Think History of Saginaw...

I planned a holiday break but am mentally unable to take a break from reading and viewing the news. The latest dioxin-related incident once again involves not 'our' river but the Saginaw River. Dioxin levels puzzling from The Saginaw News, December 21. WNEM also ran a bit about this dilemma. Alix Hayes sent me an email requesting input. Unfortunately I didn't check my email that day until it was too late to respond to her. Next time, Alix! For now, here is my read on the subject.

• There was a big ol' stinky city dump upstream. The garbage was always smoldering... creating furans and probably dioxins too, since they burned everything.
• The Malleable Iron Factory was upstream. They melted iron... scrap and otherwise, blending it to cast into molds... creating waste product from the furnaces and the product.
• All kinds of runoff in the Shiawassee flats - upstream - from farm runoff and more.
• What is on the property at Saginaw Rock Products?
• How isolated is the river area around the 'hot spot' in the river's bend?

From mutterings I've heard, the acreage the Corps of Engineers wants to use is not in immediate proximity to homes. The land is isolated and would be perfect for such a project. The people complaining have been agitated by local fear-mongering environmental extremists who must constantly 'stir the pot' to keep the public fearful of progress. Happy Holidays!

SN Editorial... Saginaw River Dredging

Dredging plans can't run aground... not related to the Tittabawassee River controversy, but definitely the message in this editorial from The Saginaw News speaks volumes. Note the following excerpt from that piece published in today's paper:

'The Saginaw River is much cleaner than it was three decades ago when it was dredged by the Corps of Engineers. Those contaminated spoils were dumped and capped on the north end of Ojibway Island in Saginaw.'

Kudos to the editor! Oh yes, I remember many picnics at Objibway Island too... and the raft races on the river. Rafters often spent as much time in the water as they did rafting!

Saginaw News Update...

Poison cases not similar headlines the Thursday, December 16, 2004 article in the Saginaw News. Although the kid reporter obviously has an affinity for the fearmongers, he also asked opinions from Dr. Varner and Bill Egerer. He has not yet, however, learned the fine art of separating truth from fiction.

From a guy named Michael Fumento

MICHAEL FUMENTO: Dioxin myth revealed... This article showed up this morning in a news service I subscribe to. It is a common sense commentary on the the dangers of dioxin. >Michael Fumento, is a nationally known author, noted for debunking 'scientific' myths. Note to the local kids who think this little dioxin debacle will make them famous, if you want a model, read this guy!

God bless us, one and all!

Nit Picking: Bay City Times

Dredgings dump opponents are down to picking at details... is a common sense opinion I just read from the Bay City Times. I agree wholeheartedly!

Dioxin and Olestra

AP: Yushchenko has historic dioxin level was just published today. Experts are getting closer to identifying the source of dioxin used to poison Yushchenko. They have actually narrowed the type down to one of 29 types out of a possible 400+. Since dioxins were produced in Russia for use in chemical warfare, it is possible to discover the source as well.

Yesterday I read this article in globeandmail.com - Dioxin easy to hide, easy to swallow In case you don't read the article I want to share these two statements from it: 1. 'Dr. Okey said that most people take in a couple of parts per trillion daily from food and environmental exposure -- but that amount varies depending on diet and where you live.' 2. 'A thousandfold increase in exposure . . . is not that high. It wouldn't necessarily cause symptoms in everyone, he (Dr. Uetrecht, Canada research chair in immunotoxicology) said.'

I hope Mr. Yuschchenko tries the olestra treatment. Even mothernature.com suggests olestra as a way to rid the body of dioxins quickly! Following is direct quote from that website:

'Elimination of toxic pollutants

Research in animals and preliminary evidence in humans suggests that elimination of some toxic pollutants (e.g., polychlorinated biphenyls [PCBs], one type of dioxin called TCDD, DDE, and hexachlorobenzine [HCB]) might be hastened by the addition of olestra to the diet. Although experts have expressed concern over side effects and possible long-term dangers of olestra consumption, people with a history of certain environmental exposures may wish to consult with their doctor regarding the potential use of olestra in promoting elimination of these dangerous compounds.'

...and if you don't believe Mother Nature, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) reported the cases of two women with high levels of dioxin: Severe 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) Intoxication: Clinical and Laboratory Effects They treated them with olestra to assist ridding them of the dioxin. (Environmental Health Perspectives; Volume 109, Number 8; August 2001)

What is olestra? It is a fat substitute that acts like a fat but does not stay in your body. A full explanation by the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) is here. Procter & Gamble company has exclusive rights for this product which they call Olean. The only shortcoming of using Olean is "...it may prevent the absorption of essential fat-soluble vitamins and "carotenoids," a group of nutrients that includes beta-carotene, a dietary component that some people claim offers protection from cancer." Since my favorite potato chips are Wow! chips... fried in Olean, I make sure I have my carrots, sweet potatoes and such in meals separate from the potato chip treat.

