http://www.justplainpolitics.com/ Above the fray area, forums in this area are a bit more moderated. en Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:05:30 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.justplainpolitics.com/images/misc/rss.png http://www.justplainpolitics.com/ http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52351-how-can-you-know-if-a-home-you-buy-is-near-a-pipeline-or-dangerous-manufacturer&goto=newpost Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:00:59 GMT it appears that you cannot. we need new laws protecting people from such hazards. as for fema's decision not to pay for damage done by the fertilizer plant explosion, i think the state of texas should be liable for under regulating the plant and not requiring it to carry more insurance.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- There are 16 fertilizer production sites in Texas like the one that exploded in West, but authorities aren't clear how many of those might be built near schools or other residential centers, a top state official said Monday.
Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw told members of the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee that the facilities are mostly in rural areas, though he wasn't aware if the state had looked at other fertilizer plants for proximity to key community buildings.
McCraw was among the officials who told lawmakers that 129 facilities store at least five tons of ammonium nitrate and other potentially explosive materials. Sixteen of those were fertilizer-mixing facilities similar to the West Fertilizer Co., which blew up following a fire that ignited ammonium nitrate.
A school, apartment complex and nursing home nearby were all damaged and 15 people were killed. Monday's hearing was the second of its kind since the April 17 blast as the committee works to determine if local, state and federal regulations were followed and if more oversight is necessary.
Committee Chairman and El Paso Democratic Rep. Joe Pickett said since authorities are still conducting a criminal investigation to determine the cause of the explosion, there was little lawmakers could ask state officials about that. Instead, he focused on what Texas should be doing moving forward, saying: "I personally would hope there is more overview at the state level."
Pickett said he'd like to see the state fire marshal's office build a website so the public can see where facilities like the one that exploded in West are located. He said it would help residents and first responders, such as volunteer firefighters, who constituted the bulk of the West victims when they rushed to fight the initial blaze. He suggested modeling it after other online resources, such as those for tracking registered sex offenders.
State Fire Marshal Chris Connealy said his office could create such a site. Some newspapers have already done so in the wake of the West blast.
Connealy noted that, though the West plant was authorized to have 270 tons of ammonium nitrate on its premises, it only had 150 tons when the explosion occurred, and that only between 28 and 34 tons were actually involved in the blast.
The committee was told that municipalities and counties often set regulations for facilities with hazardous chemicals, but Connealy said neither West nor surrounding counties had regulations in place.
Pickett acknowledged that passing legislation mandating further oversight of facilities with hazardous chemicals could be a tough sell in the Republican-controlled Legislature, suggesting instead that the state fire marshal's office provide a list of "best practices," or rules that have worked in some communities and others might like to follow.
Connealy said that since the West explosion, no fire departments had approached state officials about how they might improve regulations. Another of Pickett's suggestions was that facilities at least post signs marked "hazardous materials," even though he acknowledged that federal law may already require that.
But adding potential new rules made some lawmakers nervous that nurseries and other businesses with small amounts of fertilizer could be subject to too much oversight.
"You can paperwork a company to death," said Rep. Dan Flynn, R-Van. "I just want to be sure we don't give everybody a lot of disruptions."
McCraw was also asked about the Federal Emergency Management Agency's recent decision not to provide additional money to help rebuild West, and responded, "I think it's an aberration, regardless of what they say."
The committee voted to draft a letter to FEMA, asking it to reconsider.

http://news.yahoo.com/lawmakers-put-...203040994.html ]]> Above Plain Politics Forum Don Quixote http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52351-how-can-you-know-if-a-home-you-buy-is-near-a-pipeline-or-dangerous-manufacturer http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52338-Hawaii-is-a-lobbyists-dream-state&goto=newpost Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:51:17 GMT corruption is the name of the game in hawaii

