Spokane7
58°
June 6, 2011 in City
Chico Corral blames uranium industry for failing health
But as others before him have learned, compensation is elusive
Charlotte Corral breaks down in tears while speaking about her husband, Chico, in their home on the Spokane Reservation. Sandra Belvail, a volunteer advocate who is helping Chico make a radiation compensation claim, offers comfort.
(Full-size photo)(All photos)
Chico Corral couldn’t get away from the dust. After the daily blasting, yellow-brown grit hung in the air at the Midnite Mine, an open-pit uranium mine on the Spokane Indian Reservation where Corral worked without a mask or respirator. Later, he breathed in dust during the years he worked at a uranium mill.
“We sucked all that into our lungs,” he said.
His family couldn’t escape the dust, either. It coated his work boots and coveralls. His daughter, Rachael Corral Henry, remembers running to meet her dad when he came home from work. “It was like he’d been in a sandstorm,” she recalled.
In his living room, in the blue recliner where he spends most of his days, Corral pauses to cough, spitting phlegm into an empty milk carton.
Now 79, Corral’s lungs show signs of scarring. Minor exertion leaves him short of breath. He believes his lung problems resulted from the two decades he spent in the uranium industry.
For the past three years, Corral has tried to get compensation through the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA. The federal legislation allows former uranium workers to collect up to $100,000 for health problems that arose from their work.
From the 1940s through the 1960s, the United States conducted nearly 200 atmospheric nuclear weapons tests. Domestically mined and milled uranium was essential for the effort.
The act covers uranium miners, millers and ore truck drivers who worked in the industry through 1971. People who lived downwind of Nevada’s atomic test site are also covered.
In a 2009 letter, the U.S. Department of Labor acknowledged that Corral had been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but it said he didn’t provide evidence that linked the disease to his work history.
Efforts to document Corral’s work history and exposure levels have turned into endless rounds of paperwork for him and volunteer advocate Sandra Belvail. They’ve had to track down decades-old payroll records and medical reports.
Corral was never seen by a doctor specializing in industrial exposure, which makes his claim more difficult, said Belvail, a retired nurse practitioner.
As she’s worked on Corral’s claim, she’s been shuffled among 15 employees at the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Department of Justice, which administer the program. When they tried to reschedule a hearing this spring, Corral received a letter telling him to call a nonworking phone number.
Former co-workers who started the claims process gave up.
“If they drag this process out, these guys will be gone,” Belvail said.
Several hundred former uranium workers on the Spokane Reservation could be eligible for compensation. Nontribal members, as well as Spokane Indians, worked in the industry. Corral isn’t enrolled in the tribe, though his late wife was.
A federal grant could help former tribal uranium workers navigate the complicated process. The Spokane Tribe of Indians recently applied for a $900,000, three-year grant from the Department of Health and Human Services.
If the grant is awarded, the tribe would hire caseworkers to help former uranium workers assemble their RECA applications, said Deb Abrahamson, executive director of the SHAWL Society, a nonprofit activist group that was a co-applicant on the grant along with Indian Health Services.
Former uranium workers also would get screening for occupation-related illnesses.
The Navajo Nation has used a similar approach to help its members secure more than $450 million in compensation. Eight full-time employees at the Office of Navajo Uranium Workers help people with the paperwork, said Lawrence Martinez, program director.
As his own medical condition deteriorates, Corral worries about his family’s health. He fears that by carrying dust home on his clothes, he also exposed them to radiation and heavy metals.
His wife, Eveleen, died of leukemia. One of Corral’s daughters also has the disease. During a recent checkup, Corral’s 39-year-old son, Gabriel, was told that he had spots on his lungs.
“They know what’s true,” Corral says of the federal government.
‘That dust was everywhere’
Corral grew up near Los Angeles and spent part of his military years at Fairchild Air Force Base. After his discharge, he married Eveleen. They raised seven children on the Spokane Indian Reservation, where natural beauty is abundant but jobs are scarce. Corral was glad to hire on at the Midnite Mine. “He always said, ‘Thank the Lord that I can work another day,’ ” recalled Gabriel Corral, Corral’s youngest son.
Initially, Corral worked as a truck driver for contractors that transported ore. Later, he worked as a handyman at the Midnite Mine and as a “powder monkey,” the employee who filled drill holes with explosives.
He was also a prober. When the dust cleared after explosives detonated, Corral went out with a Geiger counter to measure ore grades.
