"I, blah, blah, blah,....as President, blah,blah,blah....I want,blah,blah,blah,.....Bush,blah,blah,blah....."
Posted on 06/15/2010 5:50:01 PM PDT by Star Traveler
June 15, 2010
Good evening. As we speak, our nation faces a multitude of challenges. At home, our top priority is to recover and rebuild from a recession that has touched the lives of nearly every American. Abroad, our brave men and women in uniform are taking the fight to al Qaeda wherever it exists. And tonight, I've returned from a trip to the Gulf Coast to speak with you about the battle we're waging against an oil spill that is assaulting our shores and our citizens.
On April 20th, an explosion ripped through BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, about 40 miles off the coast of Louisiana. Eleven workers lost their lives. Seventeen others were injured. And soon, nearly a mile beneath the surface of the ocean, oil began spewing into the water.
Because there has never been a leak this size at this depth, stopping it has tested the limits of human technology. That is why just after the rig sank, I assembled a team of our nation's best scientists and engineers to tackle this challenge — a team led by Dr. Steven Chu, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist and our nation's Secretary of Energy. Scientists at our national labs and experts from academia and other oil companies have also provided ideas and advice.
As a result of these efforts, we have directed BP to mobilize additional equipment and technology. In the coming weeks and days, these efforts should capture up to 90% of the oil leaking out of the well. This is until the company finishes drilling a relief well later in the summer that is expected to stop the leak completely.
Already, this oil spill is the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced. And unlike an earthquake or a hurricane, it is not a single event that does its damage in a matter of minutes or days. The millions of gallons of oil that have spilled into the Gulf of Mexico are more like an epidemic, one that we will be fighting for months and even years.
But make no mistake: We will fight this spill with everything we've got for as long it takes. We will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused. And we will do whatever's necessary to help the Gulf Coast and its people recover from this tragedy.
Tonight I'd like to lay out for you what our battle plan is going forward: what we're doing to clean up the oil, what we're doing to help our neighbors in the Gulf, and what we're doing to make sure that a catastrophe like this never happens again.
First, the cleanup. From the very beginning of this crisis, the federal government has been in charge of the largest environmental cleanup effort in our nation's history — an effort led by Admiral Thad Allen, who has almost 40 years of experience responding to disasters. We now have nearly 30,000 personnel who are working across four states to contain and cleanup the oil. Thousands of ships and other vessels are responding in the Gulf. And I have authorized the deployment of over 17,000 National Guard members along the coast. These servicemen and women are ready to help stop the oil from coming ashore, they're ready to clean beaches, train response workers, or even help with processing claims — and I urge the governors in the affected states to activate these troops as soon as possible.
Because of our efforts, millions of gallons of oil have already been removed from the water through burning, skimming and other collection methods. Over five and a half million feet of boom has been laid across the water to block and absorb the approaching oil. We have approved the construction of new barrier islands in Louisiana to try and stop the oil before it reaches the shore, and we are working with Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida to implement creative approaches to their unique coastlines.
As the clean up continues, we will offer whatever additional resources and assistance our coastal states may need. Now, a mobilization of this speed and magnitude will never be perfect, and new challenges will always arise. I saw and heard evidence of that during this trip. So if something isn't working, we want to hear about it. If there are problems in the operation, we will fix them.
But we have to recognize that despite our best efforts, oil has already caused damage to our coastline and its wildlife. And sadly, no matter how effective our response is, there will be more oil and more damage before this siege is done. That's why the second thing we're focused on is the recovery and restoration of the Gulf Coast.
You know, for generations, men and women who call this region home have made their living from the water. That living is now in jeopardy. I've talked to shrimpers and fishermen who don't know how they're going to support their families this year. I've seen empty docks and restaurants with fewer customers — even in areas where the beaches are not yet affected. I've talked to owners of shops and hotels who wonder when the tourists might start coming back. The sadness and anger they feel is not just about the money they've lost. It's about a wrenching anxiety that their way of life may be lost.
I refuse to let that happen. Tomorrow, I will meet with the chairman of BP and inform him that he is to set aside whatever resources are required to compensate the workers and business owners who have been harmed as a result of his company's recklessness. And this fund will not be controlled by BP. In order to ensure that all legitimate claims are paid out in a fair and timely manner, the account must and will be administered by an independent, third party.
Beyond compensating the people of the Gulf in the short-term, it's also clear we need a long-term plan to restore the unique beauty and bounty of this region. The oil spill represents just the latest blow to a place that has already suffered multiple economic disasters and decades of environmental degradation that has led to disappearing wetlands and habitats. And the region still hasn't recovered from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. That's why we must make a commitment to the Gulf Coast that goes beyond responding to the crisis of the moment.