HONOLULU (AP) -- Lobbyist disclosures in Hawaii may be a misnomer — the records don't disclose much.
Hardly any individual lobbyists reported spending even $1 schmoozing Hawaii lawmakers early in the recent legislative session, making it all but impossible for state residents to tell from the filings how special interest groups are affecting state legislators.
Lobbyists haven't stopped wining and dining elected officials in the Aloha State, but a combination of outdated state laws, wide loopholes and lax oversight has created an environment where disclosure reports say little about how much is money spent, who is spending it and which lawmakers are being courted most often.
An Associated Press analysis found that more than 90 percent of nearly 200 registered individual lobbyists reported zero expenses for the first two months of the 2013 legislative session, the latest period for which comprehensive records are available. Filings from about 200 lobbying organizations showed a cumulative spending of about $1 million over the same period, but the vast majority of reports do not indicate specifics about the expenses.
"I presume lobbyists are following the law," said state Sen. Les Ihara. "It's just that the law is vague, and there are loopholes."
Ihara, who has urged an overhaul of reporting requirements for years, added, "The law is meant to provide disclosure, and it's not being effective."
Lobbyists say, however, that the blank filings don't reflect a problem; they're just not spending anything worth reporting.
State law requires lobbyists to list expenditures worth more than $25 toward one person in one day or $150 to one person over a reporting period. Two reporting periods cover January through April, while a third period covers the last days of session in May and the rest of the year.
In addition to the law, the ethics commission instructs lobbyists not to list expenses if they get reimbursed by their companies and cautions lawmakers against accepting gifts worth more than $25.
"It's very difficult to take anyone out to dinner in Hawaii if you're limited to $24.99," said Gary Slovin, a lobbyist who reported nothing on his individual report for January and February. Slovin represented 21 companies including the American Beverage Association, McDonald's, Microsoft Corp. and Altria Client Services Inc.
Max Sword is one of the few lobbyists who reported spending any money during the first half of the session on his individual report, listing more than $1,300 spent on meals.
As a lobbyist for the Outrigger Enterprise Group, Sword says he takes lawmakers out for lunch almost every day during session to talk to them about business and tourism, while staying under the $25 threshold.
"It's very valuable," he said. "The legislators deal with about 2,000 bills about 100 different issues."
Even when the reports appear to be filled out properly, they leave unanswered questions.
The Hawaii Chamber of Commerce recently reported spending more than $1,400 on meals, nearly $400 on gifts and more than $700 on "other" expenses. But the statement doesn't say which lawmakers benefited from the spending, and the organization didn't respond to a request for more details.
Some state lawmakers say they have tried to make political spending more transparent. But the lobbyist law hasn't changed in nearly 20 years, and legislators ignored bills during this year's session to tighten lobbyist reporting requirements.
Neither Rep. Karl Rhoads nor Sen. Clayton Hee, chairmen of their chambers' respective Judiciary committees, held hearings this year for a proposal to require more information from lobbyists. Rhoads said lawmakers had more pressing business, while Hee said the proposal needed more research.
Amid the inaction, watchdog groups say Hawaii needs to improve.
The State Integrity Investigation, an analysis of state government transparency nationwide, gave Hawaii's lobbying disclosure law a D-minus grade last year. The report by the Center for Public Integrity, Global Integrity and Public Radio International said Hawaii's lobbyist filings were missing information and that rules weren't properly enforced.
Carmille Lim, director of Common Cause Hawaii, an advocacy group focused on government transparency, said Hawaii's lobbying law needs to be revamped to demand more information.
"The reporting is vague and doesn't really disclose what is really going on," Lim said.
Les Kondo, director of the state ethics commission, said the commission follows up on complaints or glaring problems, but lobbying disclosures aren't regularly audited because the office has limited resources.
And if the law is broken, there's not much the commission can do. Violators are subject to an administrative fine, but because of the statute's wording, lobbyists and organizations who claim ignorance of the rule can avoid penalties. Kondo fought to have the wording changed this year but lawmakers didn't push the bill through.
Sometimes, reports are filed weeks or months late.
In March, the Hawaii Crop Improvement Association and the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation invited legislators to an event called "A Tour and a Taste of Ag" to tell them about the benefits of genetically modified agriculture. The event, which featured speakers from out of state, lunch and shuttles to and from the state Capitol, occurred just a week before voting on proposal to label genetically modified food. The highly controversial bill was defeated in session.
The ethics commission said neither organization has yet submitted a disclosure form detailing how much the event cost and whether any lawmakers attended, although the deadline passed in May.
The Crop Improvement Association told The Associated Press the event was educational and not a lobbying event. The organization said the cost of lunch was $15 per person and that only two lawmakers attended.
The Farm Bureau Federation did not return messages from the AP seeking comment.
Rhoads said he is open to discussing the lobbying law next session, but he says a lot of information is already available to the public if they choose to look.
"It's not that hard to connect the dots," he said.
However, disclosures reports from organizations are uploaded online as PDFs, which can be difficult to search. And individual lobbyist reports for the first half of this year's session are currently only available in hard copy.
Kondo said the office is now asking lobbyists to submit disclosures as PDFs online but the office doesn't have enough funding to do more than that. He thinks lobbyist law should be reviewed to make sure it's accomplishing its intent.
"How? When? Who does it? I don't know," he said.
In the meantime, the office collects dozens of nearly blank forms each reporting period and files them away.
___
Anita Hofschneider can be reached on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ahofschneider

http://news.yahoo.com/lobbyist-repor...150938962.html ]]> Above Plain Politics Forum Don Quixote http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52338-Hawaii-is-a-lobbyists-dream-state http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52330-some-god-news-and-some-bad-news-for-sty&goto=newpost Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:23:58 GMT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court won't reconsider a jury's decision that an off-duty Seattle police officer who was cut off in traffic violated a man's rights by detaining him at gunpoint.
The high court Monday refused to hear an appeal from officer Jonathan Chin, who was in plainclothes as he held at gunpoint three men who allegedly cut him off in traffic and ran a red light. One of the men eventually was tackled, subdued and restrained by several officers, sustaining a head abrasion that cost him $3,500 in medical bills.
A jury cleared Chin of allegations that police used excessive force, but found the detention went on too long, violating civil rights. Chin argued that he had immunity but courts have ruled against him.
Justices refused to hear his appeal.

http://news.yahoo.com/court-wont-hea...133947841.html ]]> Above Plain Politics Forum Don Quixote http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52330-some-god-news-and-some-bad-news-for-sty http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52322-the-repugs-have-wanted-to-either-do-away-with-the-usps-or-privatize-it-for-years&goto=newpost Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:33:41 GMT if they continue to have their way, it will require either a national bailout or dismantling. both of which would be a national disaster. A key... if they continue to have their way, it will require either a national bailout or dismantling. both of which would be a national disaster.

A key House leader has opened up negotiations again over the United States Postal Service’s future. But is the move too little, too late for a national institution that could run out of cash by the fall?
Photo by Alexander Marks via Wikimedia Commons

Representative Darrell Issa of California and Senator Tom Carper of Delaware are overseeing efforts in the Senate and the House to come up with bipartisan postal legislation, an effort that failed in the 112th Congress.
Issa made a compromise last week in a draft version of a Postal Service overhaul bill, the Postal Reform Act of 2013.
The draft from the House Oversight Committee would greatly reduce a financially crippling annual requirement to prefund health costs for future retirees.
In 2006, Congress passed a law that required the Postal Service to fund retirement health benefits in advance. The Postal Service says the prefunding requirement, along with the growth of email, have kept it from being a profitable business.
Ending the prefunding requirement won’t bring about a compromise by itself, but it would be one less major issue for Congress, the Postal Service and the unions that represent postal workers to debate.
In April, the Postal Service gave up temporarily its battle with Congress to end Saturday mail deliveries, but it’s also hinted that taxpayers could pay a price for the move, such as a taxpayer bailout in the end.
“It is not possible for the Postal Service to meet significant cost reduction goals without changing its delivery schedule–any rational analysis of our current financial condition and business options leads to this conclusion. Delaying responsible changes to the Postal Service business model only increases the potential that the Postal Service may become a burden to the American taxpayer, which is avoidable,” the service’s Board said in April.
In Issa’s draft bill, there would be an end to Saturday mail delivery while package delivery remains in place on Saturdays.
And there are several other plans that would face hurdles. The act replaces temporarily replaces the Postal Service board of governors with an appointed panel of outside executives who could make any moves necessary to “ensure the long-term solvency” of the Postal Service.
It also would allow the Postal Service to lay off employees, and it would phase out home delivery of mail to customer’s doorsteps (replacing home delivery with a series of group neighborhood drop boxes).
Not surprisingly, union leaders weren’t thrilled with Issa’s draft bill.
“The draft bill would turn the USPS into a private, for-profit operation. It would do virtually nothing to strengthen the Postal Service’s ability to serve the communications needs of our nation,” said American Postal Workers Union president Cliff Guffey.
“The NALC is disappointed that Chairman Issa did not take a fresher approach to postal reform with this discussion draft,” said Fredric Rolando, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers.
“We hope that we will be able to work with the chairman on legislation to provide alternative approaches to postal reform that seek to modernize and strengthen the Postal Service—an agency with roots in the U.S Constitution—rather than to destroy it brick by brick,” said Rolando.
The Postal Service gets limited direct funding from Congress, but Congress has oversight of the agency through its constitutional powers. It was established by the Constitution in 1787. Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution enumerates the powers of Congress, including the power to establish and maintain post offices, along with roads to support the service.
Senator Carper is expected to introduce his own draft bill, and the debate over the Postal Service’s future will be a contentious one in Congress.
Issa’s draft also eliminates preferential postal rates for political parties.

http://news.yahoo.com/house-takes-po...101614778.html ]]> Above Plain Politics Forum Don Quixote http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52322-the-repugs-have-wanted-to-either-do-away-with-the-usps-or-privatize-it-for-years http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52320-will-the-immigration-bill-decide-the-2016-congressional-election&goto=newpost Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:56:25 GMT can the gop garner latino votes if they pass the immigration bill or permanently lose the latino vote by not passing the immigration or by passing a... can the gop garner latino votes if they pass the immigration bill or permanently lose the latino vote by not passing the immigration or by passing a watered down version.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans' hopes to reclaim the White House in the 2016 elections hinge on whether they support — or sabotage — the immigration overhaul being debated in the Senate, two lawmakers who helped write the proposal warn.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Sunday told conservatives who are trying to block the measure that they will doom the party and all but guarantee a Democrat will remain in the White House after 2016's election. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., went a step further and predicted "there'll never be a road to the White House for the Republican Party" if immigration overhaul fails to pass.
The Senate is moving forward with an overhaul and appears to be on track to have a vote from the full Senate by July 4. A timeline for a House proposal is less certain, although leaders say they are working on plans that more closely follow conservatives' wish list.
The Senate last week overcame a procedural hurdle in moving forward on the first immigration overhaul in a generation. Lawmakers from both parties voted to begin formal debate on a proposal that would give an estimated 11 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally a long and difficult path to citizenship.
The Senate legislation also creates a low-skilled guest-worker program, expands the number of visas available for high-tech workers and de-emphasizes family ties in the system for legal immigration that has been in place for decades. It also sets border security goals that the government must meet before immigrants living in the U.S. illegally are granted any change in status.
Meanwhile, one of the proposal's authors, who is considering a White House campaign, refused again to pledge support for the measure without changes conservatives have demanded.
"I think 95, 96 percent of the bill is in perfect shape and ready to go. But there are elements that need to be improved," said Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
Republicans are demanding tougher border security measures and stricter standards for who qualifies for government programs such as Social Security and health care.
Rubio is trying to balance concerns from his party's conservative flank, which has great sway in picking a nominee, with the political attempt to win over Hispanic and Asian-American voters who overwhelmingly favored President Barack Obama's re-election in 2012. Further complicating Rubio's presidential aspirations, the Republican-led House hews toward tea partyers.
"After eight years of President Obama's economic policies, and, quite frankly, foreign policy, people are going to be looking around," Graham said. "But if we don't pass immigration reform, if we don't get it off the table in a reasonable, practical way, it doesn't matter who you run in 2016. We're in a demographic death spiral as a party and the only way we can get back in good graces with the Hispanic community, in my view, is pass comprehensive immigration reform. If you don't do that, it really doesn't matter who we run."
In 2012, Obama won re-election with the backing of 71 percent of Hispanic voters and 73 percent of Asian voters. A thwarted immigration overhaul could again send those voting blocs to Democrats' side. That has led some Republican lawmakers to support immigration reform, but the party's conservative base still opposes any legislation that would create a pathway to citizenship for immigrants living here illegally.
Democrats are well aware of the numbers.
"I would tell my Republican colleagues, both in the House and the Senate, that the road to the White House comes through a road with a pathway to legalization," Menendez said. "Without it, there'll never be a road to the White House for the Republican Party."
Graham spoke on NBC's "Meet the Press." Menendez was interviewed on CNN's "State of the Union." Rubio was on ABC's "This Week."
___
Follow Philip Elliott on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/philip_elliott

http://news.yahoo.com/immigration-bi...071836350.html ]]> Above Plain Politics Forum Don Quixote http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52320-will-the-immigration-bill-decide-the-2016-congressional-election http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52305-NSA-Opinions-and-Commentary&goto=newpost Sun, 16 Jun 2013 12:55:47 GMT "Liberty is the right to do what the law permits." Charles de Montesquieu

Excellent outline of changing laws and key players in NSA and electronic monitoring

'Mass Surveillance in America: A Timeline of Loosening Laws and Practices'
by Cora Currier, Justin Elliott and Theodoric Meyer; ProPublica, June 7, 2013

Mass Surveillance in America: A Timeline of Loosening Laws and Practices

"The NSA lives to snoop; their metaphysics isn’t physics, but their metadata is data.. They have reasons but reasons aren’t beyond question. Their actions are thesis. Snowden and Greenwald don’t have to be beyond question either; they are inevitable antithesis. I have no idea what the synthesis will or should be. From Wikipedia: All things contain within themselves internal dialectical contradictions, which are the primary cause of motion, change, and development in the world. Enjoy the show."

