U.S. Efforts to Hide Sensitive Data Pit 9/11 Concerns Against Safety

They are just pieces of cardboard, and they cover less than a square foot on the side of railroad tank car. But behind them lies a post-9/11 competition between public safety and national security.

For decades, emergency-response teams approaching train wrecks have peered at the signs through binoculars to see what dangerous chemicals might be leaking. But federal officials will soon decide on a proposal to remove the placards from all tank cars. Their fear is that terrorists could use them to lock in on targets for highly toxic attacks.

The idea has sparked an outcry from firefighters and rail workers, who say removing the signs could endanger their lives. They say federal officials seem more focused on guarding against a terrorist attack than on the daily threat of accidents.
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People who live near chemical and nuclear plants, dams and oil and gas pipelines complain that it has become harder to find out about disaster plans and environmental hazards, and some have sued for more information. Engineering reports have been stripped from government Web sites, and several agencies are creating new controls on sensitive information that go far beyond the wide-ranging classification system built in the cold war.

http://nytimes.com/2005/03/05/national/05secret.html?hp&ex=1109998800&en=ed065efae7d98458&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Or or or -- do the bushies just want to cover up for the chemical corporations???

What happens if all the firefighters and first responder -- just refuse to go near any accident until someone in a little government agency can tell them what the unmarked truck was hauling before it tipped over and started spilling some unknown liquid (or gas) in the middle of rush hour on a major metro freeway. But then no one knows what the hell the tanker was carrying because the driver is unconscious and his papers aren't to be found. So this liquid or gas is oozing into the side of the road and into a drainage ditch and it starts raining. Does water make this unknown chemical even more dangerous??

The real terrorists are the idiots who have the keys to the White House.

and they could also stop stirring up the hornets nest in the Middle East.

also we should be getting ready for another "shock and awe" show in regard to Iran soon.

:crazy:

peace

computer system where emergency personnel can somehow tap into railcar companies' databases on what's being carried in those cars. But if so many people across the country have access to it, I don't see how it could be secure for long.

There are a lot of toxic commodities being carried in these cars; I think we should take the chance and leave the current system as it is. Firefighters and emergency personnel have gotten terribly injured and /or killed from these cars catching fire, exploding, from the toxic fumes, etc. even when they know what's in them.

Tnere's no easy or perfect solution.

By the way, for all of you who wait at a rail crossing, always stay far back enough from the vehicle in front of you to be able to turn around and get out of there fast. Sometimes trains derail at crossings and toxic materials are released, explode, etc. If someone behind you beeps to move forward, don't do it if you don't have enough room to turn around quickly. Don't let yourself ever be boxed in by the car in front and back of you.

If the cars in the consist get juxtaposed during the wreck, you would lose track of the contents. EVERY PIECE OF ROLLING STOCK NEEDS ITS OWN WARNING LABEL.

This is unacceptable. When the first responders and front line people for Homeland Security can't do their jobs because of regulation, this gets to be a catastrophe on its own. How will a proper cleanup or containment begin if the substances involved are not known? And what about a quick warning for people in the nearby areas?

They all look at me funny and sneak up behind me with a white coat when I say that our leader is the next Hitler, but then strange and unfortunate events like this come up and slowly start the process of doubt. And I know that this will not be the worst plan in the coming years... :nuke: