DEQ agrees with EPA...

Well, yeah!!! Why not? Bureaucratic birds of a feather and all that...
Saginaw News version and here is the Midland Daily News version.

I STILL think the whole dioxin situation is overblown. It is a non-problem that was brought about when Dow Chemical scientists discovered a procedure by which they could measure dioxin in extremely tinier than microscopic amounts. (Correct me if this is wrong. I no longer have my 'live in source' to verify this kind of information.)

This is a political issue brought about in our area along the Tittabawassee River floodplain by enviro-extremists who convinced a few people - some gullible, some greedy, and some a little bit of both - to sue the Dow Chemical Company in order to get their environmentally extreme goals accomplished. Their goals appear to be 'zero tolerance' of any and all substances that they think should not appear in the environment 'naturally.' Not sure what they mean by 'natural' because for one example, dioxins occur naturally as results of fire such as forest fires and the wildfires in California.

The enviro-extremists and their litigious friends do not want to know if dioxin actually harms humans. They will be happy with tests where tiny animals are fed humungous amounts of dioxin and, if the critters develop diseases, they want to extrapolate that information to humans and the tiny amounts of dioxin that may or may not occur in a given backyard. Incidentally, if they find some animal not affected by this type of testing, they disregard it.

For example, they want to say humans will develop cancer from possible exposure to dioxin because mice develop cancer from gigantic amounts of dioxin. Conversely, bullfrogs are unaffected by dioxin, so there is no way they would allow a bullfrog experiment!!!

Oversimplified? - yes.
Wrong? - NO!!! Think about it.

Been out and about AND reading...

...and really don't know where the time goes! Here's what I've been reading lately but just haven't had a chance to just sit and talk about it yet. Yes I have a few comments for each and all of these articles. I've heard this will be another snowy blowy weekend so perhaps I'll get time to come back and bring a bit of 'Shirley's Perspective' to these latest media releases.

Midland Daily News - News - 02/22/2006 - EPA raps dioxin plan

EPA criticizes Dow plan

Rapanos case will make history

Today’s Oral Arguments in U.S. Supreme Court Wetlands Cases Suggest Court Is “Concerned About Federal Encroachment”

EPA raps dioxin plan

So how are all these articles related? It's all about the rights of private individuals and our property. It's all about government control. It's all about the ruination of the American dream!

You know what? There IS hope. Get political! If you don't like what you see happening to our properties and our dreams, get it changed. Let's use our political freedom to vote - before 'they' try to take that away from us too.

How did I ever miss this one?

I guess Mr. Chester is a bit perturbed by Dr. Reitz' article last week. He had to scurry to get his lawyerly viewpoint across about his 'scientific' empire!

Ya know, he just keeps referring to how well the Michigan Department of Community Health & MDEQ do their jobs. Really? If all that dioxin out in my backyard is so bad, why hasn't the MDCH identified it as a 'pocket of disease' caused by dioxin? After all... isn't that what they do? - keep track of disease in Michigan? After all... that dioxin has been here a long time... it is referred to as a historical problem, isn't it?

MDCH hasn't identified a big bad area of dioxin-caused disease because there is no big difference. This is NOT another Love Canal, Stevie, no matter how much you want it to be! ...and you don't want to give much credence to the U of M study because you're afraid the results will say there is no significant difference in levels of dioxin in people living along the Tittabawassee River compared to people in the control group.

Oh, I almost forgot... if you haven't seen Steve Chester's response to Dr. Reitz, find it here: DEQ goal: Protect public, environment: Midland Daily News - 02/19/2006.

Okay 'Priority 2's' - It's Your Turn...

Dow expected to enter round 2 of cleanup - Midland Daily News - 02/19/2006.

...but hey, to paraphrase the primary litigant in the 'wanna get rich by suing the chemical giant' bunch, The mighty Tipadawas done come up again already folks! Y'all come back now, hear?