'Data Minding' https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...%20Minding.pdf

Another piece on the role of cyberspace and other monitoring in modern society. It reminds me so much of the unreality of MSM in America, while MSM watches Tiger and Kim, and Rush labels women sluts, the fox, properly attired in corporate suit, is stealing the chickens away to the Caymans. And all the while Americans are worried about guns, soda sizes, contraceptives, and whether their recorder captured the latest (un)reality show. And so it goes....

"To get some perspective on the manipulative role that private intelligence agencies play in our society, it is worth examining information that has been revealed by some significant hacks in the past few years of previously secret data.

Important insight into the world these companies came from a 2010 hack by a group best known as LulzSec (at the time the group was called Internet Feds), which targeted the private intelligence firm HBGary Federal. That hack yielded 75,000 e-mails. It revealed, for example, that Bank of America approached the Department of Justice over concerns about information that WikiLeaks had about it. The Department of Justice in turn referred Bank of America to the lobbying firm Hunton and Willliams, which in turn connected the bank with a group of information security firms collectively known as Team Themis."

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com...ar-on-reality/

"Given the scope and content of what Hammond’s hacks exposed, his supporters agree that what he did was right. In their view, the private intelligence industry is effectively engaged in Psyops against American public., engaging in “planned operations to convey selected information to [us] to influence [our] emotions, motives, objective reasoning and, ultimately, [our] behavior”? Or as the philosopher might put it, they are engaged in epistemic warfare." from article above

The above should be shown every time Fox Media comes on the air. :lol:

There is just a bit of irony in the fact a person from a freedom loving country is seeking refuge in a not so free country. Maybe he will go to work in an Apple slave factory for 12 hour days. Freedom is such an odd concept if examined too closely.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/us...-drifting.html


"Though it is often claimed that the left stands for equality while the right stand for freedom, the notion misstates the actual disagreement between right and left. Historically, the conservative has favored liberty for the higher orders and constraint for the lower orders. What the conservatives sees and dislikes in equality, in other words, is not a threat to freedom but its extension." Corey Robin ]]> Above Plain Politics Forum midcan5 http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52305-NSA-Opinions-and-Commentary http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52292-just-how-did-the-monsanto-GMO-wheat-get-planted-in-the-field-in-Oregon&goto=newpost Sat, 15 Jun 2013 13:31:36 GMT since it is not approved for use, just how did it get there? no one knows...yet, but will we ever know? WASHINGTON (AP) — The Agriculture... since it is not approved for use, just how did it get there? no one knows...yet, but will we ever know?

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Agriculture Department says it has no indications that genetically modified wheat found in Oregon last month has spread beyond the field in which it was found.
No genetically engineered wheat has been approved for U.S. farming, and the department is investigating how the engineered wheat got in the field.
USDA spokesman Matt Paul said in a statement Friday that the department "has neither found nor been informed of anything that would indicate that this incident amounts to more than a single isolated incident in a single field on a single farm."
Agriculture Department officials have said the wheat is the same strain as a genetically modified wheat that was designed to be herbicide-resistant and was legally tested by seed giant Monsanto a decade ago but never approved.
Japan, Korea and Taiwan have suspended imports of western white wheat from the Pacific Northwest as the USDA investigates.
Paul said that investigators have interviewed the farmer who harvested the wheat from his field, interviewed the supplier who sold the producer wheat seed, obtained samples of the seed and obtained samples of other wheat grown by the farmer. All of the samples have tested negative so far, Paul said, and there is no indication that the engineered wheat entered commerce.
USDA said the investigation is continuing and inspectors are conducting interviews with approximately 200 area growers. The department also has given trading partners a copy of the test developed by Monsanto so they can identify the engineered strain.
The modified wheat was discovered when field workers at an Eastern Oregon farm were clearing acres for the bare off season when they came across a patch of wheat that didn't belong. The workers sprayed it but the wheat wouldn't die, so the farmer sent a sample to Oregon State University to test.
A few weeks later, Oregon State wheat scientists discovered that the wheat was genetically modified. They contacted the USDA, which ran more tests and confirmed their discovery.
On Friday, a group of Oregon legislators urged Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber to direct the state attorney general to pursue compensation for money lost by Oregon wheat farmers because of the discovery.
"It's not an easy thing to rebuild trust in the marketplace," said Oregon state Rep. Brian Clem. "You can't just flip a switch."
Clem said that, if the USDA fails to find a party responsible for the emergence of the modified wheat, Monsanto Co. should be held financially responsible because the company developed the wheat, a soft white winter variety.
Most of the corn and soybeans grown in the United States are already modified, or genetically altered to include certain traits, often resistance to herbicides or pesticides. But the country's wheat crop is not, as many wheat farmers have shown reluctance to use genetically engineered seeds since their product is usually consumed directly. Much of the corn and soybean crop is used as feed.
The USDA has said the wheat would be safe to eat if consumed. But American consumers, like many consumers in Europe and Asia, have shown an increasing interest in avoiding genetically modified foods.
There has been little evidence to show that foods grown from engineered seeds are less safe than their conventional counterparts, but several state legislatures are considering bills that would require them to be labeled so consumers know what they are eating.
The Agriculture Department said that during a seven-year period, it authorized more than 100 field tests with the same herbicide-resistant wheat variety. Tests were conducted in in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming.
During that testing and application process, the Food and Drug Administration reviewed the variety found in Oregon and said it was as safe as conventional varieties of wheat.
USDA officials have so far declined to speculate whether the modified seeds blew into the field from a testing site or whether they were somehow planted or taken there. They also declined to identify the farmer or the farm's location. They said they had not received any other reports of discoveries of modified wheat.
Representatives for Monsanto Co. said June 5 that they believe the emergence of the genetically modified strain was an isolated occurrence.
Sabotage is a possibility, said Robb Fraley, Monsanto chief technology officer.
"We're considering all options and that's certainly one of the options," Fraley said.
The USDA has so far declined to respond to the suggestion of sabotage.
___
Follow Mary Clare Jalonick on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mcjalonick
___
Associated Press writer Nigel Duara contributed to this story from Portland, Ore.

http://news.yahoo.com/usda-modified-...205944372.html ]]> Above Plain Politics Forum Don Quixote http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52292-just-how-did-the-monsanto-GMO-wheat-get-planted-in-the-field-in-Oregon http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52269-it-looks-like-we-will-have-another-governor-ultrasound&goto=newpost Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:48:43 GMT what a waste of taxpayer money, this will wind up before scotus and likely be overturned

By Brendan O'Brien
MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin (Reuters) - Wisconsin's Republican-led state Assembly passed a measure on Thursday to make it more difficult to get an abortion by requiring women first undergo an ultrasound.
The bill, which also requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a local hospital, now heads for the desk of Republican Governor Scott Walker, who is expected to sign it into law.
Anti-abortion activists have increasingly turned toward enacting new restrictions at the state level to the procedure, which was made legal nationally by the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade.
Passed with a vote of 56-39, the bill mandates an ultrasound be performed on a pregnant woman at least 24 hours before an abortion, a requirement that can be waived if the pregnancy is the result of sexual assault or incest.
Republican State Representative Pat Strachota said during a speech on the chamber floor that the bill was "about having full knowledge of the decision that women are about to make" when choosing to have an abortion.
The bill mandates results of the ultrasound including images, a description of the fetus and a visualization of the fetal heartbeat be provided to the woman. The woman can decline the results, according to the bill.
"It's just a crying shame that we're here today doing this," Democratic State Representative Janis Ringhand said during the debate on the Assembly floor. "I hope we come to our senses and realize that women are in charge of their own bodies. It's not a political issue."
The bill also requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their clinic.
According Planned Parenthood, its facility outside of Appleton, one of the state's four abortion clinics, will be forced to close because doctors there do not have the required admitting privileges.
The Assembly on Wednesday approved a bill that prohibits the use of public funds to cover abortion in insurance plans for public employees and exempts religious organizations from having to cover contraception on employee health care insurance plans.
The Assembly has also voted to ban abortions that are performed to select the gender of the newborn. Both those bills head to the Republican-led Senate.
The votes in Wisconsin come a week after Ohio lawmakers approved a budget that includes controversial amendments limiting federal funds for Planned Parenthood and banning public hospitals from having patient transfer agreements with abortion clinics.
Mississippi's only abortion clinic was granted a temporary reprieve in April when a federal judge blocked enforcement of a state law, similar to the one in Wisconsin, that required doctors to have local hospital admitting privileges.
In March, North Dakota adopted the nation's most restrictive law, effectively banning most abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, or about six weeks into pregnancy.
(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Lisa Shumaker)

http://news.yahoo.com/wisconsin-repu...043312145.html ]]> Above Plain Politics Forum Don Quixote http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52269-it-looks-like-we-will-have-another-governor-ultrasound http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52267-obama-the-epa-climate-change-and-lawsuits&goto=newpost Fri, 14 Jun 2013 05:11:41 GMT the epa has found that it is cheaper to settle environmental lawsuits (and save taxpayer money) than to contest them Environmental groups have a... the epa has found that it is cheaper to settle environmental lawsuits (and save taxpayer money) than to contest them

Environmental groups have a tough time getting Congress to do what they want. Case in point: In the early months of 2010, the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Environmental Defense Fund waged an all-out campaign urging the Senate to pass a sweeping climate-change bill backed by President Obama and leaders in the Democratic-controlled Senate. The measure crashed and burned that summer.
But the green groups—and Obama’s top environmental officials—knew they could resort to a different tactic: lawsuits to compel executive action. Toward the end of George W. Bush’s administration, the three big environmental organizations and 11 states sued to force the Environmental Protection Agency to issue new regulations reining in carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants and oil refineries. The Bush EPA fought the suit, but the Obama EPA, full of top officials who had worked in these very nonprofits, took a different tack. By December 2010, after the failure of the climate-change legislation, Obama’s first-term EPA administrator, Lisa Jackson, settled the lawsuit—on the advocates’ terms. The settlement obliged the agency to begin regulating carbon pollution from coal plants and oil refineries, an outcome with profound environmental and economic implications. And in April 2012, EPA proposed a historic new rule to regulate global-warming pollution from coal plants. As Obama’s second term unfolds, the agency is expected to finalize more rules that, thanks to lawsuits, will give the green groups what they want.
The climate-change settlement is just one in a series of recent so-called sue-and-settle agreements since Obama took office. Between 2009 and 2012, EPA has settled at least 60 lawsuits from outside groups, leading to dozens of new environmental regulations. A 2010 deal in another Sierra Club lawsuit led to a 2012 regulation on mercury emissions from coal plants. A 2009 settlement with environmentalists led to a 2012 regulation governing pollution from cement manufacturers. While EPA could fight the suits, they often line up with the administration’s agenda—to fight climate change and promote clean-air laws—so why bother? In many cases, the federal government, as the loser in the legal settlements, has then paid the green groups’ legal fees.
Sue-and-settle lawsuits with like-minded groups as a way to advance common goals aren’t new. The practice dates back to the Carter administration. But EPA’s recent spate of agreements that have major environmental and economic consequences have come as part of a broader flexing of executive authority, particularly on the issue of climate change. Although Congress remains unlikely to act on the issue, the president vows to use what power he has to address a problem he sees as urgent.
The EPA cases are spurring a big backlash from industry and from Republicans on Capitol Hill. In May, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a report (“Sue and Settle: Regulating Behind Closed Doors”) slamming the practice. Last week, the GOP-controlled House Judiciary Committee held an investigative hearing, calling the report’s author, William Kovacs, the U.S. chamber’s senior vice president of environmental regulation, as a star witness. Kovacs told Congress the sue-and-settle process gives outside groups an outsized, backdoor role in driving the government regulatory agenda. They turn an independent agency into “an actor subservient to the binding terms of settlement agreements,” Kovacs said. House Republicans have introduced legislation to curb the practice.
Environmental groups contend they are merely forcing the administration to follow the letter of the law when it’s politically inconvenient to do so. Outside groups can’t sue EPA to create or issue new regulations; most of the sue-and-settle cases compel the agency to issue regulations for which it has already missed a statutory deadline. But in the settlement of the climate-change suit, advocates forced EPA to regulate greenhouse gases from oil refineries, which it might not have done on its own, according to both industry and green groups. “There were just as many sue-and-settlements in other administrations. What has increased is the significance,” says Roger Martella, EPA’s general counsel during the George W. Bush administration. “These are economy wide mega-rule-makings ... as opposed to small settlements impacting only a limited issue.”
These cases are “very powerful, because early Congresses saw the wisdom of giving ordinary citizens the ability to enforce the law, even if administrations were unwilling to,” says John Walke, a lawyer with the Natural Resources Defense Council who has worked on many of the recent sue-and-settle agreements. “They’re occupying a political vacuum … a space created by an utterly dysfunctional Congress.” Walke says that when an agency agrees to settle a lawsuit with an outside group rather than fighting it, “there’s a meeting of the minds as to what the law requires.”
EPA contends that by quickly settling the lawsuits instead of fighting them, it saves money. According to data the agency provided to National Journal, in instances where EPA paid legal costs between June 1, 2010, and Sept. 29, 2012, the average fees in cases it settled came to $42,000. The average fees in cases where the agency litigated and lost, or partially lost, came to $176,000. “If there’s a deadline required by the Clean Air Act and a lawsuit that poses a litigation risk, there’s value to the public and the government in settling out of court,” says an EPA official who spoke on condition of anonymity. “A settlement can save taxpayers a lot of money.”
Ironically, the one point on which all sides—environmentalists, business interests, and EPA—agree is that they’d prefer to see environmental policy move through Congress rather than through court filings or the backrooms of an executive agency. But as long as Capitol Hill remains gridlocked, expect recourse to come from the legal system.

