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It’s hard to pick out which Biden Administration official is most incompetent. Truly hard. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has got to be in the top five. Eleven days ago, a massive train filled with cars of dangerous chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. The dangerous cars were later blown up leaving a Chernobyl-like disaster. Yesterday, Pothole Pete didn’t mention the physical and environmental disaster instead he joked about balloons and lectured about too many White people in construction in communities of color. This is what you get when you hire based on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion instead of subject matter competence.
There is not one area of transportation and infrastructure where Pete Buttigieg has shown a smidgen of competency or even mild interest. From the supply chain to racist roads to three train derailments in ten days. In addition to East Palestine, there were derailments in Texas and Oregon. The Texas derailment involved and 18-wheeler. The Oregon derailment, blessedly, involved empty cars.
We will talk about the East Palestine derailment in a moment, but the Daily Mail.com filed this report on Buttigieg’s comments yesterday:
Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg has so far remained silent on the Ohio train derailment that spilled toxic chemicals and forced thousands to evacuate, but he did speak out about the lack of diversity in construction this week.
Addressing the National Association of Counties Conference, Buttigieg accused construction sites of not hiring workers that look like the communities they’re building for.‘We have heard way too many stories from generations past of infrastructure where you got a neighborhood, often a neighborhood of color, that finally sees the project come to them, but everyone in the hard hats on that project, doing the good paying jobs, don’t look like they came from anywhere near the neighborhood,’ Buttigieg said.
Also while speaking to the National Association of Counties, Mayor Pete discussed the challenges in being Transportation Secretary:
Pete Buttigieg jokes about his failures on the job: "We've faced issues from container shipping to airline cancellations. Now we got balloons. *laughs*" pic.twitter.com/KeHzRjXBtC
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 13, 2023
Ow, stop, my sides are hurting from laughing so hard. You know who is not laughing? The people of Eastern Ohio, Western Pennsylvania and Northern West Virginia. Take a look at the map. This is very bad. And, it will only get worse.
Norfolk Southern gave a list of the chemicals involved to the EPA and, this is the Daily Wire write up:
The derailment, which occurred on February 3, caused a fire that lasted several days. Officials decided to initiate a controlled release of the chemicals to mitigate the risk of an explosion; all residents within one mile of the crash site were told to evacuate, although they were permitted to return to their homes on February 8.
Norfolk Southern provided the EPA with a list of cars affected by the crash and the chemicals they were carrying. The company said all five cars containing vinyl chloride have been “stabilized” after the material was burned by crews, forming massive plumes of dark smoke that were visible in eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania.
Vinyl chloride is described by the National Cancer Institute as a carcinogen linked to a rare form of liver cancer called hepatic angiosarcoma, as well as lymphoma, leukemia, and various forms of brain and lung cancers. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration only permits exposure of one part per million during an industrial worker’s eight-hour shift.
“If a water supply is contaminated, vinyl chloride can enter household air when the water is used for showering, cooking, or laundry,” the agency said.One train car containing ethylene glycol monobutyl ether currently has an “unknown status,” according to Norfolk Southern. The highly combustible liquid is used to manufacture paints and varnish; ingestion or skin contact can cause headache, nausea, vomiting, and dizziness, according to a report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A second car was carrying isobutylene, a flammable gas that can induce “dizziness, drowsiness, and unconsciousness” when moderate concentrations are inhaled, according to another report from the agency. Norfolk Southern said there are “no signs” of a breach for the car containing the substance.
A third train car was transporting ethylhexyl acrylate, a combustible liquid used to make paints and plastics. The amount of the chemical remaining in the car is “pending,” according to Norfolk Southern. The substance has been identified as a carcinogen in laboratory experiments, according to a report from the National Library of Medicine.
The controlled burn which resulted in the black smoke above East Palestine was to avoid a BLEVE or Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion:
A boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion (BLEVE, /ˈblɛviː/ BLEV-ee) is an explosion caused by the rupture of a vessel containing a pressurized liquid that has reached a temperature above its boiling point.[1][2] Because the boiling point of a liquid rises with pressure, the contents of the pressurized vessel can remain liquid as long as the vessel is intact. If the vessel’s integrity is compromised, the loss of pressure and dropping boiling point can cause the liquid to rapidly convert to a gas and expand rapidly. If the gas is combustible, as is the case with hydrocarbons and alcohols, further damage can be caused by the ensuing fire.
