[Natsu]

I think the people in Ohio wondering if they're going to be in a Flint-like situation, WTF these chemicals the average person has never heard of are, and what's going to be done about it are all interesting subjects.

Alas, I haven't heard much about them from those knowledgeable enough to chime in on the subjects and I'd love to.

As for balloons, they got boring last week, other than some airspace closures that only pilots need worry about. China has always been spying on us, the methods might be new, but not the fact of it.

[JumpCrisscross]

> the methods might be new, but not the fact of it

It’s a diplomatic escalation with global geopolitical ramifications. If you have any business or personal exposure to China, or anything in Southeast Asia, that’s directly relevant in a way lives in Ohio, unfortunately, are not.

Also, Ohio is out of immediate crisis. Now is the time for investigation and litigation. The train has derailed. Yet balloons may keep coming—that’s the drama one story has that the other lacks.

[Natsu]

For that last part, some people are worried it might not be. I don't claim to know enough about it to say who is right, but the people there are understandably concerned about what to watch for and want more info. Some of that might be worrying too much, but hey, a train full of hazardous chemicals did just explode out there.

It's not like we can't point to a time when things were majorly screwed up in a way that didn't just go away quickly despite the news moving on (Flint says hello).

[JumpCrisscross]

> some people are worried it might not be

Absolutely. But the problem is slow, silent and lurking in the dark. (It's also safely localized.)

I'm not saying this issue deserve eyeballs. Just that there is no evidence of a scheme to suppress. The cold, dark reality is most Americans aren't interested in the long-term health of a 5,000-strong Ohio town from an accident in which nobody died, for which there is no partisan bogeyman to blame.

[Natsu]

Well, unless that cloud of chemical smoke becomes rain elsewhere, stuff seeps into the water, etc. That said, I've had some time to peruse some of the sources here and at least the nearby water treatment plants claim to be doing more testing, so there's that.

I'd still be more than a little concerned if I were nearby, though. And it doesn't usually take a partisan boogeyman to talk about better safety and prospects of environmental damage.

Part of the problem with that is usually exactly what you say: it really is too easy to ignore and it really shouldn't be.

[mandmandam]

> It's also safely localized

... It sure as fuck isn't. You need to get more news sources than CNN and the EPA.

[nortonham]

>ohio is out of immediate crisis

Is it? Sounds like an environmental crisis with serious ramifications

[TomSwirly]

Man, your priorities are totally inverted.

> The train has derailed. Yet balloons may keep coming

The balloons may keep coming - the environmental disasters are certain to keep coming.