http://news.yahoo.com/epa-fights-cli...210540289.html ]]> Above Plain Politics Forum Don Quixote http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52267-obama-the-epa-climate-change-and-lawsuits http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52258-should-we-give-aid-to-Syrian-rebels&goto=newpost Thu, 13 Jun 2013 23:01:19 GMT i think that we are fools to give any weapons to the Syrian rebels.

In a sharp escalation of the U.S. role in Syria's bloody civil war, the White House announced late Thursday that it will provide military aid to rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad after confirming that his government used chemical weapons against the opposition.
Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes told reporters on a conference call that President Barack Obama had heard pleas from Syria's rebel Supreme Military Council (SMC) for more help. "Our aim is to be responsive," Rhodes said, underlining that the new assistance would have "direct military purposes."
Rhodes brushed aside repeated questions about whether this meant Washington would now start providing weapons to the rebels, insisting he could not give an "inventory" of the aid. But while he never explicitly confirmed that Obama had decided to to arm the opposition, he left little doubt about Washington's new course of action.
"The president has made a decision about providing more support to the opposition. That will involve providing direct support to the SMC. That includes military support. I cannot detail for you all of the types of that support for a variety of reasons," Rhodes said. The assistance is "aimed at strengthening the effectiveness of the SMC on the ground."
Obama reached the decision after America's intelligence community concluded that "the Assad regime has used chemical weapons, including the nerve agent sarin, on a small scale against the opposition multiple times in the last year," Rhodes said. Those attacks killed at least 100-150 people, he added. Rhodes said Assad's forces used chemical weapons on March 19, April 13, May 14 and May 23.
The confirmation—and a new United Nations study that raised the death toll from Syria’s bloody civil war to nearly 93,000—ramped up pressure on Obama to escalate American involvement in the conflict. The president has been weighing whether to arm the opposition, help create safe areas for refugees, or impose “no-fly zones” inside Syria enforced by American-led forces. Obama last year called the confirmed use of chemical weapons a "red line" that would make him reconsider whether to arm the rebels, but he later hedged that statement.
Republican Sen. John McCain, who for months had publicly pressed Obama to step up U.S. involvement, preempted the White House announcement in remarks, announcing on the Senate floor that U.S. intelligence agencies had confirmed the use of chemical weapons and thanking the president for opting to send weapons to the rebels.
“In just a couple of minutes, the president of the United States will be announcing that it is now conclusive that Bashar Assad and the Syrian butchers have used chemical weapons,” McCain said.
“The president also will announce that we will be assisting the Syrian rebels in Syria by other assistance” but the president “had better understand that just supplying weapons is not going to change the equation on the ground of the balance of power,” the senator added. "These people of the Free Syrian Amry need weapons and heavy weapons to counter tanks and aircraft, they need a no-fly zone."
“Just providing arms is not enough,” McCain said.
(Later, in a joint written statement with Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, McCain seemed to indicate a decision had not yet been made: “A decision to provide lethal assistance, especially ammunition and heavy weapons, to opposition forces in Syria is long overdue, and we hope the President will take this urgently needed step.")
Separately, The Wall Street Journal reported that a military proposal for getting weapons to the rebels also calls for a "no-fly zone" inside Syria to protect civilians fleeing the fighting and rebels who might train there.
The Journal, citing anonymous officials, said the U.S. military was looking at a “no-fly zone” that would stretched some 25 miles into Syrian territory.
Rhodes emphasized that "we have not made any decision to pursue a military operation such as a no-fly zone.”
Such an effort "would carry with it great and open-ended costs for the United States and the international community," Rhodes said. And it would be "far more complex to undertake that effort in Syria than it was in Libya."
He added, "Furthermore, there's not even a clear guarantee that it would dramatically improve the situation on the ground."
Rhodes said Obama would consult with Congress and American allies on next steps—notably at next week’s summit of the Group of Eight rich countries plus Russia in Northern Ireland. The White House has not given up on a negotiated solution.
A spokesman for Republican House Speaker John Boehner, Brendan Buck, emphasized the need for the administration to keep lawmakers in the loop.
“It is long past time to bring the Assad regime’s bloodshed in Syria to an end,” Buck said. “As President Obama examines his options, it is our hope he will properly consult with Congress before taking any action.”