Like blowing a train car a mile in the air. If found this very helpful video of someone who started warning seven weeks before the East Palestine derailment:
Precision Scheduled Railroading. Trains should be no longer than 8,000 feet. This one was 10,000 feet. They should allow three minutes for a car inspection. They only allow 90 seconds. And, no corporate type has shown up. As the narrator said, 74% of the Norfolk Southern stock is owned by Wall Street. The names Vanguard and J.P. Morgan should be familiar to everyone.
Lives destroyed. Future cancers and other illnesses. After his balloon jokes and White construction worker worries, Pete Buttigieg finally deigned to speak about the East Palestine train derailment:
I continue to be concerned about the impacts of the Feb 3 train derailment near East Palestine, OH, and the effects on families in the ten days since their lives were upended through no fault of their own. It’s important that families have access to useful & accurate information:
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) February 14, 2023
Concerned but not deeply concerned. Worst statement ever. He really doesn’t care about all those poor White people. Even his fans are tired of his schtick:
You "continue" to be concerned?
Since when, precisely?
And, why is this the first you've commented on it if you've been concerned since…whenever that was?
AND I'M A SUPPORTER!
Stop fucking around, and do something about it.— Evan Handler (@EvanHandler) February 14, 2023
Poor Evan. Pete cannot do anything because he lacks the intellectual capacity, common sense and empathy. Another Biden diversity hire.
Featured Image: Darleen Click For Victory Girls
VG’s routinely writes about Pete Buttigieg. Want to know why? Because they’re utterly terrified that he will kick the shit out of any MAGA conservative when he runs for president in the future. Buttigieg has no problem appearing on Fox to support the work he’s doing or the work of the Biden Administration. The Fox “spin doctor” usually walks away looking like a complete fool because of the moronic question or inability to respond to something Buttigieg said. The smear campaign by VG is beyond apparent. Here’s how I know that …
Back to beating the drum of “hypocrisy.” Where was VG when one of the largest passenger death train derailment happened under Elaine Chow (I won’t bother to use the racist reference by TFG … the F*$king Genius)? One can easily search Department of Transportation databases on railroad accidents and you can see for any three year time span accidents sorted by a variety of reasons. Where are the MAGA crowds when showing up to support the DEQ’s ability to limit what railroads are hauling through our neighborhoods or where they’re building transfer stations for chemicals?
It’s all a smoke screen to lay the ground work to make Buttigieg out to look incompetent. Here’s a better way to show how incompetent he is … stack his academic and career accomplishments against those of TFG (the F*$king Genius) and then step back to ponder who has the more impressive track record. Not gonna happen.
Pete’s only qualification for the job is that he’s gay which explains your fangirl squeeing.
Ah yes, if it isn’t the Ernst Roehm wannabe. The Fascist F@got who only pauses in giving sane and moral homosexuals, bisexuals, and others a bad name when they proceed to give the entire damn human species a bad name.
Though you are still nowhere near as competent, brave, or charismatic as Roehm. Who while a monstrous human being and a depraved economic idiot at least was willing to get into the thick of combat and present his beliefs honestly rather than going to heckle online.
Anyway, let’s dissect this.
“VG’s routinely writes about Pete Buttigieg. Want to know why? Because they’re utterly terrified that he will kick the shit out of any MAGA conservative when he runs for president in the future. “
This is what we call fantasizing. Interpreting reality to be as you wish it to be rather than what it actually is, particularly when it allows you to vicariously live through your idols. It is a problem across the political spectrum but for some reason it is particularly evident on the left, as Mindy Kaling attests.
I’ll let you in on a secret. You are MOSTLY wrong. And not just overall but on that specific charge.