I make that commitment tonight. Earlier, I asked Ray Mabus, the Secretary of the Navy who's also a former governor of Mississippi and a son of the Gulf, to develop a long-term Gulf Coast Restoration Plan as soon as possible. The plan will be designed by states, local communities, tribes, fishermen, businesses, conservationists, and other Gulf residents. And BP will pay for the impact this spill has had on the region.
The third part of our response plan is the steps we're taking to ensure that a disaster like this does not happen again. A few months ago, I approved a proposal to consider new, limited offshore drilling under the assurance that it would be absolutely safe — that the proper technology would be in place and the necessary precautions would be taken.
That was obviously not the case on the Deepwater Horizon rig, and I want to know why. The American people deserve to know why. The families I met with last week who lost their loved ones in the explosion — these families deserve to know why. And so I have established a National Commission to understand the causes of this disaster and offer recommendations on what additional safety and environmental standards we need to put in place. Already, I have issued a six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling. I know this creates difficulty for the people who work on these rigs, but for the sake of their safety, and for the sake of the entire region, we need to know the facts before we allow deepwater drilling to continue. And while I urge the commission to complete its work as quickly as possible, I expect them to do that work thoroughly and impartially.
One place we have already begun to take action is at the agency in charge of regulating drilling and issuing permits, known as the Minerals Management Service. Over the last decade, this agency has become emblematic of a failed philosophy that views all regulation with hostility — a philosophy that says corporations should be allowed to play by their own rules and police themselves. At this agency, industry insiders were put in charge of industry oversight. Oil companies showered regulators with gifts and favors, and were essentially allowed to conduct their own safety inspections and write their own regulations.
When Ken Salazar became my Secretary of the Interior, one of his very first acts was to clean up the worst of the corruption at this agency. But it's now clear that the problems there ran much deeper, and the pace of reform was just too slow. And so Secretary Salazar and I are bringing in new leadership at the agency — Michael Bromwich, who was a tough federal prosecutor and Inspector General. His charge over the next few months is to build an organization that acts as the oil industry's watchdog — not its partner.
So one of the lessons we've learned from this spill is that we need better regulations, better safety standards, and better enforcement when it comes to offshore drilling. But a larger lesson is that no matter how much we improve our regulation of the industry, drilling for oil these days entails greater risk. After all, oil is a finite resource. We consume more than 20 percent of the world's oil, but have less than 2 percent of the world's oil reserves. And that's part of the reason oil companies are drilling a mile beneath the surface of the ocean — because we're running out of places to drill on land and in shallow water.
For decades, we have known the days of cheap and easily accessible oil were numbered. For decades, we have talked and talked about the need to end America's century-long addiction to fossil fuels. And for decades, we have failed to act with the sense of urgency that this challenge requires. Time and again, the path forward has been blocked — not only by oil industry lobbyists, but also by a lack of political courage and candor.
The consequences of our inaction are now in plain sight. Countries like China are investing in clean energy jobs and industries that should be right here in America. Each day, we send nearly $1 billion of our wealth to foreign countries for their oil. And today, as we look to the Gulf, we see an entire way of life being threatened by a menacing cloud of black crude.
We cannot consign our children to this future. The tragedy unfolding on our coast is the most painful and powerful reminder yet that the time to embrace a clean energy future is now. Now is the moment for this generation to embark on a national mission to unleash American innovation and seize control of our own destiny.
This is not some distant vision for America. The transition away from fossil fuels is going to take some time, but over the last year and a half, we have already taken unprecedented action to jumpstart the clean energy industry. As we speak, old factories are reopening to produce wind turbines, people are going back to work installing energy-efficient windows, and small businesses are making solar panels. Consumers are buying more efficient cars and trucks, and families are making their homes more energy-efficient. Scientists and researchers are discovering clean energy technologies that will someday lead to entire new industries.
Each of us has a part to play in a new future that will benefit all of us. As we recover from this recession, the transition to clean energy has the potential to grow our economy and create millions of good, middle-class jobs — but only if we accelerate that transition. Only if we seize the moment. And only if we rally together and act as one nation — workers and entrepreneurs; scientists and citizens; the public and private sectors.
You know, when I was a candidate for this office, I laid out a set of principles that would move our country towards energy independence. Last year, the House of Representatives acted on these principles by passing a strong and comprehensive energy and climate bill — a bill that finally makes clean energy the profitable kind of energy for America's businesses.
