Friday beaver overslept - WMDs aren't what they seem

                

How many is in mass?

Six rebel soldiers were said to have been killed with the use of a sarin gas shell fired at them in Homs. That breaking news may have a initial gut reaction of a growing fear that things could get out of hand. But really, how much more out of hand could things get when on average 100 people per day have been killed with conventional weapons? Does it really matter how a population is slaughtered, maimed or injured? It's all a matter of context. If 100 people were gunned down at a mall would that not be mass destruction? And exactly what constitutes the term "mass"? In this case it's six soldiers. A large rocket or bomb dropped could do as much or more damage as can a tank or even a large calibre machine gun. And yet they are never considered weapons of mass destruction even though they could easily fit the definition.

It's doubtful that such chemical weapons will be used in the future in Syria. They aren't effective in an urban setting and then there's the risk of killing your own supporters in the process. In some areas just a few blocks separate the two sides.

How about a slow death?

A larger weapon and far more deadly is what corporations are doing to both us and the planet. With the advent of the industrial revolution companies have been dumping their toxic wastes into rivers and streams and on the ground at the back of the plant since the whole thing began. And don't think it doesn't still go on today. Out of sight out of mind has been the order of the day for generations. BP is a case in point. The number of lies hoisted on the world would make Pinnochio blush. They lied right from the beginning. First about the amount coming from the well at Deep Water Horizon then about who was responsible for their cheapskate ways. If that wasn't enough they lied about the health effects from the Corexit™ they used to try and hide their crime. Clean up workers were not only not told of the health effects they were denied protective equipment even when they asked for it. Respirators come in handy when you have a plane flying overhead spraying you with the stuff. The company providing MSDS sheets that lists health effects and protective measures was told to stop sending them even though that is a requirement when selling hazardous chemicals. For workers it's called "the right to know law". This was no simple household chemical either. The information came in a binder with  61 pages. I've dealt with quite a few chemicals in my time but the most I've seen are 5 to 10 pages of documentation for any chemical. People exposed to such chemicals as Corexit™ can take years to die a slow painful death. 

Now if you really want to take about mass destruction look no farther than the financial instruments they're still selling but that's another issue altogether. In the mean time...

Bank fails later.

UPDATE: No bank fails this week so enjoy your weekend.