or is part of the explanation as to why this goes on for decades the obvious fact that somebody is making money from this or saving money. And is it that some politicians are getting contributions because of their failure, that is their silence, passivity and complicity, in failing to end this practice. I have reports that Maziarz takes money from CWM. Another respondent to this blog says it’s not true. What’s the story here? Has anybody out there traced the money trail here? Does any other politician take money from the waste management industry? I’d love to know if you have information.
How long can NC sustain such hypocrisy and self-contradictory behavior? How long can we pretend to be one of the wonders of the world and a World Class Destination when we are actually the “world contaminants destination,” one of 17 in the country and the only one in the northeast. We are also, don’t forget, the radioactive burial ground of the Manhattan Project. Lou Riciutti has been trying to drive this home for a decade or more. If even 1/10 of what he claims is true it is understandable why we have the level of disease we do have.
However even the activists in this county and in western NY are divided. No one works together. Should the various activist groups and individuals ever come together in the interest of the natural integrity of our communities nothing could stop us. But the “bureaucratic agencies mindset” seems to predominate. Do these groups know that if they don’t get serious some bureaucratic agency will throw some hush money their way? Isn’t it happening already? Does everyone think they are the Lone Ranger? Why don’t the politicians act as leaders as opposed to letter writers, career politicans and parliamentary conformists.
Niagara County is without effective and meaningful leadership. Surely the time is ripe and if not now when. Do we wait until no one takes us seriously at all. Or is that time come already.
This is a time for political revolt starting with taking a stand that Niagara County finds our present environmental state of affairs and anticipated exploitation on the State DEC slate as absolutely and unequivocally unacceptable. That means that we must officially and popularly start from the committed stand that we will not accept this waste or any part of it in our county under any condition.
We have a choice of being a diminished, defeated and humiliated humanity or revolting against NC being the designated sacrifice of NYS and the USA and even Canada. This is not about being “against the State.” It’s about being for ourselves and the values and way of life we stand for and are willing to fight for. Let’s not allow special interests and exploiters desecrate and destroy this beautiful county.
Finally this all reminded me of the image of impoverished slumdwellers in the garbage heaps of Rio de Janiero trying to find salvageable food and goods. Some day that may be us, scavenging thru the wasteland of Niagara County trying to find some uncontaminated soil to build a house on. Or trying to find some clean water to drink. Or possibly even some clean air to breath.
This is a choice. A moral and political choice. Nothing is destined to happen here. We make it happen or allow it to happen. These choices determine what will be considered as right and eventually legal and legitimate. There are no necessities or inevitabilities. There is only what we create. We speak and act for ourselves or we will be used. As simple as that.
Scott Leffler and Cable boy Rob,
ReplyDeleteI'm calling you out.
I've been to the NTS NOE and ran several reports - I Can't find a thing that connects CWM and George.
Please point me to the specific report if you have such a great handle on it boys
Good show today Scott
Larry,
ReplyDeleteI read your whole blog today!
Are you coming back to Hobbs sight anytime soon I miss you.
I thought we were a team.
Signed Cable Boy Bob
Dear Cable Boy,
ReplyDeleteThanks for what I think is a vote of confidence. But no I won't be posting on Hobbes site. It's too demeaning and insulting for him to arbitrarily censor my post when his site is filled with so much drivel and gossip. I won't lower myself to post on that site. Of course if he apologizes for his impulsive and irrational heavyhandedness, I would. But he owes me an apology and I'm not holding my breath. I have a lot to say and I'll post on my site and a few others around town. Thanks.
Larry please don't lower yourself to hobbes level. I think he is posting most of the comments just to look like someone cares about what he writes. PS Lets all boycott that bogus site.
ReplyDeleteProfessor --
ReplyDeleteIt's been a while, eh?
On whether or not Maziarz takes money from CWM, and whether or not that has or will influence his actions...the state board of elections web site is relatively easy to search. You should try it sometime -- fascinating what you might learn.
I did a search on all reportable contributions to Maziarz from 1995 to date. What I learned is that CWM made -- and Mazairz apparently accepted -- a single $500 donation in February of 2001. What the BOE database does not make clear (at least to me) is whether or not Maziarz kept it. You could ask him. I suspect he would tell you.
Over that same time period, the database shows that CWM made reportable political contributions of $20,998. Of that, $14,500 was made in three large donations to a state committee and a senate campaign other than Maziarz in 2004 and 2005.
I would hope a rational, thinking person would see that a single donation -- more than seven years ago -- is not likely to have influenced the Senator, or anyone else in a similar situation, to even a modest degree. I would also hope that same person might see that a large business donating an average of about $3,000 per year over a seven year period probably isn't going to move the needle on the politics gauge very far in any direction.