Now, there are costs associated with this transition. And some believe we can't afford those costs right now. I say we can't afford not to change how we produce and use energy — because the long-term costs to our economy, our national security, and our environment are far greater.
So I am happy to look at other ideas and approaches from either party — as long they seriously tackle our addiction to fossil fuels. Some have suggested raising efficiency standards in our buildings like we did in our cars and trucks. Some believe we should set standards to ensure that more of our electricity comes from wind and solar power. Others wonder why the energy industry only spends a fraction of what the high-tech industry does on research and development — and want to rapidly boost our investments in such research and development.
All of these approaches have merit, and deserve a fear hearing in the months ahead. But the one approach I will not accept is inaction. The one answer I will not settle for is the idea that this challenge is somehow too big and too difficult to meet. You know, the same thing was said about our ability to produce enough planes and tanks in World War II. The same thing was said about our ability to harness the science and technology to land a man safely on the surface of the moon. And yet, time and again, we have refused to settle for the paltry limits of conventional wisdom. Instead, what has defined us as a nation since our founding is the capacity to shape our destiny — our determination to fight for the America we want for our children. Even if we're unsure exactly what that looks like. Even if we don't yet know precisely how to get there. We know we'll get there.
It is a faith in the future that sustains us as a people. It is that same faith that sustains our neighbors in the Gulf right now.
Each year, at the beginning of shrimping season, the region's fishermen take part in a tradition that was brought to America long ago by fishing immigrants from Europe. It's called “The Blessing of the Fleet,” and today it's a celebration where clergy from different religions gather to say a prayer for the safety and success of the men and women who will soon head out to sea — some for weeks at a time.
The ceremony goes on in good times and in bad. It took place after Katrina, and it took place a few weeks ago — at the beginning of the most difficult season these fishermen have ever faced.
And still, they came and they prayed. For as a priest and former fisherman once said of the tradition, "The blessing is not that God has promised to remove all obstacles and dangers. The blessing is that He is with us always," a blessing that's granted "...even in the midst of the storm."
The oil spill is not the last crisis America will face. This nation has known hard times before and we will surely know them again. What sees us through — what has always seen us through — is our strength, our resilience, and our unyielding faith that something better awaits us if we summon the courage to reach for it. Tonight, we pray for that courage. We pray for the people of the Gulf. And we pray that a hand may guide us through the storm towards a brighter day. Thank you, God Bless You, and may God Bless the United States of America
His failure is not stopping the leak, but the lack of urgency in containing and cleaning it up.
Obama has compared the gulf oil spill crisis to 9-11, but imagine if Rudy after 9-11 decided to go golfing, partying and on vacation for the next 55 days.
I’m VERY inclined to agree with the premise of the book.
I would have more confidence in these figures if the names of these compounds had been spelled correctly.
You might check with the original poster, as I've known posters to mistype or misspell words by accident. It doesn't affect what the poster is trying to say, except that they just did a typo. I just copied it straight from the other FReeper who put it on a thread.
I wouldn't want to second guess the situation with that other FReeper ... :-)
[ ... I could have clean up the spelling, but I hesitate to do that for other FReepers and like to leave it exactly as they typed it... although I did change the formatting slightly ... but that's a different situation than typing ...]
BTTT
The point made is that some government agency has a list of BP citations and the BP response to those citations. Why hasn't it been made public?
I guess since no one here is willing to address the original question other than a link to a book, I will go by what is presented in the marketing material.
God's everlasting promise to bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel is still in effect today. Throughout its history, America has been in a unique position to bless the Jewish people, and has experienced many blessings as a result. In more recent years, however, America has failed to consistently stand by Israel and suffered dramatic disasters.
And this must be connected to the unsubstantiated assertion later..."Gods everlasting promise to bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel is still in effect today."
So I open up my Scriptures looking for those "blessing" and "cursing" passages. Honestly, the only ones I see that might have any bearing are in Genesis 12:3 where God make a covenant with Abram, and later where Abram extends this to His son Isaac in 27:29. Now the promise is made to Abram by God, and in a culture that passes on blessings and cursings as part of a ritual, Abraham passes the torch to Isaac. In each case the language is pretty clear that the blessings and cursings are individually directed. That is, if one offends Abraham, then that person is cursed. Dittos with the sentiment being passed on to Isaac. It would take gratuitous eisegesis to extend this magic talisman to a secular nation and have the effects apply to whole nations, and I'm afraid William Koenig makes this fallacy a foundational part of his premise.
