Dead Birds, Dead Fish, Murdered author of the first Biological & Chemical Joint Munitions Effectiveness Manual. Connected?

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Quoting Ron Tibbs, an American Expat living in Sweden:

"We have 5,000+ birds and around 100,000 fish dead in Arkansas within 100 or so miles of one another and the former Special Assistant to the Acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Logistics and Environment murdered around the same time.

"The connection between all of these deaths may stem from Mr. Wheeler's (John Wheeler III) background. Here's a quote from his bio at the Mitre Corp.

""Mr. Wheeler graduated from West Point in 1966, serving as a staff officer in Vietnam, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the Joint Staff before leaving active service in 1971. While on active duty, he authored the first Biological and Chemical Joint Munitions Effectiveness Manual and the analysis supporting the President’s decision that the U.S. will not use biologicals."

"He seemed to be against the use of biological weapons, probably as a result of his service in Vietnam, and it wouldn't be a long stretch for him to have had enough of the bulls$!7 and threatened to spill the beans about the... incident(s).p

"It's also important to note that the Pine Bluff Arsenal (America's Arsenal) is in Arkansas. What do they do there? Quote taken from the home page of the official site:

"Serving the needs of the joint war fighter and the citizen, a full spectrum logistics center providing expertise in specialized munitions and chemical-biological defense products and services." http://www.pba.army.mil/

"A report apparently prepared by the GRU for Prime Minister Putin states that the USA has large quantities of Phosgene Gas stored at Pine Bluff and that this is the result of the deaths of the birds and fish. I'm still looking into the authenticity of this report and it's origin but it wouldn't surprise me in the least that some sort of test went horribly wrong and Mr. Wheeler decided he felt the public should know.

"The company hired to do the clean-up appears to be United States Environmental Services. http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/WireHeadlines/2011/01/03/thousands-of-blackbirds-fall-from-sky-in-45.php

"I guess they didn't want to take any chances. I'm sure it's all just coincidence though. http://www.usesgroup.com/uses/decontamination.php"

So now let's see whether the American mainstream press has the smarts to look into this.
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U.S. Agrees to Treaty Reducing Mercury Emissions

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If you don't believe your vote counts check this out.

More than 140 countries have agreed to negotiate a legally binding treaty that would slash the use of metal mercury. Its intent is to reduce people's exposure to a toxin that negatively affects brain development in infants and young children everywhere.

The agreement was announced at a meeting of United Nations Environmental Ministers in Nairobi yesterday and happened after the Obama administration reversed the Bush administration's position on the issue. China, India and other nations immediately agreed to endorse the goal of a mandatory treaty.

And what was the Bush administration's objection to such a treaty? According to the Washington Post, "The Bush administration had said it preferred to push for voluntary reductions in mercury emissions because the process of negotiating a treaty would be long and cumbersome."

For years environmentalists have been lobbying for just such a treaty and all it took was electing a president who believes that protecting our children is worth a "...long and cumbersome..." negotiation.

"Only a few weeks ago, nations remained divided on how to deal with this major public health threat which touches everyone in every country of the world. said Achim Stiner, executive director of the U.N. Environmental Program. "Today, the world's environment ministers, armed with the full facts and full choices, decided the time for talking was over -- the time for action on this pollution is now," Stiner continued.

In an interview earlier this month, Steiner said the agreement "will be a major, confidence-building boost for not only the chemicals and health agenda but right across the environmental challenges of our time, from biodiversity loss to climate change."

Formal negotiations will begin late this year and should be completed by early 2013. The White House issued a statement saying a future treaty would use "a combination of legally binding and voluntary commitments" to cut mercury emissions from industrial processes as well as coal-fired power plants and small-scale mining.

"The United States will play a leading role in working with other nations to craft a global, legally binding agreement that will prevent the spread of mercury into the environment and improve the health of workers, pregnant women and children throughout the world," said Nancy Sutley, who chairs the White House Council on Environmental Quality, in the statement.

"While the majority of mercury exposure in the United States stems from non-domestic emissions, all 50 states have issued mercury contamination advisories for fish in their waters. Marine mammals eaten by native Arctic peoples, such as pilot and beluga whales, have mercury concentrations that exceed recommended levels," says a Washington Post story.

The story continues: "Environmentalist Susan Egan Keane, a policy analyst for the Natural Resources Defense Council who attended the Nairobi session, called the agreement "an amazing and astonishing turn of events."

"For six or seven years, the Bush administration had absolutely blocked any attempt to create a legally binding instrument," Keane said. "The Obama administration, within three or four weeks of inauguration, was able to put that into reverse."

So, there you have it. What the Bush administration refused to do the hard work to accomplish, the Obama administration has taken on within its first month in office. Sort of brings to mind George W. Bush's repeated admonishions that being president is ,"Hard work."

An aside of pride: Nancy Sutley is from Los Angeles and happens to be a lesbian; just one of the many gay and lesbian appointees in the new administration.

$400 nets you a computer and one for a needy child

This is the coolest opportunity you're likely to have this year to do some good and get a unique payback. For $400 you can buy a new XO laptop for a needy child and get one for yourself.

TerraPass's Adam Stein writes today about the new XO laptop you've probably seen on television or read about recently. Designed solely for internet use it operates on solar power and is intended to benefit needy children in other countries; even countries where people don't have electricity. I know, I know, you're saying, But what about water damage? And sand or dirt damage? The manufacturers have thought of all that.

But let's just by-pass my sales pitch and go directly to the horses mouth. Click on the title to this post and read Adam's short column. Then click on the link near the bottom of the column and watch a short video blog by David Pogue of the NY Times. He shows you the laptop and demonstrates its near indestructibility. He also explains that for a two week period in November you can buy one and get one for yourself for $400; get a tax break and ensure that a child in a developing nation has access to an education. Such a deal!

While you're at it check out TerraPass. They're the folks who invest in alternative energy. I buy carbon offsets for my car and air travel from them every year (you may have seen the sticker on my car). It's an amazingly inexpensive way to neutralize your carbon use, help protect the planet, and feel good about it. What's not to like?