Gas supplier dumps abortion provider

[spotbird]

Welsco Industrial Gas and Welding Supply, which has supplied oxygen and nitrous gas to the Little Rock Family Planning Clinic for a decade, told the clinic in early January it would no longer sell to them and demanded its tanks back after an abortion protester filmed a company truck delivering gas to the clinic and posted for a time on YouTube.

...

In response, Welsco manager Aaron Campbell called the police, and officers visited the clinic, at 4 Office Park Drive, Jan. 6. Williams explained to police that she had a contract with Welsco and would be happy to return the tanks when they are empty but not sooner. The police said fine, made out an information report, and left. They later returned to tell her that Welsco was offering a refund. Williams declined the refund.

Now, Little Rock Family Planning is seeking a new oxygen and nitrous supplier. One company made one delivery but then backed out, saying they wanted to avoid controversy.

[link:http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2012/01/19/gas-supplier-dumps-abortion-provider|

[cap]

1. they need federal marshal escorts

It would take just one match for those trucks to go up.

[happyslug]

5. A better solution would be a truck with no name on its side

The issue here is NOT potential harm via an act of violence, but other customers cancelling orders do to the fact they make deliveries to the abortion clinic.

Someone in the Clinic will have to buy a truck go to the company, rent the tanks and then haul them to the clinic. This would be a cheaper solution then US Marshall escort, through the 3/4 to one ton trucks needed at not cheap to buy, run or maintain. An alternative solution is for the Company to have one truck that is unmarked that makes such deliveries.

As to the actual cancellation of the Contract, the issue as to the present tanks is that they have been paid for so the Clinic has the right to use them till it is time to refill them. On the other hand, unless some sort of long term contract had been signed by both parities. which I doubt, either side has the right to cancel the contract at any time.

Now, what all that is needed is for this controversy to die down and the supplier may resume the deliveries, but the Clinic can NOT count on that and should look into other solutions.

[PavePusher]

63. Truck could still be followed back to the distribution yard....

and the bottles are generally labeled with the owner/distro company, and various inspection dates/serial numbers/inventory control markings.

Pretty difficult to make this an anonymous procedure.

[happyslug]

65. But in such cases someone has to follow the truck.

The problem appears to be, someone saw a truck with the company's name on it dropping off the containers. If no sign find out whose truck it is someone has to follow the truck (technically the Police can e the license plate, but in most states it is illegal to use the plate to get the name of owner of the plate UNLESS you can justify the need, i.e. Ticket or accident).

Most people will NOT take the time to follow the truck.

As to the containers, while the providers name are on the containers, an enclosed bed would prevent people from seeing who owns the container while the container is on the truck. In the clinic, the clinic can store the gas in an approved enclosed storage area. That would prevent anyone but an employee from seeing whose name is on the container.

[Bill O-Rights]

64. Oxygen and N2O do not burn or explode.

A match wouldn't do anything.

[happyslug]

66. OXYGEN DOES NOT EXPLODE? Yes, it just leads to "Rapid oxidation" i.e. BURNING

Oxygen is one of the most dangerous gases, it is required when anything "Burns", in a 100% oxygen environmental, everything can burn, even steel.

N2O is of a lesser concern, but still able to appropriated people by driving out all other gases (i.e. No Oxygen left so people suffocate).

Just pointing out these are two dangerous gases/

[Bill O-Rights]

68. Yeah, they are so dangerous they're commonly breathed by humans.

I'm a chemical engineer, I do know a little about it.

[hughee99]

69. Humans tend not to have a pilot light inside them.

In any case, OSHA seems to think it's pretty flammable

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_id=9750&p_table=STANDARDS

The folks on Apollo 1 may disagree with you as well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_1

I recall a chemistry experiment in HS where water was separated into Oxygen and hydrogen and used to fill balloons. Neither handled the bunsen burner very well.

[Bill O-Rights]

70. The OSHA link does not call oxygen "flammable", it says to keep it AWAY from flammable stuff.

Your electrolysis of water created hydrogen which certainly will lift a balloon and can easily be ignited in the presence of an oxidizer. Oxygen can fill a balloon but it will be much heavier than air which is mostly nitrogen which is 4 units lighter than oxygen. Whoever decided to keep the space capsule environment oxygen-rich was an idiot, I predicted that tragedy as inevitable from the get-go.

[hughee99]

71. You are correct,

While pure oxygen itself isn't flammable, it is an oxidizer. Unless you plan to store it in an area with no flammable materials it can be devastating if a flame is introduce, thus making it quite dangerous.

If a truck were to catch fire, also having a tank (or tanks) full of oxygen in the truck would be an issue. The danger, as you said, isn't the oxygen igniting, it's the truck igniting and the oxygen being present as well.

