Posted on 12/28/2008 11:23:07 AM PST by DogBarkTree
President-elect Barack Obama might have broken Environmental Protection Agency regulations when he tossed the cremated remains of his grandmother into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Nuuanu, Hawaii, earlier this week. Secret Service security keeps a close watch as Obama, oldest daughter Malia and sister Maya Soetoro-Ng, among others, make their way down to the rocky shoreline. Together, they spread the ashes of Madelyn Dunham. It's the same spot Obama paid tribute to his mother last August. A ceremony arranged for his grandmother, whom he lost during the election process, may end up causing quite a headache for Barack Obama.
In a ceremony held in Hawaii, Obama, teary-eyed, poured his grandmother's ashes into the sea from the sand-lined shore. Environmentalists were quick to stand up against the move.
The reason behind the contention was the state's Department of Land and Natural Resources Protection Law, which prohibits ashes from being dropped into the ocean. According to the regulation in place, ashes must be poured at a distance of at least three nautical miles. It has not yet been determined whether Obama will receive a fine for his actions.
According to the EPA's website:
Disposal location and measures - Non-cremated remains
Burial at sea of human remains that are not cremated shall take place at least 3 nautical miles from land and in water at least 600 feet deep. Certain areas, including east central Florida, the Dry Tortugas, Florida and west of Pensacola, Florida to the Mississippi River Delta, require water at least 1800 feet deep. Refer to the Code of Federal Regulations at 40 CFR 229.1 (PDF) (1 p, 149K, About PDF) for details. All necessary measures shall be taken to ensure that the remains sink to the bottom rapidly and permanently.
Disposal location and measures - Cremated remains
Cremated remains shall be buried in or on ocean waters without regard to the depth limitations specified for non-cremated remains in paragraph 2 above provided that such burial takes place at least three nautical miles from land.
The SABAH article said, "Environmentalists were quick to stand up against the move."
Clearly, these environmentalists aren't members of the American media, for I haven't been able to find any reports concerning this matter.
I wonder why.
—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters.
I’m surprised he didn’t just toss them in a nearby dumpster on his way to some basketball court.
Does it seem strange that his wife is not present? I would really be interested in the true story of Obama’s upbringing. There certainly seemed to be some sort of falling out with his family of origin in the early 1980s.
(Gee.. I didn't mean to insult Aunt Esther by comparing Mrs. Obama to her.. in all the episodes of Sanford and Son not once that I recall was she anything but a proud American. She gave Fred a hard time but our Country was just fine.)
How odd it is that Michelle is never part of anything related to his grandmother. When my husband’s father died just a month before our wedding, I was right at his side and wouldn’t have considered being anywhere else. Maybe Michelle and Grandma hated each other, but still, there are some things you do because you love your spouse. Especially when you’re in the public eye.
The funeral of a loved one is the family’s business only, and photos should be off-limits.
Damn!
First he threw her under the bus, now he’s chunked her in the ocean...................
"Ashes" are just from the casket and the bones. The rest vaporizes.
The media will never ever report anything that would turn even one person against THEIR MESSIAH. Count on it for the duration (until he suffers a nervous breakdown). I wonder how this “man child” is going to cope on day 1 what with war in the Gaza and Pakistan/India ready to go to blows. Not to mention his cleanup of Iraq that he needs to get immediately on since he pledged pullout. This boy is gonna be real busy - where will he find the time to reorient the economy and fix it? Maybe he will leave the economy in the very able hands of Bwany Fwank and SanFranfreako values Piglosi.
The EPA can go pound sand.
She was there, just not at the dumping site.
“According to the regulation in place, ashes must be poured at a distance of at least three nautical miles. It has not yet been determined whether Obama will receive a fine for his actions.”
This is what happens when you leave bureaucrats to their own devices.
I going to repeat myself yet again, by custom and right she should have been buried with her husband in the Punch Bowl National Cemetery.
But of course that is yet another American custom Obama either doesn’t know about, ignored or refused to take part in.
Knowing how hard it is to get into the Punch Bowl, I really don’t believe that his grandmother requested or expected to have her remains tossed into the ocean instead of interned with her husband.
Who is that in the picture with him? I thought that was Michelle.
Kind of ironic that they are complaining about ashes on an island made up of lava and volcanic ash.
He could have kept them and ground them with his heel into the White House hall carpets, as he did with his cigarettes in his college dorm ....(see his own bragging in Dreams....)
P.S. Can’t we ask for a damage deposit at “The Peoples’ House”? (how I hate that name for 1600 Pennsylvania Ave)
And there might be a lot of lobster and butter carpet damage from First Lady Caldonia.
LOL. That thought did occur to me.
He took the opportunity to clean out his BBQ grill too.
Too bad the wind wasn't blowing onshore. Now THAT would have been a great photo op.
His sister.
“The Big Lebowski”, “burial-at-sea”,was absolutely fall-on-the-floor hilarious!
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