{"id":1091,"date":"2008-03-29T21:31:39","date_gmt":"2008-03-30T01:31:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/s265039441.onlinehome.us\/philpaine\/?p=1091"},"modified":"2018-08-14T19:10:13","modified_gmt":"2018-08-14T23:10:13","slug":"saturday-march-29-2008-the-poisoning-of-a-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/?p=1091","title":{"rendered":"Saturday, March 29, 2008 \u2014 The Poisoning of a People"},"content":{"rendered":"

I just saw an old movie from the ear\u00adly 1980\u2019s called Tes\u00adta\u00adment<\/em>. It was an attempt to show the lives of the peo\u00adple of a small Amer\u00adi\u00adcan town after a nuclear war. It\u2019s a very sim\u00adple film. In it, the nuclear war hap\u00adpens off-stage. It por\u00adtrays a Cal\u00adi\u00adfor\u00adnia town, far from tar\u00adgets. As it grad\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly los\u00ades con\u00adtact with the rest of the world, its cit\u00adi\u00adzens do the best they can to main\u00adtain their fam\u00adi\u00adlies and com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty, while radi\u00ada\u00adtion sucks away their lives. The film was made with respect for its audi\u00adence. The peo\u00adple in it seem to come from anoth\u00ader Amer\u00adi\u00adca, one where you would expect that peo\u00adple would do their best, even in the most hope\u00adless con\u00adceiv\u00adable sit\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtion. A few exploiters, a few look-out-for-num\u00adber-one ass\u00adholes turn up, to be sure, but most peo\u00adple are ready and will\u00ading to behave like free and civ\u00adi\u00adlized men and women, even when faced with this ulti\u00admate test.<\/span><\/p>\n

I rec\u00adog\u00adnized the film\u2019s basic truth, because I knew those peo\u00adple. Decent, hard-work\u00ading Amer\u00adi\u00adcans, who gen\u00ader\u00adal\u00adly treat\u00aded each oth\u00ader with mutu\u00adal respect. There were mil\u00adlions of them, across the coun\u00adtry. The film was set in North\u00adern Cal\u00adi\u00adfor\u00adnia, a place I had lived, and knew well. A few years lat\u00ader, there was a dev\u00adas\u00adtat\u00ading earth\u00adquake, there. Those same kind of peo\u00adple were every\u00adwhere, behav\u00ading with both com\u00adpe\u00adtence and decency.<\/span><\/p>\n

The part of Oak\u00adland, Cal\u00adi\u00adfor\u00adnia, near where the most dra\u00admat\u00adic dam\u00adage occurred, was a slum, home to low income African-Amer\u00adi\u00adcans liv\u00ading in drea\u00adry hous\u00ading projects. A long seg\u00adment of the dou\u00adble-deck\u00ader Cypress free\u00adway, run\u00adning through that neigh\u00adbour\u00adhood, col\u00adlapsed. Com\u00admuters, most\u00adly sub\u00adur\u00adban\u00adites dri\u00adving to a base\u00adball game, were crushed between the two con\u00adcrete decks. Many died, and many injured sur\u00advivors were trapped in cars which resem\u00adbled so many squashed beer cans.<\/span><\/p>\n