[Bill O-Rights]

72. Yes. I wasn't meaning to be confrontational, I just like for information to be correct and

reasonably comprehensive.

[Angry Dragon]

2. it is turning into one very hateful country

[Drale]

7. turning into?

Have you ever studied the history of this country, and the south in general?

[Angry Dragon]

8. getting worse??

[ProgressiveProfessor]

10. I have

Chicago and Boston have rivaled the hate in the south

[Occulus]

14. No, they didn't, really

Why are all the so-called "historians" on DU suddenly getting shit wrong left and right? One even blatantly misrepresented events of the previous afternoon on the day of the SOPA blackout!

Events in Chicago and Boston, taken cumulatively, will not ever equal the hatred of minorities in general that emanates from the region of the country commonly referred to as "the South".

Jesus, man. Do you think we all fell off the truck yesterday?

[The Doctor.]

19. There are people around here who just kind of

make shit up.

They want the world to be a 'certain way', so they just say it is. That way, if no one contradicts them, they can believe it.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

35. Like racial hatred is only in South

Its everywhere...NYC historically was no better than Birmingham. Different targets, different methods, but no less hateful.

[The Doctor.]

49. So, you didn't read his post.

Whatta shock.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

50. I did

Its clearly as specious as yours

[The Doctor.]

53. Then you must have comprehension issues.

I'll leave the point about possessives and declaratives for another time. You also need to look up the meaning of 'specious' as you have obviously used it incorrectly.

So your argument is that there are as many or more incidents of racially motivated violence in the Northern states than in the Southern states?



Because if you actually understood what the poster was saying and you disagree with him, then that is the only position that you can be supporting right now. If that is the case, then there is nothing 'specious' about any of my posts. It is apparent that you simply want to believe something, and since you have nothing to back it up you simply state it as fact.

That is exactly the definition of 'specious'.

You may also want to look up "projection".

I'm done with you here.


OE: You can start your education here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_racial_violence_in_the_United_States

[ProgressiveProfessor]

55. Why don't you use your tardis and do some original reseach

Racial hatreds have been prevalent at different time in the US in many locales, not just the south, which is what many here are unaware of. Some of it goes back to the colonies some of it fairly recent. Those who focus on the south are either ignorant or choosing to be blind to history.

Does your tardis have a "No Irish Need Apply" sign on it?

[Kolesar]

52. There are thread trolls who bait people into arguments here.

I am speaking broadly, of course. I am not talking about anybody on the welding gas thread, of course!!!

[Arkansas Granny]

21. Hatred is not unique to the southern states. Refer to this hate map compiled by SPLC.

http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/hate-map

Hatred is ugly and there is no place that is immune to it. South bashing is pretty ugly, too.

[AlbertCat]

27. South bashing is pretty ugly, too.

Really.

When bussing 1st came on the scene... where did they burn buses? It wasn't the South.

And I know they just LOVE latinos and asians in CA! Always have!

Seen what's going on in AZ lately? How about RI and that atheist student?

The South is just where Slavery was legal and institutionalized a long while ago. Other than that, its no different from ND or PA.

The definition of "prejudice" is not "The way back people are treated in the South".

[The Doctor.]

54. Why is it so difficult for so many people to read and comprehend a post before responding to it?

This may be difficult for you to digest, but the poster did not say that 'hatred is unique to the Southern states'. Nowhere in any of the above posts has anyone suggested anything of the sort, yet somehow you and others get it in to your heads that they did... even though there are no words to that effect.

What is wrong with so many people around here that they can't be bothered to read the words that are presumably right in front of them?

[Arkansas Granny]

56. Did you miss this this sentence in the post that I replied to?

"Events in Chicago and Boston, taken cumulatively, will not ever equal the hatred of minorities in general that emanates from the region of the country commonly referred to as "the South"."

I have no problem with reading comprehension and since those words were presumably right in front of you, I'm surprised that you couldn't be bothered to read them.

South bashing is a common pasttime among some who post on DU. Those of us who actually live in the South get tired of being painted with the broad brush of bigotry.

[The Doctor.]

58. Are you serious?

I ask you again, "Where did anyone say that hatred is unique to the Southern states?", because you said this: "Hatred is not unique to the southern states." as though someone said so.

That's YOUR Claim. Now BACK IT UP or become an adult and admit that you were wrong.

Given the history around here, I know what you'll do.

[Arkansas Granny]

60. There are none so blind as those that will not see.

And I'm through with this argument.

[The Doctor.]

61. Yep, pretty much what I thought.

Learn to listen to yourself while you're learning to read the posts you respond to.

[WCGreen]

45. During the desegregation of the 70's and the forced busing...

Boston was ground zero for racial disharmony.

They were also, I believe, the last baseball team to have a black player.

Just pointing that out.