Perhaps this is Ms. Jenny Granholm's idea of 'creating jobs.' As we try to put the big company out of business we will increase the lower paying jobs provided by all that environmental cleanup... again.............. and again................................. and yet again!

Oh yeah!.... and I might add - make lots of work for state employees. Duh! Where does the state get its money? Of course!!! ... from the taxpayers, who we might add are increasingly unemployed - only in Michigan - because hey, Jennifer is making LOTS of jobs - but pretty much mostly for state employees who are paid by - who? Oh, yes... the taxpayers, who....

Dr. Reitz addresses need for use of scienctific process at MDEQ...

Scientific, legislative oversight needed, please - Midland Daily News - 02/12/2006. Dr. Reitz has worked with other world-reknowned scientists. He knows the scientific process. Part of that process is oversight by another scientific group. If you haven't already, read what Dr. Reitz has to say. He KNOWS what he is talking about!

Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is a political entity - NOT a scientific entity - with a lawyer, Steve Chester, running the whole shebang! It's possible that some people who work for MDEQ are scientists but they are not the ones who make decisions. Furthermore, their science is not looked at by scientists outside of their bureaucracy for relevance or authenticity. MDEQ, however, as a political entity, has taken it upon themselves to tell a scientific business entity how to do scientific studies. It's sort of like the artist who paints horses telling the veterinarian how to treat the horse for an ailment or injury!

Wondering where I've been? Following is an excerpt from my article for the March issue of the Blue Chip News, newsletter of the Saginaw Valley Computer Association.

March – springtime; sunshine, renewal. Is it just me, or is it true that winters are growing longer? For me this winter was one of realization that I have fears and weaknesses that just never surfaced until I found myself really alone in this great big old house. The doctor says my body decided it had enough, resulting in a weakened immune system.

A virus had been lurking in my body for years waiting for this moment and it struck – with a vengeance. The result is called herpes zoster, more commonly known as shingles. The virus snuck in, probably in my childhood, when I was exposed to Chicken Pox that never developed. Unlike Chicken Pox however, shingles is NOT contagious. You can only ‘catch’ it the way I did. However, now that it’s been here I’m vulnerable to more attacks. We are now medicating to fight that possibility… and yes, the muscles under the area of attack are still quite painful at times. I’m told this will lessen.

Enough about that. I was down - but not out! Every day is better than the day before - thanks primarily to modern SCIENCE. Some of the medicines I take today were not available for treating this disease twenty years ago. If the Luddites had their way, modern medical miracles would not be possible! You should SEE the string of possible side effects these meds have!!! Enviro-wackos don't want any possibility of side effects in our lives. Enviro-wackos want to 'protect' us!!! Oh! BTW - all of the wonderful modern medical miracles are created by brilliant scientists - just like Dr. Reitz and his cohorts. Furthermore, scientists in the pharmaceutical industry have oversight groups advising them.... and wouldn't you know? Those oversight groups are NOT lawyers and politicans!!! Golly, they are actually other scientific organizations!!! (Just a little back-up info for Dr. Reitz article from a simplistic viewpoint.)

My comments on other events surrounding our little dioxin issue here in the Tittabawassee River floodplain:

• the lawsuit - I'm glad it's back in the higher courts. The more this thing is delayed the more I feel like the majority of folks living here are not shoved into a lawsuit we do not want to support. Maybe common sense will prevail after all.
• MDEQ/Dow meetings - As long as these meetings conflict with my normal life, forget about seeing me there. The meetings appear to be planned for the same days as my SVCA meeting schedule. I now have a new vice-president who will fill in for me whenever I really feel a need to attend a dioxin meeting instead of our computer association.
• Dow decision to sample Midland property - I'm glad my Midland neighbors have choices. They can have their soil sampled if they want but it would appear they are still not labeled automatically as 'facilities' like their downstream neighbors! I personally feel persecuted by the MDEQ for their automatic and unscientific labeling process.