But, the conspiracy theorists amongst us most certainly will see evil behind every dollar. I will not attempt to dissuade them of that idea, because I have learned that such people will not be dissuaded regardless of the strength of argument.
In the meantime Maziarz was first, or among the first, out of the gate in saying this must stop and promising to do something about. Your multiple posts on this subject clearly places the burden of success on his shoulders. I will argue that that is hardly far, and certainly isn't practical. You argued that he is the most powerful politician here, and I agree. But he is far from the only one and, given that two of the three key bodies or offices (Gov. and Assembly) are held or controlled by Dems, I'd suggest that they have at least equal responsibility and, dare I say it, opportunity to do something.
I am glad that so many are now just discovering what has been in plain sight in Niagara County for many, many decades.
Niagara (meaning the sum of its parts -- its people, its politicians, its businesses) began the process of industrialization of the county more than 100 years ago, largely coinciding with the development of hydro electric generation at the Falls. It was the steady stream of low-cost power that attracted industry here in the first place and, with that, came the various businesses that supported them.
Perfect hindsight tells us a better deal might have been made at the time. That ignores, of course, that such deals provided jobs and incomes for our parents, our grandparents and, in some cases, great grandparents.
Perfect blinders will help us say that we can and must stop, right now, regardless of the consequences. And perfect presentience will have us say that it will all be better in the future.
I hate that you can't spit on the ground here without hitting a brownfield. I hate that so many of those businesses have used what they could and left the rest behind.
You are correct...there is a choice. It would appear that Maziarz has made his, and I thank him for it. Others need to do the same, and we should hold ALL of their feet to the fire.
Now, back to your regular programming...
Good to hear from you. I in fact have been wondering what happened to you. I presumed you were on vacation or something. … What you said regarding the $500 is also what Scott Leffler found, contrary to what his challenger maintained which was that Maziarz never took anything from CWM. But as he and you said, and I agree, I doubt that that is going to tip the scale of Maziarz proper allegiance and integrity. …. I have also written to DelMonte and to Grannis at the DEC. I got a nice response from DelMonte with a copy of the letter she sent to Patterson. …. However I didn’t think I was dumping on Maziarz and placing a burden on him that was unfair. In fact I thought I was simply pointing out something that I trust he would be easily quite capable of, namely, mobilizing grass roots support, maybe even some old time protest politics. Get people inspired. Possibly it’s not his style but what does he/they/we do when DEC says “Sorry, Sports Fans, but here come the 1500 trucks. Get used to it!” I thought my challenge to him was showing confidence, trust and encouragement. Maybe it didn’t come off that way but in all honesty I have nothing against him despite my doubts about how straightforward he has been about a variety of recent events I won’t dredge up again. Also I think the distinction between the party bureaucratic and political leader is important…. After the Leffler show 2 days ago, I felt that the people were ready to be led toward some type of action beyond waiting for the elected officials to do something. I’m sure history can’t be reversed on a dime but I was trying to make a point about a kind of “decisionism” that orients organization, commitment and taking an irreversible stand. We may fail but we won’t compromise our integrity. What such a political act of decision does is become the primary determinant of what counts as factual and right. The DEC is simply, probably, going to tell Maziarz that the dumping is ‘necessary’ according to their logic. They will say it is in the interest of the good of the whole state and we just have to make the sacrifice. So their reason and values will ‘decide’ for us what is true and good and right. But their reasoning is absolutely relative and contingent. A decisionistic positioning is like a declaration of independence with respect to values that make our lives worth living. After all as you obviously know, such a “decision as declaration” is what inaugurated this whole country. I'll continue my own letter writing campaign and in all sincerety I wish Maziarz luck in his approach to the problem.
ReplyDelete…. Lastly, you won’t see me at Niagara Times anymore. Hobbes censored me twice and that’s 2 too many times for my taste. Short of an apology I won't contribute there again. I suspect that’s what he wanted anyhow. He got his wish even though it took a proto-fascistic act to do it. It’s his loss as far as I’m concerned. Take care and thanks for your comments.
Professor -- Yes, a vacation was in there, but also a break from some of the silliness that is becoming pervasive on all sorts of sites that I read and comment on from time to time...not just Hobbes' site. Don't know what the censorship is all about but I'll take you at your word. It's too bad...I don't often agree with you, but mostly like to read your comments (albeit w/dictionary at the ready).
ReplyDeletePlease understand that my post here was not intended to suggest that we simply wait for the politicians to do something, nor should we simply take what is shoved at us.