I agree, that does pale in comparison to what is still going on even 150 years after the Civil War.

[Chan790]

48. The Red Sox had problems wooing/pursuing black FAs well into the early 1990s...

on account of the city of Boston's racist reputation.

I grew up near Hartford, about 90 minutes to the south of Boston. I have family in both Boston and all over the South (NC, FL, AL, TX) who I got dragged to visit a lot growing up (1979-1996)...I heard a lot more use of ni**er and a lot more jokes about killing black people in Boston than I ever heard in the South.

[obamanut2012]

67. The South didn't have Sundown towns, the Midwest did

And, how about how Indiana was literally ruled by the Klan for a long time?

The South had slavery and Jim Crow and desegregation and Loving vs. Virginia, but lots of other places had alot of very bad things, too, but they are rarely spotlighted. It is almost always "The South."

This happened in Boston, 1976, and the crowd cheered:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Soiling_of_Old_Glory.jpg



Hate is all over.

[flobee1]

3. the economy must be booming!

They obviously no longer need money to make the o2 business run-lets all join in and help them become profit free

[Xipe Totec]

4. This is what domestic terrorism looks like. nt

[hamsterjill]

24. +1

Exactly!

[Blue_Tires]

30. we're not supposed to mention that

because terrorism is always done by "other" people

[nxylas]

42. That principle seems to apply here, too

I'm aware that there is a history of domestic terrorism on the right, but not all right-wing political activism falls into that category, and I don't think this does. As a thought exercise, imagine they had been supplying natural gas for cooking to Maurice's BBQ, the South Carolina restaurant chain that has attracted controversy by proudly displaying the Confederate battle flag over all its premises. A liberal activist films the trucks going in and posts the video on YouTube in an attempt to persuade the company to stop doing business with Maurice's. Would that be domestic terrorism? If not, how is it any different, except that one is in a "good" cause and one is in a "bad" cause?

[The Wizard]

46. Because teabaggers

carry high powered weapons with the understanding that they'll use them. A round from a high powered rifle through an oxygen tank could trigger a large explosion.
The radical right is radically wrong and very likely dangerous. You don't have to be smart to pull a trigger or sane to carry a high powered rifle. Blowing up abortion clinics is nothing new, especially in the Confederacy.

[nxylas]

51. And do we know that he was carrying a high-powered weapon?

Or is that just an assumption? And even if he was, he didn't shoot the oxygen tank. Stripping people of their right to protest based on what they "might" do is a recipe for tyranny.

[ehrnst]

33. Interestingly enough - clinics are hesitant to use the word "terrorism"

because many insurance companies specifically exclude "acts of terrorism" now to avoid covering anything like what happened on 9/11, in terms of damage to a building.

[Trillo]

6. Did I just read that a Welding supply shop, a gas supplier, is practicing medicine?

Who knew. Next time I have serious aches or pains and may think I need an emergency room visit, I should instead go to the welding supplier to get some laughing gas.

[Mopar151]

16. Same people supply medical oxyegen

[obamanut2012]

9. Why are the Police getting involved?

This is a civil matter, not a criminal matter.

[boppers]

11. Because a death threat is being implied.

Someone is stalking, and filming, the delivery trucks for the only abortion provider in the *entire state* of Arkansas, and then posting it on youtube.

[ehrnst]

34. That's what I wondered - a show to appease someone threatening them?

If they asked for their tanks back, the clinic would have told them that they would need to use the gas in the tanks - which they had paid for - prior to returning them.

If the tanks are the property of Welsco, they might have decided to push the issues by calling the police, saying that Welsco had their property.

So, when the clinic explained to the police that they had not used all the gas yet, the police left. Hence the offer for the refund.

They've been supplying this place for a decade, and suddenly they have to get their tanks out NOW, instead of simply collecting them when they're empty, and cancelling further sales.

I have to wonder if there was a direct threat.

[petronius]

59. The first visit by the police, if they were told that the clinic was keeping

the gas company's property without permission, was appropriate.

The return visit, to carry the message of the offered refund, was improper IMO and merits some complaint and review...

[slay]

12. "Controversy" is not abiding by the law

these companies should have to supply to them just like every other fucking company they supply to - and they can blame it on THE LAW if any pissed off right-to-lifer wants to throw a temper tantrum. i'm so sick of women's rights being trampled on by - for the most part - hillbilly redneck idiots!

[polmaven]

18. And I'm willing to bet

they are MALE idiots. *****Never mind...just read the post below saying they are actually FEMALE IDIOTS!****

Absolutely astonishing!

[wordpix]

22. the clinic should sue on the basis of Equal Protection Amendment

Then again, I'm sure the clinic doesn't want any incident by some idiot RW pro-life nut, and escalating the issue will bring the clinic more publicity and thus, more RW attn.

