Does the White House Understand That It, Not BP, Is the Government?

In case the White House hasn’t noticed, no one is fooled or satisfied with the arrangement that has BP nominally in charge of protection and cleanup of the massive damage they’ve caused while claiming the Coast Guard is “overseeing” their efforts. We’re talking about fundamental government functions, and BP is not our government.

It’s understandable the White House is working hard to make sure BP pays the costs; that’s both morally and legally sound. But the White House has been working even harder to make sure BP is left in charge and takes the risks and the hits for anything that doesn’t go well. That White House strategy is inexcusable.

Whatever the limitations on government’s ability to deal with the gusher a mile down, once the oil gets in US waters and approaches America’s shores, it’s government’s absolute responsibility to protect public health/safety and environment. Government can demand responsible parties like BP do X, Y, Z and pay for all of it, but it’s up to government to get it done, even if government employees/agents/contractors working with locals/states have to do it themselves. It’s astonishing anyone would think this is not government’s job.

Saying, "we told BP to do X, but they didn’t" or even "BP didn’t tell us we needed to protect this beach or that island" is not acceptable and won’t get it done. BP is not our government.

The industry heads testifying today are saying that loud and clear; they don’t have the incentives, let alone the mindset, to "make this right." Their incentives are to minimize negative perceptions and publicity, to avoid future restrictions on their actions, and to avoid financial responsibility, and thus to conceal facts and delay the truth to further those goals. Expecting otherwise is foolish.

So that’s what BP is doing. Its behavior is awful, but government’s tolerating it is even more inexcusable. Government has the right incentives, or it should, to make this right, and it should be held accountable.

The White House apparently expects us to accept their efforts to maintain BP’s responsibility as a substitute for taking their own responsibility. But governance is not delegable to a private corporation. The entire history of the industry’s relationship with government regulators is a textbook lesson for why that’s true.

...

http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/54816

shite and completely pleasantly surprised. :)

:hug:JuniperLea

:hug:

It's good to get good surprises! So happy I'm surprised by your surprise!

Now, wtf are we going to do with firedoglake? I say we dump oil in it!

There's no way the Government should take over this oil gusher and set themselves up to fail like those calling for the takeover want.

They need to stop worrying about fattening their coffers with nasty red meat and start using using their brains over there at the puddle stop.

BP doesn't know what to do... no one does! Oh, but Obama must do something and he must do it now and he's failing us and this is his mess and he needs to blah blah blah fuckity blah!

Ridiculous, isn't it? No one is paying attention at all... so stupid.

one track minds over at the puddle to rag on the President and oh btw could you donate so we can fight this "corporatist" government who doesn't do anything but all of a sudden we want them to take over the BP oil spill that we know is an impossible situation(promise it will make the Obama Admin look bad if they do).

Fortunately President Obama and Team are way too smart for those screeching for them to take over BP's Giant Disaster.

I'm know they're helping out in everyway they can and more to come but this is the BP's responsibility. As you said..this is totally unchartered waters and it's fubared so much they don't even know what to do with all the equipment they have.

So, let me get this straight; as someone, who wants President Obama to take control of the situation, I'm actually pursuing the nefarious goal of making him look bad. Right? Of all the problems I currently have, nothing tops the list like making the president look like a failure. Not because, maybe, I don't for a minute believe that the fine leaders at BP are doing everything they can to put an end to this, regardless of the costs (their execs will all be royally rewarded when this is done and BP has been purchased by another company). Capitalism is extremely myopic when it comes to considering the long-term effects of reaching short-term goals. It's also not because I want to see some accountability finally happen; independent scientists monitoring the leak, no more flight bans or goons chasing private citizens off of public beaches, full access to all the data for everyone, no more decapitating birds in order to skirt the necropsies and hide the extent of the damage, respirators for all. With the BP heads controlling the message and destroying as much evidence as they can, I'm not prone to believe that they are capable of any kind of altruism.

