Drill, baby, drill!!

[Moonlit_Angel]

I like the one from the person who said that Obama doesn't care because there's a lot of Asians and white people down there. 'Cause we all know how racist he secretly is (after all, according to Glenn Beck, he has a "deep-seeded hatred of white people") . WTF? And then complaints about him not accepting blame-I've already heard him say a few times on TV that he takes full responsiblity. But he's not the only one who should. I think this is a very fair point:

In an interview with POLITICO, the president said: “I think it’s fair to say, if six months ago, before this spill had happened, I had gone up to Congress and I had said we need to crack down a lot harder on oil companies and we need to spend more money on technology to respond in case of a catastrophic spill, there are folks up there, who will not be named, who would have said this is classic, big-government overregulation and wasteful spending.”

Anyone who spent even a fraction of time watching the healthcare debate would know full well that that's exactly what would've happened here, too. To think otherwise...well, then clearly you haven't been paying attention. And I'm glad he said the very thing about the Tea Party hypocrites that I've been saying all along. Thank you, Obama.

Yeah, the comments section in all news/video-related internet stuff is always full of people who make zero sense and say the most bizarre, stupid things. It alternates between being very funny and just plain sad.

kramwest1, excellent post. I fully agree with your suggestion about cheaper cars. My family's never used a truck, but my mom does have a van she uses. Got it for a reasonable price, but fuel-efficient it is not. We'd love to find a fuel-efficient car, but it's hard to find one within our price range (unless there are some out there somewhere and we're just not aware of them). And I agree with the idea of sharing for trucks and minivans, too. It'd help out significantly.

We've just got to do something. Obviously our oil obsession is coming back to bite us in the butt big time, so I really hope this will actually wake people up to the idea of alternative energy being the next step for us. I really hope that our outrage over this doesn't just die away after a while and people go back to their same old habits, only to have us wind up in this situation again 10 years down the line or whatever.

Angela

 

[Bluer White]

Anyone else thinking Tony Hayward just shouldn't talk anymore?

After seven weeks, it's about time our president talked with BP's CEO.


Oil spilled...Obama chilled.

 

[YBORCITY]

After seven weeks, it's about time our president talked with BP's CEO.


Oil spilled...Obama chilled.

Wow! How wrong could I have been about Obama he's ready to talk to BP and the Nation, I wonder what made him take such a drastic step as this.

 

[BVS]

Obama should be out in the Gulf himself with some Bounty, the quicker picker upper.

 

[YBORCITY]

Obama should be out in the Gulf himself with some Bounty, the quicker picker upper.

Yeah that's just what I'm saying.

See what I did there? I put one of those condasending smilies just 4 u. Enjoy!

 

[BVS]

Yes, and my point is I hear A LOT of "why isn't he doing anything", but I don't hear a lot of "this is what he should be doing".

You've been asked, Bluer's been asked, but no one has answered. So let me ask again, what should he have done? What should he be doing?

 

[YBORCITY]

Yes, and my point is I hear A LOT of "why isn't he doing anything", but I don't hear a lot of "this is what he should be doing".

You've been asked, Bluer's been asked, but no one has answered. So let me ask again, what should he have done? What should he be doing?

I've answered your questions in the other thread I believe. Now it's your turn, are YOU happy with the way Obama and his Administration handled this?

You're good that it has taken him over seven weeks to decide to finally talk to BP?

What I'm thinking now after the absolute failure that Bush's white house was maybe our expectations for our leaders have dropped.

 

[BVS]

I've answered your questions in the other thread I believe.

Not really, you mainly just complained about how he's not holding people responsible or that the government agency agree with BP too quickly. I didn't see any suggestion of what Obama should actually do, and it's not just you it's this issue in general. I hear a lot of blaming, but no solutions(reminds of the healthcare debate).

You're good that it has taken him over seven weeks to decide to finally talk to BP?

And what's going to come of this? You don't think BP understands the situation they are in, you don't think there has been communication, is Obama(or any president) going to somehow inspire to come up with the solution by finally talking to him?

The Coast Guard was sent within hours of the initial explosion. Engineers and scientist have been working on this from minute one. It's an impossible situation, that should have been handled on the front end. This isn't exactly a situation that has a plan that has been implemented before.

Here's an interesting report from Texas A&M:

Oil Spills

I may not agree with all of it, but I found it interesting the part about how sometimes the clean up is worse than the spill, sometimes the best is to wait, and that no two spills are the same.

 

[bigjohn2441]

Obama should be out in the Gulf himself with some Bounty, the quicker picker upper.

Bill Maher talking points?

If that was Bush in that picture playing gulf you wouldn't be giving him shit?

 

[coolian2]

If that was Bush in that picture playing gulf you wouldn't be giving him shit?

precisely what the fuck is he meant to do? he's not an expert on deep sea fucking oil spills?

bush was asleep at the wheel (probably golfing, actually) while shit he was meant to be able to take care of was going out of control. this isn't comparable at all.