Enough for now. I will try to show up here at least once a week... but gonna take care of Shirley first! I remain.... healthy and kicking in the Tittabawassee River floodplain (finally again).

Beware: If you're lucky the following blog entry might be worth 2 cents...

This morning I switched my tv channel over from Martha Stewart to a news channel where yet another citizen was railing away at our president! It amazes me that there is so much HATE in our United States of America today... and so much of it based on misinformation and bias. That is not, however, my topic for the day. This is:

I tuned out that woman's tirade because of her rage, her hatred, and her overall non-grasp of the American English language. The words I heard from this indignant and angry woman's mouth were '...conversated with...' Prior to commenting on this topic I checked out the accuracy of her word conversate at dictionary.com. As suspected, there is no such word!

How often does this happen? Too often. What's my point? Years ago there was a tv show called 'Grace Under Fire.' It was about an ordinary woman, perhaps undereducated and definitely 'blue collar,' and despite her lot in life, pretty darned intelligent. I will always remember these words from Grace on that show... 'Why is it the news always interviews the village idiot!??!!!'

Here's my answer to Grace. Many news reporters have forgotten their job is to REPORT the news as it is. Instead they want to MAKE news by featuring the dramatic, the accusations, the mistruths, and the misguided.

In my neck of the woods, reporters have every opportunity to listen to and interview some of the most intelligent scientific minds in the world. What do they do instead? They interview the crackpots who seem to enjoy destroying 'big business' because they think 'big business' can afford to share the wealth with them.

Yes, we get our 2 cents worth in on occasion but we really have to push to be heard. Meanwhile, there is a meeting next month. I'm sure the press will be there. I'm sure some of our scientific superstars will be in the audience. Who do you think the reporters will seek out? I'll bet real money on this one... they want to know what the econutz have to say.

What's my point? Good gosh! There I went rambling again!

Oh yes - the point - Don't you just love it when somebody with less than a pea-sized brain goes about changing the language? I'll bet next time the dictionary is revised I'll find conversate in it!!! Scarey, huh?

We're in the news again....

...but first, would you buy a used car from this guy? I sure wouldn't! This is Steve Chester, director of MDEQ. They tell me he's a lawyer by profession and he is the one standing by his mantra that our homes are facilities because the law says so!!! His mantra has nothing to do with science. Not only that, the law says so because the MDEQ got the legislators to put that law there in the first place. Chester and his diggers are in backyards all over Michigan telling citizens what they can and cannot do with their property.

We, the taxpaying residents of Michigan, are paying this guy to go into a few of our backyards and then judge us all guilty of owning toxic facilities. He won't even tell us what percentage of the total homes in the Tittabawassee River flood plain he has actually tested - or whose - but I know the Henrys had their property tested. Their testing pictures were in newspapers. I haven't seen any MDEQ workers in any yards near my home and he says my home is priority one - implying it's loaded with dioxin just because it's in the high water area for the big 2004 March flood!!!

Maybe you should just cancel spraying the dandelions in your yard this year because your neighbor in the next block sprayed his. You would be using the same kind of science Mister Chester uses.

I hope you have read the forum piece by Midland Matters and Tittabawassee River Voice in the Midland Daily News today. If not you can find it here at http://www.ourmidland.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15977446&BRD=2289&PAG=461&dept_id=472539&rfi=6. The same sorry three sent MDN their same sorry opinions. Just for fun I'll respond to them here:

