....no posts or comments here yet (unless I missed them) about the
chemical spill and resultant serious water pollution in the Charleston,
W. Va., area. It's really non-political, since both the Dems and Repubs
in that state have given the coal and chem industries in that state a
kiss on the ass, regulation and enforcement-wise, since time began.

I was The Associated Press correspondent there (and for parts of
Kentucky and Ohio) for a while, and got to see the results of regulatory
and enforcement neglect in several major league disasters, including the
Farmington mine disaster and the collapse of the Silver Bridge.
Apparently not a whole lot has changed there in the 40 years since I had
that job.

I recall driving frequently from Huntington to Charleston and back, and
having to pass through Nitro, W. Va. The chemical stench in the air
there was the worst I ever encountered anywhere. You got the feeling the
fumes would burn the paint right off your car.