...and one more olestra reference:Fast food: Olestra helps your body make short work of PCBs and dioxins

Meanwhile, I need to get out and do some Christmas shopping. Obviously I'm spending too much time on the internet! By the way, I heard on yesterday's news that somebody in the Freeland school system is trying to get kids to avoid the real meaning of Christmas!!! The good Sisters of Mercy warned us 'way back in the 1950's that this would happen in our country. For those who do not know, especially the litigious types, the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) was founded by a Communist. Under the guise of 'equal rights for all' these very powerful extremists are taking away the rights of the majority in our country!

A rose is a rose.... Is a dioxin a dioxin?

What are dioxins? Why the concern? ...published 12.12.04 in Medical News Today, a UK website. I was so quick to point out the news media are all reporting Mr. Yushchenko's dioxin poisoning, perhaps we should read a bit about dioxins. Nobody has yet defined exactly what kind of dioxin was found in his system, even though I read one article today that mentioned Russia once had considered using dioxin as a chemical warfare weapon. That article does not mention what kind of dioxin either, although we are perhaps all assuming the dioxin was the same as the chemicals used in Agent Orange during the war in Vietnam.

Dioxin in (and moving quickly out of) Yushchenko

Doctor: Yushchenko Poisoned With Dioxin... this article from myway.com news, basically the same story being run across the U.S. in all media forms. During the past 24 hours testing was done in Amsterdam which confirmed he had been poisoned with very high levels of dioxin. Doctors declared the dioxin is rapidly leaving his system and no functional damage will remain. The chloracne takes two to three years to heal according to their dermatologist, Hubert Pehmberger.

I hope all of our local environmental extremists who have been spreading the old scare tactics about dioxin chew on this information for a little while.

*****
Meanwhile, I need to tell you what I saw at the CAP meeting with Dr. Garabrant's team on Thursday, December 9.

First... lots of media coverage.

Second... lots of brain power, loaded with knowledge about dioxin. Not only is our own Dr. Varner well versed in all aspects of dioxin and it's possible effects, or lack thereof, but he introduced me to Dr. Warren Crummet, known around the world as one of the foremost experts on dioxin. Dr. Crummet was accompanied by two other gentlemen, Drs. Skelly and Belfit. Freeland was truly privileged to have these highly qualified men attending this meeting in our town.

Many other interested parties attended the meeting, but those who stood out were, unfortunately, those with negative attitudes based on the misinformation passed out to them by our local environmentalists. Somebody asked why Lonetree and MDEQ were not there and the Chair, Veronica Horn, told them all parties knew the about the meeting in advance.

They sure did! They maybe weren't there but their ideas were. The poor gentleman who read his notes to us about his concerns... something to do with people who have died recently in our area, even had a bit of difficulty reading what they had written for him. (This is only my presumption because I'm sure he would have had no problem if he had written it himself.

What did I learn from Dr. Garabrant's update? The dioxin study is going exceedingly well. Unfortunately this means I am not one of the people chosen for the study, as I have heard nothing from his group. The study is going according to plan and if everything continues going so well, the results will be made known to all of us by 2007.

Am I worried? Is Mr. Yushchenko worried about his case? Of course not! I have no doubts... if there is found to be some sort of horribly bad correlation between dioxin in the soil and in the bodies of those living along the Tittabawassee River floodplain, we will be right in line to have our blood tested by a government agency or Dow Chemical.

CAP... U of M Study

Midland Daily News: 12.10.04... provided us with the best overall report of last night's Community Advisory Panel meeting for Dr. Garabrant's U of M study. Of course I'm not going to complain about WNEM or WJRT because both of them showed pics of yours truly at the meeting and Chris from WJRT interviewed me after the meeting. Both news programs pointed out that not everybody at the meeting is against Dr. Garabrant's study. Midland Daily News, however, only mentioned people who are disgruntled with the study.

I will be back and report my impression of the meeting later.

Kathie M's Report on Saginaw River Dredging

High dioxin levels found in Saginaw River This is a good piece of reporting done by Kathie Marchlewski of The Midland Daily News!

I would like to balance her article however by giving a bit of history to it. Fishermen and boaters in the area are very familiar with Gull Island out in Saginaw Bay. How did it get there? I'll tell you.

