Shameful Response to Toxic Train Derailment 

The shameless treatment of the threatened residents of E. Palestine, Ohio, by the Biden administration is scandalous and shameless. These victims of a derailed train carrying loads of toxic chemicals that have spewed their contaminants over homes, farmland, rivers and is sinking deep into the wells that supply many of the residents with their drinking water, are now seen on TV pleading for some kind of help, any sign of help, from our national authorities. They’re getting zilch. They are getting nowhere. The EPA, who showed up at the site after two vital weeks of ignoring the situation, is demanding that the rail lines, Norfolk Southern Corp., do the clean-up.

In an official order the EPA declared that if the rail lines do not comply, they will step in, do the necessary work, the EPA will step in and bill the company. Lives are at risk and they haggle about responsibility! If only E. Palestine was located in Ukraine, in downtown Baltimore, Chicago or Los Angeles, help would already be on the way. No such luck. We saw, back on 9/11 how quickly the federal agencies jumped into the scene in NYC to try to bring help and support to the people. At that time we knew little about such environmental cleanups. But we know so much more today, and nothing is being done to ameliorate the tragedy. Why is that?

Perhaps the situation is not viewed by the White House as a national calamity but rather as a political one. This town of about 5,000 is largely white and they vote as conservatives. Nothing to gain here by evidencing sympathy and a quick resolve to the tragedy. Remember Obama’s comments about Middle America back in 2008, when referring to working class voters in old industrial towns: “The get bitter, they cling to guns or religion.” And E. Palestine is smack dab in that Middle America. They are to be considered as “less thans, not worthy of our concern. They are not people of color, nor are they supportive of our policies nor of our candidates. What good would it do us to help them?” Unfortunately, that is the attitude, in our eyes, an immoral one that President Obama initiated that has now taken precedent in this matter.

Think of how long it took the Secretary of Transportation, Peter Buttigieg to report to the scene. Over two weeks. Why was he AWOL for this vital time? Was this situation not within his parameter of responsibility? And when his childish face appeared on camera, what was his first exclamation? That former President Trump was responsible for the derailment because during his administration there were changes in the standards for train brakes; nothing to do with the bearings on the Norfolk Southern train that melted on the tracks. But that’s now the standard response by Progressives for this disaster. Joy Behar, a Progressive daily women’s show talk show host repeated the lie that “Trump is responsible for the wreck.” Say it often enough and the fib will be accepted as truth. And when pressed by a reporter for answers to the basic questions of how Buttigieg planned to handle the cleanup, he bristled and walked away. Matter solved in his eyes. Incompetent, useless and a waste.

And to top it all off, where has President Biden been all this time since February 3rd, the day of the wreck? He’s never shown up at the scene. No embarrassment at all. No shame at ignoring the pains of his fellow citizens. He made a few fund raising stops in various states, visited Ukraine and Poland and spent three week-ends at his vacation home, but he claims East Palestine was on his mind. Really! It’s rumored that when told of the wreck and the town was “East Palestine,” he remarked, “ Yeah, I visited that place when I went to Israel last year.” Confused? yes. Concerned? Not at all. We fear of what’s to come in East Palestine and our future.