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/w...220823223.html ]]> Above Plain Politics Forum Don Quixote http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52258-should-we-give-aid-to-Syrian-rebels http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52249-restrictive-drug-laws-continue-to-prevent-legitimate-research&goto=newpost Thu, 13 Jun 2013 20:13:49 GMT why do these laws continue to hamper research? By Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) - The outlawing of drugs such as cannabis, magic mushrooms and... why do these laws continue to hamper research?

By Kate Kelland
LONDON (Reuters) - The outlawing of drugs such as cannabis, magic mushrooms and other psychoactive substances amounts to scientific censorship and is hampering research into potentially important medicinal uses, leading scientists argued on Wednesday.
Laws and international conventions dating back to the 1960s have set back research in key areas such as consciousness by decades, they argued in the journal Nature Reviews Neuroscience.
"The decision to outlaw these drugs was based on their perceived dangers, but in many cases the harms have been overstated," said David Nutt, a professor of neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London.
In a statement accompanying the Nature Reviews paper, he said the laws amounted "to the worst case of scientific censorship since the Catholic Church banned the works of Copernicus and Galileo".
"The laws have never been updated despite scientific advances and growing evidence that many of these drugs are relatively safe. And there appears to be no way for the international community to make such changes," he said.
"This hindering of research and therapy is motivated by politics, not science."
Nutt and Leslie King, both former British government drugs advisers, and co-author David Nichols of the University of North Carolina, called for the use of psychoactive drugs in research to be exempted from severe restrictions.
"If we adopted a more rational approach to drug regulation, it would empower researchers to make advances in the study of consciousness and brain mechanisms of psychosis, and could lead to major treatment innovations in areas such as depression and PTSD," Nutt said.
Nutt was sacked as a government adviser in 2009 after publicly criticizing the government for ignoring scientific advice on cannabis and ecstasy. He has conducted a small human trial using psilocybin, the psychedelic ingredient in magic mushrooms.
His study, using volunteers, suggested the drug had the potential to alleviate severe forms of depression in people who did not respond to other treatments.
But in April, Nutt said his plans to conduct the first full clinical trial to explore psilocybin as a treatment had stalled because of stringent rules on the use of illegal drugs in research.
The scientists said their call for reform had been endorsed by the British Neuroscience Association and the British Association for Psychopharmacology.
(Editing by Andrew Roche)

http://news.yahoo.com/restrictive-dr...041853065.html ]]> Above Plain Politics Forum Don Quixote http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52249-restrictive-drug-laws-continue-to-prevent-legitimate-research http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52246-some-good-news-and-some-bad-news-regarding-the-morning-after-treatment&goto=newpost Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:30:26 GMT there are two treatments available for the morning after 'pill'. a one pill and a two pill treatment. the one pill treatment has been legalized for over the counter for females of all ages, while the two pill treatment is still restricted. guess which treatment is cheaper...yep, the two pill treatment. also, the title of the article is misleading. it seems to say that women object to the plan b treatment, when what they are really objecting to is the legalization of the more expensive treatment. oh well

NEW YORK (AP) — The plaintiffs in a legal fight over emergency contraceptives complained Wednesday that the government has fallen short with its proposal to comply with a judge's order to lift all restrictions on sales of the drugs.
President Barack Obama's administration had notified U.S. District Judge Edward Korman earlier this week it had decided to reverse course and comply with his order to make morning-after pillsavailable to buyers of any age without prescriptions.
Lawyers for women's rights advocates, in a letter filed in federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday, argued that the plan is flawed in part because it limits the unrestricted sales to the Plan B one-pill version of the drug. They said the judge ruled the two-pill version must be available as well.
"Women are not fooled by the Administration's latest move which continues to unnecessarily restrict access to a safe and effective form of birth control," one of the lawyers, Andrea Costello, said in a statement. "It's a political choice to put only the most expensive product over the counter and not comply with the court's order to make two-pill emergency contraceptives available without restriction."
The Department of Justice, in its court filings this week, has claimed that its proposal "fully complies with the district court's judgment in this action." It also has offered to voluntarily drop an appeal of the judge's order if he signs off on the plan to fast-track the Food and Drug Administration's approval of unrestricted Plan-B sales.
It was unclear when the judge would respond to the latest exchange in the long-running legal dispute over access to morning-after pills. His office has declined to comment.
The judge has been critical of the government's previous attempts to prohibit over-the-counter sales to teenagers, calling the efforts "politically motivated, scientifically unjustified and contrary to agency precedent." He also found that there was no legal basis to deny the request to make the drugs widely available.
The morning-after pill contains a higher dose of the female hormone progestin than is in regular birth control pills. Taking it within 72 hours of rape, condom failure or just forgetting regular contraception can cut the chances of pregnancy by up to 89 percent, but it works best within the first 24 hours. If a girl or woman already is pregnant, the pill, which prevents ovulation or fertilization of an egg, has no effect.
The FDA was preparing in 2011 to allow over-the-counter sales of the morning-after pill with no limits when Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius overruled her own scientists in an unprecedented move. White House officials have claimed that the FDA and the Department of Justice were acting independently of the White House in deciding how to proceed.

http://news.yahoo.com/women-ny-judge...195818115.html ]]> Above Plain Politics Forum Don Quixote http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52246-some-good-news-and-some-bad-news-regarding-the-morning-after-treatment http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52244-once-more-the-repugs-demonstrate-their-failure-to-learn-about-tax-cuts&goto=newpost Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:20:22 GMT it has been demonstrated over and over again that tax cuts do not improve the economy, but the repugs just have to do it, especially for businesses ... it has been demonstrated over and over again that tax cuts do not improve the economy, but the repugs just have to do it, especially for businesses

