Boy, I could have done without that comparison. Yes, she and her lawyers won that war against the big bad power company (and it may have done some bad things but not necessarily with the environmental consequences claimed), but nowadays she's out there pimping for the asbestos lawyers. I put her in the same class as the John Edwards tort lawyers who do more to drive up the cost of everything because, in their view, everything industry does is bad, hurts people and deserves fixing through legal extortion.
Just yesterday the NM health department came out with asthma statistics that pointed to SE NM as having the highest rate in the state and speculated it's due to oil and gas drilling, a "large number of refineries" (there is only one with two locations), dairy operations (manure), and agriculture (crop dusting). Got just about every type of industry there is here. But there are two reasons that there is a problem here -- first smoking is still prevalent here (they admit that and indeed parents who are heavy smokers in the home may well be hurting their kids) and the second is the longer growing season combined with more moisture (or irrigation/watering) that produces more pollen-bearing plants for a longer period of time than other areas of the state. Allergies are commonly linked to asthma so that connection seems clearer than that proposed by some Santa Fe bureaucrat that speculates out loud about the cause. As for Ms. Brockovich, I hope she's happy working for the trial lawyers that made the best fireproofing material in the world into a hazardous material, eliminated worthwhile products and drove productive companies out of business.
Your words:
“Yes, she and her lawyers won that war against the big bad power company (and it may have done some bad things but not necessarily with the environmental consequences claimed)”
That's akin to saying the people of China shouldn't be upset just because the milk they fed their children was intentionally tainted with harmful ingredients by greedy,unscrupulous suppliers. After all, not all of them are sick or dead! sarcasm//
China is the best example of why free market capitalism, uncoupled with law, honor and personal responsibility, may not be a viable system for much of the world. And also perhaps why, we in this nation, are having serious problems right now.
Your own admission that "the big bad power company may have done some bad things" and subsequent willingness to ignore the very serious damage those "bad things" caused many innocent people to suffer, leads me to think you may need a refresher course in Honor 101 yourself!