On New Year’s Day, The Washington Post ran a front page story examining the level of PCB poisoning in Anniston. PCBs are in our air and water as well as the bloodstreams of thousands of residents due to Monsanto’s dumping of this probable cancer-causing compound into Snow Creek and nearby landfills for more than three decades.The Birmingham News ran the Post article in a headline story on page one. The Star waited three days to even mention the Post article and then only in passing with a story expressing concern about the fall in the price of Solutia’s stock and in a column by Troy Turner which sounded like a Solutia press release.
Mr. Turner’s column entitled, “When will the PCB storm pass?” suggested that Calhoun County’s PCB problem — which the Post described as worse than GE’s multi-billion dollar poisoning of the Hudson River — would somehow disappear as soon as the trial is over. This is pure fantasy.
PCBs are persistent compounds. That means they do not break down on their own but live for centuries. As bad as this is, The Star also failed to mention that the Army’s chemical weapons incinerator, when it is operating as planned, will be releasing PCBs from its smokestacks 24 hours a day, 365 days a year during the four years the Army now admits it will take to burn the M55 rockets at the depot. If there is an accident at the incinerator, the amount of PCBs released will be much higher.
The message of the Monsanto PCB scandal is that Calhoun County desperately needs noninvasive alternate technology to safely destroy the chemical weapons stockpile without releasing more deadly PCBs into our environment. If the incinerator goes online, we will only see our “PCB storm” grow beyond the deadly maelstrom it already has become.
Brenda Lindell
Anniston
A Wellborn tragedy
The Anniston Star would not print my previous letters because I made too many accusations that may or may not be true. So, instead, I will make a statement of my own opinion.It is my belief that all those proven involved with this unjust crime should be given the maximum penalty. No deal cut for any reason. The same sentence that was given to their victim. Until people that kill are taken off the streets of our county I will not feel safe.
How many times will a mother and father have to bury their child to get the message through to our elected officials. Don’t put killers back on the street!
Genie Pembrook
Bynum
A giving man
This world still has a few men left that are men of distinguished valor and unselfishness. I know one of them. His name is Sam Sampson and he lives and works among us. I have seen his benevolence displayed many times over the years. His dedication to the children and the elderly citizens of the area at Christmas is evident of this. For a number of years now Sam Sampson of the Jacksonville Police Department and others of the Jacksonville Police, University Police and Jacksonville Fire Department who have been willingly recruited by Sam, have committed the act of caring and providing a little joy to a child’s face.I have seen Sam spend hundreds of hours every year of his own personal free time working to provide some kind of Christmas for as many children and elderly as humanly possible in this area. I have seen him give of his own pocket, expecting nothing in return. I have witnessed Sam motivate others to do the same, and they have. I have seen him spread the joy of giving and share the reward of helping others. If you were to ask Sam of this he would tell you that he has done nothing and he would be quick to give others the credit.
Your works and unselfish deeds have not gone unnoticed. Thank you, Sam. The world would be a far better place if it had more Sam Sampsons.
Mike Denton
Anniston