But that little outbreak of painting with a broad brush was merely the whipped cream, the cherry on top was delivered with this line:



Perhaps you didn't give that too much thought, before you typed it. I know it happens. Essentially, though, you are saying that the government shouldn't take over for the sake of political expediency, and in that statement, you have signaled that not only would you be willing to put the livelihoods of those affected in the Gulf region on the roulette table, but their very lives as well, all for the sake of getting some good poll numbers. I don't mean that hyperbolically either. The outcome of your line of reasoning is exactly that. Surely, you couldn't have meant it that way.

Two things are for sure: BP isn't doing the right thing, because of the costs involved and, whether or not President Obama reacts vigorously in this matter, he will get the blame. This is a national crisis and he is our leader, not Tony Hayward. What the president does either way will influence how people see him. With that in mind, don't you feel he should make the best decision for the people and the environment in the region first, not BP? It's really not that difficult to understand, unless you simply make the decision inwardly to not do just that.

and therefore it's ultimate responsibility IS to take charge of the containment and cleanup?

And how it was sucessfully cleaned up... that's what we need to find. It doesn't exist.

Well the American people will not accept it.

Especially when they see no coordinated effort of clean up. And they know our President has handed that piss poor operation over to BP.

Believe you me, it will hurt obama more to let BP stay in charge of clean up, than it would hurt him to take charge.

I truly feel sad for people who have so little faith in our government and the man elected POTUS.

Like the one you're spinning... you still haven't answered the question. Where's the comparable spill/gusher? What was done to SUCCESSFULLY clean up the mess? How long did it take?

Do you not get that we're in uncharted waters here, literally and figuratively? Who in your infinite wisdom do you think knows how to manage this mess?

unchartered waters.

Yet I would hope they would atleast try to save people, animals, our country.

Who says no one is trying?

clean it up, because they are the ones afterall, with all the expertise because they made the bomb in the first place.

this is even bigger than a single nation, and should be an INTERNATIONAL EFFORT.

But oil companies around the world seem to be distancing themselves... no one knows how to fix this.

fyi

We need to push back against the idiot Pubbies who are pushing for more offshore drilling. And it's about getting back on track with renewable energy. And it's about getting corporate interests out of our government.

Do you not think that damage could be mitigated?

some use to deflect any criticism from Obama. Talk about the MOTHER of all strawmen!

It's always the same response. Apples and oranges. We talk about cleanup and containment, they counter with plugging the leak, as if because it isn't possible for Obama to plug the leak, it isn't possible for him to have the Govt manage cleanup and containment.

I'm amazed at the lack of faith some of his most ardent supporters have in him.

They aren't helping but I'm pretty sure that was never their intention in the first place.

I hate everything about that site.

Don

:sarcasm:

n/t

Things like that take some time to change.

I can't say it enough... I'm really sick of firedoglake.

Whadda ya think... AFTER the Mid-Terms???

:shrug:

No one has the first clue how long it SHOULD take to set BushCo's crimes straight... oh, but everyone has an opinion! No one has an attention span or any patience, but they do have an opinion... opinions are like assholes... everybody has one.

:eyes:

It is the governments responsibility to it's people to protect them.

There is no rule that I know of that prevents the government from doing that.

Why don't you point out to us what is holding our government back from protecting it's people, land and it's own power.

This oil well should have never been... we don't have the technology to run it safely. It's completely foreign and there are no standards of safety.

What would you have the government do? Seriously? What?

would have the interests of its citizens at heart.

And why don't you address the clean up effort, and stop making it seem like everyone wants Obama to go down to the bottom of the ocean and plug the leak himself.

The clean up JuniperLea, what about the clean up effort.

Cleaning the shores, laying the boom, disbursing payments.

That has been a huge failure on the part of BP and Obama owns it just the same because he allows them to stay in charge of it.

We don't have anything that's going to make a difference here. That's why the well should have never been placed in deep water. Show me when and where we've had an oil disaster of this magnitude and the clean up technology that was used sucessfully... it doesn't exist... and to make matters worse, the oil is mostly on the seafloor... killing the seafloor is far more dangerous than destroying wetlands and habitats.

Take over the clean up and do what? Put out more booms? More oils soaking pads? And what about the death on the seafloor? Who do you call when there's a big oil spill? Who has the best and latest technologies? Oil companies! And they are distancing themselves because they don't know what to do either! Yet you somehow think Obama can come up with a fix. Really?

They are using our Coast Guard, our Navy, our fishermens boats. Yet BP calls the shots. All, as you and others have so succinctly put it, so Obama doesn't have to take responsibility, so he can't be blamed.

There are plenty of countries that would love to loan us their expertise and equipment.

The clean up effort has been a major clusterfuck and it will cost Obama. You are looking at this the wrong way.

Would you rather have him fall flat on his face trying to blame BP, or would you like to give him the power he has to lead this.

It's obvious to me because you keep spewing the same ridiculous bullshit over and over without so much as a consideration.

Why do you think the clean up has been a major clusterfuck? BECAUSE! No one... NO ONE... on God's Green Earth knows how to fix this... it's a giant experiment right now because THE TECHNOLOGY DOES NOT EXIST that would fix this!

againg without so much as a consideration. That this is unprecendented and we're in unchartered waters, etc etc etc, like that would have anything to do with who should be in charge of trying to clean it up.

No BP doesn't really give a shit about the Gulf of Mexico and its beaches and its people.

The effort could be better coordinated by our government.

OK? I'm done with you too!

I'm sick of those who deflect questions/criticism of the cleanup with the trite, tired meme that Obama can't stop the leak.

Greatgawdalmighty! No one is saying that Obama can fix the damn blowout, and anyone suggesting otherwise is being disingenuous at best.

It is so obvious that the Govt is NOT in charge of the clean up, and is still taking orders from BP. A boot camp recruit could tell you that.

Twenty two years in the Navy taught me a thing or two about Command and Control, and believe me, the Govt has neither in this instance.

Let's review the evidence:

EPA TELLS BP to stop using Corexit. They are ignored.

EPA ASKS BP to cut down on the amount of Corexit they're using. They are ignored.

The Press complain that they are being prevented by BP from reporting the story. The Govt says cease and desist interference with the press. BP continues to prevent the press from covering the story.

Wildlife groups are complaining the the evidence of dead birds/fish/dolphins is being withheld from the public. The Govt is obviously aware of this, yet BP continues to cover this up.

The ONLY cameras at the well site belong to BP. Why doesn't the Govt have eyes on this. If they don't have the equipment, then why not take advantage of James Cameron's expertise?

The residents of the gulf have the most experience with the wetlands/marshes/estuaries, as well as the experience in boom placement, etc, yet BP doesn't allow volunteers to help. Why does the Govt allow BP to dictate who can help?

There are multitudes of alternative, environmentally sound methods of cleaning up the oil, yet BP continues to control what is being used. Why hasn't the Govt stepped in?

At least 17 countries have offered assistance, yet they were turned down. Did BP dictate that or did the Govt. If it was BP, then the Govt should have overridden them. If it was the Govt, then they are criminally negligent.

This has got to be one of the sorriest chapters of Govt malfeasance/ineptitude/impotence I've seen in my 64 years on this earth.

Stop with the fucking Kumbya moment with BP. It's time to fucking take charge! Lead, follow, or get the fuck out of the way! :grr: :nuke: :grr: :nuke:

Thank you for spelling it out!

Cheers to you!

It never ceases to amaze me that the very people who think Obama can do no wrong are the same ones who constantly sell him short.

I may be critical of him, but I've never though he wasn't capable of leading or I would have never voted for him. Jumpin'jeebus on a pogo stick, you can't make this stuff up!

..and not a Big Business as Usual conservative like Ken Salazar.

...when you appoint a corporate lapdog like Ken Salazar as the Sec. of the Interior to oversee the MMS.
More Big Business as Usual.

