From Toxic Harbor to Toxic Schools, New Bedford Stimulus Fund Toxic Clean-up Priority Based on Economics

Barney Frank and New Bedford Mayor, Scott Lang - projo.com

On April 15th MSNBC reported on stimulus funds that we’re earmarked to clean up toxic sites, among them New Bedford, MA Harbor. Both Massachusetts Senators, Kennedy(D) and Kerry (D), plus the Massachusetts 4th District Congressman, Barney Frank (D), were cited as responsible for requesting the funds to continue to clean the Harbor, one of the largest Superfund sites in the nation. New Bedford is the nation’s leading fishing port, and concerns regarding local fishing and lobstering in the Harbor were at issue.

Apparently, Kennedy, Kerry and Frank are unaware that in one of the lowest income areas of New Bedford, two schools, one high school and one middle school have been built on Toxic waste sites. The schools are nearby local projects, housing low-income residents. The schools experience ongoing testing for levels of toxins to insure students and faculty are not at risk, that said, several residents and former teachers and school employees have concerns regarding the levels of toxins at the school as well as the way the toxins are occasionally removed.

A CNN article via WKRG, Pensacola, in August, 2008, entitled “Despite Love Canal’s Lessons, Schoolchildren are Still At Risk”, describes the dangers to students, faculty, teachers at the school, as well as nearby residents. New Bedford is compared to the infamous upstate New York, Love Canal site, by Lois Gibbs, former head of the Love Canal Home Owners Association and now head of the Center for Health, Environment & Justice. The article is chilling:

New Bedford High opened in 1972 on top of a former burn dump for PCBs, an industrial chemical linked to cancer and brain damage. PCB levels in the body build over time, raising health risks.

"Like a lot of teachers there now, I figured, how bad could it be? I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005," said former New Bedford teacher Susan Dias, who is now cancer-free. She is returning to the classroom this fall but will not go back to New Bedford High.

Former teacher Maria Quann also says New Bedford High made her ill.

"I became very, very sick. My immune system shut down. I collapsed and was bedridden for several months," Quann said. Her health improved after she left the high school, she says, and she has now retired.

Maureen Woolley, who worked in the cafeteria, says she compiled a list of 25 school employees who died of cancer.

Three classrooms were closed last year because of high PCB levels, but the school has been scrubbed and a new ventilation system added. The rooms are expected to be open this fall.


Despite results of ongoing air-quality testing, teacher David Greene remains skeptical.

"I do think there are areas of that school that continue to be dangerous," he said.

Only seven states have laws preventing cities and towns from building schools on or near toxic waste, according to the Center for Health Environment and Justice. They are Massachusetts, Rhode Island, California, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi and Utah.

Even in states with laws, many are weak or poorly enforced, she says. In Massachusetts, state law prevents schools only from being built close to active waste dumps, which would not have prevented New Bedford High's construction three decades ago on a former dump site.

Students Play unaware - photo Southcoast

In April of this year 45.9 parts per million of PCB’s were found at New Bedford High School (four times the standard level). Additionally, arsenic, barium, cadmium, lead and chromium were reported by BETA Group (hired by the City of New Bedford). “TRC, the current consulting group for the city, disclosed more toxic chemicals, 22 of which exceeded the safe standards.”

On Saturday, the 28th of March, the City of New Bedford decided to remove some of the toxic “dirt” from the high school premises. Due to the fact that this was the weekend, the Mayor, Scott Lang (D), noted that the City is not required to warn residents or those at the school, for that matter, when Toxic soil is removed.

On that Saturday in question, several students were cleaning the school yard, as part of a detention, close to the toxic clean-up site, in addition, just yards away, other high school students were participating in sports activities. A local resident recorded the removal of the soil in a YouTube video shown below.

Of additional note, these particular types of toxins are linked to birth defects; with the high incidence of teen pregnancy in the New Bedford School System (as in most urban high schools), the risks are immeasurable in terms of compassion for those affected as well as in economic terms: eventual cost to the taxpayer.

