2/18/2023

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            Have you read White Noise? I started reading it in Jan after seeing Dana Spiotta’s essay in the NYT where she claimed that it, “precisely diagnosed the modern condition.” I am now almost overwhelmed by the synchronicities around this book. The chemical disaster caused by the train wreck in East Palestine, Ohio, matches the toxic plume in the book. Even less likely, is the fact that the Netflix series based on the book was filmed in 2021 near the site of the 2023 disaster. Ben Ratner & his family were extras in the movie & can’t watch it now because it hits too close to home.

Where do you think the higher power is leading us with this set of coincidences?

            The characters in White Noise are obsessed with their fear of death. As I tune into the chemical catastrophe in OH, I am becoming obsessed with toxins. This AM an article by scientist, Anna Robuk, alerted me to the fact that “under the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) & a 2016 update of the law, the burden generally falls on scientists to prove chemicals are harmful, to humans or the environment, BEFORE regulators intervene; chemicals are assumed safe until proven guilty.”  

I hope Richard Revesz, your new guy in Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, can figure out a way to regulate the chemical industry despite TSCA. I also hope Norfolk Southern (NSC) is required to do a lot more to regain our trust. According to the G, “25 million Americans live in zones that are vulnerable to deadly derailments of trains carrying toxic materials, including substances that can cause explosions.” NSC reported record profits last month. It’s time for them to pay for the harm they’ve caused & to put more safeguards in place to prevent disasters.

In the meantime, I encourage you to do more for the people in Ohio. They are devastated!

Please also do more for the people of Burma.

BYBS,