It would all make for one heck of a political thriller. If only it were fiction.
Posted on 08/20/2012 4:23:48 PM PDT by bayouranger
PJM EXCLUSIVE: Louisiana's GOP senator on how the cover-up to trump sound science in favor of political ideology keeps growing with each chapter.
Here’s the book-jacket teaser: A major U.S. environmental disaster strikes. As Coast Guard and other heroes struggle to contain the unprecedented damage, a different scene unfolds in a dimly lit conference room in Washington. A small group of high-ranking political hacks and overzealous ideologues see an opportunity to manipulate the situation to advance their agenda. They doctor a key report on the disaster by experts in order to justify shutting down all exploration and new production. They explain the sweeping decision as something sound science requires.
Several weeks later, members of Congress and a few in the media dig deeper into the alleged science behind bringing an entire industry to a screeching halt. That’s when the cover-up begins.
A catchy political thriller? If only it were fiction. Instead, it’s what seems to have happened in the Obama administration following the BP disaster. Advertisement
And as a U.S. senator from Louisiana, I suffered through seeing it firsthand.
Some aspects of the 30-day experts’ report seemed suspect to me from the beginning. So I called for an inspector general to investigate the Obama administration’s claim that science supported the decision to shut down the Gulf. That investigation revealed that high-ranking officials in the Department of the Interior and the White House inappropriately manipulated the 30-day experts’ report to justify the offshore drilling moratorium — all in violation of the Information Quality Act and contrary to sound science.
On June 21, 2010, new reports revealed that the scientists in question in fact opposed the moratorium. They were shocked that their report was doctored to justify it. They even actively lobbied Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to soften the ban.
However, on Nov. 10, 2010, Mary Kendall, the inspector general for the Interior Department investigation, concluded that Interior officials were really only guilty of sloppy editing. She determined that Interior’s moving some words around in the experts’ report was more akin to a clerical error, and that Interior Secretary Salazar had already apologized for that.
It would all make for one heck of a political thriller. If only it were fiction.
Hurricane Katrina has got nothing on Hurricane Barry
I lost my job right after Obama went for the photo-op swim in Pensacola Bay to send a message to the Coast Guard he wanted the Gulf Oil Spill off the front page.
Ah, the headline’s referring to the Gulf of Mexico! My head was spinning as I started to read the piece. Usually when the subject is oil the Persian Gulf is meant and I couldn’t see how crippling our own oil drilling industry hurt the Middle Eastern gulf states.
LLS
Thanks bayouranger.
The rig was sabotaged pure and simple.
And the government response to the explosion makes the post Katrina response look like it was neat and orderly.
You need to add a layer of tinfoil to your hat.
The blowout started miles beneath the rig. When the gas cloud engulfed so much of the rig, there was no way to keep the explosion from happening.
“The rig was sabotaged pure and simple.”
Yeah right. And 9/11 was a government plot.
I worked for BP for 25 years. Disasters like this are standard operating procedure for them. This one just happened to be bigger than most.
There was no sabotage. There was an abundance of incompetance caused by trying to hold costs down by sacrificing safety and good engineering practices.
MS ping
0bama is sabotaging America. He was chosen for this mission, and as a black man he’s immune from criticism or impeachment. As such, he has free reign to wield his wrecking ball upon America. Denying 500,000 barrels of oil per day from the Keystone pipeline. Using his shadow government EPA to inhibit America’s farmers and coal producers from flourishing. Using ICE to ensure that Americans’ jobs are stolen by illegal alien invaders. Encouraging Americans AND illegal aliens sign on to entitlements in exchange for their vote. Fomenting class warfare in an attempt to turn Americans against capitalism and to embrace socialism. Empowering the ‘have nots’ with the ‘haves’ money. In addition to teachers, police, firefighters, postal workers, Unionizing the TSA and ALL healthcare workers; Building a UNION ARMY “just as powerful, just as strong and just as well-funded” (Obama quote) as our military (Obama’s words). Weakening America by divulging information that keeps us safe; Tipping the enemy off so as to weaken us. Allowing Iran to seize our classified drone. Eagerly sponsoring the Middle East’s ‘CHANGE’ into Sharia Law under the cover of ‘Arab Spring’. Eagerly sponsoring America’s ‘CHANGE’ into National Socialism with the United Nations as the controlling body under the cover of ‘FORWARD’.
What you just said doesn’t support your argument that it wasn’t sabotage. It’s a bit too coincidental with 0bama’s overall mission to kill oil and coal don’cha think? What about it happening the day before Earth Day, huh? Fast & Furious was the excuse 0bama needed to implement harsh gun regs upon FFL’s (firearm dealers), so what excuse would he need to proceed to shut down coal and oil? The BP ‘disaster’, right? How long did 0bama wait to get involved in this ‘spill’???? 30 days, 60 days?? He didn’t hesitate to say ‘cops acted stupidly’ so why would he wait on the spill? So it would get worse just as he wanted it to.
God bless and keep you, dearest LLS. I despise the Marxist and his evil regime. "One and done."
Dear Lord, I'm still praying for a miracle. DrO tells me Paul Ryan is that miracle. One heart beat away.
LLS
Give Obama a bicycle and have him ride around Shreveport.
I doubt he would survive very long.
No I don't. I've read the reports and followed it rather closely. So many different things went wrong by multiple parties for it to create such an immense disaster. Any one of several items would have prevented it, or made the damage far smaller.
http://www.oilspillcommission.gov/sites/default/files/documents/FinalReportPartII.pdf
That picture is so sickening. Yet almost half the people in this country still worship this man and would bow down to him given the chance.
You might be irritated with me, but I’m not with you.
I am so sorry to hear of your business difficulties. I pray that all is well soon...11-06-12.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