But lets pretend that we don't really care about proper hermeneutics and thousands of years of orthodox understanding of this covenant, and just believe that a magic spell exists over this secular nation that was destroyed by God and scattered throughout the world in 70AD.
The primary arguments of this book, when isolated from history and thousands of years of contradictory evidence look compelling and I can see how it can easily persuade the naive and gullible. I mean, I don't have a calendar handy, but did we diss Israel when Hurricane Gilbert crashed into Galveston? The Chicago or San Francisco Fire? Heck, what did we do to Israel to merit our involvements in WWI and WWII?
Honestly, this looks like good old fashioned America bashing. It is a cultural psychological sickness that has been going on for a generation or so and I find it depressing to see an increase of Evangelicals willing to join the usual cadre of Progressives, Marxists and other malcontents in fantasies of America and Americans being punished. I mean, the US is Israel's only friend on the planet, yet Europe, China, Russia and every other place on Earth can orchestrate all kinds of horrific charges and plans against Israel, but for some odd reason, God hasn't chosen these largely corrupt, God hating nations for specific catastrophies.
Seriously, if the US is such a bad guy, why do the Muslims target this nation and label it as the "Great Satan" specifically because of our strong relationship with the nation of Israel? We must be doing something right.
But let us return to Genesis 12:3. Doesn't the covenant also include the very important statement "and in you all the nations of the earth shall be blessed". Notice the language, the blessings and cursings are individual when a person curses Abraham or blesses Abraham. And when we read the Genesis narrative, we see this fact play out. But when we get to the last part, the part that always seems to be deleted from these America basher's proof-texts, it says that the nations would be blessed. And in Jesus Christ, as predicted by the Prophet Joel, all nations, did indeed become blessed by the Death and Resurrection of our LORD Jesus Christ as the Gentiles have been grafted in to the tree of the true Israel.
I seriously hope you don't plan on playing the Deuteronomy 30 card. Rather I would still love to see this alleged doctrine, and I would like to see even the slightest bit of evidence that this magic spell still exists over the secular nation of Israel.
#1 The US has no criminal jurisdiction if the rig is further than 20 miles off shore, except via Law of the Sea treaties, and Corporate licensing inside the USA itself.Yet it sent a para military Swat team.
Well, when I was looking up who had authority over what areas and how far out, I came up with the following blurb in one article.
Background: The debate over offshore oil drilling heated up in 2008 when then President George W. Bush lifted a 1990 executive order banning offshore drilling. The ban was ordered by his father, George H.W. Bush. Lifting the ban was mostly symbolic, as there was previous 1981 ban that was still in place, which Congress allowed to expire in September 2008, but left the 1990 executive order in place.
In 2010 a deadly explosion at an oil rig has caused the Obama administration to put the recently announced expansion into offshore drilling for oil and gas on hold. Some politicians and environmental advocates are calling on the president to halt any planned expansions until more safeguards are put into place against future disasters.
The Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution gives the federal government authority over most offshore exploration for industrial as well as scientific purposes. A 1960 Supreme Court decision in United States v. Louisiana (et.al.) divided ownership of the tidelands of the United States between the state and federal governments. The states have authority over the sea and seabed out to 3.5 nautical miles (except Texas and Florida which control the seabed out to 10.5 nautical miles). The federal government controls the rest out to 200 nautical miles.
Now, if the Federal Government can have banned offshore drilling from an Executive Order from the first President Bush, and then have the previous President Bush (just before Obama) lift that Executive Order, it would seem that the Federal Government has real effective control over all drilling.
And that article says the control goes 200 miles out.
It would seem to me that since the Federal Government controls all that, and to 200 miles out, and how much in royalties that the oil companies pay -- that there's not going to be very much problem dealing with criminal activity ... :-)
And you don't see a pattern here? Its laughable.You are either the most gullible person on FR, or a closet OBOT.
Sorry, I didn't vote for Obama, but the GOP ticket... and I figure I did a whole heck of a lot better in voting for the GOP ticket than quite a few FReepers I've seen posting here who didn't vote for the GOP, and helped Obama get into office. I would take a look at them, first -- before looking at someone who voted for the GOP ticket ... LOL ...
And as far as BP is concerned, they're sure acting like a criminal organization, by killing so many of their employees, back even during the Bush Administration. And between the Bush Administration and the Obama Administration, BP has had about 760 safety violations, as compared to Exxon with only one (and some others with only a few, just enough to count on the fingers of one hand).
The other oil companies are already pointing the finger at BP saying that they did not follow good procedures and from the looks of their violations, I can see what type of company BP is, and also from them killing so many of their employees during the Bush Administration.
