the Sludge Factor
April 17, 2008
actual “sludge”
The NAACP is leading the charge (for a change) against the governments’ funding of sewage waste being strewn on the yards of poor, inner-city Baltimore families. This was apparently a research experiment to see if the filtered crap (literally) protects people from lead poisoning. The problem is that the families didn’t know what it was. They were told that it was safe and promised food coupons and new fresh lawns. All of this took place in the late 1990’s. ( yeah super late to be hearing about it now)
Now there’s an investigation into how people are picked for these types of “experiments.”
Sen. Barbara Mikulski and Rep. Elijah Cummings, both D-Md., wrote to departing Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson on Thursday asking why and how HUD picked nine Baltimore families for the study and whether they got adequate information about the potential harm. Jackson’s last day in office is Friday.
“We are strong supporters of federal efforts to abate the damage caused by lead paint. Yet this study has raised serious questions about the safety of the families who participated in the study,” they wrote.
Hmm. I hate to sound like Rev Wright, or have an Alicia Keys controversy, but I’m going to say the truth…. This mess is not new! Folks (American doctors, scientists, etc) have been “experimenting” on poor and colored folks for centuries! Almost all advances in modern gynecology came from the exploration through mutilation of black women’s bodies. Experimental drugs and medicines were tested on black men and children, the Tuskegee experiment, and lest not forget that government gave LSD to people (military, CIA workers, prostitutes etc.) without their knowledge in part of an experiment. And it amazes me, that we’ll protest, ban, boycott, picket, throw paint and all kinds of foolishness if people test anything on an animal but we could care less about the inhumane testing and torturing of human beings. They didn’t test this yard poop on a wealthy person’s lawn or on a white person’s lawn? Of course not because they know that if a person is poor they’ll take what they can get (like food stamps and new grass). This is deplorable and we as Americans need to stop bragging about how diverse we are when we still have “sludge” like this going on.
You and the politicians are being use by the fanatics who are against biosolids and the sensational media. The Associated Press story is a lie, which will become apparent when some rational people finally look at the facts. The material used on the yards was compost, not sludge. This is the very same material that is purchased by millions of homeowners each year for their lawns and gardens. It is used on parks and golf courses—by white and black people. It was given to the people in the poor black neighbors to help reduce the lead hazard to their children. It was used to help people who were not getting any help form anyone else. It is completely safe and beneficial to people and the environment.