• Mr. Linhard: You are partially correct. Common sense is a rare commodity in the leadership at MDEQ and apparently in the governor's mansion. MDN did pretty good in enforcing the 300 word rule - Bill, Len & I each used less than 300 words!!!
• Ms. Henry: It is insulting to the majority of residents that you should want to include ALL 2000+ of us in your personal vendetta against Dow Chemical.You may choose greedy tort lawyers over legislation through our elected representatives but most of us prefer changing the wrong. I see you finally admit '..there isn't a study that gives absolute proof that people in the area have more illness because of the dioxin...' and the way your lawsuit is going I'd say it's you who are 'beating a dead horse.'
• Mr. Stoll: Pay attention. We don't want individual tests. We just want to be treated like U.S. citizens. We want to be called 'innocent until proven guilty.' This could be done by removal of the label 'facility' from our residential properties.
• Mr. Bergman: Your solution sounds good but here's what you don't know. Most of the residents along the Tittabawassee River floodplain can not afford the money up front for their own dioxin testing. We are mostly working stiffs with families, as well as farmers and retirees. FYI some of the litigants had their properties tested by the MDEQ in order to get the ball rolling on their litigious venture.

What a Week it WAS!

Our friend and cohort, Bill Egerer, founder of Midland Matters, had a chance to speak out for all of us Friday as featured speaker on Off the Record - Weekly Edition #2006-28. Just click on the little icon at beginning of the article to view this PBS presentation. If you don't have time to watch the whole clip, Bill's portion is probably a little past half way into the program. Just scoot the little slider over with your mouse.

Bill was cool and calm at the roundtable with three totally uninformed but biased people. As he presented the facts to this group, they failed to 'trip him up' with their tunnel-visioned questions based on environmental extremist propoganda. It would appear that Bill was the only one of the four prepared for this interview.

The Saginaw News Thursday, January 5 headlines Dow submits cleanup plan. State regulators and Dow Chemical will discuss the plan during a community meeting running from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, February 9, at Horizons Conference Center, 6200 State in Saginaw Township.

Here is a link directly to the .pdf file of the Dow Remedial Investigation Work Plan. It's a pretty big file so if you have dial-up you might want to download it at the library or somewhere else with high speed internet. Dow & MDEQ will discuss this at the next community meeting, planned for February 9. This article also informs us that the transcript of the November 9 meeting presented to us by Dow and MDEQ is now available online.

I'm sure you've heard about the fine by now... Here's the Midland Daily News article, published 01/06/2006: Dow fined for conducting unreported dioxin tests

Bill, your deserve a break for surviving the den of liberalism called Public TV. This one's for you! (the picture, but I'm sure you'll enjoy the article as well)

You know, lots of residents notified Ms. Granholm that we wanted her to sign the Homeowner's Rights legislation, but she was only hearing her special friends, wasn't she? Don'tcha think she & her friend Stevie should quit playing with our state?

Just had to share this article by Dr. Gilbert Ross as he gives us another new look at skewed 'facts' and resulting fears. in this articleNever Mind: From Soda to Psychopharmaceuticals, Science Marches on with New Data. How often do our Luddite environmental extremist neighbors try to deter science in order to protect us from the bad guys? Dr. Ross gives us a couple more examples.

FYI - Reactions to Granholm's Veto Against Homeowners

A public note to our Congressmen and women - especially Congressman Moolenaar, who introduced the Homeowners' Rights Bill. Thank you so much for all you are trying to do for Michigan homeowners. Let us pray the tyrannical behavior of Ms. Granholm will soon be over. Even people who voted for her are unhappy. We can DO it people!!! It's not over.

"Mackinac Center Environmental Analyst Russ Harding Urges Reform of State Dioxin Policy Following Governor's Veto of Dioxin Testing Bill
State's dioxin approach disregards sound science and property rights. Dec. 28, 2005

Our View: Granholm should rein in DEQ, wait for results of U-M study
Midland Daily News - 12/30/2005

Glad I Don't Live in a Bubble...

Have you ever noticed how you can tell an extremist environmentalist by that ever-present look of anger? A friend forwarded the following to me this morning. Now, more than ever, I'm convinced it's because of that darned BUBBLE they insist on living in. The tough part is - they want US to join them in that bubble!!!

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's !!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONEactually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chatrooms..........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were nolawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned

HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

And if YOU are one of us, CONGRATULATIONS!