The DLC New Team

(Screen Capped from the DLC Website)

:eyes:

a massive oil spill such as this, regardless of what fdl says. They don't have the equipment or the know-how. Not even bp, who is in the business, has the know-how.

of equipment we have hidden that we could be using to stem the flow. I'm not seeing it. Oh, and while you're at it, cite some examples of the hidden knowledge out there to stop this, because we all know the benefits the government, and bp for that matter, are getting from keeping the oil flowing.

Wake up. Your feelings are obvious, but do try reality for a change.

This writer put it better than I could, but even you might get the drift:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x338936

snip//


In the Gulf of Mexico, plumes of black oil are gushing into the ocean, coating the wings of seabirds, poisoning shellfish, sending tar balls rolling onto white Florida beaches. It is an ecological disaster. It is a economic nightmare. And there is absolutely nothing that the American president can do about it. Nothing at all.

Here is the hard truth: The U.S. government does not possess a secret method for capping oil leaks. Even the combined wisdom of the Obama inner circle -- all of those Harvard economists, silver-tongued spin doctors and hardened politicos -- cannot prevent tens of thousands of tons of oil from pouring out of hole a mile beneath the ocean surface. Other than proximity to the Louisiana coast, this catastrophe has nothing in common with Hurricane Katrina: That was an unstoppable natural disaster that turned into a human tragedy because of an inadequate government response. This is just an unstoppable disaster, period. It will be a human tragedy precisely because no government response is possible.

Do you mean to tell me the US cannot organize and pay people to do the clean up?

Do you think the government would do a worse job than BP at doing it?

The government sits back, trusts BP, repeats its numbers, sends the Coast Guard to work for BP, sends the US Air Force and the US Navy to spray carcinogenic dispersants for BP, refuses international help, doesn't coordinate any clean up efforts, doesn't even return calls from ornithology organizations trained to rescue oil-covered birds, etc, et fucking c.

And you give them cover for it. Incredible. WAKE UP. Try holding government accountable for a change.

You must have very little faith in the competence of this administration.

a surprise. You like to spew, but you can't back it up.

It makes me too sad to respond to you.


Washington (CNN) -- The State Department said Monday that 17 foreign countries and four international bodies have offered equipment, expertise and other assistance to respond to the Gulf oil disaster.

Some of the offers accepted so far include two skimmers and 13,780 feet of boom from Mexico in early May, eight skimming systems from Norway in early May, three sets of surface-oil clearing systems from the Netherlands on May 23, and 9,843 feet of containment boom from Canada on June 4, according to a State Department statement.

Other countries to offer help include South Korea, Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Vietnam, according to the statement.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/06/14/oil.disaster.foreign.assistance/

http://mediamatters.org/research/201006150033

Read it and stop parroting faux. Until you answer my questions, I'll not waste my time responding to you. You will point your fingers all night long, but you cannot tell me how this admin is falling down on the job when they don't have the equipment or expertise to solve a disaster of this magnitude that has never happened before. They can't even draw on experience.

So what makes BP so special and our president so imcompetent that he can't lead a clean up effort.

I quoted CNN but I guess that everything you don't like is FAUX news. Incredible. Rah rah Salazar.

EVERY SINGLE FUCKING VESSEL THAT CAN SKIM SHOULD BE OUT THERE. EVERY SINGLE FUCKING PIECE OF BOOM OTHER COUNTRIES OFFERED US SHOULD BE SOAKING UP OIL RIGHT NOW. EVERY SINGLE MEANS TO CLEAN EVEN A DROP SHOULD BE USED.

Again, I note with amazement your vote of no confidence for this administration.

out to be a weak kneed weakling (edit).

Like he doesn't have any power, any know how.

Well, atleast you and I think our president does have the power and know how. We want him to use it!

All these excuses just make Obama look weak and pathetic.

Every year we pay a fortune in taxes so we can have a FEDERAL RESPONSE to emergencies.

Here come's the mother of all emergencies and BP is in charge.

This is shameful.

to take over ..know this(or should) and want them to fail.

Give me a break!