As a young man, Corral occasionally smoked a cigar or a pipe. But he believes his lung disease was caused by dust from uranium ore. When Corral worked in the open pit mine, he had regular bouts of pneumonia.
When Dawn Mining Co. opened a uranium processing plant near Ford, Wash., Corral took a job there.
Financially, those were good years. In the early 1980s, Corral earned nearly $21,000 annually – the equivalent of about $52,000 today.
Eveleen Corral waged housekeeping battles against the dust that came with the paychecks. Her husband hung up his work clothes in the entryway. For fun, Gabriel Corral punched his dad’s coat to see the dust explode from it.
“All that I remember is yellow, yellow, yellow,” said Corral’s daughter, Rachael. “That dust was everywhere.”
Eveleen Corral was fastidious about changing the bedsheets, her daughter said. But piles of dust still accumulated on the floor under her husband’s side of the mattress.
Eveleen Corral died at 54. At the time, no one in her family questioned if her leukemia was related to uranium exposure.
Dawn Mining’s management had repeatedly told employees that working with uranium ore carried little risk, Chico Corral said.
The year her mother died, Rachael Corral Henry was diagnosed with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, both autoimmune diseases. One of her sisters has leukemia.
“I believe it was part of what happened,” Rachael Corral Henry said.
Claim takes skills of Nancy Drew
Three years ago, the Department of Justice held a meeting for former uranium workers on the Spokane Reservation. Corral learned he could submit a 22-page RECA claim for compensation.
Corral’s first claim application was turned down, with the rejection letter acknowledging his lung disease but saying his claim didn’t substantiate his work history. That’s when Belvail got involved.
Belvail retired from the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Spokane, where Corral was one of her patients. She volunteers her time to help veterans with government claims. Corral’s is the most difficult she’s worked on.
“I’m glad that I read a lot of Nancy Drew detective stories when I was a kid,” Belvail said, “because that’s what this is all about.”
First, she had to prove that Corral was exposed to radiation and heavy metals. Copies of his Social Security records weren’t good enough. They outlined the years Corral worked for Dawn Mining, which operated both the Midnite Mine and the ore processing plant. But they didn’t have job descriptions.
To prove that Corral’s work duties exposed him to chemicals and radiation, Belvail pored over pay ledgers at Dawn Mining’s office in Ford. Based on what she uncovered, Bob Nelson, a Dawn manager at the closed mill, signed an affidavit, confirming Corral’s job history.
Because Corral received most of his health care through a local clinic, linking his health history to his work has been difficult. “They didn’t make definitive statements that his illness was related to occupation,” Belvail said.
Corral has diabetes and heart and kidney disease in addition to lung problems, which further complicates his claim.
RECA administrators rejected Corral’s claim for compensation for kidney disease, even though kidney disease can be linked to uranium. “They said it’s from my diabetes,” Corral said.
Diabetes frequently leads to kidney and heart problems, Belvail acknowledged. And Corral’s heart problems probably contribute to his shortness of breath, she said.
Belvail wants Corral to be seen by an occupational health specialist before he has a final hearing on his claim.
Charles Miller, a Justice Department spokesman, said privacy laws bar the agency from commenting on individual cases. But Miller said the program has paid out $16 million for 247 claims in Washington state since 1992, an average of $65,000 a claim. Two of the claims were from the Spokane Reservation, he said.
Corral believes time is running out
While Corral has waited for a resolution, his health has deteriorated.
Walking down a flight of stairs leaves him short of breath. He can’t lift more than 5 pounds or stand for more than a few minutes. He’s given up fishing and hunting. Every four hours, he uses an inhaler to expand his bronchial tubes.
There’s no self-pity in Corral, a genial man. But Charlotte, whom he married after Eveleen’s death, cries on his behalf.
“It’s depressing,” she said. “There are so many things he can no longer do.”
Corral was an active man in his late 60s when they met. Her parents – members of Canada’s Okanagan Nation Alliance – came for traditional winter dances in the longhouse Corral had built next to his home. One year, Charlotte came, too.
The attraction was instant. When Corral proposed on their first date, Charlotte accepted. The next day, he asked her parents about her bride price. They suggested two plugs of chewing tobacco. It was a small sum for their daughter, they explained, but they knew Corral was a good man who would take care of her.
