"Logic Ain't Logicking" - Part 2: VDOT's Spraying Methodology

When and why does VDOT spray the public roads? I sought answers in a phone meeting with Bill Lewis from VDOT Headquarters. The answers I got only left me further confused. The following is a list of what I was told, followed by my commentary on why this just doesn't make any sense.

1. VDOT sprays Escort XP on the roadsides in preparation for mechanical brush removal.

I understand why they need the leaves to be gone in order to see any obstacles or utility infrastructure that might be hiding under them.

Why can't a mechanical removal take place after most of the leaves naturally fall in Autumn?

2. VDOT must spray defensively in order to manage invasive species on our roadsides.

Why is this VDOT's undertaking? They are solely responsible for their right-of-way and have no jurisdiction beyond that. Invasive plants do not only grow on the roadsides. Without the landowners themselves taking action against invasive species, VDOT spraying the roadsides will only cause further ecological damage, rather than actually fixing anything.

3. VDOT is aware that the spraying of pesticides on roadways will drift and make people sick up to 10 miles away.

What I gather from this is that VDOT operates under the notoriously-flawed utilitarian philosophy. As long as the roads are maintained in the cheapest and easiest possible way, it does not matter how many people get sick in the process. Utilitarianism is a philosophical thought process that values the wellbeing of the majority over the minority. Utilitarian philosophy often results in the sacrifice of a few people with the goal of keeping the majority of people happy, even when the sacrifice is subjectively morally wrong.

Does it make sense that we chemically defoliate leaves each year, when they will naturally fall anyway in Autumn without any cost?

Is it VDOT's job to protect our environment from invasive species?

Is it morally acceptable to sacrifice the health of some people, just so that the other people's job is easier and cheaper?

I would be interested to know if any of this makes sense to anyone at all.

Why I Don't Even Need To Explain the Corruption of the Chemical / Pesticide Industry

"Most Evil Companies in the World" by Penguinz0

Not seconds after publishing my last Blog post highlighting the fact that Chemical corporations are not legally required to disclose the Inert Ingredients in their products, a new video on the same topic popped up on my YouTube suggestions. It was by a YouTuber who has been famous since YouTube's beginning days, and who currently has 16.5 Million subscribers, not including other social media platforms.

In this video, two buddies sit at a computer and read a list of the worst companies in the world, followed by ranking these companies from "Bad" to "Vile." I personally appreciate the deadpan humor.

Among the companies mentioned like Boeing, Nestle, and Comcast, pesticide-producer Monsanto receives extra attention for its egregious business practices and carcinogenic products, namely Glyphosate. Monsanto falsified documents and covered the data that have long shown the damages to health that the product caused, until eventually taken to court. Additionally, these commentators mention the overall American Healthcare Industry -- including Perdue Pharmaceutical -- deeming the industry in its entirety to be among the most "Vile."

I'm glad that this is what it has finally come to. The naked emperor has escaped Pandora's Box.

It is common knowledge now what these companies are willing to do to the general population in the name of profit. Monsanto manufactured Agent Orange! As one YouTuber here put it: "Agent Orange, not a fan."

My claim is that now, these companies have designed the most efficient ways to extract money and health from the population, including spraying all of our roadsides with products that contain mysterious "Inert Ingredients."

If I allow myself to speculate, I don't naturally assume that the people who profit from the sale and/or use of pesticide products actually ever have to be in the presence of them. I also doubt that they possess any need or will to spend time walking on lands that have been treated with their pesticides. Most likely, these folks are living in New York City penthouses, working from one of their 19 home offices, and eating thousand-dollar organic meals at exclusive restaurants across the globe.

Are they in the fields getting their hands dirty with contaminated soils that make people sick? I just don't think so.

Those who profit from the pesticide damage remain completely separate from the rest of us who have to suffer it daily.

When it comes to the toxic environments these corporations have designed for us, doubt and skepticism are now parts played by the fool. These corporations will simply do whatever it takes to continue on the path they created decades ago.

I know it. You know it. These two gamer bros know it. And this is why when I discuss my research into pesticides, I need not ramble on about these companies. My focus remains on the facts, data, science, and logic.

It seems that the natural next step would be to team together to figure out how to Stop the Spray.

NEW Series "Logic Ain't Logicking" - Part 1: Active Ingredients vs. Inactive Ingredients

By now, my one Blog reader knows that myself and several other Floyd residents become suddenly sick when we walk on the parts of our properties that got sprayed by VDOT's contractors. We can only deduce that certain ingredients in the herbicide persist and continue to pollute our public roadsides long after the pesticide application itself.

After my umpteenth attempt to walk my dogs on the road resulted in another migraine and nausea attack, I wondered if Poison Control could hold any answers to this mystery.

If a shower reliably makes us feel instantly better, and is the only thing that can halt and reverse our sickness, then it is logical to hypothesize that we are dealing a poison on our body and clothes.

According to the Poison Control helpline, the only safety data on file for Escort XP (the pesticide VDOT uses) are limited to the product's Active Ingredients. The data for Escort XP say that the product only poses health risks for a matter of hours or days after the spraying has occurred. There are no safety data available for the long-term effects of the spraying, simply because the relatively small amount of active ingredients will oxidize or degrade, ostensibly no longer present to cause any harm.

Does this necessarily mean that the spraying cannot harm people weeks, months, or years after the fact?

The inactive or Inert Ingredients in pesticides consist of surfactants, additives, dilutants, solvents, anti-caking agents, anti-foaming agents, preservatives, and whatever else might enhance the performance of the product.

According to the EPA website: "Under federal law, the identity of inert ingredients is confidential business information. The law does not require manufacturers to identify inert ingredients by name or percentage on product labels."

This means that we have no idea what is really in these pesticides, to what degree these ingredients will biopersist, or whether there are long-term effects on soils or human health.

It's honestly a convenient setup for a perfect crime.

Firstly, let's never forget that DuPont -- the company that manufactures Escort XP and other pesticides -- are owned by our corporate overlords, who walk hand-in-hand with pharmaceutical companies. The corruption of these industries is a different Blog post all on its own, but it's common knowledge that these chemical companies share several common stakeholders with the pharmaceutical companies.

If I were sitting on the boards of these companies -- and if I were the right amount of evil -- I would say that what we have here is a golden opportunity to generate a lot of profit through a feedback loop of our own making:

If we get to spray whatever we want on all the roadsides and on the food supply, then wouldn't it just be so convenient if we spray something that makes everyone sick, so that they seek relief in our pharmaceutical products?

Why is everyone so sick now? Why do only 4% of Americans have no health complaints? Why are chronic illness patients increasing by 9% each year?

These are actually the very successful statistics of something nefarious that is happening. The system allows the pesticide manufacturers to spray whatever they want all over our everyday public environments without disclosure, and then to subsequently profit from the medicines and doctor visits of anyone seeking relief.

The active ingredients in pesticides may not pose long-term health risks as Poison Control explained, but how can we tell whether the Inert Ingredients do, if we don't even know what they are.

Is it so outlandish to suggest that we are literally surrounded by toxins that subtly make us sick at all times until they are decontaminated off with a shower?

No, it's not.

Not when the logic is logicking.

:)