No, this isn't a character from The Mikado; this refers to a a trainload of human waste shipped from New York City to its final destination in Adamsville, Alabama. However, due to an injunction, this malodorous shipment was stuck in the little town of Parrish, Alabama in Walker County instead of reaching the intended waste disposal site. in Adamsville.
For weeks! And the quality of life in Parrish declined. Frankly, the train stunk to high heaven and caused the town to do so as well. People could not sit on their porches. The smell permeated their homes, and outdoor sports could not be enjoyed. Frankly, the odor probably affected indoor sports as well!
And the magnitude of malodor was too great for ordinary processes of sensory adaptation to take place.
As William Shakespeare would have said, "There is something rotten in Walker County!"
And the magnitude of malodor was too great for ordinary processes of sensory adaptation to take place.
As William Shakespeare would have said, "There is something rotten in Walker County!"
Seriously, part of the problem was that Parrish did not have zoning law protection that other places had. So there it stayed. Stinking to high heaven and places elsewhere as well!
It would have been neat for the odiferous cargo to be sent back to NYC for them to deal with; but no luck with that! This was one more grievance for the locals to be unhappy with.
The smelly stuff remained in place. Finally, the human waste contents were removed from Parrish but the odor lingered for a while still.
There was some good news, though. Due to the bad publicity, NYC announced that it would no longer ship human waste to Alabama! Amazingly, they at least had a sense of remorse! I hope the unfortunate publicity from this episode will keep other places from using the South as their toilet in the future.
Are there not any suitable locations for waste disposal in the Empire State? It seems that each state should get its own shit together* and not be a problem to others!
See also the WaPo for a take on this story.
*Figuratively and in reality.
There was some good news, though. Due to the bad publicity, NYC announced that it would no longer ship human waste to Alabama! Amazingly, they at least had a sense of remorse! I hope the unfortunate publicity from this episode will keep other places from using the South as their toilet in the future.
Are there not any suitable locations for waste disposal in the Empire State? It seems that each state should get its own shit together* and not be a problem to others!
See also the WaPo for a take on this story.
*Figuratively and in reality.
I won't make the obvious comment about shipping trainloads of crap from DC.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, this is not a metaphor for how some parts of the country treat the South.
ReplyDeleteReading the Wikipedia article about Parrish, it is largely poor (Mdn income roughly $26,000) and 1/4 African American.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parrish,_Alabama
Ugh! That is a nasty story!
ReplyDeleteMy Dear Friend Angel; The South has made itself a dumping ground with it's own legislative decisions, and frankly, that you find a conscience among New Yorkers so surprising, demonstrates well a pernicious prejudice against other Americans ['librards'] that has been cultivated for purely political reasons for some time. You point out the lack of proper zoning laws yourself, in service, no doubt, to freedom to make a buck. Blaming others: Blue States, Mexicans, etc is NOT what makes America great! Unexamined bias is an issue for ALL of us.
ReplyDeleteI saw the original story about the cars sitting there for a couple of months. But I didn't know the problem had been resolved. I wonder where the shipments are going now? Makes me wonder about the sludge from my area. Or even the sludge from Birmingham.
ReplyDeleteParrish's did not make a cent out of this deal. Instead, they got stuck with the problem. I think the place of origin has some responsibility to its distant neighbors. People down in Walker County feel mistreated. And they did not get a red cent for the inconvenience.
ReplyDeleteLet NYC take care of its own waste. They made it; let them deal with it.
Sorry if I came of a bit rough!
ReplyDeleteI heard about this and just don’t understand why NYC has to transport their poop out? I think it should all go into Trump tower
ReplyDeleteMethinks that one of your commenters might be disposed to blame the victim; in this case, those Alabama residents who had literally to put up with New York shit. I hope they don't start sending it here.
ReplyDeleteHey! Missing you and hope you are well, Angel
ReplyDeleteSo there it stayed... No shit. And of course the people responsible for making that train stay there didn't live there themselves.
ReplyDelete"However, I don't guarantee that you can control me simply by grabbing my horns! I hope you won't mind my odd sense of humor."
ReplyDeleteI'm grabbing your horns and shaking your head. Start posting again.