'Way back in the olden days... before Dow Chemical figured out how to measure dioxin, the Army Corps of Engineers regularly dredged the Saginaw River... to keep the navigational channel open for shipping commerce. This same commerce was good for our local economies. They dumped the dredged materials out there in the bay where it grew into Gull Island!

It was a great fishing area... boaters dropped anchor out there on a hot summer day so the kids could go swimming. We did it! We ate perch from the bay. It was very fresh, very tasty!

Do you know anybody who used to fish and swim out there? I'm sure people still do. Has it harmed them in any way? A note to LoanTree and Ms. Rhetoric, fear mongering is NOT a good thing!

Don't Forget December 9 Dioxin Meeting...

Well! Seems to be a Blogger glitch this morning! I guess it's the price we must pay for such a popular concept, eh? I hope this 'cures' it!

Reminder from the University of Michigan Dioxin Exposure Study website.

COMMUNITY ADVISORY PANEL TO MEET FOR
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN DIOXIN EXPOSURE STUDY

SAGINAW - The Community Advisory Panel for the University of Michigan Dioxin Exposure Study will hold its next meeting on Thursday evening, December 9, beginning at 6:00pm at the Freeland Elementary School Cafeteria, 710 Powley Drive, Freeland, MI 48623. The public is invited to attend.
A team of University of Michigan scientists is conducting a two-year study to see whether residents of Midland and Saginaw counties have been exposed to dioxins that are in the soil. The Community Advisory Panel is made up of local community leaders. The purpose of the panel is to provide a forum for community residents to express their concerns about the dioxin problem, to discuss the study, and to help the investigators communicate more effectively with the involved communities. The current status of the study will be presented at the CAP meeting and there will be opportunity for questions and discussion.
"The University of Michigan is working to get the facts about whether dioxin that is in the soil is also in people's bodies" said CAP Chair, Veronica Horn. "Dr. David Garabrant, head of the U-M dioxin study and his team are working to make this study a success."
In order to be successful, Dr. Garabrant stresses that it is important that people in the involved communities understand what this study is about, and be willing to participate in the study. The U-M began collecting field data earlier this fall. The CAP meeting in December will be the first opportunity for UM researchers to provide the CAP and the community with an update on the status and progress of the study.
Information about the Community Advisory Panel has been posted on the study's web site: www.UMDioxin.org. More information, such as future meeting dates, times and locations, will be posted as it becomes available.

WNEM-TV5 High Dioxin Levels Found In Saginaw River

WNEM-TV5 High Dioxin Levels Found In Saginaw River... In case you missed this piece of fiction today on the 5:30 news, you must see it! Click the link and when you get there there is a link to get a streaming video repeat of the entire report.

It would appear the only one Alix Hayes, the reporter, talked to was somebody from Lonetree Council... she spells it 'Loantree' - and somehow she got at least two stories mixed up and reported them as one! No wonder people go around fearful. Too many in the news media report and know nothing about what they are reporting!!!

If she had only read the Saginaw News... or for that matter, this website... she would know that the Saginaw River dredging has nothing to do with the Tittabawassee River floodplain problem. Ms. Hayes, I invite you to meet with my cohorts and I, members of two real citizen groups, the TRVoice and Midland Matters, and give a report based on facts instead of ??? whatever Loantree told you.

Home Sales Remain Good

Yesterday's Midland Daily News featured another fine article by Kathie Marchlewski... Real estate agents say home sales not affected by dioxin dilemma. Real estate agents compared 'oranges to oranges' and found that homes are selling well within the asking prices.

Of course somebody insisted on leaving a comment complaining that she can't sell her home and it's because of the dioxin controversy. Midland homes are not even labeled facilities like ours are in Tittabawassee Township along the river floodplain. Homes are selling just fine anyway. Hey lady, did it occur to you that perhaps you are comparing 'oranges to lemons'?

Our churches come in all sizes and shapes. We are proud of our churches, our beliefs and our diversity.

Last month (11.11.2004) there was a letter to the editor of The Saginaw News pointing out two recent deaths along the Tittabawassee River floodplain. Both of these people died of cancer so the writer concludes dioxin was the cause. One of these people fished, hunted and ate what he killed along the river plain. The other 'cooked with and drank only purified, filtered bottled water.' I guess the implication is he did not kill and cook his own meat. So what's the connection? I'm not sure! I guess the author thinks dioxin exists in the air around the river???

Once again Dr. Varner, Medical Director of the Saginaw County Health Department explains the fallacy of such belief. Read these two letters here. Among other things Dr. Varner says:

'It has been shown that many of the effects of dioxin exposure occur in a non-monotonic fashion. In other words, the dose response curve behaves oddly, with some health effects occurring at very low-level exposures, while those same effects disappear at higher doses.'

Can't help but interpret this to mean health effects of dioxin exposure are erratic and do not appear to have a predictable direct relationship between exposure and a particular health defect.

Another scare tactic about dioxin is in an email currently circulating about the hazards of using all sorts of common household products. It supposedly came from a Johns-Hopkins Hospital newsletter, but no amount of googling would get me to a connection between Johns-Hopkins and this latest urban myth. If you haven't seen it yet, here it is. Please keep in mind this is not true.

I did a bit more googling and came up with this information from www.phthalates.org explaining that, among other things, FDA approved plastics for handling foods do not contain dioxin!
Posted by Hello

ABC12.com: Disputes over wetlands continue

ABC12.com: Disputes over wetlands continue and in case you missed it, you can read the transcript and even view the video report. Excellent job, Terry! Just like the Kozaks say, DEQ is out of control! They don't just have control of the 16% wetlands in Michigan... and of course any natural bodies of water... rivers, streams, inland lakes, the Great Lakes, but yes they also have control over sand dunes... and I'm sure there are other areas in Michigan I just haven't read about yet!!!

Oh! I know!!! They also are responsible for anyplace in Michigan where there is a possibility that an endangered species could live, whether it lives there or not!!!

Just as Tom Kozak said, the MDEQ is out of control. They apparently answer to nobody... and their 'science' is whatever they want it to be to prove what they want to prove! There is no oversight committee or scientific group making sure they do things correctly. We citizens pay their big fat salaries... and when we ask them why they named our land a 'facility'... or why they won't let us develop our property, the answer is 'It's the LAW!!!' Then they say 'We don't make the laws, we just make sure the law is carried out.'

Now that's all a bunch of crap! The MDEQ and their special friends, the environmental extremist wackos hassle our legislators into making those laws! Our legislators go ahead and make the laws because they don't realize what their constituency really wants! The extremists go bopping around Lansing, lobbying as representatives of residents. The majority... that would be us..... stay at home, mind our own business, improve our homes, improve our property, until somebody who works for the DEQ notices you did it without getting a permit from them. Then all Hell breaks loose!

Thanks to MDEQ and their royal monarch, Steve Chester, the Michigan Taxpayer is rapidly becoming totally under the control of DEQ bureaucrats!

MDEQ CAP Meeting Featuring Linda Birnbaum Cancelled

Okay, what's going on?!!!?? Last week the email went out announcing a Community Advisory Panel meeting presented by MDEQ... supposed to be concerning the dioxin controversy in the Tittabawassee River floodplain and extended to include the Midland area near Dow Chemical. Didn't read about it in the newspaper until... today!

For some reason our Saginaw News was not delivered today but just as I was leaving for physical therapy our friend Howard stopped by and showed me the article in his freshly delivered Saginaw News... announcing the meeting will be held Wednesday - WOW!!! two days notice!

Got home, logged into the internet and right there on my Yahoo Homepage what did I see?... The meeting featuring Linda Birnbaum is cancelled! Ms. Birnbaum is ill; the meeting will be rescheduled. Here is the article as I copied it from The Midland Daily News:

Dioxin meeting scheduled for Freeland canceled
Kathie Marchlewski, Midland Daily News 11/15/2004
A community meeting for residents wanting to learn more about dioxin and health has been canceled.
The speaker, Dr. Linda S. Birnbaum, is ill and won't be able to attend the meeting scheduled for Wednesday at Freeland High School.
The meeting will be rescheduled as soon as possible, said Michigan Department of Environmental Quality spokesman Bob McCann. The MDEQ had requested that Birnbaum come to the area to offer "basic background" information on dioxin. The agenda did not include discussion about the local contamination issue or ongoing negotiations between the state and The Dow Chemical Co., though Birnbaum was planning a question and answer session on dioxin and potential health effects.

Well, go figure! This is the second cancellation. Hmmm! What's it all about? Stay tuned.

MDEQ CAP meeting Wednesday, November 17, 2004

email re Community Advisory Panel meeting arrived in my email sometime last week. Ms Birnbaum, guest speaker, is the darling of Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality and especially of their environmental extremist entourage. Ms. Birnbaum's viewpoint is typically tainted with an academic governmental angle.

The meeting will be held at the Freeland High School Auditorium, at 8250 Webster Road, Freeland, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

To our knowledge, MDEQ has not yet presented us with information from active working scientists. Please do not miss this important meeting presented by MDEQ. It should be interesting. I feel it is vital that we are totally aware of the narrowly focused attitudes that lead to our homes being designated 'facilities'. Let's all show up and let these people see who the real majority are!

