These people are very brave working incredibly dangerous jobs. The technology and complexity is incredible. What is going to really suck is the Dems will demonize oil exploration for their friends in the middle east who produce oil.
Domestic energy production (and we have 4x more than the Saudis) is the ONLY way to recapitalize America because it creates WEALTH. Nothing creates wealth like energy production. Not high tech, farming, etc. The only thing close is manufacturing.
If domestic energy production is slowed and not expanded - American will go broke - period. This is what they want.
My old room mate called me yesterday. I had been worried about him since news of the explosion. He’s the captain of the crew boat that shuttles crew and supplies to that rig.
He told me about his boat sustaining heat hot enough to blister the paint on the boat, but was okay and now working like crazy to help in any way they tell him to.
The disturbing part about our conversation was about the captain of the oil rig itself. He went on to tell how the captain was a huge a-hole with a bad temper. The crew would tip toe around him so as to not upset him.
When things started unfolding with the disaster the captain was asleep in his stateroom and was left undisturbed because the crew thought they could handle things and not have to disturb the captain. It wasn’t until things got out of control that he was finally awakened.
We may never know but his involvement earlier may have prevented this disaster.
I agree with everything you’ve said. Let’s not forget the “unintended consequences” — in this case, all of our gulf drilling must be far removed from shore and therefore at much greater depths than those the Chinese are doing with the Cubans, the developers near Venezuela, etc. Our developers have to drill at 5,000 feet below sea-level — and now there’s a problem and they’re struggling to plug the well at that depth. Will anyone in the “blame game” consider our own Federal regulations and what the unintended consequences have been? And when we decide to ban off-shore drilling, will anyone in the MSM raise the obvious point that this isn’t going to stop the Cubans/Chinese in their part of the Gulf nor the Venezuelans in their waters, etc. etc. etc. around the globe.
Yes, I wish that shut-off valve was working... and I wish they were only required to go down 1,000 feet to now fix the problem.
“... American will go broke - period. This is what they want.”
I was listening a couple of nights ago when Mark Levin was talking about the President ordering SWAT to other oil rigs - and it was one of the clues I had been missing. But .. on Friday, I put a lot more of the clues together and on 4/30, I posted the following story at FreeRepublic.com:
This whole oil rig thing smells to high heaven! There just seems to be too much “coincidence”; and I don’t believe in coincidence.
I think the reason it bothers me is that too many things were going on at the same time .. making this “coincidence” waaaaaaay too convenient.
These are the pieces of the puzzle that I put together.
1st - the dems are plotting to unleash upon America a cap and tax plan (but it’s not gaining in approval);
2nd - the dems want to do whatever they can to stop America from drilling their own oil (because that would create millions of jobs, spur the economy, and ensure energy independence for lots of years);
3rd - although Obama was allowing drilling (but not in the best areas - where oil had already been located), the oil industry was calling him on it;
4th - it just happened to be a day or so before or after “Earth Day” - focused on by all the environment whackos;
5th - to solve all those problems (”Never let a good crisis go to waste.”) - what could be better than a good oil spill - like maybe blowing up an oil rig ..?? Hmmmmm ..?? That would solve everything .. RIGHT ..??
Now, NO MORE OIL DRILLING; CAP AND TAX WILL BE EASY TO PASS; LOTS OF PEOPLE WERE PAYING ATTENTION BECAUSE OF EARTH DAY, and I just can’t believe for one minute that this was an “accident” or just a coincidence.
The real cap .. the President sent SWAT to guard all the oil rigs .. WHY WOULD HE DO THAT IF IT WAS AN “ACCIDENT”. But .. if the oil rig was blown up .. then they better inspect all the other oil wells to find out if they are ready to blow up too ..?? Hmmmm ..?? Or .. is SWAT there to check and see if any evidence can be found of something other than an “accident” ..??
The real big question I have is: WHO BLEW IT UP ..??
And remember .. just a couple of days ago there was a thread on FR where we were discussing the Weather Underground and their statements about 25,000,000 being a casuality risk they were willing to take .. Hmmmmm ..?? Did they believe killing over 100 on the oil rig was acceptable in order to accomplish their goal ..??
Interestingly .. there is a 6th factor: Who do the dems hate almost as much as Bush - Halliburton! It turns out Halliburton (aka Cheney’s Halliburton) was involved in the construction of the oil rig. Hmmmm ..?? Coincidence ..?? I don’t think so.