I will admit there is a sliver of truth in that there is fear about what damage Buttigieg could do, especially as a photogenic and politically correct politician with a slavishly positive media. But most of that worry has less to do with Buttigieg and more with the overweening tendencies of bias, corruption, and vote tampering at play; as shown by Arizona.
The real reason VicGals talked about Buttigieg so often is much simpler but nowhere near as flattering. Namely that he is *a freaking Weak Target.* When you get past the carefully cultivated media persona and positive publicity to actually look at what a miserable failure he has been, In South Bend, in Transportation, and as a whole, it becomes clear that Buttigieg is nowhere near that good. We’re he a heterosexual democrat we probably never would have heard of him, and he certainly would not have reached the lofty heights he has.
And in politics, much of the focus comes from identifying the other side’s weak links and remorselessly pounding them. Which is what we are doing here. On some level you know this because you endlessly blather at the straw man wind mill of “the Fucking Genius” you identify with Trump precisely because you think it is a negative for conservatives, so don’t play dumb. You’re stupid enough as it is in reality.
Buttigieg’s record is a net negative, far more so than Trump’s. which is why the VicGals talk about it. He is an easy target for the entire Biden Administration, because his incompetence, callousness, and venality speak not just about himself but also the state of America and your fellow Leftists.
And again, on some level you know this, instinctively enough if not consciously, because you IMMEDIATELY deflect and try to blame this on… Trump Budget Cuts to the EPA and allege that this merely “makes” Buttigieg look incompetent.
“Buttigieg has no problem appearing on Fox to support the work he’s doing or the work of the Biden Administration. The Fox “spin doctor” usually walks away looking like a complete fool because of the moronic question or inability to respond to something Buttigieg said. “
We are obviously watching very different shows, because Buttigieg’s actual conduct during interviews and debates is a major weakness. As underlined by his craven, clueless callousness and irrelevant blather about it white construction workers. Like Justin Trudeau, he exceeds best at being seen and looking photogenic while networking politically, not being some grand intellectual or even charismatic Titan who can push things forward in public directly.
“The smear campaign by VG is beyond apparent. “
Ah yes. How dare Victory Girls condemn the clueless, callous, manifestly incompetent fool as clueless, callous, and manifestly incompetent.
I man it isn’t like he just oversaw one of the great man made disasters in US history. And I live in Ohio for the record.
“Here’s how I know that …”
Claims facts not in evidence: that you know something.
“Back to beating the drum of “hypocrisy.” “
His is rich considering you are an artist in hypocrisy. As we should expect from someone who thrives on attacking their opponents, largely to compensate for fundamental weakness when pinned down and forced to undergo scrutiny.
“Where was VG when one of the largest passenger death train derailment happened under Elaine Chow (I won’t bother to use the racist reference by TFG … the F*$king Genius)? “
I realize you’re a fucking idiot and arguing in bad faith, but let us underline.
A passenger train crash in and of itself is tragic, especially if it could have been foreseeably prevented (something you say nothing about). But once it happens it can hardly be undone and there is relatively little to fix beyond cleaning up the site, rescuing who can be rescued, returning the remains of those who cannot, and taking stock.
But when a train crash LOOSES DANGEROUS CHEMICALS AT THE CONFLUENCE OF MAJOR RIVERS AND THE SUPPOSED CLEANUP RESULTS IN FREAKING PHOSGENE GAS FOR MILES AROUND, *that’s significantly more concerning.* Especially since such trains are meant to be handled at least as carefully as passenger cars if not moreso, precisely (if paradoxically) because these things being wrecked will pose a greater threat to life, limb, wellbeing, and environment than a train of passengers. Sounds cold but it is true.
East Palestine wouldn’t have had to be evacuated if it wasn’t true.
In any case, this is a lazy, dumb, and weak case of whataboutism. L
“One can easily search Department of Transportation databases on railroad accidents and you can see for any three year time span accidents sorted by a variety of reasons. “
And accidents are a fact of life. But not all accidents are created equal. I know even you are capable of grasping this Kevin, so stop lying.
“Where are the MAGA crowds when showing up to support the DEQ’s ability to limit what railroads are hauling through our neighborhoods or where they’re building transfer stations for chemicals?”
