China bans toxic American computer junk

From: Joe <rigdonj_at_cfl.rr.com>
Date: Sat Jun 8 17:08:38 2002

At 11:21 AM 6/8/02 -0700, you wrote:
>On Sat, 8 Jun 2002, Joe wrote:
>
>> >"The US is the only industrialised country to have failed to ratify the
>> >1989 UN Basel convention which calls for a total ban on the export of
>> >hazardous waste."
>>
>> >No surprise there. Of course we can't blame good ole W. for this one, but
>> >we can blame his stupid dad.
>>
>> Why do you call him stupid? If they're willing to not only take it
>> but to actually BUY it then why shouldn't we sell it to them?
>
>I was referring to George Herbert Walker Bush's failure to get the UN
>Basel Convention (referenced above) ratified.

   I missed something. Exactly why is it HWB's or any other American president's job to get a UN treaty ratified????? The UN is made up of some 200+ nations and it's blatantly unfair to blame any ONE country or person for the UN's failure to pass a treaty. Besides, no country needs a UN treaty to pass laws to prevent the importation of hazardius waste into it's borders. The failure to pass such laws isn't the fault of HWB, American or the UN! So let's quite passing the buck.


>
>But at any rate, why would you object to calling either Bush stupid?

   Oh I don't think they're stupid. They may be greedy, self serving and lots of other things but not stupid.

 I
>find them to be completely devoid of any sense whatsoever, as their
>actions have proven.
>
>But I digress...
>
>> In any event, it's unfair to blame the prez for this practice. It's
>> the fault of the local garbage companies, recyclers, surplus companies,
>> computer manufacturers AND the American consumer.
>
>The President makes policy, and We The People implement it.


   Not exactly. We don't live in a dictatorship. If the American public really wanted meaningfull recycling policies then it could be pushed through the states, Congress and/or the courts. The real problem is that US consumers are brainwashed by Madison Avenue advertisments that tell us that we MUST have the lastest, greatest, biggest, fastest, flashiest (your choice here: computer, car, house, pool, vacation, etc etc etc) and the hell with conservation, the enviroment or even simple economics. In the end, the fault isn't the prez's policy but the realities of American culture.


 Current
>policy is to move us closer to the Apocalypse so we can fulfill some
>moron's religious mythology.


    I can agree with that.

    Joe
Received on Sat Jun 08 2002 - 17:08:38 BST