New Bedford rated worse than Fall River for teen births, but New Bedford’s rate has fallen 9 percent in the last 10 years, while Fall River’s has climbed 13 percent.
New Bedford also had a troubling statistic: 10.4 percent of infants born there had a low birth rate — the second-highest percentage in the state. That rate rose from a 6.9-percent rolling average from 1992 to 1994. That state average for 2007 was 7.9 percent; Fall River's rate was 8 percent.

With the Mayor and Barney Frank, our Financial Genius in Chief, so buddy-buddy, one has to wonder why nothing has been done to “invest in” New Bedford’s most valuable assets, their children. Could it be that low income families are not quite as important as say, the fishing industry? Or is it economics, as in political campaign contributions? Where, pray tell, is New Bedford’s “Erin Brockovich”?

Harry Reid in the Hot Seat – 2010 Election – Shades of Tom Daschle - Maybe

Harry Reid (D-NV), current Senate Majority Leader, is concerned that the RNC may actually try to dethrone him in 2010. In a recent Las Vegas Review Journal article, Reid noted he is trying to raise a paltry $50,000 by midnight,December 31 – he currently has $2,750,000 in elections funds, most of the money coming from the gaming industry. This amount of cash on hand is a small sum to wage a “war” should the RNC launch a serious attack. Compared to John Kerry (D-MA), who recently won re-election, and is in “safe” state for Democrats - he has a decent $4,260,597 on hand with top donors: University of California, Harvard, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup.

Kerry and Reid are powerful Democrats, however, Kerry enjoys the “myth of Massachusetts”, whereby the RNC believes that the state is a lost cause (without taking into account the 51% of voters who identify themselves as unenrolled.) Although the DNC is singing a similar song in Nevada, (they have a 100,000 voter registration lead), it is still a “swing” state, (as Massachusetts could be if given the right attention).

According to the Nevada Secretary of State’s office : 2008 Nevada Active Voter Registration tables show the Democrats with a total of 537,642 enrolled, versus 435,068 Republican’s enrolled – there are 1,222,249 registered voters, of which, 186,021 are “Non-Partisan” with the balance Green, Independent, Libertarian, Natural Law or “other”. It will be the effective “courting” of those 186,000 non-partisan voters that will make or break Nevada and Harry Reid. (The same way Republican’s manage to get into the Governor’s office in Massachusetts.)

Ried is concerned that he raise these funds, because with the deadline for political contributions closing on Dec. 31st, and the FEC report that follows may be used as a quide by some who would harm Harry - it’s all about appearances. In the Review Journal Reid Stated: "Republicans and the media, both in Washington and Nevada, will use this number to gauge the strength of my campaign,". Reid is fighting back: he has set up a website: Giveem hellharry.com , and according to the Mercury News Reid has started his 2010 campaign by soliciting donations using “I’m the Republican’s number one target”. as an incentive for donors.

The question remains, can Harry Reid, who’s overall popularity in the State of Nevada is at a 51% disapproval rating stave off a possibly active state GOP? Harry Reid's seat, not unlike John Kerry in MA, who had a 56% “replacement rating” according to a Suffolk University Poll, (Add to that: 51% of the state’s electorate unenrolled.) looked as if it were in jeopardy - yet the RNC walked away from Massachusetts. Apparently - this media driven “heavily Democratic state” and John Kerry’s “war chest” weighed in more than possibly picking up a badly needed Senate Seat with the 51% of unenrolled who put Mitt Romney in the Governors’ Mansion (Granted, on his own dime.) The RNC looked the other way and John Kerry’s easily won re-election.

Therefore, Harry Reid should look to Kerry, Massachusetts and the national RNC - if there is a sign that the RNC will put up a fight, of if they field a candidate who has Romney like funds; Harry Reid will be nothing more than a footnote in DNC History.

ACORN Massachusetts Office “Burglarized” or is it a Cover-up?