The state as a whole is complicit in our current situation. It has been known for years that hazardous wastes were in need of clean-up from the GE site in the East. It is one of probably dozens across the state that are or will be remediated in the not too distant future. That's the good part. The bad part is that the state has, for decades I believe, been dragging its collective feet on just what to do with the waste materials. NY clearly needs at least one more qualified facility to handle such wastes but, as you can certainly imagine, every other community is poised to say "not here you don't." So, since we already have a site, well, let's just ship it there. Path of least resistance, as it were.
In plain English, it simply sucks that NYS has this issue at all, but in trying to protect Niagara or WNY from further abuse, is it fair to ship our mistakes to another state? Or another country? I don't think so. So, we really have a dilemma following a dilemma. How do we stop this material from being shipped here and, if we are successful, just what exactly happens to it. It has to go somewhere, yes?
It would seem to me that the first steps might involve reaching out to the CWMs of the world. Let's engage them in coversation, since they are the purported experts, and find out -- what alternatives are there to 1,500 trucks in Niagara County? How best should the state, as a whole, proceed. I would think academia might play a vital role -- researchers, scientists, educators -- who have expertise to offer.
Back to Maziarz, in defense of Rob Clark's challenger, you have to go back quite a ways to find what appears to be the only donation from CWM to the senator. Rob did suggest, rather strongly at times, that there were plenty more. I'd call that a toss up.
I do believe, however, that in your own fashion you were practicing some of the same politics of suggestion and innuendo that you decry on that other site on the matter of finances. It does tend to distract from your otherwise well-reasoned discussion on why we simply shouldn't roll over on this.
I probably come across as an apologist for the senator, and that could be because I know him to be a good man.
Im any event, I hope to back on your site from time to time. Don't hold it against that I may also appear on that other site.
Some of it is drivel, to be sure, but you have to keep a sense of humor. Someone there has a great sense of humor, and showed it again to today with a reference to my dream concert in heaven -- Hendrix, Morrison & Joplin.
Pirate,
ReplyDeleteThanks for giving me credit for having a well reasoned argument. If I was practicing an innuendo that suggests something unfair to Maziarz in the last two pieces I seriously would like to know what it is. So in the spirit of trying to stay consciously away from backhanded rhetoric as much as humanly possible let me say this: I have no doubt that Maziarz is a “good man.” He’s probably as good as any of us. But I don’t know what that has to do with ‘apologizing’ for his political acts or criticizing them.
I will say explicitly and up front that I believe (can’t prove) but believe that he is a backroom player. He’s a power politician, as manipulative as the next. And that means I think he is politically unethical. But admittedly that’s just my belief. Nevertheless when things don’t add up as in the notorious Christy affair, then there’s some backroom dealings which are probably slimy, unethical and a matter of power politics which to me implies a deceptive form of political violence. Do I think his funding influences his judgement. Of course I do. Do I think ‘member items’ (what a great euphemism) buy votes. Of course I do. But my beliefs about what I’ve seen in my brief tenure as self-appointed pundit are not pure fantasy or fabrication.
Politics as Aristotle was the first to point out is not a factual science despite the ideologically misleading Political Science of the university system. Political truth is probable not apodictic (that’ll keep you busy in the dictionary for a while). Political events can never be observed in a laboratory; so they have to be reconstructed always in the light of unobservables that can only be theoretically determined. (Philosophy lesson for the day over. You can breath now.) But my point is that I’ll probably never be able to prove that Maziarz’s money shapes his judgement. But in a world where money is construed legally as equivalent to a voice that has a right to speak, well, we all have a right to be suspicious.
But your points about our practical situation vis a vis Albany, etc. are well taken. Nevertheless I feel my ‘decisionistic’ position at this point in our county history is valid. When is enough enough? Where is our self-respect, pride, integrity, etc? If the state has procrastinated this long, another 50 years is nothing. Anyhow gotta’ go. ….
Just don’t let the fascism and silliness over at Censorship City defile your reason. I’m all for a good sense of humor, I just don’t find arbitrary judgements about who gets to speak by the likes of Hobbes very funny. …. And I’m on board with the dream concert.
Prof,
ReplyDeleteThanks for doing the reseach for Rob and Scott.
I did not look that far back, so I guess Rob is right. Hoever, I do think that George should return the monies. In the past, I have asked Dan and Rob Clark to return the monies that he recieved from the pimp.
Dan and Rob should clear the air and take Diane Robert's advice to the everyone and support or "...volunteering at shelters for battered women..."
What do you say Rob Clark - it's only $100.00. Lead by example young blood....
Please join our group to stop commercial toxic waste being landfilled in New York State.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=21276116373