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”?

Catholic Priests Opposition to Pro-Abortion Candidates Intensifies

A Catholic Priest in Modesto California has urged his parishioners who voted for Obama to take confession – a Catholic sacrament of admission of sin. The priest did note that those who knew Obama was pro-abortion and still voted for him were in need of this sacrament. The Bishop in control of that particular parish cried foul – stating parishioners were under no such obligation. This most likely came after the usual hue and cry went out from those who feel that the Catholic Church (rich in Democrat voters) is off limits when it comes to Christian denominations decrying pro-abortion candidates. They draw on the question of “separation of church and state” as applied to the Constitution – which is ludicrous to say the least. However, the Church has every right, under the same clause, to follow its own doctrine, and as such, denounce political candidates who would uphold practices contrary to the Church.

The problem arises when the leadership within the Church (in the United States), has strong affiliations with politicians, most notably Democrats. This results in the chastisement of priests who are merely following established doctrine, by those Bishops who are choosing a political party over the pulpit. In November, at a semi-annual Bishops meeting, Frances George of Chicago noted:

"If the election is misinterpreted ideologically as a referendum on abortion," said Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, "the unity desired by President-elect Obama and all Americans at this moment of crisis would be impossible to achieve."

"Aggressively pro-abortion policies, legislation and executive orders will permanently alienate tens of millions of Americans, and would be seen by many as an attack on the free exercise of their religion," George said.

These statements may be seen as unusual considering the Catholic Church has, for years, been supported by and supporters of Democrat Candidates (Massachusetts: Notrious Cardinal Law received support from Ted Kennedy (D-MA) when petitioned to step down after the child molestation scandal hit the US Catholic Churches )

Why the sudden change of heart towards the tie-in between pro-abortion Catholic candidates and their role in the church? Perhaps it comes to rest on the media itself – with the last two elections (2006 and 2008), high-profile Democrats such as Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden, were touted by the media as “Catholics”, they campaigned as “Catholics”, and yet are decidedly following anti-Catholic doctrine. This “advertising of religious affiliations” which is, by the way, OK for some politicians’, but not for others (Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, to name but two), woke the Church from a long apathetic sleep. Therefore, kudos should go to those priests that will stand up to the Bishops - as well as those Bishops who will support the doctrine and follow their religion before politics, practicing their rights under the First Amendment.