Charlotte, who’s in her 60s, quickly became the caretaker. While she worries about his health, Corral worries about the burden his illnesses place on her. In addition to taking care of him, Charlotte works full time as a housekeeper at Northern Quest Casino in Airway Heights. She earns $9 an hour, money quickly consumed by medical bills.
She works a swing shift, returning home after midnight. During the 120-mile round-trip commute, she’s hit a deer in the dark and skidded on ice into a ditch.
“I love you,” she tells him, leaning over the recliner to trade goodbye kisses before she leaves for work. The braid that falls down Charlotte’s back is still glossy and dark, but her face is tired and lined.
If Corral’s claim is successful, the couple plan to pay off medical bills and set aside money for future needs.
Corral believes his time is running out. “My lungs are getting worse. I can feel it.”
Three miles from Corral’s house, spring winds stir dust at the closed mill site.
“You can see that stuff,” he said. “It’s like fog coming off the old tailings pond.”
Miners to return to Lucky Friday 
mikeln on June 06 at 6:27 a.m.
These people were working you idiot, read the story, it was the work that made them sick. I’m sick of the people that cause the problems and then refuse ownership of them. In the past couple of days you have called these people lazy and worthless, what crap. The only thing I can figure is the two of you tried to bully some little native american girl in grade school and she beat the hell out of you. Is the brain you use to post this tripe the same one you haul with you to your christian church?
Diana on June 06 at 6:27 a.m.
You can always count on a racist to say, “it’s not hate” and then proceed to rationalize the hatred.
Spokane_Citizen on June 06 at 6:29 a.m.
The little cadre of hate and racism is up early this morning!
This stuff is why this area is nationally known as a bastion of bigotry.
jimvw2 on June 06 at 6:41 a.m.
Idiots. The man worked his whole life. He was not so lazy as some of the flag wrapped racist morons on this Web site. You morons are the ones who don’t deserve any of the “benefits” of citizenship. Did either of you geniuses happen to notice what brought Mr. Corral to Spokane in the first place? Military service. Did either of you notice that he is not a tribal member? He maried two. There’s a high crime for you victimized white supremacists. What a sad troop you are, obviously semi-illiterate, openly racist, polluting the human gene pool. What’s with your constant, screaching victimhood? Leave the country if you are so set upon that you feel compelled to advertise your lack of human compassion.
SpokyDaBear on June 06 at 6:44 a.m.
You guys are stupid. Fine. Let the Indians sit in their reservations and complain about the evil Uncle Sam who took everything away. Let them have all the rights of a sovereign nation but none of the personal responsibilities of trying to make life better for their people by taking advantage of the American Dream.
You white guilt people allows them to live this way. Your guilt creates and maintains the vicious government policy that the only good Indian is a poor, uneducated one.
You are racist and don’t want these people to succeed. You would rather poor baby them like children than treat them with responsibilty like an adult. Shame on you!
hawken on June 06 at 6:48 a.m.
Did you all miss this key point in the article?
mikeln on June 06 at 6:56 a.m.
The work we do makes us sick, industrial disease. Of course corporate ran america will never admit to this because they would then have to pay thier fair share in medical costs. You say take resposibility for our health problems but let the people that cause them skip out on it.
jimvw2 on June 06 at 7:06 a.m.
Hawken,
Did you miss the point of our responses? We weren’t commenting on the validity of Mr. Corral’s claim. We responded to the lame brains who couldn’t resist the temptation to use the story to attack an entire race of people. Did you not pick that up?
As for his claim being denied, what would you expect from an agency of the govwernment you so often disdain? A government in deep deficit isn’t going to willingly open the spillway of claims that would materialize with a successful precedent, regardless of the tribal affiliation of any claimant.
As for the Midnite Mine, perhaps you could do a little research on its worker safety or environmental record before passing judgment or accepting the judgment of your hated government bureaucrats.
misjustice on June 06 at 7:26 a.m.
These workers did their part to help win the Cold War, and now they are left with health conditions that big bidness and the gubmint wants to deny were caused or worsened by said work. Hmmmmm….same as it ever was, same as it ever was…
Kinda like how everyone LOVES the soldier, in their shiny new uniforms, as they are sent out to do the bidding of the military-industrial-congressional-complex and the gubmint, until they come home with service related health problems. Then those which sent them into harm’s way want to deny medical care; or make the vet jump through so many hoops to get a modicum of care.
Hmmmmm….same as it ever was, same as it ever was…
detroitdude on June 06 at 7:31 a.m.
If he was employed there for 20 years and is now suffering because of inadequate safety precautions, he should be compensated for his medical bills. It’s the RIGHT and ETHICAL thing to do.
hawken on June 06 at 8:11 a.m.
jimvw2
American Indians on the whole, are mired in poverty and alcoholism. Nobody gets more help from the government. Only one in four work.
As one Indian leader on the video below says: “They haven’t been trained to be capitalists. They have been trained to be communists.” I guess that makes this American Indian Leader a “racist” as well.
When people become dependent upon government, the result is always the same. Not all Indian Tribes are recognized by the government and they get no government support.
These tribes are wealthy because they have taken advantage of the opportunities in America, not dependent upon casinos, not dependent upon government. In fact, one tribe on the documentary rejects all government support.
Watch the video below. You will than have to stick your “typical” racist tag on Indians themselves. They are saying the same thing as the posters on this string you all are calling “racists.”
http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/03/john_stossel_says_no_group_has_it_better_than_american_indians.html
You’re the one that needs to do the research.
Government is keeping the American Indian poor and drunk. Government handouts are always destructive to the people who receive them.
Watch the video documentary. Not that it will change your socialist world view.
Ninch on June 06 at 8:19 a.m.
Too much hate here flowing both ways. What is prevalent in these posts is ignorance of Tribal sovereignty (see U.S. Constitution) and legal status today of “self-determination.” Included in the latter is economic self-sufficiency promoted by the federal government, of which one was/is mining on Indian reservations. The most current push is the federal law that allows gaming.
This Cold War industry is not just an Indian problem. Note that the status of these uranium workers is not so different from that of Hanford downwinders. The federal government benefitted from the uranium (mining) and also experimented on Eastern Washington region residents (Green Run) without their knowledge… yet fight compensation for those with health issues (e.g. cancer).
Directed to mikein… not everything is about corporate America.
Directed to Spokane_Citizen… You are incorrect that “this area is nationally known as a bastion of bigotry.” Eastern Washington has bigots but they are in a very small minority. You would know that if you associated with the diversity of the authentic citizens of this region… so quit stereotyping.
FYI: Any so-called reputation WAS (past tense) in Northern Idaho because of the organized white Aryan nation types at Hayden Lake who were kicked out some time ago with a civil suit championed by the Southern Poverty Law Center (Lone racists do not count as bastion of bigotry.)
BTW: Check out the SPLC website “hate map.” Most of the HATE activity is in Western Washington… and includes Black Separatist (similar to Obama’s preacher of 20 years—Reverend Wright) as well as Neo-Nazi.
Ironically, the only two in Spokane are St. Michaels, which is targeted as “radical traditional Catholism,” and Christ’s Gospel fellowship that is tagged as Christian Identity. Not even close to being “bastions.” You should check out the Northeast US and liberal California for real “bastions of hate.”
Too much ignorance (= hate) going on here from almost everyone… and that definitely includes the uber-liberals.
hawken on June 06 at 8:19 a.m.
jimvw2
I failed to mention, there is a series of videos in the documentary I cite above. Most of it involves what Indians are saying themselves, who agree exactly with what I said in my previous post.
So, If you truly care about the American Indian, watch them all. If your only purpose is to sling “racism,” then you remain bankrupt in your understanding of this problem and have nothing constructive to offer. Simply slinging “racism” has no value.
Ninch on June 06 at 8:33 a.m.
Have to disagree with Hawken… Indians are in poverty because they were moved to reservations by our federal government and their successful economic sustainable lifestyle was terminated. Indians were not “trained” to be communists per se, because Indian society was based on communal activities. In fact, Lewis H. Morgan (one of America’s first anthropologists) observed Indian tribe social structure (includes economics) in the 19th Century before reservations. He wrote about the communal society of Indian tribes, which influenced Karl Marx to help form his ideology on what became known as “communism.”
hawken on June 06 at 8:35 a.m.
Ninch: You also need to watch the documentary I posted above, in full, as did some time ago.
mikeln on June 06 at 8:35 a.m.
This has nothing to do do with the plight of the american native, it is about taking responsibility for the problems caused by workplace conditions. A hundred years ago the employer could care less about a employee dying on the job, easily replaced, but a horse, that cost money. Still today, a human is worth less then livestock, go figure.
detroitdude on June 06 at 8:40 a.m.
Trying to spin this as if this poor guy is looking for a government handout is just wrong. Fact: He WAS working in a uranium mine. Fact: The safety regulations were not up to standard. Now he can hardly breathe, he should be paid for his medical bills. This isn’t even an issue about Native Americans (no matter how people try to spin it), the same conclusion should and would be arrived at no matter who it was working there.
Ninch on June 06 at 8:40 a.m.
Stossel’s Libertarian bias must be factored into his show about American Indians, because he set it up from his unique viewpoint. Sure some Indians agree with him, but their comments do not reflect the many diverse ideas in Indian Country. Too many try to paint Indian issues as black and white (or rather red and white).
hawken on June 06 at 8:50 a.m.
Ninch:
Since you have automatically rejected the documentary because it was done by a libertarian, you didn’t see that Stossle presents much more than a libertarian bias.
The facts presented in the documentary have no “libertarian bias.” They are not simply based upon what the Indians on the documentary say whom agree with him. There are other Indians that don’t. The value in the documentary is to present the various viewpoints.
Your closed mind on the issue is not like you, based upon my experience with you in the past, on this blog.
hawken on June 06 at 8:54 a.m.
Detroit: Take your argument to the Department of Labor. They have the final say in the matter.
Bugtussle on June 06 at 9:03 a.m.
The article sounds as if the only avenue being pursued is compensation for radiation exposure. That’s undoubtedly a part of the workers’ exposure, but there’s another part that isn’t being mentioned. Blasting rock into dust also releases silica — it’s the major component in rock. Silica dust small enough to get down into the lungs causes silicosis — a fibrotic lung disease characterized by inflammation, scarring, and nodules in the lungs. It’s been known for centuries, and is still affecting working in industries that involve rock products.
Silica and radioactive particles produce different kinds of injury in the lung. An occupational physician should be able to figure out whether one, the other, or both are part of the picture.
It’s not surprising that Mr. Corral hasn’t provided “evidence that linked the disease to his work history.” Such evidence would usually be results of air monitoring to measure workers’ exposure to dusts, and analysis of what the dusts contained. My guess is that no one took air samples at the time. Probably the best that could be done now is to collect some of that dust that’s still swirling around, and some of the rock that was mined, have them analyzed for both radioactive and siliceous content, collect all the information possible on work practices, and try to reasonably estimate what exposures would have been.
The article makes no mention of workers’ compensation, so I’m guessing that Mr. Corral and his co-workers were not covered by it. This is the sort of thing that workers’ compensation was developed for — it provides a way for workers injured or made ill by their work to receive some compensation without having to resort to court action (and insulates their employers from said court action, as well).
detroitdude on June 06 at 9:05 a.m.
Hawken, take your stupid links somewhere else, it’s a red herring and off topic.
Bugtussle on June 06 at 9:15 a.m.
BTW, silicosis isn’t just something that happened decades ago to minorities. It’s still happening today, to Americans working in the same trades.
Just a couple of weeks ago, it was learned that 71% of the workers killed in the Upper Big Branch mine disaster in April 2010 were found to have black lung disease — another form of silicosis caused by exposure to mixed rock and coal dusts. Their autopsies showed they were going to die from working in that mine, one way or another. See http://scienceblogs.com/thepumphandle/2011/05/upper_big_branch_hawks_nest_re.php
Of course, that finding hasn’t been showing up in the major news media.
Sandy on June 06 at 9:24 a.m.
I wonder how many packs a day he put away along with the occasional pipe or cigar…
misjustice on June 06 at 9:24 a.m.
The workers of the vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana (owned at the time by WR Grace) were exposed to dangers that the gubmint and the owners of the mine were aware of. It wasn’t until 2002 that a bill was introduced to address the worker’s claims for help with medical conditions caused by their working conditions.