With\u00adin min\u00adutes of the quake, teams of ordi\u00adnary cit\u00adi\u00adzens, who lived in the near\u00adest hous\u00ading project, ran to the wrecked free\u00adway. In the words of fire\u00admen who arrived after\u00adwards, \u201cdozens of extra\u00ador\u00addi\u00adnar\u00adi\u00adly brave cit\u00adi\u00adzens climbed shat\u00adtered sup\u00adport columns and \u2013 hold\u00ading onto curled steel rein\u00adforce\u00adment rods that had been bent and exposed by the fear\u00adsome col\u00adlapse \u2013 made their way along the top deck. Dust and smoke rose straight up into the warm after\u00adnoon air. These brave peo\u00adple cov\u00adered their faces with hand\u00adker\u00adchiefs and rags for pro\u00adtec\u00adtion from cement dust and the acrid smoke of many burn\u00ading auto\u00admo\u00adbiles, and went from car to car to search for sur\u00advivors. Strong earth\u00adquake after\u00adshocks rocked the tee\u00adter\u00ading, inse\u00adcure free\u00adway. One of these cit\u00adi\u00adzen res\u00adcuers yelled, \u2018I need some\u00adthing to pry the door open! He\u2019s alive\u2026alive\u2026he heard me!\u2019 as the first Oak\u00adland fire\u00adfight\u00aders arrived.\u201d [1] When the respon\u00adsi\u00adble pub\u00adlic author\u00adi\u00adties were called upon to do their tasks, they worked with an effi\u00adcien\u00adcy and com\u00adpe\u00adtence that segued smooth\u00adly into the spon\u00adta\u00adneous response of the ordi\u00adnary citizens.<\/span><\/p>\n

These were the Amer\u00adi\u00adcans that I knew and respect\u00aded, and whom I was proud to have as neigh\u00adbours to my own coun\u00adtry, Cana\u00adda. I under\u00adstood how these peo\u00adple thought and behaved, because they were exact\u00adly like the peo\u00adple I am sur\u00adround\u00aded with, here at home, in Toron\u00adto. We, too, had our social fab\u00adric test\u00aded by a disaster.in our west\u00adern sub\u00adurb of Mis\u00adsis\u00adsauga, a decade before.<\/span><\/p>\n

A train car\u00adry\u00ading extreme\u00adly dan\u00adger\u00adous, tox\u00adic chem\u00adi\u00adcals derailed and spilled its car\u00adgo, which explod\u00aded and sent a mas\u00adsive fire\u00adball into the air, vis\u00adi\u00adble a hun\u00addred kilo\u00adme\u00adters away, in the Unit\u00aded States. It was a freak dis\u00adas\u00adter, work\u00ading out in the worst pos\u00adsi\u00adble way, It neces\u00adsi\u00adtat\u00aded the rapid evac\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtion of more than 200,000 peo\u00adple, with\u00adout warn\u00ading. This was the largest peace\u00adtime evac\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtion in North Amer\u00adi\u00adcan his\u00adto\u00adry until Hur\u00adri\u00adcane Kat\u00adri\u00adna hit New Orleans. Yet it pro\u00adceed\u00aded swift\u00adly and effi\u00adcient\u00adly. Every cit\u00adi\u00adzen did their part, and every offi\u00adcial did theirs. Police, fire\u00adfight\u00aders, med\u00adical experts, and polit\u00adi\u00adcal office hold\u00aders quick\u00adly arrived to meet with tech\u00adni\u00adcal experts. The pres\u00adence of large tankers of chlo\u00adrine gas, col\u00adlapsed into mate\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal that was poten\u00adtial\u00adly explo\u00adsive, meant that an entire city would have to be evac\u00adu\u00adat\u00aded imme\u00addi\u00adate\u00adly. Chlo\u00adrine gas was seep\u00ading every\u00adwhere, and col\u00adlect\u00ading into pock\u00adets that crawled through the streets like dead\u00adly slugs. As fire\u00adfight\u00aders bat\u00adtled the fire, a vio\u00adlent explo\u00adsion, caused by a propane tanker blow\u00ading up, show\u00adered the sur\u00adround\u00ading area with large chunks of met\u00adal. Two more explo\u00adsions occurred with\u00adin 15 min\u00adutes. Both were BLEVES<\/span> (boil\u00ading liq\u00aduid expand\u00ading vapor explosions).<\/span><\/p>\n