You and I have had the luck to grow up as kids before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good, and if you are one of our kids, now you know how brave your parents really were.

My momma used to say I'd eat a bushel of dirt before I die. Thank God, my mom, and a strong sense of independence, I do not live in the prison of a bubble!

Yesterday's News: In case you want to read all this stuff (I did):
Lansing State Journal: Granholm vetoes environmental cleanup legislation

Cleanup bill nixed
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
JEREMIAH STETTLER
THE SAGINAW NEWS

It's politics now, lawmakers say
Kathie Marchlewski, Midland Daily News 12/28/2005

Granholm vetoes facility proposal
Kathie Marchlewski, Midland Daily News 12/28/2005

Good morning Michigan!!!

King Steve is on the loose now!!!

She has pushed away our jobs... Michigan is now third only to the other most devastated States, Missouri and Louisiana. The difference is - Mother Nature did the dastardly deed to them. Ms. Granholm did it to Michigan!!!

She's running around spending our money like it grew on grapevines...

• traveling to Japan to give more business to foreign car makers.
• dumping money off in depressed areas, calling them 'cool cities' as though free money will motivate the gang elements and hard core unemployed - yeah right, guv!
• 'creating jobs' by taking more of our money to hire out government-paid construction projects.

Who is 'she?' Oh! Jennifer Granholm, Michigan's failed attempt at letting this woman run the state.

Looks like jenny granholm done joined up with the econutz!

Too bad.... so sad..... She's worried about our health? She hasn't met any of us. How can she have any idea about our health? She's only met up with the greedy!

I just today read an article: Green Tea Polyphenol EGCG Affects Gene Expression of Breast Cancer Cells Transformed By the Carcinogen 7,12- Dimethylbenz[a]Anthracene1-3 about green tea as a new and wondrous thing! I already had heard from national news sources that green tea is 'good for you' and was drinking one cup per day for several months when I heard a new bit of news. That was the study that showed green tea can reduce the amount of iron in your blood.

Because my doctor had been treating me for low hemoglobin by prescribing massive doses of iron (with nasty side effects I might add) - I decided to stop my one cup per day green tea habit. I've not yet had my blood checked since the change but notice my skin no longer gets the little 'explosions of blood' under the surface that no doctor was able to explain. Coincidence? I think not. Bottom line = Green tea is good for rats.

This is the way of so many things - healthy or unhealthy? Rats are not human and that's a fact! Remember the big bad Dow Corning people making those nasty artificial breasts that were 'making people sick?' Well - after Corning went bankrupt somebody decided silicon doesn't make people sick so now that Dow Corning paid out all that money to the greedy they can make artificial breasts again. Jenny is over there glad-handing Dow Corning and little girls are getting new boobs for Christmas presents.

Cross out the word silicon - insert the word dioxin - same story. The greedy ones want to hurry up and get their money through their lawsuit (currently on hold again) before tests on people come out with what all of us long term residents of the Tittabawassee River floodplain know... the dioxin in this floodplain doesn't kill people!

Ain't life grand?

Merry Christmas from the Tittabawassee River floodplain.

'Rivers know this: there is no hurry, we shall get there some day.'

A.A. Milne (Winnie the Pooh)

A few days ago I posted my plea for Michigan residents to tell Governor Granholm to sign the Homeowners' Fairness bill - HB-4617S-4. I actually did this on several web sites. I think she is getting our message. I'm not sure if she will pass or veto the bill, but I'm convinced she knows the previously silent majority is speaking out through the Tittabawassee River Voice and our friends at Midland Matters.

Last week Len and I had radio spots running on WSGW, a local radio station, all week long. The clincher was Wednesday, when Len had an interview session on the Art Lewis show on WSGW. Len's amazing when it comes to explaining such matters. I think he really got our message across because Thursday and Friday Art Lewis had call-in's all in support of the legislation. Folks this is democracy at work!!!