The other oil companies don't like "getting a black eye" from the stuff that BP has been doing for years. It makes the rest of them look real bad and they're "going after" BP now, as I can see in their testimony.
From a referenced article, in this post -- Post #4 ...
It definitely shows "how BP operates" ... :-)
I mean, the US is Israel's only friend on the planet, yet Europe, China, Russia and every other place on Earth can orchestrate all kinds of horrific charges and plans against Israel, but for some odd reason, God hasn't chosen these largely corrupt, God hating nations for specific catastrophies.
I'll look up some other reference for you in regards to what you were saying ... as there is much out there about it. This is "standard" Evangelical fare and nothing unusual... so I wouldn't look at this as "off-the-wall" or anything like that. You personally may think so, but it's not so in Evangelical circles.
And as far as the support Israel has from the U.S. -- well, that will be disappearingin the coming months and years, depending on how long it is before the 7-year Tribulation starts, at which time the Antichrist is revealed and the 7-year peace agreement/treaty (or enforced treaty, however you want to present it) is done.
Israel will stand alone, with all the nations of the world against her and that will include the United States, too. And the United States will be judged just like all the other nations in the world.
You can see the U.S. moving away from supporting Israel and since the Oslo Accords, the U.S. has put pressure on Israel to "divide the land" which goes totally against what God says about that, and God says some very harsh things about those who try to divide the land of Israel -- which the U.S. is engaged in right now.
I don’t know whether it was the poster or the original report ... sometimes those things can be the poster ... one should check ... and that’s why I don’t change anything that comes from another poster ...
FReepers have been quoting and posting the "Oil Drum" articles repeatedly and quite consistently here on Free Republic. You'll find a whole slug of articles explaining this situation on the Oil Drum ...
BP’s political donations have favored the Democrats, especially BHO, in the last year or two.
People reference the Exxon Valdez spill, the majority shareholder in Aleyeska Pipeline is BP and BP in effect was responsible for the initial response to the tanker’s spill - the required equipment was not available (as it should have been) and after a few days of fustercluck Exxon stepped up to the plate and took over.
Obama totally blew it and meeting BP's chief for a few minutes for the first time several weeks later is something the media should be getting hysterical over - - - but don't hold your breath, The Won is also a (nominal) Dem.
How ? Please explain.
I notice that whenever democrats bring up this renewable energy independence crap elected Republicans never respond with “We were already lied to about that and wasted billions on that polluting inefficient ethanol hoax”. My only guess is that Republicans never bring this up because it was passed under Bush and promoted by Bush as a large step to energy independence.
This is a shame because ethanol was 10s of billions of dollars down a rat-hole and even environmentalists disown it as bad and yet elected Republicans wont mention it as an example of the false dream of an alternative non-carbon fuel. Ethanol was the “Big Lie”.
I was just saying the same thing, it is like he is from an alternate reality. He is EXTREMELY strange.
"I, blah, blah, blah,....as President, blah,blah,blah....I want,blah,blah,blah,.....Bush,blah,blah,blah....."
1. This is not 911 or Pearl Harbor, not the WOT or WWII, and any indication that it is cheapens the lives murdered in these atrocities. This is an oil spill. It’s Exxon Valdez huge, only mammoth.
2. This speech is so full of finger-pointing, back-stabbing, and blame shifting that I had to send in an order for body armor.
3. I suspect the “millions” of feet laid is actually “millions” of feet drug. 5 million feet = 1000 miles. In short, someone needs to fact check.
4. Burn it and suck it up. That’s struck me as the best solution from the get-go, and it’s not been done due to an extreme lack of leadership.
5. Funny thing, Obama gets to be his revisionist own Monday morning quarterback.
6. Clean coal, shale oil, natural gas, etc. The idea that fossil fuels are a thing of the past is ridiculous. And we have plenty of oil.
7. Solar/wind/geo/conservation: sure, bring them on in a real market approach. They must pay for themselves. Quit the gov’t subsidies so it can be determined how much they actually cost. Actually add up their by-products, wastes, etc., to see what THEIR environmental downside is.
8. Batteries technology really isn’t that hot, and they are dirty and costly.
Ohaha’s speech reeked of Rahm and Axelrod’s political calculations.
Some of the phrases used-—the allusion to our fighting men, etc——the Reaganesque “God Bless America”——show the WH mob had calculatedly written the speech using focus-grouped phrases intended to suck Ohaha out of the political sinkhole he’s made for himself.
In fact, the speech was so well-rehearsed, even down to the orchestrated voice inflections-——that Ohaha must have channelled Lee Strassberg.
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