These RW prolifers are a real menace. I agree, call for fed escorts and check those tanks regularly.

[alp227]

36. But this welding company is a private one not govt entity

so do they not have the right to choose their clients under the 1st amendment freedom of assembly clause? If the company really breached contract, a lawsuit is meritorious.

[still_one]

13. Sounds to me Welsco is violating the law. /nt

[dballance]

15. Good Grief

Obviously women are going to start having to seek medical care in back room clinics again. Yep, lets have them go to dirty, unregulated clinics. That will be so much more healthy.

[coffeenap]

17. The point of pride on on their website is being woman-owned. Sigh.

http://www.welsco.com/corporate/WELSCOcorporate.asp (address posted for reference only)

[ehrnst]

20. Interesting - why ask for the tanks back? Just because of the video?

They had to have known that a family planning clinic would use surgical gas for surgery, and that would include abortion, among other things.

They are acting like they had no idea this was going, and were outraged at the idea that the gas they had already sold them were being used for this purpose.

They could have simply said that they were not going to do business with them further, but behaved in this odd fashion. I wonder what is really behind their response.

[wordpix]

23. there may have been a threat that

involves the tanks. If there are gas tanks outside, an incident could occur with these RW nuts "in charge."

They may as well put on their white robes, these pro-life nuts are the same as KKK.

[ehrnst]

25. I wouldn't doubt it. It's interesting that they called the police

to try to confiscate the tanks - I wonder if that may have been to appease threats?

[ehrnst]

32. A quick google map view shows no outside tanks.

So I'd imagine that they're the small oxygen and nitrous tanks.

[Mopar151]

26. Welsco owns the tanks, more than likely

Leasing tanks is very common practice. Many business that use industrial gases have wide variations in usage, and number of tanks required - so if extra tanks are needed, the business just has to pay the (monthly) lease on the extra tanks, and the gas actually used.

[ehrnst]

31. Ah - so maybe they called, and the clinic said they hadn't emptied the tanks.

I'm just curious about why the rush to get the tanks back - and sending the police.

[BlueToTheBone]

28. FYI Phone numbers

for your perusal.

800 East Roosevelt Road Little Rock, AR 72206-2411
[phone]
is listed in google
and this number was given to me as the hq
501 771 1204

They don't like talking about this. I was hung up on by both parties. I'd love to know your experience!

[cyberpj]

41. Call. Call. Call... If they're that susceptible to fear and pressure, call... call... call...

I don't care if they do hang up (as they did with me) - the sheer number of calls should make SOME impression on them!

[dangin]

29. Join my new religion

Hi, I'm the founder of Scientific Paganism. We are closely aligned with Pastafarians, metaphysical naturalists, and the worshippers of the invisible pink unicorn.

Our faith holds science and the natural world to be the source of all spiritual power. One of the primary tenants of this faith is that each individual's body is their temple. Women who profess our faith have a RELIGION BASED RIGHT to medical procedures for the upkeep of their temple. Preventing a woman from exercising her religious rights over her body is a wholly illegal thing, because, it is part of her constitutionally protected faith.

Join up, no tithing required. Be a good person. Thou art god.

[crim son]

37. This is the way the people make their opinions known and normally we are in favor of such actions.

Aren't we? If the situation was reversed and we were the ones forcing a boycott of a business owned by an outspoken racist or misogynist, we'd be applauding.

I don't know what the answer is, but what's good for the goose is, as they say, good for the gander too.

[SalviaBlue]

38. The terrorists are winning.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

39. One thing to do is have the Gas Supply co next to the clinic

In this picture I see on the left is a welding Supply Company and on the right an Family Planning Clinic.

[cyberpj]

40. IMPORTANT NOTE: At end of article - "...state anti-choice legislation doubled in 2011 over 2010 and

- and 2012 is expected to be worse."

From the original post's article:
RELATED: The Pro-Choice America Foundation reported that state anti-choice legislation doubled in 2011 over 2010 and 2012 is expected to be worse. Its annual rundown on the status of women's (dwindling) reproductive rights is here.

http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/government-and-you/who-decides/

[Smilo]

43. It's a shame they don't videotape all those

..... "anti-abortion" women sneaking in and out of the clinics after their abortions.

Bloody hypocrites make me sick.

[marias23]

44. At least there was no violence.

It's a pity that people can't mind their own business, but at least in this tactic there was no violence. Lets hope they find a new supply.

[valerief]

47. I am soooooo tired of crazy people. nt

[jmowreader]

57. This will really get you...

This is Angela Harrison. She owns the welding supply company, "the largest woman-owned industrial gas and welding supply distributor in the United States," that's doing this.

Fortunately, there seem to be quite a few suppliers of oxygen and nitrous oxide in Little Rock.

[tawadi]

62. It's the crazy eyes again!

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