A week's worth of Updates...

What I love most about Freeland... It is still a farming community.

In case you missed the Bay City Times... Bangor Township family takes on DEQ over dirt piles Click the title to read two articles concerning treatment of ordinary citizens by the MDEQ. Fortunately some folks have come to their aid. Yes, we the people are finally getting our points across.

Please read Dr. David Garabrant's editorial in the Midland Daily News concerning the U of M dioxin study... privacy is key.

This IS about the Environment... and more

Pundits thought the 'Losers' had this election all wrapped up. They finally decided too many of the wrong people voted in the 'Jesus
states.' 'Jesus States' are all the red ones! I was disappointed Michigan was NOT included until I looked at Michigan... lower right... and found out that, thank God, Michigan still has more 'Jesus counties' than not.


The mass news media, tort lawyers, extremists, and every other group based on the belief that the average human individual is incapable of taking care of her/himself, joined the Democratic party in wondering what went wrong.

This went wrong!

• The minority (hedonists, atheists and their do-gooder supporters began to slowly and methodically take the Christian God out of all public areas of the United States.
• Advocates to protect our environment went nuts...each group with their own special little projects. It matters not whether the creature, plant or piece of geography is 'of value' to the environment. Evolution be damned! Extremist wackos don't want Jesus and they don't want evolution!
• Sue the bastards became a mantra! Under the theory that most people are too dumb to protect themselves, the legal system is increasingly bogged down with creating fear in the hearts of honest doctors, lawyers and manufacturers in the U.S. The average tort lawyer's objective is to make mountains out of molehills... and to fill their own pockets based on the natural greed of humanity.
• The silent majority woke up... and discovered that all those extremist advocate this & that's were claiming to represent us and our governmental systems were buying it! I truly believe Lieutenant Governor Cherry thought the environmental extremists represented residents. When he met with us he realized that is not the case. I'm not so sure about Ms. Granholm. I don't think she 'gets it' yet. She has not yet based her 'ideals' on reality... Government officials are still meeting with the likes of Tracey Easthope (Ann Arbor) Lena Polock (from ?) and Michelle Hurd-Rittic (Bay City).

FYI...Environmental Extremists are already regrouping, evidenced by the following email from one Environmental Extremists to her followers...

'Subject: E-M:/ Michigan Environmental Action Calendar
From: "Stephanie Anderson"
Date: Fri, 5 Nov 2004 11:32:25 -0500
Delivered-to: enviro-mich-archive@glc.org
Delivered-to: enviro-mich@great-lakes.net
In-reply-to: <1c3.205ab9fb.2ebcf97c@aol.com>
List-name: Enviro-Mich
Reply-to: "Stephanie Anderson"

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Working collectively and individually to build a politically powerful, statewide infrastructure of pro-environment groups will be one of the keys to our long-term success. In that vein, the Michigan Environmental Council is in the process of creating a web-based calendar to post, track and coordinate the wide array of actions that environmentalists are taking around the state.Â

It will be up soon, but for now you can post to our temporary calendar at http://my.calendars.net/mec_field. You’ll need the following info in order to post your own events: Login is “enviro” and password is “power.” You can also simply email a list of those events to me and I’ll get them posted for you.

I’d love to hear your feedback on this as well as other ideas that you have for helping your efforts to build power.

Steph

Stephanie Anderson | Field Director
Michigan Environmental Council
517-487-9539 office | 734-657-9588 mobile'

Received a note from MDEQ...

Cheryl Howe sent this brief press release to everybody on her dioxin CAP mailing list in case we hadn't seen it elsewhere. Since I've been busy the past few days... I hadn't yet read it. Wednesday morning news where I was consisted of, 'I need a little blood sample; here are your meds; more pain pills? ... again?...MORE pain pills?'..then daughter number 4 phoned at 6:00 a.m. " Did you see the news? Your man won!'...and I thought, YES!!! Sometimes the good guys still win!

Had a little 'knee work' done. If I was a guy I'd probably call it an 'old sports injury' but all I will say is... total knee replacement surgery. Great doctors... great nursing care! Alas, no internet availability. The good news is I was too busy to care. Thanks to a great Mid-Michigan Regional Hospital team everything is looking great! Now I'm ready to catch up on the rest of my email... lots of reading to do! It's tough using a laptop when you cannot really put it on your lap... and hard to use the desktop computer because I can't sit for hours with my leg in a downward position.

About the dioxin situation... I sure was glad to read Cheryl's update!!! It came under Lt. Governor Cherry's letterhead. With him driving I'm confident we will get there!