Chem\u00adi\u00adcal experts were pulled out from indus\u00adtries and uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adties to devise ways of elim\u00adi\u00adnat\u00ading the chlo\u00adrine threat. Police, fire\u00admen, and politi\u00adcians, all on the spot, worked out the evac\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtion plan, which had to be revised and refined dur\u00ading the course the dis\u00adas\u00adter, as the pre\u00advail\u00ading wind shift\u00aded. Those liv\u00ading clos\u00adest to the cen\u00adter of dan\u00adger were evac\u00adu\u00adat\u00aded first, and plans were for\u00admu\u00adlat\u00aded to move, house and feed them. Police and vol\u00adun\u00adteers sys\u00adtem\u00adat\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly combed the streets, mak\u00ading sure every cit\u00adi\u00adzen was wak\u00adened and alert\u00aded. Peo\u00adple were sort\u00aded by whether they had their own trans\u00adporta\u00adtion or not, and whether they had friends or rel\u00ada\u00adtives that could put them up. For those who didn\u2019t, vol\u00adun\u00adteer orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtions in near\u00adby towns set up recep\u00adtion cen\u00adters, beds, hot foods, care for babies and small chil\u00addren, which were ready by the time they got there. The provin\u00adcial Ambu\u00adlance Co-ordi\u00adnat\u00ading Cen\u00adtre sent a gen\u00ader\u00adal call for ambu\u00adlances in the sur\u00adround\u00ading area. One hun\u00addred and thir\u00adty-nine ambu\u00adlances and 300 ambu\u00adlance work\u00aders arrived in the area with\u00adin six hours of the acci\u00addent from as far south as Nia\u00adgara Falls (130 km) and as far east as Kingston (275 km). They were need\u00aded pri\u00admar\u00adi\u00adly to move hos\u00adpi\u00adtal patients. Three urban tran\u00adsit sys\u00adtems had bus\u00ades oper\u00ada\u00adtional to move peo\u00adple with\u00adin min\u00adutes. Cit\u00adi\u00adzens left their hous\u00ades and apart\u00adments, in full con\u00adfi\u00addence that there would be no loot\u00ading, and that their pos\u00adses\u00adsions would be pro\u00adtect\u00aded. Mer\u00adchants left with\u00adout any fear for their stores. There was no looting.<\/span><\/p>\n

There was, in fact, no crime at all, as most of the city\u2019s habit\u00adu\u00adal crim\u00adi\u00adnals were engaged, like every\u00adone else, in being evac\u00adu\u00adat\u00aded, or doing vol\u00adun\u00adteer work. Only one sin\u00adgle human being was injured. The city\u2019s may\u00ador, Hazel McCal\u00adlion, sprained her ankle while super\u00advis\u00ading oper\u00ada\u00adtions. Not sur\u00adpris\u00ading\u00adly, she is still the city\u2019s may\u00ador, three decades later.<\/span><\/p>\n

The fires were out in three days, but chlo\u00adrine pock\u00adets remained a dan\u00adger, and it was near\u00adly a week before every\u00adone could return to their homes. When it became clear that the evac\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtion cen\u00adters were stress\u00adful places for many peo\u00adple, local busi\u00adness\u00ades rent\u00aded and donat\u00aded thou\u00adsands of hotel and motel rooms to take the pres\u00adsure off them.<\/span><\/p>\n

While the armed forces always stood at the ready, they were not deployed. Ordi\u00adnary civ\u00adil orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion and resources, and ordi\u00adnary good\u00adwill and com\u00adpe\u00adtence among the cit\u00adi\u00adzen\u00adry were all that was nec\u00ades\u00adsary to deal with the crisis.<\/span><\/p>\n

