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St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Wednesday, July 16, 2008 6:11 PM CDT
LETTER: US exporting messes, not importing masses

By Peggy Brayfield, Charleston

This is in response to the story in the July 15 Times-Courier, where one reads that Hawaii is proposing to export to the U. S. mainland 100,000 tons of trash per year. Not surprisingly, the plan is being held up until some protests are resolved.

In 1903, a plaque was placed on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty, bearing these lines of a poem by Emma Lazarus:

“Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shores;

Send them, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me;

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Well, times have changed. The golden door has been replaced by a long, high barrier, and the lamp by surveillance cameras. We don’t want your tired, your poor or those huddled masses yearning to breathe free.

As to the ’wretched refuse’ — well, that’s still a possibility.

Peggy Brayfield

Charleston

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Early Bird wrote on Jul 17, 2008 5:35 AM:

" I would suggest that a good place for dumping this trash might be in west Texas, somewhere in the Odessa-Midland area. "

father bob wrote on Jul 17, 2008 10:02 AM:

" Early Bird wrote on Jul 17, 2008 5:35 AM:
" I would suggest that a good place for dumping this trash might be in west Texas, somewhere in the Odessa-Midland area. """"

yeah.....crawford ranch to be exact. "

The Question wrote on Jul 17, 2008 10:24 AM:

" I second Bird's motion. "

coonbug wrote on Jul 17, 2008 12:34 PM:

" Perhaps the trash should be spread out to Bush's home, Cheney's home and each of the oil company's board members?

http://coonsey.wordpress.com/ "

krusayda wrote on Jul 17, 2008 1:16 PM:

" Right on, Peggy! "

HisChild wrote on Jul 17, 2008 1:56 PM:

" How could Hawaii even think about sending their trash here?
How could we have ever considered taking anyone else's trash?
The almighty dollar again?
Please someone, explain this to me? "

tammer65 wrote on Jul 17, 2008 4:37 PM:

" Excellent letter, Peggy. Good suggestions by fellow posters re: Crawford as a good site for a landfill. It would go well with the manure they like to spread around. "

Texas T wrote on Jul 17, 2008 4:58 PM:

" Hawaii should just dump their trash into one of their smoldering volcanos. They have the perfect incinerator right there. They could fly up loads attached to helicopters and drop them right down in there. Sounds like a perfect plan to me. "

CHILL! wrote on Jul 18, 2008 2:18 PM:

" HisChild...yes, it is because of the almighty dollar. This area likes to get paid to take on other states' criminals and garbage. Too bad, so sad. I'd like to know where that money disappears to. "

coonbug wrote on Jul 18, 2008 3:28 PM:

" I like the volcano idea - makes sense...LOL

Speaking of trash....

Who else is paying around $71 per 3 months for trash now? I am. I'm with Veolia. I hear Howards is much cheaper - true?

That total includes $2.95 fee for NOT paying automatically from checking acct, 57.00 for standard charge and now a $11.12 Fuel environmental fee.

Maybe we should go into the trash business? "

tammer65 wrote on Jul 19, 2008 9:52 AM:

" I use CCSR, $72 for three-months, once-a-week pick up; fee includes the company-provided large trash can on wheels. They don't offer any discount for having the bill automatically deducted from checking. Wonder how cheap Howards is, how often they pick up, etc. Do they serve Charleston? "

1 cav wrote on Jul 19, 2008 11:07 AM:

" Brayfield, We dont want your tired, your poor or those huddled masses yearning to breathe free.
***********************
WE have always taken them and still do LEGALLY....NOT Illegally! I can see you are a Liberal and do not tolerate FACTS. "