 

[bigjohn2441]

precisely what the fuck is he meant to do? he's not an expert on deep sea fucking oil spills?

bush was asleep at the wheel (probably golfing, actually) while shit he was meant to be able to take care of was going out of control. this isn't comparable at all.

it's not a fucking matter of what the fuck the fucking president is fucking supposed to fucking do.

i just like to point out the partisanship at work here. obama seems to be getting a pass on this issue and even being defended by the left "oh what is he supposed to do", while you KNOW if bush or mccain was president the left would be tearing him a new asshole. and anyone that says they wouldnt is full of shit.

this is why i dont affiliate myself with a party or a "label". too much left-right nonsense.

oh yeah, and in no way, shape, or form am i defending bush or siding with republicans.

 

[Irvine511]

everyone has been pointing to these barrier islands and how they should have been constructed earlier as the one possible thing that Obama could/should have done better (no reasonable person thinks that there's much else that the president himself could have done ... this isn't like people have been abandoned in the Super Dome or anything).

here's some background on that:

BP says more La. barrier island berms will cost $360 million
By Marc Kaufman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 3, 2010; A05

The White House ordered BP to pay for construction of five more large sections of Louisiana barrier island sand berms Wednesday as efforts to contain the gushing Deepwater Horizon oil spill hit more obstacles and the slick approached Florida.

BP announced later Wednesday that it supports the administration's decision, and that the project will cost the company an estimated $360 million. That is double the amount it has spent so far in helping the region respond to the oil spill.

"The federal government and the state of Louisiana have agreed that the barrier islands construction is an effective response to the spill, and we look forward to working with them on this project," said Tony Hayward, BP's chief executive officer.

"There is no time for waiting," said Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) after learning that the plan would go ahead. "We are asking the Coast Guard and the federal government to force BP to act responsibly and immediately get to work on all the six segments that have now been approved as part of our oil spill-fighting efforts."

The costly construction has been a high priority for Louisiana officials, but federal officials have worried about unintended environmental consequences, and BP has been less than eager to pay -- calling the buildup a "hurricane relief project." The Army Corps of Engineers issued six permits in late May to build up about 50 of the 100 miles of barrier islands requested by Louisiana.

Although the projects have received expedited environmental approval, the administration also needed to determine whether the work would actually stop oil from entering the marshlands, and to persuade BP to pay for it.

Out in the Gulf of Mexico, BP has given up trying to stop the leak permanently until relief wells now being drilled reach it in August, and continued to struggle to contain it. On Wednesday, a diamond-tipped saw being used to cut a broken riser pipe and prepare it for a containment "hat" got stuck, and the cut couldn't be completed.

Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the government's point man for the crisis, said the amount of oil contained by the stopgap covering will be determined to some extent by how fine a cut is made.

Federal ocean specialists launched a research vessel Wednesday to determine whether large plumes of oil are floating beneath the surface, as some researchers have claimed and which BP has denied.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ship Thomas Jefferson will travel around the gulf for 10 days to search for underwater oil.

Tar balls and oil sheen from the huge slick reached Alabama's Dauphin Island on Wednesday, as well as parts of Mississippi. The oil was also spotted less than 10 miles from the Florida Panhandle, further threatening the region's vital seafood and tourism industries.

The issue of how offshore oil projects should be reviewed was addressed Wednesday by the Interior Department. The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the department's Minerals Management Service gave "categorical exclusions" from environmental review to eight offshore operations, including the Deepwater Horizon.

Bob Abbey, the agency's acting director, announced that "before drilling new oil and gas wells on the Outer Continental Shelf, operators will be required to submit additional information about potential risks and safety considerations in their plans for exploration or development." He said exploration and development plans previously approved by the agency using "categorical exclusions" would have to be resubmitted.

Staff writers Juliet Eilperin, Dan Zak in New Orleans and David A. Fahrenthold in Dauphin Island, Ala., contributed to this report.

BP says more La. barrier island berms will cost $360 million

 

[coolian2]

you beat me at a swearing contest. anus.

 

[YBORCITY]

Not really, you mainly just complained about how he's not holding people responsible or that the government agency agree with BP too quickly. I didn't see any suggestion of what Obama should actually do, and it's not just you it's this issue in general. I hear a lot of blaming, but no solutions(reminds of the healthcare debate).



And what's going to come of this? You don't think BP understands the situation they are in, you don't think there has been communication, is Obama(or any president) going to somehow inspire to come up with the solution by finally talking to him?

The Coast Guard was sent within hours of the initial explosion. Engineers and scientist have been working on this from minute one. It's an impossible situation, that should have been handled on the front end. This isn't exactly a situation that has a plan that has been implemented before.

Here's an interesting report from Texas A&M:

Oil Spills

I may not agree with all of it, but I found it interesting the part about how sometimes the clean up is worse than the spill, sometimes the best is to wait, and that no two spills are the same.

So......... You are kinda agreeing with me that Obama is pretty much useless?

