Plug hole in America's ozone policy

3/10/2005

Congratulations for the outstanding Feb. 26 editorial on global warming and the Kyoto Protocol.

The initial negative reactions of the European Economic Community to the use of credits to meet standards created a difficult situation. That roadblock has been removed. U.S. ecological and environmental leadership is at an all-time low.

I just read former New Jersey Gov. Christie Todd Whitman's book It's my party, too. Wow! This great Republican leader and former administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency demonstrates clearly the ineptitude of this administration's environmental policies.

How can U.S. leadership, Republican or Democrat, defend our nation's indifference to the great potential future problem of global warming?

In 1991 I was a speaking guest of the USEPA and USIA at the first earth summit on global warming in Rio de Janeiro. The leadership of President George H.W. Bush and EPA Administrator William Reilly was strong. Now, as The Blade pointed out, U.S. leadership is ignoring both the problem and alternative solutions.

Today Toledo's economic growth is restricted by EPA ozone regulations. This problem is primarily caused by the blending of nitrous oxides from Detroit Edison's Monroe plant (44 million pounds per year) and volatile organic compounds from Toledo's Hoffman Road landfill and Bayview wastewater treatment plants.

At both facilities huge quantities of methane are being generated annually and flared to the atmosphere - a huge loss of energy and a huge contribution to global warming. In both situations large quantities of volatile organic compounds are generated.

To their credit, Toledo officials are moving to utilize the methane. Any process selected will reduce generation of such compounds.

I am greatly concerned that the issue of such reduction has largely been overlooked. City officials should review this issue carefully with experienced air pollution professionals.

Now is the time to solve Toledo's ozone problem.

PAT NICHOLSON

Sylvania

Lately, you have been doing a great service to The Blade's readers in explaining the real story - the truth - about many of the Bush administration's and the Republican Congress' laws and pronouncements.

However, your statement that John Negroponte is an appropriate candidate to handle all our intelligence is totally erroneous. Haven't any of you looked closely at his background? It matters not whom he served under or where, but what he did in those posts.

When he was the U.S. ambassador to Honduras (1981-1985), he turned a blind eye and deaf ear to the U.S.-trained death squad, which murdered and tortured scores of activists including a U.S. priest. He also was involved in the Iran-Contra scandal by helping to arm the Nicaraguan contras, former Somoza National Guardsmen who operated out of Honduras while attempting to overthrow the Sandinistas.

According to a Los Angeles Times investigative report, Mr. Negroponte has claimed he never saw any credible evidence of human rights abuses by Battalion 316. But Jimmy Carter's Honduran ambassador, Jack Binns, has said he prepared a briefing book for Mr. Negroponte that addressed the rise of abuses by the military.

Mr. Negroponte quashed several reports of Honduran military abuses, including one U.S.-backed operation that resulted in the execution of nine prisoners and the disappearance of an American priest, The Rev. James Carney.

And this is a person you think will be good for our country?

Sandra Kirkland

South Cove Boulevard

When are Ohio lawmakers going to stop people from driving and talking on their cellphones?

Drivers are sometimes so distracted with the conversation they're having, they forget about being behind the wheel of a vehicle. I recently had to sit through a green light because the driver ahead of me couldn't stop talking on the cellphone.

I recently read that talking on your cell phone can be more dangerous than driving drunk. That's a serious statement, but it could be true.

Kenny Hetrick

Perrysburg

President Bush, against all logic and biblical reason, is rewarding terrorists by pushing for another Arab regime, a bloody PLO state.

President Bush is stealing the hard-earned tax-dollars of Americans to foolishly try to buy the PLO's "love."

President Bush must stop backstabbing our troops on the front lines (in the war against terrorism) by aiding and abetting "Palestinian" terrorists who clearly remain the sworn enemies of the United States, Israel, and the West.

David Ben-Ariel

Kelsey Avenue

I'm incensed when I see a beauty salon that offers a day of relaxation to stressed moms and serves a glass of champagne with lunch being raided by liquor control agents and punished for that act.

What next? Will they raid my home dinner party for serving wine with the meal?

When watch-dog agencies overextend their power to the ridiculous it is time to shorten their leash.

PHILLIP L. MARQUART

Sylvania

It's no wonder that kids are confused and often make faulty personal decisions.

If an Ohio Supreme Court justice cannot make sound personal decisions, what are the odds of her making sound public decisions for others?

She's an alcoholic and chose to drink.

She chose to drive after drinking.

She chose to place other drivers in jeopardy.

She chose to drive away when told not to by officers.

She chose to argue when approached a second time.

She chose to play the "power" card of her office.

She chose not to take the "official" Breathalyzer test. (Do kids get to choose whether they take the "official" Ohio proficiency tests?)

She chose to plead not guilty.

She chose to change her plea.

She chose the easy way to lighter punishment.

She chose not to resign immediately from the bench.

She chose implementation of a legal system that allows drunk drivers this extraordinary leniency through her past public decisions.

Now, the voters will choose. They will choose to send a clear or confused message to kids.

John R. Blinn

Bowling Green

As a University of Toledo alumnus, I am disappointed in the NCAA rankings for graduation for the Rocket football team. I used to take pride that UT performed well on the field and had not given up on the "student" of the student-athlete.

Players like Todd France, who excelled in the difficult engineering school at UT while still finding time to be a NFL prospect kicker, was an example I expected my school to foster. Alas, he appears to be the rare exception in the football program.

With such a situation it will be difficult for me to face the BG alumni with their school's much better ranking at the next gathering of the two school groups out here in Phoenix.

The vast majority of the MAC schools' alumni worked hard for their degrees and we expect no less of the student-athlete of today.

Russell H. Kinner

Surprise, Ariz.