Seriously. What should he do?

Do you think obama's admin is worse than BP in that arena.

If so, it is you who is insulting the POTUS.

How do you organize a clean up effort in a situation that is different than any that has been known? Show me a deep water gusher of this magnitude and the statistics on how it was cleaned up. That is your baseline. I'm saying it doesn't exist.

You don't say, well we've never seen this before, and throw your hands up in the air.

It's a giant experiment that should never have been allowed to be! I'm not throwing my hands up in the air, but I'm not running around flailing them with my hair on fire either. It sucks... the entire situation sucks. And you are expecting miracles... dream on.

Obama is pushing for an escrow account to cover losses... he's holding BP accountable... the best we can hope for is that part sticks while the scientific community continues to busy themselves looking for new things to try.

but since you are not, my hair is not on fire, but you feet are stuck in concrete. You can't even move your pinky toe, you are ss overwhelmed with how unprecedented and unchartered, blabbity blah blah blah that you don't want to let our president lead.

I am not expecting miracles. I am expecting an effort from our goverment, who is suppose to have our interest in the forefront. BP should not be in control of this clean up. The laws dictate our government is in control and BP pays the bill. Period.

or anyone ever responds to any unprescented event,by assessing the situation, taking inventory of what's available to them, brainstorming solutions by extrapolating from an existing knowledge base, thinking outside the box, and TAKING CONTROL AND COMMAND OF THE SITUATION.

Obama isn't so dumb afterall.

The same way you organize an Apollo Project.

It's funny how there always seems to be enough know-how, gumption, and funding when these projects involve military applications.

But the environment? Meh. :shrug:

The seafloor is dying, or already dead by now. That means that no matter how pristine you make the beaches and wetlands, there will be nothing to support the life.

That said... how many years did it take to organize the Manhattan Project? The Apollo Project? I don't see anyone, Obama included, sitting around contemplating their navels.

Yet President Obama gives us Salazar in the Interior. :banghead:

Look, I'm not placing all of the blame at the feet of the current administration, but let's not pretend that We The People didn't hand Obama a clear mandate for Change.

Salazar is not Change, he's Status Quo.

If you dont know by now, there's nothing anyone could say that could help you at this point.

BP is working under the rules and regs gifted to them by BushCo. They should have never drilled there... which makes all the continued cries for continued drilling all the more ridiculous.

I honestly don't know what people expect. No one can answer either... what do they expect Obama to do? Crickets is the only answer to that.

http://www.msc.navy.mil/inventory/inventory.asp?var=GovernmentownedTankership

or these

http://www.msc.navy.mil/inventory/inventory.asp?var=FleetReplenishmentOilership

IMO, it's as simple as that.

Edited to add that my comment does nothing to help the current situation. I'm just ticked off as hell about the whole thing and want junior and dead-zone dick to rot in prison!

though we need a leader and that should be OUR gov.

whole lot more info. But fwiw, faux is saying otherwise.

http://mediamatters.org/research/201006150033

And from what I've heard, other oil companies have also been involved from the get-go, though I don't know what if anything they've contributed.

it has left me with the impression that either TBTB either don't get it or can't afford it =(

I'd like to know what scale you are applying, since this disaster is unprecedented in scale, and how you would coordinate the logistics of all the international aid offerred. Please, explain in detail how you would coordinate the acceptance and deployment of all this aid...yesterday. Since you seem so fit to criticize the efforts, which to date, include significant acceptance of international offers of aid, just not ALL of them, yet, I would like to hear your input on how this coordination could be handled differently.

I'll wait.

we should see that kinda mobilization, and coordination.

not 6 guys with shovels and hefty bags.

And those were standing military forces ALREADY trained for the mission.

