One of the great things about having Republicans run Texas is that there has been a great relaxing of sewage containment – you can pretty much crap anywhere as long as you ain’t one of them terrorists. Especially if you’re a member of the Chamber of Commerce.

Just two days after a bomb ripped through the federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995, state officials began to track casualties so they could gather vital information on treatment and safety.

Texas’ response to the explosion of a fertilizer plant in West has been far different. More than three months after that disaster, the state health department has yet to start collecting details on deaths or injuries.

Dr. David Lakey, State Health Services commissioner, ain’t talking to the media. He is indicating that there’s no rush. There’s an unofficial count of 300 injured but that’s just a guess.

A survey of injuries could highlight the potential danger faced by 20,000 Texans who live close to the state’s 73 other facilities that store large amounts of ammonium nitrate, the chemical that exploded in West.

It even got down to Sherry Williams, the director of the county health department, saying that she was concerned about who got to see the results of this study, adding, “I want to make sure this is not a hunting/blaming expedition.”

Well, hell no – let’s not waste time finding out who did this and how to keep it from happening again. Obviously a war isn’t necessary so why the tarnation would we want to know?

This is bidness, folks. And sacrificing a few hundred people on the alter of unregulated bidness is a small price to pay for Rick Perry’s business ads in other states. Hell, we didn’t even demand that all the sacrificials be virgins.

Bidness in Texas – where guesstimates will do unless it’s a CEO salary.