This Act may be cited as the `Libby Health Care Act’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
(a) FINDINGS- Congress finds that—
(1) the vermiculite ore mined and milled in Libby, Montana, was contaminated by high levels of asbestos, particularly tremolite asbestos;
(2) the vermiculite mining and milling processes released thousands of pounds of asbestos-contaminated dust into the air around Libby, Montana, every day, exposing mine workers and Libby residents to high levels of asbestos over a prolonged period of time;
(3) the Federal Government has known for over 50 years that there are severe health risks associated with prolonged exposure to asbestos, including higher incidences of asbestos related disease such as asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma;
(4) the United States was aware of accumulating asbestos pollution in Libby, Montana, as early as 1941, but failed to take any corrective action for decades, and once corrective action was taken, it was inadequate to protect workers and residents and asbestos-contaminated vermiculite dust continued to be released into the air in and around Libby, Montana, until the early 1990s when the vermiculite mining and milling process was finally halted;
continues….
http://umt.edu/libbyhealth/legal_issues/legislation/libby_health_care_act.htm
Homes in the Spokane area were “insulated” with product mined from the Libby site and as I recall the SR has written a few articles about the dangers associated with that product.
Mining is a very dangerous occupation. And many workers, as well as their families, are impacted long after the work has ended and the mines have played out.
MrNatural on June 06 at 9:34 a.m.
Good feature articles (today and Sunday) Ms Kramer. Thanks Spokesman for bringing this plight of the Spokane Tribe to light.
Many workers of years past (my father included) have suffered and died as a result of their toxic occupations. The humane and compassionate thing to do is to establish help for them in their hour of sickness.
greenlibertarian on June 06 at 9:39 a.m.
The racist ignorant troll’s link says this:
Dumbarses don’t even know when they are posting rational critiques to Stossel’s racist rants.
jddavis on June 06 at 9:43 a.m.
MisJ @726–EXACTLY how I feel! The gov’t (VA) throws up so many road blocks that many get discouraged and discontinue the claims process. Eventually, persons affected pass away and are no longer a liability.
Nice use of a Talking Heads lyric!
greenlibertarian on June 06 at 9:44 a.m.
Oh yeah, and remember, numerous times, SpokyDaBear stated that that the MLK day bomb was not placed by some racist, but somebody simply pissed off about the high parking rates downtown.
Yeah, THAT ignorant. Beyond the pale ignorant.
hawken on June 06 at 9:46 a.m.
detroit
That you call the documentary links, on the American Indian, “stupid”, without even taking the time to watch them, speaks for itself.
Your “phony” care for the American Indian is exposed in that you use this article as nothing more than an opportunity to spew your hyper-left world view.
Watch the documentary on the American Indian I posted above, and then comment with some substance on the same.
addyh on June 06 at 9:47 a.m.
FYI, I’ve removed some posts from this thread, so some commentrs are referring to posts that have been deleted.
Addy Hatch, city editor
hawken on June 06 at 10:10 a.m.
Addyy:
Other than Ryan Pitts, is there anyone else on staff that has the authority to delete posts, other than you?
Atticus on June 06 at 10:14 a.m.
I had an aunt who died in the late sixties from Hodgkin’s disease that was more than likely set into motion from her time as a “Rosy the Riveter” during WWII. She worked at the Naval Shipyards in Bremerton, wrapping asbestos (mined and milled in Libby, MT) laden lagging around hot water pipes onboard warships. One of my earliest memories are the wails of my mother when she learned the news.
The imperialism of U.S. foreign policy always has effects in the homeland. We are all stained and sickened by our continued warmongering and using violence to solve problems or advance a nationalist/corporate agenda.
Addy: While I sympathize with your decision, I believe leaving the referenced posts intact is crucial so we all know what is still in our midst. “They” don’t go away when their rants are scrubbed.
Atticus on June 06 at 10:17 a.m.
DFO deletes posts ALL the time…
detroitdude on June 06 at 10:31 a.m.
Hawken, first of all, your links aren’t relevant to the topic at hand. Secondly, that link has been all over TV for some time now, in fact it was being replayed just last week.
From the article: “Corral isn’t enrolled in the tribe, though his late wife was.” So why are you bringing up John Stossel again? The guy’s wife died of leukemia, his daughter also has it, his son has spots on his lungs. The proof is in the pudding. Might there be some sort of genetic predisposition to this in their family? Anything is possible, but still, the man was working daily in a uranium mine, how can you not attribute sickness to that??
liberal_in_right_wing_land on June 06 at 10:47 a.m.
Sad that the racists idiots can now hide behind their computer and spew their hatred all over everyone.
People seem to forget we stole these indians land when we colonized this country, these people should get whatever they want, we are destroying their native land after all, as white peoples native land is over in Europe.
misjustice on June 06 at 10:50 a.m.
Manifest destiny, baby!
hawken on June 06 at 11:00 a.m.