How would YOU recruit, screen, train and protect tens of thousands of clean up workers in 6 weeks. Let's hear your plan.

as far as training, this wouldn't take much time at all, depending on what you are doing shouldn't take any more time than a week, if that. assistance from abroad already have training, as well as the rest of the oil industry.

another FYI, our military already has experience coordinating third parties to deal with gushing wells, and their containment and cleanup.

remember kuwait?

do you have a clue?

that can collect 200 tons of oil per hour. I'm not being flippant; but I do want to understand why offers of help have not been rapidly and gratefully accepted. The government can say 'yes', can't they?

Washington (CNN) -- The State Department said Monday that 17 foreign countries and four international bodies have offered equipment, expertise and other assistance to respond to the Gulf oil disaster.

Some of the offers accepted so far include two skimmers and 13,780 feet of boom from Mexico in early May, eight skimming systems from Norway in early May, three sets of surface-oil clearing systems from the Netherlands on May 23, and 9,843 feet of containment boom from Canada on June 4, according to a State Department statement.

Other countries to offer help include South Korea, Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Vietnam, according to the statement.


...

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/06/14/oil.disaster.foreign.assistance/

That's Nice, now, since you seem so fit to criticize, please explain to me how the logistics of the coordination of these resources will be handled and how they can ALL BE ACCOMPLISHED YESTERDAY.

I'll await your detailed reply as how you imagine projects of this magnitude are carried out according to YOUR personal whim.

:bounce::hi::bounce:

BP and their ilk own the government outright..

They are working with the laws they were gifted by BushCo... NO ONE KNOWS HOW TO STOP THE OIL!!! No one... not BP, not Obama, not all the scientists in the world. No one... no fucking one. That is why BP should have never drilled that deep... thank you BuchCo/Cheney.

Jesus people have a short memory... and an even shorter attention span.

And what law gives BP sovereignty over our land?

I will await your answer.

More booms? More oils soaking pads? Then what happens when the seafloor dies because it's covered and smothered with oil? The wetlands and such won't survive if the ocean floor dies!!! The concentration needs to be on the HUGE deposit of oil on the seafloor... what do you want? To sweep it all under a rug and just let it die?

Sovereignty... what utter bullshit. They have the technology, or lack thereof... who else does? Even other oil companies are distancing themselves from this situation because THEY don't know either!

But you know so well... bully for you. :eyes:

How about the Potemkin village style phone centers, for instance?

There are things the Fed and local gov can do for the unemployed because of the spill, for instance...

no one can argue that corporations are weak in America, and that the working class is strong.
Corporations own Washington DC. own it!

I agree that no one knows how to stop the spill.. Yet, they were allowed to drill..

If you can't clean it up, you can't drill there... period.

sho'nough my friend..

fyi

It's not in BP's interests to do anything which admits culpability.

I am disappointed that we're (the US gov) isn't letting the world help us clean this up. BP is not doing it. They aren't cleanup experts, it's become painfully obvious.

This is the issue exactly!

We need someone in the White House who speaks loudly and carries a big stick. Obama has proven that he's an inspirational orator. Now where's that big stick?!

Can we close the pass? CG: We need to check with BP.

How many booms and what's the layout? CG: BP isn't here, we'll have to ask them.

Why aren't all charter boat captians being compensated? Government rep: We'll ask BP.


After weeks of this I know who's in charge.

If the Govt is truly in charge of cleanup and control, as they say they are, then this Admin needs to be held liable.

Obama can only do what laws and regs give him the power to do. Yes, its true, Repubs routinely flout them, and apparently you and so many others insist Ohama should emulate them. Then decry him a Bushy.

You got it all backasswards wrong!

On what specific task u r talking about. Can Obama order Exxon to use its fleet to clean up the spill? Ive seen this criticism and its idiotic. Among others.

This is an unprecedented catastrophe and the best minds r working on it.

and BP is to pay the bill.

The Government you know, does have the know how, and can purchase (using BP's money) the equipment.

What is ass backwards is that we have BP telling the government what to do. It tells them sweet nothings, which are lies, and we are in more danger than ever, and behind the eight ball, because Obama let BP stay in control of the clean up effort.

I guess Obama should just snap his fingers and make clean up workers magically appear on all the beaches.

