Commentary: Open Forum

Winchester Star
July 29, 2006

Still Deception: Chemstone defense a huge 'indigestible ham'

When I saw Joseph Ferrell's commentary on July, 8, I prepared myself for a snow job. After all, you expect a vice-president and general manager to plead the case of the company cause and present it in as high and holy a light as possible. Mr. Ferrell's claims were outrageous. He, or possibly the PR firm hired to finesse the opposition, really should be reported to the FCC for false and misleading advertising.

Indeed, the claims made for the beneficial nature of limestone quarrying were so extreme that at one point I thought Mr. Ferrell would recommend us to sprinkle a tablespoon of hydrated lime over our breakfast cereal.

That seems a frivolous comparison to make, but Mr. Ferrell's glowing salute to limestone is not unlike the technique Madison Avenue uses to sell us trans-fats and other products damaging to our health.

Mr. Ferrell did not give us the truth, he gave us hype. That may be inescapable in this age of marketing, but it's still deception. Mining operations disrupt and negatively impact their environment; it's only a matter of degree. This is so basic it needs no further comment.

What does need further comment is the boast that "we have never had to fix a well, a window, or house" - possible, but only because the quarry has consistently refused to accept responsibility for any damage to homes in the Middletown area resulting from the basting. Apparently, deny, deny, deny is the SOP for these companies; the same cycle of damage and denial has occurred at limestone quarries in Kentucky and Maryland.
It could be argued this was in the past, and does not happen now. But today the quarry continues to send its trucks through Middletown and refuses to consider other routes, despite opposition from residents. Mr. Ferrell considers this being a good neighbor.

Let us please drop all pretense: The Planning Commission did not deny Chemstone any rights on June 7. This is as baseless a fraud as any damned lie can be. The issues raised by those opposed to the expansion - pollution, water, damage from blasting, destruction of overburden, quality of life - are issues that face all mining operations. The claim that bringing these up unfairly 'blindsided' Chemstone is ridiculous. These issues have been voiced by Middletown residents for years; the quarry has regularly blown then off, can continues to do so. If anyone's rights have been denied, it is those of the residents of Middletown.

At one point in its history, Middletown had a flour mill; its logo was a blue diamond filled with daisies. And while we cast pearls before our swine, the French cast daisies before theirs. And that is precisely what Chemstone should adopt as the logo for it's Middletown operation; a hog doing a hornpipe trampling a field of daisies.
It would be entirely appropriate. After all, Mr. Ferrell's July 8 performance was nothing but indigestible ham any way you slice it.

Walter McCauley