<< GIVE TILL IT HURTS ~ MAIN ~ PRESTIGIOUS SLUR >>
TRAGIC NEGLIGENCE
The Sydney Morning Herald’s Andrew West last Thursday:
George Bush extended condolences to the families of the 12 coal miners killed in a disaster in West Virginia yesterday. Yeah, like he cares.
West’s evidence for this view:
Just take a look at his record on supporting workplace safety ... the Bush White House has systemically run down the very government agency responsible for enforcing safety in these most dangerous of workplaces ... Literally within days of taking up his appointment as president, he began dismantling the Clinton administration’s presidential directives protecting the nation’s workers. Now his administration’s negligence has manifested itself in the most tragic of ways.
Indeed, let’s take a look at workplace safety—specifically that to do with coal mines—under the Bush administration. Kevin Whalen analyses data from the Mine Safety and Health Administration:
Coal mine production reached the highest levels in history in recent years. In 2004 coal mining fatalities were near the lowest level in history with 28. Even with the recent high production, MSHA’s accident reduction efforts helped to keep the annual fatality totals nearly 50% lower in recent years compared with totals recorded in the early 1990s.
1. Clinton’s last year in office, 2000, there were 48 deaths in coal mines. In 2004, there were 28
2. The injury rate in 2000 was 6.64, in 2004 it was 5.00
3. Citations for safety violations in 2000: 58,285; Citations for violations in 2004: 64,635 (this would indicate to me more rigorous enforcement under Bush, especially after having cut back on coal industry enforcement jobs as the Democrats claim. Sounds to me like the Clinton administration was asleep at the switch)
West has made a damning error through shallow research. Yeah, like he cares.
This, like all the other blame-Bush fallacies, assumes that the army of human beings who carry out things like mine inspection don’t care either. It’s not just a case of Bush-hatred. It’s massive contempt for the general run of humanity.
By the way, that PETA ad makes me wonder if they’re real. Collagen: it’s not just for lips anymore.
Really o/t, sorry, but could someone give us a hand please. I’m writing an essay on US foreign policy post 9/11 and seem to remember a study that showed the root cause of terrorism to be oppressive governments and not poverty, as has often been claimed, or something like that. I can’t find a url for it though. Does anyone know about this? Thanks.
RebeccaH,
On the subject of PETA, magicians Penn & Teller have a cable programme titled “Bullshit!” and in this segment expose the massive lies and hypocricy of this group. They give PETA the journalistic equivalent of a “swirlie”.
Posted by Spiny Norman on 2006 01 08 at 01:40 PM • permalinkSpiny Norman, I’ve seen the Penn & Teller segment, and I’ve also read elsewhere that some PETAns are responsible for rounding up animals from humane shelters and euthanizing them (which seems contradictory to their stated aims). Mustn’t let those poor animals languish in cages. Kill them instead.
But I was speaking sardonically of the bums displayed so prominently in their ad. Now that you mention it, and in light of what we now know about them, does it seem that they’re revealing some essential truth about their true aims by mooning us in ads?
I got pointed to Andrew West’s site during his whole “Islam has a problem” crisis, when the coward took town the column only to re-post it when (surprise and welcome to the Blogosphere Mr. West!) people noticed.
What amazes me about this guy is that this guy is a major newspapers go-to guy for political analysis. I’ve been reading his site every day now and his pieces sound for all the world like they’ve been written by an outraged university freshman who has just discovered Chomsky.
This recent essay on mining safety is just loaded with, well, outright stupidity. Take the evidence he cites for example: it’s only relevant if one believes, as West clearly does, that the leading indicator for figuring out how much any government cares about workers is to measure the sheer number of regulations affecting their area of employment.
That is so rock-solid stupid I won’t bother insulting your intelligence by listing the many ways that it way off base. It’s obvious, isn’t it?
Posted by NewSisyphus on 2006 01 08 at 02:42 PM • permalinkI’ve also read elsewhere that some PETAns are responsible for rounding up animals from humane shelters and euthanizing them (which seems contradictory to their stated aims). Mustn’t let those poor animals languish in cages. Kill them instead.
