Bellingham, the ugly truth.... (Seattle, Vancouver: crime rate, tech jobs, wage)

[E Roy Slade]

Northwest Citizen

[E Roy Slade]

Northwest Citizen

this is why i hate bham

sometimes it seems the cops are keystone clowns and just like to write tickets to raise money for the democrats wine parties after the democrat caucuses

other times bellingham seems ok i guess

i guess its not the worst place

[Idunn]

Having recently driven through Aberdeen, I'm guessing you're not going to see many women with short grey hair and indian jewelry driving around there in Subaru's, nor would you probably live there if you did.

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by E Roy Slade

Northwest Citizen

this is why i hate bham

sometimes it seems the cops are keystone clowns and just like to write tickets to raise money for the democrats wine parties after the democrat caucuses

other times bellingham seems ok i guess

i guess its not the worst place

Good for the Cops, I love Democrates, and who couldnt use a little more wine!!!!!!!! BTW I have never been stopped by a BH cop before. I guess its because I obey traffic laws. Try that, I bet that will make you feel less picked on. YOu don't have to be a democrate though if you don't want to. Just vote for one.

[Baldy]

I've transferred all over the world as a young adult and have lived in all four corners of the US as a big boy.

Washington state is what so many of the states used to be---a safe place to live and work and raise a family. The people who hate it here usually don't work or have a family and are left out in the cold. To these people, I will hold the door for them on their way out of town.

It may be expensive here, but see the above paragraph.

The weather? Huh? Whiners would complain about heaven, so you can pretty much ignore them. I'm too busy to concern myself with the weather. The best weather I've ever experienced was East Los Angeles and west from there. If it's "great" weather you need, that is the place for you. Go there, please.

By the way, I-5 Northbound is closed until 2099. Please try again then.

[kekai]

Originally Posted by behindthesun

There is another "ugly truth" to Bellingham that no one talks about...

The Georgia Pacific plant gave Bellingham jobs, but a few decades ago it also buried 13 TONS OF MERCURY right next to the plant on the shore of the bay, right next to downtown. The "crazy aunt in the attic" no one wants to talk about. GP saved a few bucks decades ago by not disposing of the mercury properly off-site and instead just dumped it right there. Bellingham politicians were too scared to make a big deal about it because GP brought jobs and money to the town. Citizens bitched about so they simply poured a concrete slab over the site where the mercury was buried, leaving the mercury still in the ground. They sold the idea that the slab would reduce mercury run-off from rain. The truth is, the slab was a band-aid to pacify the public. The real cost of removing the mercury correctly is astronomical, and so far nothing has been done. Even if they do "remove" it, there will still be a lot left over in the ground and surrounding areas.

A few drops or a vial of mercury spilled in a classroom or lab, and they evacuate the building and call a HAZMAT team to clean it up. It is illegal to put a silver tooth filling or a mercury thermometer in the garbage headed for a landfill. Now imagine 13 TONS of mercury buried right down the street, in the ground by the bay, seeping into the groundwater, into the bay, mercury vapor being released 24/7, mercury traveling through the ecosystem for decades.

You might want to think about this before moving to Bellingham or raising kids there, or in Fairhaven next door. People don't swim or fish, and rarely boat in the bay.

Make your own conclusions about the mercury and what it has done to the people and environment here, but you have the right to know about it before possibly being exposed yourself.

Bellingham is a perfect example of a few people saving a few dollars at the eventual astronomical expense for others, costs magnified by untold millions in health costs, clean up costs, etc... and Bellingham is supposedly an extremely green/environmentally conscious/liberal/activist town. Go figure.

We are considering moving to B'Ham from HI...this is very concerning!!! What is being done t solve this problem.

[Bellingham]

Originally Posted by E Roy Slade

Northwest Citizen

this is why i hate bham

sometimes it seems the cops are keystone clowns and just like to write tickets to raise money for the democrats wine parties after the democrat caucuses

other times bellingham seems ok i guess

i guess its not the worst place

[moderator cut: inappropriate comments]. Since when do democrats support a fascist-controlled society??

Obviously one problem in Bellingham is how many right-wing idiots there are outside the city who whine about taxes that either receive government assistance or want special tax breaks without understanding an inkling of economics.

[behindthesun]

Originally Posted by kekai

We are considering moving to B'Ham from HI...this is very concerning!!! What is being done t solve this problem.

It is very difficult to remove mercury, and do it safely. The removal process itself stirs up and spreads the mercury around, so mercury levels in the air and water will go up greatly when (and if) they ever start the project.

Bellingham's problem is obviously not on the same level as the famous Minamata Bay mercury disaster that caused Minamata disease to the surrounding Japanese populace, but there are similarities which you need to be aware of and you need to decide for yourself. Mercury exposure has many levels of gray and subtleness.

Bellingham, Whatcom County Local News | Bellingham Herald (broken link)

http://www.re-sources.org/Fact%20Sheet%202_Pub.pdf

http://www.washington.sierraclub.org...le%2010_06.doc

Minamata disease - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[sberdrow]

man almost 250 threads on UGLY TRUTH about Bellingham. Why would all you folks suffer for so long in such a place that makes you so miserable. I loved it there. I5 goes North and South if you need to escape. You can even mapquest it if you cannot figure out the way out. I think its time to close this overdone thread

[kekai]

Thank you for the information about the mercury. Are there water purification systems that can be put on your house? Do most people order drinking water?