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Village evacuated after Quebec train derailment

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Regarding the comment above by Carl Fowler, I agree about the need for the industry to respond to a number of issues that he mentioned.  And I agree with his preference to not attack the engineer.  However, I disagree with his preference to not criticize Burkhardt.  In the first place, in everything I have read in the news, and in all of this discussion here, I have not heard one comment attacking the engineer.  But there is a boatload of criticism directed at Mr. Burkhardt, but not for him causing the crash.  The criticizing of Mr. Burkhardt is for his childish, tone deaf response to the disaster.  I am sure that most of the citizens of Lac-Megantic do not need a lecture about it being improper to blame somebody until all the facts are known.  Mr. Burkhadt’s attitude is the one fact that they are responding to, and it is as plain as day.   Furthermore, regarding the attacking of the engineer, it is only Burkhardt who is attacking the engineer.  The people have heard the engineer's claim of having set hand brakes on the engines and cars.  They heard Burkhardt back up that claim by the engineer.  Many news articles wonder why Burkhardt backed up his engineer one day and stabbed him in the back the next day.  I am sure the people of Lac-Megantic wonder about that too. Many of those people know the engineer personally, and they have also experienced the character of Mr. Burkhardt.  It seems evident that most of them are not about to jump on the engineer based on the shifting testimony of Ed Burkhardt.     Here is a great article highlighting how Burkhardt has botched the public relations of this tradegedy: <a href="http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Railway+boss+Edward+Burkhardt+plants+foot+mouth+after+Megantic/8655472/story.html">http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Railway+boss+Edward+Burkhardt+plants+foot+mouth+after+Megantic/8655472/story.html</a> From the link:   "I mean, they were screaming about how I took three days to get there," Burkhardt told CNN Thursday. "People wanted to throw stones at me. I showed up and they threw stones. But that doesn't accomplish anything." Of course, bad mouthing people overcome by raw emotion doesn't accomplish much either.
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