By popular request, here is Wendy Twite's article, and a few choice cuts follow below:
"It sounded to me and others like blackmail."
Perhaps Wendy would care to explain what she and "others" meant by the heading in the May Issue "Cancer & Silicosis Risks to Villages from local Quarrying Activity" sounding like Blackmail.According to Wikipedia, "Blackmail is the crime of threatening to reveal substantially true information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand made upon the victim is met. This information is usually of an embarrassing or socially damaging nature. As the information is substantially true, the act of revealing the information may not be criminal in its own right nor amount to a civil law defamation; the crime is making demands to withhold it."
Ok, so are we (all) blackmailers?
I would agree that the information about the cancer and silicosis risks is substantially true - refer to US Toxicology Report on Carcinogens 11th edition which states: "Respirable Crystalline Silica [RCS] is a known human carcinogen." and "people living near sand quarries are potentially exposed to RCS".
However, it can't be blackmail because that would involve making demands to withold the info...
and... 1) we haven't demanded to withold it (that is, to keep it a secret), and 2) we haven't witheld it, because the links and the articles are all available on this website, and on official sites such as that of the Health and Safety Executive.
So in conclusion, although Ms. Twite is entitled to her opinion, accusing local groups of criminal activity (blackmail) is chronically inaccurate and missing the point. And its pretty offensive.
I can only conclude that she is "dreadfully dreadfully" misinformed.
And by the way, in my book, if somebody says something is dangerous, and it is, they are telling the truth. The last time I looked that was not breaking the law. But killing people by poisoning is, under most circumstances.
"No sand extraction would be near houses."
If that's the case, how come MIN40 backs onto East Winch?
And how near does it have to be? If sand can be blown onto our cars from the Sahara, what are the odds that silica sand can be blown a few hundred metres from Ashwicken, Grandcourt Farm, Min40 or Leziate, and for the dust to get inside people's lungs?
I could go on, but I am going to spend some time with my kids. Bye for Now.
2 comments:
Miss Twite has accused campaigners of Blackmail - an criminal activity.
That's a mighty strong accusation.
In fact, I'd go as far as to say it's defamatory and libelous.
I wonder if Miss Twite can back those very serious allegations up aith any evidence?
I sincerely doubt it somehow.
Unfortunately I think in this case Miss Twite is merely lacking any simple basic writing ability. She has no conception of using the right words for what she actually means, (which is probably that the article was 'scaremongering' or some other such similar untrue rubbish), nor does she have appear to have any basic health knowledge. Silicosis is not a made up word by the medical establishment, it comes from the word 'Silica'. Even if we ignore every other reason not to have this blasted pit, you can never ignore the one that actually kills people. SILICOSIS IS A KILLER - FACT! That's not me choosing to think or say that, it's the medical doctors and scientists who say so and have had to care for people who have died from it. Wake up Miss Twite and do some simple research before publishing opinions that don't actually make any sense.
Or I may have to leave the 'e' off!
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