It's not there are logistics or anything, such as hiring, screening, training and protecting staff for something completely unprecedented and that's never been prepared for in the decades previous. Yes, these things all should have been bought paid for and done, magically, a week ago.

You're idiotic assertions aside that BP is calling the shots on anything.

No. You want a dictator whose edict is law without regard for what's involved.

I don't want a dictator, but you are certainly ok with a corporofacism.

And as far as the law is concerned, it was written to give the government the power to make these corporations pay for their misdeeds and to outlines how the government will go about organizing relief efforts.

You need to get a clue. Seriously

Do you have a fucking clue? Please, tell me, how would YOU carry out the logistics so it was already happening. I'll await for your detailed plan on hiring, screening, training and protecting a workforce of tens of thousands and have it done a week ago.

hello...

As is the case with oil companies run rampant.

That didn't happen on Obamas watch.

So it did happen on Obama's watch.

Or do you claim it's something other than your vapid opinion?

but a little leadership would go a long way right now.

They want Obama to run roghshod over anything that gets in his way to accomplish their little fantasies of what they think is accomplishable.

Even if everything were thrown at the oil spill, there would still be an environmental disaster in the Gulf states. If I lived there, I would be very angry also and would personally try to do what I could to mitigate the oil coming ashore. The best chance of stopping the flow will be the two wells being dug and that takes time. As for BP, it may be time to put a hold on all of their assets that can be reached as collateral to make sure damages are paid.

he kept saying that all decisions were going through central command set up by the government. Which is it?

Also - I hope Obama addresses the reports of sickness that are coming from oil spill workers in the Gulf. He needs to make sure that from a Public Health standpoint that their is no threat - and if there are issues that the workers wear protective clothing and devices to minimize the threat. If they let that linger and find out later that there are health threats and they didn't study this and take precautions - it will be as bad as the workers that worked at ground zero and got sick. So this needs to be addressed now.

I also am surprised that Obama is giving this address tonight before he actually meets with the BP execs. Seems to me he should meet with them first and then have his address. Tell us what the outcome of that meeting was. Seems to me he is putting himself in an awkward position by not meeting with them first. He could tell us something tonight that he is going to do - that the BP execs could use against him tomorrow.

I don't want him to negotiate with BP tomorrow. I want him to have a 'come to Jesus meeting' with them and tell them what they are going to do - with no negotiating. I'm worried that he will be criticized for this - no matter what the outcome.

We need to have BP put $20 billion in an escrow account to be managed by a third party and not BP - to aid in the claims response for the people in the Gulf. If he doesn't walk out of that meeting tomorrow with that in his pocket - he will be severely criticized.

Just like during the campaign when they said he was doing everything wrong.

that say it is the role of Government to do the clear up, I guess that they expect the Government to have on hand the best oil drilling and geology experts in the industry standing around on not insignificant salaries waiting for a crisis to happen.

I also take from their view that BP, Shell, etc, etc do not employ anyone with any real knowledge of geology and that all of the commentators know far better how to clear up the mess caused by BP taking shortcuts.

It is or regulators and lawmakers to ensure that BP is doing absolutely everything possible to do what they can do to clear this mess up. They made it, they need to deal with it. It is unreasonable to expect a Government running at such a big deficit (thank you Mr Bush) to employ anyone other than those who know how to enforce the law in this case.

But I do expect that our President appoint someone to head the Dept of Interior who has the Background, Experience, and Track Record of protecting our Commons instead of a politician and corporate lackey like Ken Salazar.

The day Obama handed Interior to Salazar WAS a signal to the Oil Corporations, "No one is going to be rocking your boat, Big Business Profits as Usual".

although at this stage staff are staff. The teabagger and firebagger positions are hardly principled (unless you count consistent opposition to the President no matter the issue).

They are demanding the President does "something". So what is that something? Some tebaggers have suggested the Navy goes in. To do what? Look at the slick? Sail around it? Refuel with it?

The Obama administration knows who its daddy is.

How about the Potemkin village style phone centers BP set up only for show, for instance?

