Sarah Palin and the Arsenic Sludge Dump of Cook InletThere's an important story about Sarah Palin that the mainstream news media in the USA have not reported, and I cannot for the life of me understand why. It involves corruption, economic trouble, majestic wildlife and deadly poison. In 2007, Chevron, a big oil company, asked the Bush Administration for a special waiver of the Clean Water Act, so that it could dump billions of gallons of toxic waste created as a byproduct of its oil drilling operations. They wanted to dump the toxic waste, which contains poisons like arsenic, cadmium and lead, in the Cook Inlet, a large body of water where commercial fishing takes place. In order for that waiver to be approved, Chevron needed to get the approval of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Palin said yes. She thought that dumping billions of gallons of toxic waste into the Cook Inlet would be a great idea. The endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale lives in the waters where Chevron's toxic wastes were dumped. Sarah Palin didn't think that mattered. Oil company profits come before whales, she said.
The truth is, though, that the issue isn't really a matter of humans vs. whales. You see, a lot of fish and crabs sold as Alaska seafood to the rest of the United States comes out of the Cook Inlet. That seafood has been found to contain the same poisonous contaminants that are in Chevron's toxic sludge.
That means that with Sarah Palin's permission, Chevron's toxic wastes are poisoning people across the USA. It also means that Alaskans who fish the Cook Inlet are in danger of losing their livelihood. If they can't sell the fish they catch any more, because that fish is a health hazard, then they will go out of business.
The real story is that Sarah Palin is willing to sacrifice the health of the American people, the livelihood of working Alaskans, and the survival of Alaskan wildlife just so that big oil corporations can keep on making record-breaking profits.
The United States has already suffered eight years under that kind of President. We must not elect another corrupt politician in the back pocket of Big Oil to the White House.
If you care about the health of your children, and about the economy they will inherit when they become young adults, Sarah Palin is an unacceptable choice for Vice President.
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