When you have some time I suggest you read The puzzle of environment and cancer By Gina Kolata of The New York Times. It was published in the International Herald Tribune: Health/Science on December 14, 2005.

She begins by telling us about Dr. Michael Gallo who, after working with dioxin for three decades, found out he has cancer. Unlike the uninformed, he knows the dioxin didn't cause it. He knows the components in his blood and dioxin is not prominent. Dr. Gallo says 'If I were to take that tumor that came out of me and grind it up and run it through a mass spectrometer, I could find every persistent organic chemical I've ever been exposed to. Is that cause and effect? No, it's an association.'

Then you will want to read Chemicals! In Our Blood!! - written by Dr. Joe Schwarcz (December 16, 2005) Dr. Schwarcz talks to us about all of the chemicals we are now able to detect in our bodies. As the old saying goes, 'A little knowledge can be dangerous,' and so it is when the uninformed get this kind of information, don't understand it, and panic. Dr. Schwarcz discusses the various chemicals in our blood in minute quantities that until recently were undetected.


Finding balance in dioxin 'zone' - published editorial in The Saginaw News on Sunday, December 18, 2005. Read it if you missed it on Sunday. It's encouraging to know the local newspaper with the biggest distribution in our area supports the homeowners. This is a big ol' thank you to the editors!!!


Dow could help curb future pandemic - an article by Kathie Marchlewski in the Midland Daily News Sunday issue - another 'must read' because here is another good reason why the old-fashioned environmentalists should join the 21st century environmentalists and work with 'the polluters' and not against them!!!


I need to take this time to extend my gratitude to Mike Underwood and Gary McLaughlin. These two men were the emergency response team when I phoned 911 on August 29. They arrived within minutes after I called! I need to thank the emergency response team from Thomas Township for their prompt arrival. I know you all did everything possible to get my husband's tired heart to beat again. Thanks to my neighbor, Jacquie Leaman, for driving me to the hospital after Mike and Gary determined I should not go along in the emergency vehicle. They were concerned that my hysterical reaction could interfere with the technicians' concentration on trying to revive my husband, Frank.

Mike, I especially want to thank you for stopping by again to see if I was okay. Thank you for your explanations. Your tenderness during such a devastating moment in my life meant a great deal to me. You are a living angel.

I will be sharing time with my family during the Christmas and New Year holidays. If something really new happens during this time, I will tell you about it here. If not, Merry Christmas to my Christian friends and Happy Holidays to everybody!

'Environmentalism has turned into anti-globalization and anti-industry. Activists have abandoned science in favor of sensationalism.'...Patrick Moore, co-founder of Greenpeace

Democracy is working in Iraq...

..Will it work in Michigan, U.S.A.? Residents are vocalizing our wishes to Governor Granholm. We want her to sign and pass the Homeowners' Rights bill - HB-4617S-4. A bunch of special interest lobbying groups are encouraging her to veto it. Although those groups say they represent citizens, they represent their own special interests! Be careful where you donate your money folks. You may think you are supporting the environment.... but, are you? The only environmental organization I've seen worth supporting is NewEnvironmentalism.org There may be others but... well, Frank & I have actually supported some of the 22 organizations the Lonetree gang joined up with so they could gang up on Governor Granholm... and I'm really sorry we did!

• The Governor's opinion webpage is back up.
• If you haven't already, tell Governor Granholm to pass HB-4617S-4 using contact information on our right panel - printed in alert red.
• Our co-founder, Len Heinzman, was a guest of Art Lewis on WSGW yesterday, along with a representative from the lonetree gang. If I'm lucky I'll get a copy of that broadcast to share with you.
• Today Art Lewis received many phone calls from residents affirming their agreement with Len's viewpoint, which is of course, the viewpoint of Tittabawassee River Voice.
• If you have a moment, read Midland Daily News' Our View: Granholm needs to protect homeowners. I've been so busy responding to the reader opinions there that I think I forgot to link this December 12 article here for you to read! If you want to see how some people are misinformed and my responses to them, be sure to read all six of the reader opinions.