There are things the Fed and local gov should be doing for the unemployed because of the spill. BP has a major conflict of interest.

DU seems to think he is a bit slow.....

Make sure you use colored crayons, big print and short words like "see dick run" and speak really really slowly with careful enunciation!

And we think the right is condescending......

poll tonight!!

better be careful

Then again, I don't know if I should laugh or cry about that.

oh I mean..there's not 1000 barrels a day flowing into the gulf..

opps there are not 5000 barrels a day.............

opps there is not 20,000 barrels a day...........

Breaking news 35,00-60,000 barrels a day of oil continuing to flow into the Gulf Of Mexico according to Government Scientist study estimates.

now go eat fish from the Gulf..or perhaps Shrimp..........


from a du poster.

Shrimper caught in restricted waters with 19,000 lbs of shrimp I understand the need to make a living, I really do. Still I cannot condone selling poisoned seafood to unsuspecting consumers.


Coast Guard seizes shrimp from vessel found in closed fishing area

GRAND ISLE, La. - The Coast Guard seized approximately 19,000 pounds of shrimp 13 miles south of Belle Pass, La., Sunday, June 13, 2010, in a closed area due to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Coast Guard Station Grand Isle received information that the fishing vessel Little Andrew was fishing in the restricted area. A Coast Guard 33-foot response boat and crew launched and boarded the vessel for inspection. During the inspection, approximately 19,000 pounds of white shrimp was found onboard the vessel. The shrimp was returned to the sea.

"NOAA has implemented a Federal Fisheries Closure to ensure public safety by preventing any fish or shellfish from being harvested in the waters affected by the Deepwater Horizon MC252 incident," said Lt. Bryan Harrell, a law enforcement duty officer for the Eighth Coast Guard District. "The Coast Guard is working closely with NOAA Office of Law Enforcement and the affected fishing communities to prevent the harvesting of any adulterated seafood."

The master of the Little Andrew was issued a written warning.

http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/425/656527 /


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8561500

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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=8544135

Oil Spill May Be Pushing Sharks Toward Fla. Beaches
Edited on Sat Jun-12-10 02:03 PM by Angry Dragon
http://www.aolnews.com/gulf-oil-spill/article/oil-spill...

Laura Parker
June 11, 2010


"When we see deeper-water sharks this close to shore, it leads me to believe that something is going on," said Robert Hueter, director of the Center for Shark Research at the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota. "The tiger shark was still alive, but disoriented and lethargic. That matches what toxicologists tell me are the effects of oil on other invertebrates."

snip

It is too early to say whether the sharks' appearance in coastal waters is connected with the spill. But Hueter does not see it as a good sign. He calls it a "Hmm moment -- what are we looking at here?"

Marine scientists also have logged recent sightings of sailfish, dolphin fish, mahimahi and other fish in coastal places they normally don't frequent. "Blackfin tuna are being caught by fishermen 10 miles from shore. Mahimahi don't come close to shore. That doesn't happen," Hueter said.

snip

For instance, research after other spills shows that animals' reproductive rates can be drastically harmed. Within a year after the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound, a resident pod of 36 killer whales had lost 40 percent of its population, according to a report by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council. The pod is reproducing today at only 70 percent of the rate of other pods that live permanently in Alaskan waters, the report said.


This is the concern, how long will the affects last for these animals and fish??

More interesting information in the article. http://www.aolnews.com/gulf-oil-spill/article/oil-spill...

BP doesn't have the technology or the means to stop the leak, nor does our government. So, because the country hasn't experienced anything like this before, the government doesn't have the technology and/or the means to clean it up. I don't know why this is so hard for people to understand. BP is responsible, so they need to pay for the loss, and clean the ish up! If the government were to take over, then it becomes President Obama, and OUR responsibility. This government doesn't have the resources, and I don't want to have to pay for this mess that BP created! BP has a helluva lot more money than we do.

the business of America is business.

When enough of us understand that maybe we'll do something about it.