I did not know about Bhopal

omg, I did not know about Bhopal. Apparently, a pesticide company Union Carbide India Limited had a plant in Bhopal India, a city located smack dab in the middle of India. The pesticide company had an accident December of 1984, killing more than 8000 people with in one week, and up to 16k people in the following time, 550k injuries, 38k severe, 4k permanent. The release hurt so many people because it was high temperature, high pressure gas released into atmosphere which covered the entire city. It also killed a lot of trees within the first week.

Wow, the poor Indian people.

I learned of this from a documentary The Yes Men Fix the World. The company Union Carbide is now owned by Dow Chemicals(DOW). The Indian people are continuing to pass aid package for the people affected by this disaster. The United States, on pains of economic consequences, refuses Indian any additional aid or payment.

I am at odds with myself on this. I mean, yes, really, the original people who caused this should pay for it. Subsequently, the current owner (as the movie demonstrates) should pick up the tab to improve their own corporate image. (Because China is watching, and Europe, and Africa, and South America... are all places that can afford to refuse Dow Chemicals) Lastly, the United States government should restrict it's corporations and make finally remediation.

As an American, I feel sorry for the poor people of India and wish that they can be helped. But at the same time, I feel that their government was most negligent, and continues to be friendly with US corporations to an unnecessary degree. The Indian people should pay for recovery because they were partially responsible for it happening by electing a government that allowed this to happen.

As an American, I am certainly not willing to pay in taxes to help them fix this. I mean, I'm not a stock owner of DOW and never was, and never owned mutual funds with DOW chemicals as a component, and I never was part of that decision making process, and not part not because of my negligence but because it just didn't involve me. Some entrepreneur decided to get the money, goto India, bring a risky technology there, and..., and I don't know what happened between then and the accident,..., but those involved in the process should pay for it!

If they're all dead and gone, then certainly the current government should pass legislations to prevent it from happening, followed by technological and financial aid to help clean up the mess. It should be powered by a charity, paid by people who have vested interest in India.

Heck, if such a corporation existed, the "Help Bhopal India To Recover" for profit corporation, I may even by stocks in it.

But I am really sorry this happened to India, and I'm sure it's happening in China too, but with less visibility...