Archive for September, 2024

Toxic Waste

Toxic Waste

Sometimes I need to assume (and hope) that readers will know all of the stories I’m referencing. I had no concerns about you not being aware of this presidential election thing going on. Nor did I worry that, as Michiganders living in a swing/battleground state, you would have experienced more than your fair share of mailings, messages, and commercials intended to sway your vote. And finally, I was pretty sure you all saw or at least heard about Donald Trump’s torrent of lies in this week’s debate.

What you may not know about is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ plan to clean up sites around the country contaminated with radiation from nuclear weapons development by shipping the waste to hazardous waste disposal facilities. One such facility is Wayne Disposal in Van Buren Township, which is in the Detroit Metro area.

The Michigan Public article does an excellent job providing all of the details, and it’s not as dystopian as you might imagine. Still, there is always room for concern when something coming to your community can be accurately described as toxic waste. (I’m referring to the radioactive waste, but the rhetorical waste is likely the more pressing danger.)

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Other People’s Lives

Other People's Lives
Michigan has now been identified and thoroughly labeled as a battleground state (or swing state for those who prefer a cheerier, less militaristic expression). So expect to see a lot of “person on the street” interviews of fellow Michiganders by national media over the next two months.

I’ve seen plenty so far, but none have seemed as honest as I’d like to see. Sensible people become cagey and guarded when a microphone is put in their face. And with good reason — we’re all only ever one slip up away from viral infamy.

So I made up an interview with the level of honesty that I’d like to see in order to reveal one of our few pieces of common ground: We tend to prefer laws designed to control and constrict other people over ones that might control and constrict ourselves.

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