Because firstly you’re a fucking idiot and a hypocrite, and secondly because “limit what railroads are hauling through out neighborhoods” is a fundamentally subpar solution for day to day economic life COMPARED TO MAKING THE MOST DANGEROUS CARGOS AS SAFE TO TRANSIT AS POSSIBLE.
Blinding understanding from the freaking mid 19th century. But it doesn’t let you try and deflect from Mayor Pete.
Also, how telling is it that in response to an avoidable tragedy largely caused by leftist government screwups, your logic is to…. Give the government more power agitated largely by leftists, so it can screw up in new and Greater ways.
“It’s all a smoke screen to lay the ground work to make Buttigieg out to look incompetent. “
Firstly: that’s not what smokescreens are.
Secondly: Buttigieg doesn’t merely look incompetent. He is incompetent. A cursory look at South Bend or this shows it.
Thirdly: your post is a weak smokescreen to try and deflect from the incredibly obvious. Buttigieg is a weak link in terms of actual competence, and this incident in particular shows it.
“Here’s a better way to show how incompetent he is … stack his academic and career accomplishments against those of TFG (the F*$king Genius) and then step back to ponder who has the more impressive track record. Not gonna happen.”
I would gladly do so, and might if I anm bothered. Unfortunately for you, TFG defeats Buttigieg hands down. Which is why you and your fellow screwups rarely bother to discuss the finer points of Buttigieg’s actual record.
Oh also, “academic accomplishments.” Not gonna be a focus, precisely because academic accomplishments are not a direct tie to career accomplishments. Compare Woodrow Wilson to Ike (who I am honestly not that fond of but was not an utter disaster as Wilson was).
Brandon alone is not to blame for Mayor Pete. Pothole Pete was confirmed with 36 Republican Senate votes. They were afraid to vote against the gay nominee because “homophobia”.
The Butt Guy, like so many others in Biden’s administration is a JOKE!
The dangerous cars were later blown up leaving a Chernobyl-like disaster.
Actually, they had to burn off the one substance, as it’s the only way to “clean” it up without even worse problems.
everyone in the hard hats on that project, doing the good paying jobs, don’t look like they came from anywhere near the neighborhood
Hmmm, maybe that’s because if those people got those jobs they moved out of those neighborhoods? The concept of “reasoning” is lost on so many progressives, despite their worship of the human mind.
Something learned on Instapundit: Evidently the train (carrying a bunch of hazardous chemicals) wasn’t identified as a Train Carrying Hazardous Chemicals because there weren’t enough of them in that 10,000 foot monstrosity.
I’ve asked on a couple of posts about this derailment why it took any time at all to hand the disaster guys a list of all the bad things on that train, and said “Isn’t there a ‘Here’s Everything On Our Choo-Choo’ manifest somewhere? Don’t they track that crap?”
Well, evidently not. Regulations currently only require a list of hazmat on the train if there is enough of it. How does even gov’t screw that one up?! Hey! Mayor Pete! Here’s a quick fix you might try!
(And, yes, I’m still baffled the train company doesn’t keep a list of everything that is in every single car on every single train. Amazon can do it with millions of customers scattered over all of the world. A train company can’t do that with things that can’t even get lost by taking a wrong turn?)
I’m so glad the ‘experts’ are in charge….
little Ole Petey doesn’t need any help making looking incompetent Kevin, he’s quite capable on his own. Pointing out that he’s a complete failure isn’t a smear, it’s facts. As to winning a presidential election, yeah, he did great last time.. the only reason he’d have half a prayer is as noted above, people still afraid of being called homophobic for not supporting him…
Like the rest of theis regime, he’s an unqualified clown, doing all he can to destroy this nation
“Not a mechanical issue, it is a management process.” Actually that is a great answer. A management process has become synonymous with lack of accountability by management. The reporter and those he interviewed are correct, the worker will pay the price, not management not the owners.
Perhaps Pete could have gone to Palestine OH prior to anyone else to see what color the neighborhoods looked like and then only allowed people of that color or hue to help to deal with the disaster.
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