My mother works for the local County Department of Animal Control (their shelter has been picketed by PETA) and she has a newspaper article from a couple of years ago detailing that hypocricy. She points out that PETA euthanizes a much larger percentage of “rescued” dogs and cats than does the County shelter.
Posted by Spiny Norman on 2006 01 08 at 03:15 PM • permalinkWell you can say all you like but the real evil behind all this, the puppet master who masterminds it all is yes, you’ve got ZIOSHARON! Did that surprise ny little tookie bears?
Do you think that the man who launches missiles at helpless kindly holy men in wheelchairs would thin twice about stripping safet measures from US mines for his personal profit?
Even now in a coma, he still manipulates the Cabal of right wing death beasts!This should explain why the lefties make so many “mistakes”: deliberate spin.
“The SECRET to David McTaggart’s success is the secret to Greenpeace’s success: It doesn’t matter what is true, it only matters what people believe is true…You are what the media define you to be. [Greenpeace] became a myth, and a myth-generating machine.”
http://www.suanews.com/articles/1993/notsopeacefulgreenpeace.htm
Davo, are you planning to run for President of Iran soon? Getting your platform ready, eh?
Posted by Michael Lonie on 2006 01 08 at 05:23 PM • permalinkhey, i just stubbed my toe.
If I was a left-winger I would blame Bush. Instead, I blame global warming.
Posted by WeekByWeek on 2006 01 08 at 07:11 PM • permalinkPeople, you will never win an argument with a leftie this way (facts, figures etc). What we need is a conspiracy theory! Such as Bush might have saved mroe coal miners lives, but they contribute to global warming, so that isnt a good thing!
Posted by JSthecorrect on 2006 01 08 at 08:05 PM • permalinkWow, what a professional West is, expressing himself in such juvenile fashion! I bet he cries himself to sleep each night over the 6 thousand CHINESE coal miners who died last year.
To a coldly calculating fraud like West, the tragic death of 12 Americans simply present him with yet another opportunity for disgustingly petty point-scoring!Yeah, West has a lot to answer for - he claims to care, but obviously he doesn’t care enough, because twelve miners still died!!!
Of course, just because Clinton has left office there’s no reason for him to stop caring. The depth of his feelings will be just as effective as an ex-President as they were when he was in the Oval Office.
And Aaron, I’m leaning towards “truthish.”
Or maybe “Truth Lite.” It has that same satisfying flavor, without all the facts.
Posted by Steve Skubinna on 2006 01 08 at 09:00 PM • permalinkSure he might be wrong on the facts, but doesn’t it say a lot about us that he could be right?
Posted by stuartfullerton on 2006 01 08 at 09:26 PM • permalink#23: Brian admirably sums up everything that needs to be said about West’s comments.
Unfortunately, West is just another leftist pop-gun. He is not a worthy successor to Magog as grit for our oyster. For one thing, he lacks her gift for “malapropaganda”. For another, he doesn’t possess the sort of physiognomy that invites comment from even the most restrained and gentlemanly RWDB.
Off-topic but the Times has more proof of global warming - Delhi had winter frost and ice for the first time in 70 years this morning. It also says the Indians are evacuating their Himalayan bases as the temperature drops to -40.
Those guys must be praying for some global warming.
You know, it’s part of the whole Gaia-worshipping religious cult of the global warming/cooling/climate change crowd.
George Bush is the Fisher King. If anything bad happens to anyone, anywhere, it’s his fault because the Land is siffering for his flaws…
Posted by richard mcenroe on 2006 01 08 at 11:13 PM • permalinkSo, with apologies to rinardman at #27 -
Bush lied metaphorically, miners died categorically!Posted by SwinishCapitalist on 2006 01 09 at 01:24 AM • permalink# 32 Please don’t mention the worst film ever made and compare Dubya with Robin
Williams….even in jest.
Andrew West -were that him in earnest discussion on radio nat the other week,alonga Bob(Byron)Ellis and the ex editor of New Mathilda.The presenter was creaming herself over them and describing him as “distinguished” and a blogger.Ugh just going awa to wash my mouth out…
Page 1 of 1 pages
Members:
Login | Register
| Member List
How can it be an error? It’s like that turkey- fake but accurate.
At least it is to West and the rest of the Fairfax ilk.