(Reuters) - Iowa Governor Terry Branstad signed what he said was the biggest tax cut in the state's history into law on Wednesday, saying it will spur growth in the state's economy.
The law is expected to provide at least $4 billion in property tax relief over a decade. In 10 years, both agricultural and residential property taxpayers will be saving about $500 million annually because of a reduction, to 3 percent from 4 percent, in the growth of property assessments.
The bill also includes nearly $90 million of annual cuts to income taxes, Branstad, a Republican, said in a statement.
"I am proud to say this tax cut passed with bi-partisan support," Branstad said in the statement. "This tax relief bill will put more money in the pockets of Iowa families and make it easier for Iowa businesses to invest and grow in our state."
As the fiscal health of states is improving and tax revenue is rising at the swiftest pace in two years, lawmakers are turning their attention to taxes.
According to a survey in May by the National Conference of State Legislatures, 35 states are taking up tax reform in their current legislative sessions, with proposals for tax reductions slightly outnumbering proposals for increases.
Iowa's new law cuts by 10 percent the taxable value on commercial and industrial property, and it creates $125 million of property tax credits targeted for small businesses.
Branstad told local media on Monday that the state would "very likely" be looking at further income tax cuts next year.
(Reporting by Hilary Russ; additional reporting by Lisa Lambert; Editing by Tiziana Barghini and Leslie Adler)

http://news.yahoo.com/iowa-governor-...mV3czAy;_ylv=3 ]]> Above Plain Politics Forum Don Quixote http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52244-once-more-the-repugs-demonstrate-their-failure-to-learn-about-tax-cuts http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52243-gee-it-only-took-13-years-but-i-guess-later-is-better-than-never&goto=newpost Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:15:27 GMT but why are they treating something medical as a revenue generator CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — After 13 years of waiting, medical marijuana patients... but why are they treating something medical as a revenue generator

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — After 13 years of waiting, medical marijuana patients in Nevada will soon have a legal way to obtain the drug without growing it themselves.
Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval signed SB374 into law Wednesday evening. The measure establishes the framework to make pot available to medical marijuana card holders, and imposes fees and requirements for growers, processors and dispensaries. It also contains provisions to continue to allow home-growing until 2016.
The tax revenue created will first fund the regulation of the dispensaries. Any remaining revenue will be funneled to education.
According to the National Conference on State Legislatures, Nevada is the 14th state to legalize medical marijuana dispensaries, and one of 19 states to allow medicinal pot, along with the District of Columbia.

http://news.yahoo.com/sandoval-signs...041406552.html ]]> Above Plain Politics Forum Don Quixote http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52243-gee-it-only-took-13-years-but-i-guess-later-is-better-than-never http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52242-another-chemical-plant-blast-in-the-south-where-the-regulations-are-easy&goto=newpost Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:10:09 GMT what i find curious is the fact that fires and explosions are to be expected in plants using or creating hazardous materials...why. at least they... what i find curious is the fact that fires and explosions are to be expected in plants using or creating hazardous materials...why. at least they had emergency shutdown valves

By Jonathan Bachman
GEISMAR, Louisiana (Reuters) - An explosion and fire tore through the Williams Olefins chemical plant in Geismar, Louisiana, on Thursday, injuring 33 people and leading authorities to order people within two miles to remain indoors.
The blast created a huge fireball and column of smoke when it hit at 8:37 a.m. at the plant along the Mississippi River just south of Baton Rouge and about 60 miles up river from New Orleans.
About 600 people were working at the plant at the time, and the fire was still burning three hours later, state police said. There were no immediate reports of fatalities.
"We did an aerial assessment, and our hazmat (hazardous materials) teams were able to get a broad view of the site. Now they're putting on their bunker gear and going in on foot to the hot zone to do an assessment and determine a plan of action," Louisiana State Police Captain Doug Cain said.
The blast injured 33 people, said Jean Kelly, a spokeswoman for the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. Thirty were taken from the plant by ambulance and three by helicopter, Kelly said.
"Emergency shut-down valves have been closed. The unit is isolated," parent group Williams Cos. said in a statement. "We are in the process of accounting for all personnel."
Authorities ordered people within a 2-mile (3-km) radius to remain in their homes, in part because of the smoke, said Lester Kenyon, a spokesman for Ascension Parish. Roads leading to the plant were closed, the company said.
The U.S. Coast Guard said traffic on the Mississippi River remained unaffected.
"It's an active scene. The fire department, the sheriff's office and hazmat (hazardous materials) team are responding to the explosion at the Williams Olefins plant," said Amy Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Ascension Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.
The company's own emergency response crews were assisting at the scene, Williams said.
The plant produces approximately 1.3 billion pounds of ethylene and 90 million pounds of polymer grade propylene, according to the Williams website. These are used in the petrochemical process to make plastics.
"The chemical involved is a flammable, which is good in the sense that it is burning itself off, so there's no impact outside the fence line of the facility," Cain said.
Williams operates the plant and holds an 83 percent ownership interest in the Geismar facility, it said.
Shares in Williams Cos. fell as much as 3 percent shortly after the reports and were down about 1 percent in early afternoon trade.
With massive equipment operating under intense pressure and high heat, the petrochemical industry is particularly prone to occasional fires and explosions, most of which are quickly brought under control with limited injury or damage.
Southern Louisiana is home to a large share of the country's petrochemical facilities and has seen at least two other blasts in the past two years.
Pressure on the industry to improve safety has increased since a blast at the Texas City refinery killed 15 people in 2005, among the worst such industrial accidents in decades.
A blast last month at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, that killed 14 people has also sharpened attention on handling of volatile chemicals.
(Reporting by Karen Brooks, Francesca Trianni, Jonathan Leff and Robert Gibbons; Editing by Daniel Trotta and Jackie Frank)

http://news.yahoo.com/blast-fire-rep...143353481.html ]]> Above Plain Politics Forum Don Quixote http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?52242-another-chemical-plant-blast-in-the-south-where-the-regulations-are-easy