So you see, I know how my neigh\u00adbours will respond when they are con\u00adfront\u00aded with dis\u00adas\u00adter, and I sleep sound\u00adly in my lit\u00adtle inner-city apart\u00adment, con\u00adfi\u00addent that in an emer\u00adgency, rea\u00adson and com\u00admon sense will pre\u00advail. Minor cri\u00adsis, such as the big north\u00adeast\u00adern black\u00adout of 2003, con\u00adfirmed this (At most inter\u00adsec\u00adtions, civil\u00adians spon\u00adta\u00adneous\u00adly vol\u00adun\u00adteered to direct traf\u00adfic. Since police know this will hap\u00adpen, they keep a sup\u00adply of flu\u00ado\u00adres\u00adcent jack\u00adets and hand-held stop signs to give to them, then make sure they are relieved by oth\u00ader vol\u00adun\u00adteers after an hour. I learned this, because I was one of the spon\u00adta\u00adneous vol\u00adun\u00adteers). For the most part, I am sur\u00adround\u00aded by fair and com\u00adpe\u00adtent peo\u00adple. I know, from day-to-day knowl\u00adedge and inquiry, that these co-oper\u00ada\u00adtive and ratio\u00adnal cus\u00adtoms and val\u00adues are here for me, ready to spring into action when they are need\u00aded. These are the val\u00adues of free human beings.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s why the dis\u00adas\u00adter of Hur\u00adri\u00adcane Kat\u00adri\u00adna, which required the first North Amer\u00adi\u00adcan evac\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtion to exceed the Mis\u00adsis\u00adsauga one in scale, both dis\u00adgust\u00aded and fright\u00adened me. Those ratio\u00adnal cus\u00adtoms and val\u00adues were not there. Where were the Amer\u00adi\u00adcans that I had known and respect\u00aded? The com\u00adpe\u00adtent, resilient, co-oper\u00ada\u00adtive and irre\u00adpress\u00adibly opti\u00admistic Amer\u00adi\u00adcans that all of us in Cana\u00adda had known, and some\u00adtimes envied, for the cen\u00adtu\u00adry and a half of our his\u00adto\u00adry, seemed to have van\u00adished. What hap\u00adpened to them?<\/span><\/p>\n

The chaos and incom\u00adpe\u00adtence that char\u00adac\u00adter\u00adized the Kat\u00adri\u00adna dis\u00adas\u00adter was more than just a demon\u00adstra\u00adtion of the per\u00adfidy of George W. Bush, Jr.\u2019s pres\u00adi\u00adden\u00adcy. That aspect of it is well doc\u00adu\u00adment\u00aded. We all know that the Unit\u00aded States is ruled by a nest of cock\u00adroach\u00ades, with George W. Bush as Chief Cock\u00adroach. They not only neglect\u00aded, but vir\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly dis\u00adman\u00adtled the city\u2019s civ\u00adil defens\u00ades, sab\u00ado\u00adtag\u00ading efforts to main\u00adtain the lev\u00adees, in order to sat\u00adis\u00adfy patron\u00adage inter\u00adests. They turned FEMA<\/span> into a use\u00adless orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion, by destroy\u00ading its admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtive auton\u00ado\u00admy and then pack\u00ading it with incom\u00adpe\u00adtent polit\u00adi\u00adcal hacks. They dis\u00admissed the dis\u00adas\u00adter, of which they had received ample warn\u00ading from pro\u00adfes\u00adsion\u00adals, as unim\u00adpor\u00adtant, until pub\u00adlic anger forced them to give it atten\u00adtion. But why did this come as a sur\u00adprise to any\u00adone? We\u2019re talk\u00ading about the hood\u00adlums who attempt\u00aded to sell con\u00adtrol of America\u2019s port facil\u00adi\u00adties to the Per\u00adsian Gulf princes who financed and shel\u00adtered the 9\/11 ter\u00adror\u00adists. We\u2019re talk\u00ading about the same hood\u00adlums who had already hand\u00aded over most of America\u2019s wealth to the Com\u00admu\u00adnist Par\u00adty in Bei\u00adjing, and the hood\u00adlums who had come to pow\u00ader by sub\u00advert\u00ading America\u2019s democ\u00adra\u00adcy. Why would any\u00adone imag\u00adine that such crea\u00adtures would take care of them in an emergency?<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I just saw an old movie from the ear\u00adly 1980\u2019s called Tes\u00adta\u00adment. It was an attempt to show the lives of the peo\u00adple of a small Amer\u00adi\u00adcan town after a nuclear war. It\u2019s a very sim\u00adple film. In it, the \u2026<\/p>\n

Read more \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-blog","category-as-blog-2008"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1091"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1091\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8664,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1091\/revisions\/8664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}