Human Rights and Justice

no caption

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 22:09:21 -0000

Updates to playlist: And Justice For All

Metal Addict™ — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 14:02:16 -0000

Re: Shake Hands with the Devil

Mistress Tara — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 19:05:15 -0000

She would look like Lucy Lawless of course!

Re: Shake Hands with the Devil

Roman — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 07:53:54 -0000

I wonder how long it will be before we have a collective image of what a female general would look or sound like, and what that image would be like? Just a thought I had from reading your post and comment, Tara.

Re: Shake Hands with the Devil

Mistress Tara — Mon, 12 Sep 2005 21:19:57 -0000

I met Gen. Dallaire when he gave a key note address at a luncheon in Silicon Valley. He is surprisingly optomistic considering what he witnessed and experienced. He's a quirky little Canadian, not at all what you would expect. Shatters any preconceived notion of what a "masculine" military leader should look like or sound like.

He's still working to halt future crimes against humanity and was on a plane to Sudan after the luncheon.

He fast became one of my role models.

Re: Judge Orders Dow to Explain

versity — Wed, 10 Aug 2005 13:05:04 -0000

My mom''s brother worked there at the time.. this incident ruined his career for years to come.. they should DEFINITELY BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE..

Re: Why hold Union Carbide & Dow accountable?

Ken Suzuki — Tue, 09 Aug 2005 17:34:13 -0000

This was one of the worst cases of industrial negligence in the past few decades. The stories I've read about it are horrifying.

Why hold Union Carbide & Dow accountable?

Mistress Tara — Mon, 08 Aug 2005 19:39:39 -0000

Why hold Union Carbide & Dow accountable?

1. There was no siren and no warning - people woke with the gases already in their faces, filling their mouths, noses and lungs with excruciating pain.

2. NONE of safety systems were functioning on the night of the disaster — six in all.

3. Union Carbide under-invested in an inherently hazardous facility located in a crowded neighborhood, used admittedly unproven designs, stored lethal MIC in reckless quantities, dismantled safety systems and cut down on safety staff and training in an effort to cut costs.

4. Union Carbide and its new owner, Dow Chemical, continue to blame the disaster on a fictitious and unnamed worker, and deny their own negligence.

5. In the wake of the disaster, Carbide claimed that the gas was harmless, when it knew it was lethal (as described in its own manuals).

6. Dow-Carbide refuses to share all its medical information about the health effects of the gas it released, MIC--information that doctors could use to save lives--claiming the information is a "trade secret".

7. Union Carbide fled India and abandoned its Bhopal plant, leaving thousands of tons of dangerous chemicals behind, which are now poisoning the water of the same people Carbide first poisoned 20 years ago. As more people grow sick, Dow-Carbide still refuses to clean up its pollution in Bhopal.

8. The Union Carbide Corporation, charged criminally with "culpable homicide" in the wake of the disaster, has refused to appear in court or stand trial. Union Carbide is now an international fugitive from justice, considered an "absconder" under Indian law.

Casualties

Mistress Tara — Mon, 08 Aug 2005 19:17:02 -0000

The estimated number of deaths resulting form the Bhopal disaster is 20,000.

The estimated number of people poisoned is 500,000.

The estimated number of people still suffering today from "serious illness" is 120,000.

I got these numbers from the European Parliament.

re: re: What Happened in Bhopal?

Mistress Tara — Sat, 05 Feb 2005 11:40:05 -0000

Herein lies the problem. In our world of supercorporations, the law allows corporations to cover each other's asses. Have a chemical spill killing tens of thousands and polluting the environment with toxins? No problem. A simple merger or buy out will shield you from all legal responsibility. Corporations need to be reined in. As it stands, the law means nothing to them beyond that of a shield. Take, for example, U.S. sanctions. When Congress prohibits American corporations from doing business in certain countries due to their human rights atrocities or their pursuit of nuclear capabilities, what do the big corporations do? They simply create a subsidiary and continue to do business. And it's not just Halliburton that does this. Corporations circumvent the law for the sake of profits. But they run and hide behind the law when it offers protection. There is something inherently unjust with the law if it allows Union Carbide to cause the deaths and abhorrent suffering of so many people, pollute the environment, and thenwipe the slate clean merely by being acquired. But since big business holds such sway with the U.S. government, I doubt that we will see any real changes coming from Congress. As far as I am concerned, the Indian government, Union Carbide, and yes, Dow Chemical, all share responsibility for the disaster. The Indian government should not have allowed such a toxic plant to be built in such close vicinity to people. They also should have conducted surprise inspections, and ensured that AT LEAST ONE of the 6 safety systems were working! But, I also believe that Union Carbide was not entirely forthcoming with the Indian government. The did not fully inform them of all the chemicals present in the plant, and to this day refuse to reveal them - "corporate secret." Their negligence and disregard for the safety and health of the people is the cause of the disaster. And Dow's responsibility stems from their acquisition of U.C. The assumed their assets AND their liabilities, but they have well paid corporate lawyers finding ways to wiggle out of that. I will do a little research and try to find out about what happened to money from the settlement.