Posted on 05/29/2010 5:20:22 AM PDT by markomalley
When Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen saw plumes of fire shooting from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig on April 20, he knew oil would eventually start gushing into the Gulf of Mexico, he said in an interview.
(snip)
On the Gulf Coast in particular, critics say, the federal effort has been uncoordinated and undirected. Top officials were late to grasp the magnitude of the problem and to respond to requests from local officials, and at times overestimated the federal government's ability to stem the gusher, say local officials.
(snip)
Louisiana officials had said all along that keeping oil away from the coastline should be the federal government's top priority. But late last week, in Terrebonne Parish, west of the Mississippi River along the coast, boom sat waiting to be installed for more than a day. Local leaders were incensed, and lashed out at federal officials and BP.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Where were the fire booms?
I was born in New Orleans. My children were born in New Orleans. I moved away thirty years ago. New Orleans became like a drug crazed loved one. Call it tough love, call it self preservation, call it whatever you want, but I had to call it quits. I had been active in politics, I had run for office, I had run from hurricanes, but I had always returned.
Now I sit on my Florida front porch and watch egrets and herons with tears in my eyes because I know that for the remainder of my lifetime and my children’s lifetime, Louisiana is ruined.
I grieve for the loss of a way of life, a joy of living which was taught to me by my Cajun brothers and sisters. A simple way of life. An American way of life. Hard work and hard play. The knowledge of how to scratch a living from an environment that could provide an abundance of food and kill you in an instant. Self reliance. Self knowledge.
Selfless sharing.
Now these gentle souls are fighting for their survival while the world uses the disaster for its own selfish ends. They are like the firefighters rushing into the twin towers. And like them, they face a heroic end.
Never doubt the unexplainable love of someone from Louisiana for their heritage. I realize most are attached to the place of their childhood. I, for Louisiana, Barak, for his. But I think there is an exceptional tie to that humid, mosquito infested, place I once called home. That is why someone like Carville is in such conflict when he screams at his Beloved Barak for help. I think somewhere deep down inside, he is still in denial. He knows his Louisiana is in terminal death throes, but is locked into the anger stage. There is nothing to be done now to save her.
Grief has to run it course.
This would have been good if you had left Barack out of it. That cheapened it.
I grew up in Biloxi Miss ... beautiful place — sigh.
The whole disaster rests on government incompetence ... waivers, permits, safety requirements, inspections and no cleanup gear anywhere. While you would think they should have known spills were inevitable, everything man does is fertile ground for accident, and the 1990 OPA recommended further technology development and study regarding oil spill containment and cleanup, it’s now obvious that government did absolutely nothing to prepare for the worst.
Just like Katrina ... only this time much worse.
Just like the financial mess ... Fannie and Freddie.
And this AM they said the spill will likely transit the Florida Straits with unknown consequences.
We should never forget who caused the mess(es) ... never.
You are absolutely right. I guess I am still moving through the anger stage too and lash out at those who share responsiblility for what has be allowed to happen.
Worse than that, what the Regime did was like putting a convicted child molester in unsupervised charge of a kindergarten.
In the past twelve years BP had been convicted of two environmental felonies, one misdemeanor, and cited for various lesser violations numerous times under the Bush administration. It was still on probation for the latest of the felonies, reckless operation of its Texas City, TX refinery that caused an explosion in 2005 that killed 15 people (it seems to love lethal explosions) and the misdemeanor that involved a major Alaskan oil spill.
Nevertheless, Obama was happy to take the largest share of its 2008 campaign contributions, give it a miraculous greenwash, and then give it carte blanche to do this definitely risky state of the art drilling operation without any additional safety requirements. SURPRISE!!! The same thing happened that would happen if a multiple child molester was given unsupervised control of a kindergarten.
Campaign cash for MMS waivers. What could possibly go wrong with that. I would bet hard cash this is what was going on. The reason for the disappearing MMS head overnight tells me so.
Which is why the public was shut out of the dog and pony show.
This is the bribery case, one that's already caused the deaths of 11 people and could well result in the devastation of the entire Gulf Coast eco-system, economy and lifestyle, that ought to be investigated to the fullest extent of the law. Remember, bribery and treason are the only two specifically enumerated impeachable crimes in the Constitution.
Indeed, given the terrible damage that has occurred and will occur to the Gulf Coast states, they might have independent jurisdiction to investigate this probable bribery case, just as PA has independent jurisdiction to investigate the Sestak bribery allegations.
That's what makes things like this and other forms of soft tyranny tough on the people but maybe never found out.
But who with a thinking mind hasn't figured out,
Notice how the M-fMSM has given George Bush a wide berth through all this? They know full well he could address the problem with a lot more knowledge gained through experience. Hell, he's actually seen an oil well, and that's not something a community organizer from Chicago can claim.
Even if he doesn't have the first-hand ability to find solutions, he is certainly friends with enough people in the industry that he could call them and seek advice and support. Certainly not so with Team Zero. They would have the entire liberal population down on their back if they were to issue a plea to the industry for help!
Maybe the answer is to let it gush and figure out a way to scoop up the oil and water as it approaches land, separate the two, make gas from the oil and return the water to the Gulf. Could be that there's lots more gold in them thar hills in the form of oil than there is in seafood. Might work out so well we would just start blasting big holes in the bottom and let the oil flow freely. Certainly cheaper than trying to drill for it 5,000 feet below the surface.
BP's "green" PR campaign is a tiny fig leaf, but it made them appear clean enough for U.S. Democrats (and others around the world participating in the AGW scam) to wink at while pocketing the oil money.
It's not that it's been allowed to happen, it's that we have been forced by the Left and the environuts to bypass the areas where an accident could be quickly and easily contained and handled for places where an accident is a disaster on so many levels.
The cry has to be loud and long, and continuous, that the blame for this falls squarely on the backs of those who have spent their entire existence making sure we were forced to get oil in the most expensive and riskiest ways and places!
Don't you know the enemies of America who finance their holy war against us with petro-dollars are saying a prayer of thanks to Allah.
I wonder if he's thinking that it would be a good thing for Louisiana to be damaged by all this, since that might sink Jindal's chances of ever being elected President.
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