Detroit:
Nothing could be more relevant to the plight of the American Indian. Your refusal to look at the details of the documentary I posted only underlines my posts above.
Choose not to watch it as you will. But don’t tell me the plight of the American Indian as discussed in the documentary is “off-topic.”
That’s only another of your cop-outs. The whole issue is the plight of the American Indian.
addyh on June 06 at 11:15 a.m.
Hawken, everyone on the S-R staff has the ability to delete comments.
Addy Hatch
detroitdude on June 06 at 11:48 a.m.
Hawken wins!
jimvw2 on June 06 at 12:07 p.m.
Hawken,
As other commenters have noted, this story has nothing to do with Indian culture, and everything to do with workplace safety and the refusal of the Midnite mine to protect its workers.
What a Libertarian such as yourself should be outraged about is that the mione operators have managed to download the cost of their negligence onto the federal government, and by extension, all of us taxpayers. Why is it that the great concentrators of capital always get a free pass from you personal responsibility champions. Now that your Supreme Court dunderheads have made corporations people, one would think you might at least be inclined to impose the same expectation of responsibility. But you won’t, because you are like all the other Libertarian hypocrites, all about corporate welfare for the “Job Creators.”
This story is a perfect illustration of what we can expect from a Libertarian world view.
Stossel’s work is always appeling to right wingers. It’s as always with Hawken…off point.
This was a story about corporate irresponsibility that some of Hawken’s pals tried to turn into a racial slur. Here’s a reference for you, Hawken. It will take more time and brainpower than a Stossel hit piece. Read “Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee. Maybe go make friends with a Native.
ChefGus/ John Olsen on June 06 at 12:21 p.m.
Editorial staff… thank you for responding to my e mail earlier this morning about the racist comments. Best john
jddavis on June 06 at 12:55 p.m.
@Liberal in right wing land,
With running the risk of sounding racist, I have to ask you who stole the land from the Indians? Sure it was settlers from Europe, but it wasn’t you or I.
I for one cannot take the blame or credit for anything that happened 100 years or more before I was born.
hawken on June 06 at 12:59 p.m.
Gus:
The SR does not remove any post simply because someone flagged it. You impress me to be a man who is starved for approval.
misjustice on June 06 at 1:03 p.m.
^ Pot, meet kettle!
LoveStruck on June 06 at 1:51 p.m.
hawken:
Before you start posting links to videos such as that maybe you should get all the facts, facts that Stossel did not get. The tribe he is referring to is the Lumbee Tribe and the have been trying to get federally recognized since 1980 but their petitions have been denied. This article may be about the Spokane Reservation, but that is all you saw while reading the article is another chance to take a stab at Native Americans. There is more to this story than Native American getting money, wait he isn’t an enrolled member, so he is just an average Working American trying to get compensated for his sufferings.
But once again people will always find a way to turn anything negative, if that is how you really feel then why dont you get a life and stop reading these articles.
ChefGus/ John Olsen on June 06 at 3:33 p.m.
Hawken.. my style is to call B.S. to a persons face… that post was just to let you know who called out the racist comments…. wanna give us your name?? and I am way beyond needing anyone’s “approval” for the past 55 years… since I was about ten… I pretty much do what I like in my life…. sometimes with deep regret… but i know how to say please and thank you and i am sorry… j :))
Diana on June 06 at 6:22 p.m.
Gus impresses me as someone who has earned the respect of many posters here based on his intelligent and well-thought out posts. He’s been around here for years and I look forward to his point of view.
ChefGus/ John Olsen on June 06 at 7:27 p.m.
Diana.. thank you…i don’[t know when you signed on to this string but the first several this morning were absolutely vile…. and i chose not to post… merely to drop a personal email to the editors and ask them to take a look at the racist comments… so you may not have seen them… ( just as well) my style these days is to get in early and make my comment and then be done…. all of the back and forth ad hominem is not my cuppa…
best j
misjustice on June 06 at 8:52 p.m.
I read them Chef but did not flag them because I wanted others to read them as well; sometimes it is best to let the words/posts stand as a testament to the idiocy that still resides amongst us…however, I would not disparage you for your decision to report it…
; )
Atticus on June 07 at 8:44 a.m.
chefgus squealed: “My style is to call B.S. to a persons (sic) face…”
Call B.S,, or drop dime and be a pesky tattletale? What’s this difference?