And Justice For All

I've been experiencing a case of Environmental Injustice in Philadelphia. This contaminated site that surrounds my house is so politically connected that I can't get any help at all and the city has tried to cover it up and has continually violated my civil right to many municipal services including police protection. I've been in hospital 3x and displaced from my home for 3 years. I didn't know what else to do so put much of the story on this blog. www.greenuptoxicphiladelphia.com

You can see the violations. Also I put a lot of links to info about brownfields. The city has tried to call me crazy and discredit me, but I think the violations speak for themselves. They thought that because I was a woman and on my own, they could get away with this. I don't think so. I guess I went rogue. I think the violations speak for themselves. I have info on the original polluters. These problems have to be dealt with even when it affects only a small neighborhood. In this case, the watershed is also affected because the oil waste was dumped near the spring. Changing policy on the local level only happens by citizen action. The politics in Philadelphia around zoning and development are in the dark ages.

For those of us in Nigeria environmental injustice could well be a fall out from the bigger injustice meted out to us via bad governance. Generally, environmental degradation is the obvious outcome with its attendant consequences.

Obama in this video, addressing his work with ACORN litigation relating to the community reinvestment act and the failure of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, as they relate to the current real estate and financial crisis, states that, and I quote:

"Subprime lending started out as a good idea, helping Americans buy homes who previously could not afford to. Financial institutions created new financial instruments that could securitize these loans, slice them into finer and finer risk categories, and spread them out among investors and around the country, as well as around the world. In theory, this should have allowed mortgage lending to be less risky, and more diversified."

He further states:

"The original idea was a good one, which was, lets see if we can distribute risk more broadly, and make it easier to provide loans to people who otherwise might not be able to get one."

Listen for yourself. You cannot dispute the mans on words recorded live:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr1M1T2Y314&feature=related

Obama in this second video is campaigning at a convention of Acorn and I believe two other "Community Activist" organizations. Ask if he will be their ally if he becomes President, Obama says, quote:

"Yes, but let me say that before I even get inaugurated, during the transition we are going to be calling all of you in to help us shape the agenda. We're going to be having meetings all across the country with community organizations so that you have input into the agenda for the next presidency of the United States of America."

See and hear it for yourself. Obama promised that Acorn and other groups like it will setting his agenda if elected:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vJcVgJhNaU
See also: http://www.newsweek.com/id/164972
Stating that Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act wasn't what caused the meltdown, and noting that "economists on both sides of the political spectrum have suggested that the act has probably made the crisis less severe than it might otherwise have been."
See also:
http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboards/thread.aspx?threadid=808692&boardsparam=Page%3d2

Below is a link to C-SPAN video clips of the Congressional hearings at roughly the time McCains attempt at S.190. to fix Fannie and Freddie. See for yourself who said what.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MGT_cSi7Rs
See also
http://www.newsweek.com/id/164732 from this web site. (oops!) stating that Freddie Mac was spending tax payer money to target Republicans in 2005 who were trying to regulate Fannie and Freddies fraud. Democrats were not targeted, as the were all in the tank with Fannie and Freddie to kill the regulations. Hear that, the article admits that Republicans were trying to regulate Freddie and Fannie, and Democrats were trying to stop it from happening as a means to facilitate the Community Reinvestment Act.

Hey Jordan C Fan...are you on crack???????? When have the Republicans EVER done more for the environment than a democratic candidate. I am an environmental scientist/state regulator and just by reading your short and awfually scripted comment I can see that you have no clue of what you are talking about. I can assure that Obamas plan for tackling global climate change and other environmental biggies is much stronger than McCain..... never mind suprpassing the BS environmental agenda driven by oil companies of this adminstration. Why dont you go on to the Leauge of Conservation Voters unbiased factual webiste and see how your precious McCian voted on Environmental Legislation and then come back and tell me that he is better at this than Obama. The only Republican who did something worthwhile I can think of is Nixon who created the EPA which in turn created the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act and other "big" environmental regulations. Do me a favor and get educated in sustainble watersheds, soil science, and hazardous material release resposne like myself and then tell what you think b/c you obviously are pulling everything out of your ass.

OMG, what a load of left-wing nonsense this article is...it literally has me laughing out loud. Who is this Julie-moron? I like how she spouts left-winger talking points in nearly every answer. These people are just amazing...