Keep on truckin' folks!!! If Ms. Granholm doesn't want to listen to real residents, well... onward to Lansing and Plan B!!! As Tiny Tim said, 'God bless us one and all!'

Contact Governor Granholm

I've just been informed the link to the governor's contact form doesn't work. I checked by going through the several pages directly from the governor's webpage and couldn't get there that way either. Well I guess I need to share this email address: boyde@michigan.gov - an assistant who will surely see that the governor gets the message.

Love and good cheer to all. Keep praying and remember, God helps him/her who helps himself/herself!
I guess I'm feeling a bit tonight! Keep the faith friends; we'll get there.

Granholm Doesn't Care About, or Listen to, Residents...

...READ IT in The Saginaw News. The Governor doesn't listen to the whole story and she doesn't care! While running around the world on taxpayer dollars under the guise of creating jobs, and declaring 'cool cities' so she can give away more of the taxpayers' hard-earned money, she loves to smile for the camera along with a few residents (usually children) but certainly is NOT listening to the residents!

Governor, you may think you're 'winning battles' through your power of veto but you may very well be 'losing the war' for attaining a second term! President Bush recently said 'Government doesn't make jobs, people do.' ...and he's right, even if he is a Republican!

What do you think you will attain by bringing Japanese car building to Michigan? I'll tell you - You are doing the competition a favor while demolishing local industry! Isn't that happening already with Delphi and General Motors?

What do you think you will attain if you veto HB-4617S-4?

• You might satisfy a few 'old-style' environmental extremists for another day. Do you realize the new environmentalist style is to work WITH the polluter, just as Jim Sygo and Lt. Governor Cherry have been doing? This action does NOT satisfy your old-style environmental friends. Your old environmental friends are never satisfied.
• You will allow MDEQ to continue to devalue residential property with their dictatorial, non-scientific practices. Do you realize that the Michigan Department of Public Health study published last summer showed that fully 34% of the residential properties that MDEQ declared 'facilities' in that study did NOT contain dioxin? Read my commentary about it here.
• You will continue to drive jobs OUT of Michigan.

Governor Granholm, don't you realize that we ALL care about our environment? We just don't think you should allow the MDEQ to denigrate tax-paying property owners in the State of Michigan by saying we live in toxic waste dumps without proving it. Pass the Homeowners' Rights legislation and make MDEQ admit we still live in the United States of America and we are actually innocent until proven guilty!

Residents: Don't let her threat to veto HB-4617S-4 discourage you! Let her know how you feel.

• The phone number is 517-335-7858
• Fax: 517-335-6863
• email: go to http://www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168-21995-65331--,00.html and fill in the form. It will be tallied.
• It's a bit late for snail mail but send it anyway! Constituent Services Division, 111 S. Capitol Ave., Lansing, MI 48909

Tell Governor Granholm to Sign Homeowners Rights Bill Today

How to contact Governor Granholm - below and in right panel.
What does Len have to say about the bill? - Listen to Len
What does Shirley have to say? - Listen to Shirley
... read this article if you are still not convinced..
...or read Our View: Granholm needs to protect homeowners in today's Midland Daily News.
... then go here and tell the governor to sign HB-4617S-4
or tell her by phone at 517-335-7858

HB-4617 was passed by our ELECTED representatives

A small special interest group wants to stop it in it's tracks! We can't let that happen. Local environmental extremists want to keep the dioxin scare-factor going along the Tittabawassee River floodplain and on into the Saginaw Bay. They do NOT believe in sound science. They're trying to scare us by pulling out the old 'babies & pregnant women' card. They neglect the fact that thousands of babies were born to pregnant women along the Tittabawassee during the past century with no defects or diseases caused by dioxin in the soil. Please contact Governor Granholm now and tell her you support the Homeowners' Rights legislation House Bill 4617. Tell her to sign the bill and show her support for Michigan homeowners.

