Dear Corporate Apologists and Harpercon Cheerleaders…

Dear Apologists and cheerleaders,

You all keep saying “Let’s see what the Investigation turns up on the Lac-Megantic disaster” or “Before we do anything, or  add new regulations, the investigation isn’t over!” Or my personal favourite “Blame the Fire fighters!” Or blame the lone conductor!! Off to the fainting couches with you!!

While I agree that a full investigation must be carried, and I would suggest going further and having a full out public inquiry (please don’t use Justice Gomery, eh??), you’re all ignoring what most of us with an IQ above our shoe size all ready know, and worse, trying to distract the masses with your press conferences and Lisa “I’m too sexy for the proletariat” Raitt  showing off her new hair doo or ill-fitting dress du jour struggling to read a script from the PMO kiddies. Here’s what we, the politically sane know:

1) Corporate deregulation and cuts to much needed inspectors left the railroads to police themselves. Tell me, how well does that work? It’s like the Surete de Quebec investigating the SPVM when unarmed people get shot or worse, which is to say, not all that well, now does it?

2) Railway trafficking of oil has increased over the years big time.  So have railway disasters for that matter.

3) Stevie Spiteful ignored his own people regarding the perils of increased oil trafficking by railroad. But he kept right on with his laissez-faire views of the free market will somehow lead to the promised land and that corporations can be trusted to do the right thing.

4) Bumbling Burkhardt, the CEO of Montreal Main Railroad  has been shown more and more to have a bad reputation with the companies he runs. The Lac-Megantic disaster was not the first.  Remember Wisconsin, 1996, boys ‘n’ girls? Or for those with short term memories, how about that derailment and spill just under a month before the Lac-Megantic disaster in the near by town of Frontenac where 13,000 litres of oil was spilled in the Chaudiere River?  I seriously doubt that was nowhere near cleared out by the time this disaster reared its’ ugly head.

5) We also know that wherever Burkhardt was CEO or “managing” a railroad, costs were cut. Salaries slashed by 40% (Just what kind of people do you expect to get working for you for such menial wages?), as well as a workforce halved. And yes, in response to this disaster, ol’ Burky decides to further cut jobs from its’ Quebec contingent.   Ol Burky has a reputation for ignoring pesky little items like work and safety. Proof positive that this man refuses to learn from his mistakes. I bet he has more lawyers and bean counters under his employ than actual crews to man the trains and the railroads.  On second thought, maybe it wasn’t a mistake… perhaps ol’ Burky’s only regret was that he was caught with his pants down.  Burky, like most corporations and their enablers, not only don’t give a rat’s ass about their workers’ health and safety, but they obviously don’t give a flying fuck about public safety.

6) Transport Canada allowed the one man crew on this train to mayhem and disaster.  Furthermore, they also allowed this train full of shale gas to be parked at the tip top of an incline in Nantes unmanned. Gee, what can go wrong here?  I’m reasonably certain the folks of Lac-Megantic and Nantes can tell you in glowing detail.  Having lived in Nantes, on Laval, myself over a decade ago,  those tracks ran behind my then partner’s property line.  Trust me when I tell you that the incline is steep, too steep for any train to remain stationary for any length of time, no matter what it was carrying.

Time to wake ‘n’ bake, apologists and Harpercon cheerleaders!!!

Luv,
Ck