ACORN’s field office in Fields Corner was allegedly burglarized on October 16. The organizer for ACORN, Massachusetts, Noemi "Mimi" Ramos, suggested that there was a partisan “break-in” citing the national backlash against ACORN. Why would anyone in Massachusetts suspect voter fraud? The state is considered “safe” for Obama and John Kerry (who brought Obama to the national spotlight in 2004, selecting him as the keynote speaker for the DNC convention), polling taken in September shows Obama and Kerry with comfortable leads, and Massachusetts always votes Democrat – therein lies the rub – almost. Massachusetts is heavily Independent (over 50% of the states electorate), with Democrats and Republicans, Green Party and others making up the balance. Additionally, fraud in Massachusetts, or shenanigans, if you will, is generally expected (the Bulger brothers and Former Speaker of the House Finneran), from the Turnpike to the Big Dig, corruption has been the norm on Beacon Hill. Suspects in the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac fiasco hail from Massachusetts: Barney Frank and John Kerry, hail from the Bay State. That said, John McCain is popular in Massachusetts, the state has given its electoral votes twice in recent history to a Republican (Reagan), and the last election in 2004, showed a fairly significant amount of “red” by county – this might raise the stakes a bit – but would it be enough for ACORN to take a significant role in “getting out the vote for Obama”?

The Obama campaign has only one office in Massachusetts, in Boston, while the McCain campaign, has offices across the state, including Western Massachusetts, the McCain campaign is active in Massachusetts, a state that is known (at least by Conservatives), as an Independent State – and Independent voters in Massachusetts have always like McCain. Add to that the fact that Massachusetts has 12 electoral votes up for grabs, and it would not surprise anyone here,if ACORN were to take an active role in “getting out the vote” for Obama. Both Candidates are actively campaign in New Hampshire where the electoral vote count is 4; Obama is drawing crowds of approximately 6,000 to 8,000 while Sarah Palin is drawing crowds of 6,000. The fact that the bottom of the ticket is drawing crowds equal to the top of the other ticket should be a clear indication that all of New England, including Massachusetts and New Hampshire, are not exactly “SAFE” for the Democrats.

Who would it better serve to abscond with three ACORN computers? If ACORN fraud is rampant in 14 states now, why would ACORN want laptops absconded by a federal investigator? Although Ms. Ramos insists that ACORN has only registered 700 voters in Massachusetts, the “non-profit” is not necessarily known for its accuracy, and laptops would contain emails from ACORN headquarters and possibly a campaign that spent $800,000 on ACORN to “get-out-the-vote”. What better way to destroy evidence than by “burglarizing the office” and pointing a finger at the “opposition”.

Additionally, multiple emails sent to Secretary of State Galvin’s office asking what the Bay State is doing to protect against voter fraud have gone unanswered. Galvin, like Brunner in Ohio, is a Democrat – and as Brunner has just successfully“stolen” electoral votes of Ohio for Obama; one has to be a bit suspicious in any state where the Secretary of State has a vested interest in his or hers party’s nominee; especially with an Active ACORN office in the state. Brunner admitted that 200,000 registrants are problematic (i.e. fraudulent), yet will not release the lists to the county election boards in order to insure that these 200,000 votes are certified one way or the other. Although an an FBI investigation is ongoing in several states, specifically Ohio, the focus is on ACORN and there is little time to rectify the situation. The FBI should be investigating every single aspect of voter registration, from certifying votes cast early in Ohio and ACORN as well as office of the Secretary of State.

ACORN has much riding on this, and a good reason to make sure that certain individuals in key states are protected. Among the Massachusetts politician’s up for re-election is Barney Frank, who has already put up a fight for ACORN on the hill. Frank pushed millions of dollars at ACORN in the July bailout. Therefore, it is not a stretch that ACORN would help Frank to maintain his seat. Frank, who has lost popularity from both Democrat and Republican constituents over his support of the Bailout bill as well as his deep ties to Freddie and Fannie, is running against Earl Sholley, Republican. John Kerry, another ACORN supporter is also up for re-election, running against republican Jeff Beatty. Further, Deval Patrick, Governor of Massachusetts and lender of speeches to Barack Obama, also has ties to ACORN and the whole Shady Lending Business (Boston Globe) Burglary – may be a stretch of the imagination.