• Contact Governor Granholm via email: Governor Jennifer Granholm
• Fill in the online Opinion Form and tell Governor Granholm to sign HB-4617 : Governor Granholm's Opinion Form
• Phone the Governor at (517) 335-7858 - Constituent Services
• Fax Governor Granholm at: (517) 335-6863
• Write to Governor Granholm confirming your support for the Homeowners' Rights legislation, HB-4617, as amended by the Senate: Constituent Services Division, 111 S. Capitol Ave., Lansing, MI 48909

Grassroots Action Needed...

...to protect our backyards from government invasion! Our legislators got it going. HB-4617 passed in the House of Representatives; the Senate reviewed it and made a few changes, so now it's back to the House for approval of the changes... then off to Governor Granholm. If you want to read it, here is the document:

• HB-4617, As Passed Senate, December 7, 2005

The Lone Tree Gang is running scared now! I don't know why they want DEQ vilifying us with their assumptions about contamination in our residences... I don't know why they want non-elected bureaucrats from DEQ running our State... I don't know why they don't believe in sound science... but now Lone Tree is once again twisting words around to make their little group's goals sound like truth! They have launched a last desperate attempt to get Governor Granholm to veto the bill!

We the people have spoken. Our elected legislators heard us and responded with legislation to keep the Department of Environmental Quality from making assumptions about our residential properties without ever seeing any samples of our property. Now the few 1970's-based environutz want the Governor of Michigan to go against our desires. We need to contact her and let her know that our elected representatives actually represent us! We need to tell Governor Granholm that we want the Homeowners' Rights bill (HB-4617 as amended by the Senate) passed.

Contact Governor Granholm. Tell her we feel it is imperative to get this legislation passed, not just to protect the homeowners but to protect our jobs here in Michigan!

• Phone Governor Granholm: (517) 373-3400 or (517) 335-7858 - Constituent Services
• Send Governor Granholm an email sharing your opinion or you can go to: http://www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168-21995-65331--,00.html and fill in the opinion form provided. It will go via email to the governor's office.
• Fax Governor Granholm at: (517) 335-6863
• and then write to Governor Granholm confirming your support for the Homeowners' Rights legislation, HB-4617, as amended by the Senate: Governor Jennifer M. Granholm, P.O. Box 30013, Lansing, Michigan 48909
• Send me a copy of your letter, email or fax so I can compile our efforts. Our email address is tittabawasseeriver@yahoo.com .

Here's what the form looks like. Click on it and see what I sent via that form today. You don't have to say much. She just wants to know what WE want! Just tell her how you feel about the issue.

Maybe then we can truly relax and enjoy the good life here along the Tittabawassee River floodplain! ...and let us not forget, people - the Lone Tree Gang are the people who believe in freedom of speech, as long as they are the ones speaking!!!! The Lone Tree Gang is the gang who told ME to shut up at a public meeting! Let's show them that the majority still rules. Let's encourage the governor to pass this legislation.

FYI - Re: Senate Bill 390...

SB 390, known as the Homeowners' Rights bill, just today passed in the Senate! Chalk another one up for the good guys! Don't know all the details yet but

• I DO know there were some changes made. The changes were made to clarify things.
• I DO know that the polluter doesn't 'get out of' anything.
• The bill now goes back to the House because of the changes, of course.

Will keep you posted as things progress...

While I'm here, in case you haven't read it yet, I think you should read what Russ Harding had to say in this article - A Taking by Any Other Name. Harding, as always, tells it like it is. We are all aware of the DEQ involvement in all aspects of just about every homeowner in Michigan... from the wetlands to the sand dunes, from our underground water to our riverside and lakeside properties, and even in the cities. Read what he has to say about it.

Meanwhile, Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas (if I don't get back here before then)

I continue chugging along and doing alright, healthy, comfortable and contented to be living here along the Tittabawassee River floodplain.