 

[YBORCITY]

everyone has been pointing to these barrier islands and how they should have been constructed earlier as the one possible thing that Obama could/should have done better (no reasonable person thinks that there's much else that the president himself could have done ... this isn't like people have been abandoned in the Super Dome or anything).

here's some background on that:

Also, I believe I made a statement about why they didn't listen to the local officials and have these berms put in and once again I was told Obama (personally, I guess) didn't have anything to do with that. But now it's way too late to build anything, they are finding oil 20 miles inland from the gulf so once again the proverbally horse is ou tof the barn.

 

[YBORCITY]

it's not a fucking matter of what the fuck the fucking president is fucking supposed to fucking do.

i just like to point out the partisanship at work here. obama seems to be getting a pass on this issue and even being defended by the left "oh what is he supposed to do", while you KNOW if bush was president the left would be tearing him a new asshole. and anyone that says they wouldnt is full of shit.

this is why i dont affiliate myself with a party or a "label". too much left-right nonsense.

oh yeah, and in no way, shape, or form am i defending bush or siding with republicans.

Great points all the way around and if you read my earlier posts I actually couldn't stand Bush anymore than I do Obama. I wonder where the fuck is Clooney, Brad Pitt and Sean Penn -I guess they really can't stand up to this 'cuz it may cost them there standing w/ the Chosen One.

 

[BVS]

So......... You are kinda agreeing with me that Obama is pretty much useless?

Brilliant post

 

[BVS]

Bill Maher talking points?

If that was Bush in that picture playing gulf you wouldn't be giving him shit?

I wouldn't be posting pictures like that, it's the weakest form of debate. Well it's actually avoiding debate and for those that can't actually discuss the issues...

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

I fully agree that while all this is going on, extracurricular activities should've been put on hold a little while. Fully agreed on that. I think I already said that earlier in the thread, even.

But I also know that Bush never once, to my recollection (please feel free to correct me if I am wrong), said that he took full responsiblity for Katrina and the effects afterward. And we knew about the hurricane for at least a week in advance. The oil rig exploded suddenly. Certainly methods could and should have been put in place beforehand to prevent that from happening. Stronger regulations. More scrutiny on BP for their numerous safety violations. More protections put in place along the Gulf Coast to keep the oil at bay should any be spilled there. Get us off drilling altogether and move to alternative energy. But no, can't do that. Too much government interference. People like their big cars and don't want to waste time getting onto alternative energy. Oil companies like their big bucks. So, yeah, good luck convincing everyone to change their ways, there's a lot more variables involved in this issue than there were in Katrina. With a hurricane all you need to make sure of is that there's sufficient means in place to get everyone out of danger and get them to a safe place, and make sure that protections are set up so people's homes and towns don't get flooded as badly.

Congress couldn't get together to get seriously tough healthcare reform, they got good starts. So I can only imagine the difficulty in getting tougher oil company regulations, let alone anything else. And besides all that, AGAIN, Obama's not one of those showy presidents. He does a lot of his business privately, behind the scenes. He may very well have been working on this since the start in a more quiet, non-media intrusive way. BP had been in conversation with the federal government. He's been talking to people who are working on the cleanup and who are dealing immediately with the oil spill. He just doesn't want to make a big media production out of that stuff, because it makes it harder to really get things done sometimes.

No, this is not perfect. Yes, there are things Obama definitely could've done sooner to try and prevent this from happening at all. No, he shouldn't be out there enjoying leisure time while all this is going on. But I do think he actually does care about trying to fix this problem, a problem which, again, was likely to be hard to fix regardless of who was in power, Democrat or Republican.

Angela

 

[bigjohn2441]

alternative energy

i wish i could put solar panels and/or small wind turbines up on my condo here in the virgin islands, escpecially since electric is extremely expensive (and unreliable). but it's not feasible.

 

[kramwest1]

alternative energy

i wish i could put solar panels and/or small wind turbines up on my condo here in the virgin islands, escpecially since electric is extremely expensive (and unreliable). but it's not feasible.

Stationary bike with a generator?


On the bright side ( ):

I think I may have talked my friend in Vegas into getting an estimate on solar panels for his house. He pays $500 per month in electricity.

 

[bigjohn2441]

Stationary bike with a generator?

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

There's a picture of a dead decomposing dolphin in this link-for anyone who doesn't want to see that


"We Don't Need This on Camera": BP's Crappy Cleanup Job | Mother Jones

They're thicker, more absorbent paper towels. I mean pads

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

i still don't understand what obama is meant to do about this. this is bp's accident and it's their responsibility to clean up. how is he meant to do anything? the country doesn't own bp, that would be rather communist of us, wouldn't it?

this wasn't some terrorist plot. what happened on 9/11 was, yet bush could have done something about it. that's the difference. we could pass 1,000 new laws, have tony heyward drawn and quartered, but the oil will still be there.

 

[deep]

Is this the change we voted for?

 

[coolian2]

do you think he should put on a wetsuit and go and plug the leak himself, deep?

 

[BVS]

Is this the change we voted for?

I know right.

This dolphin would not have died if McCain was president. He would have sent Palin and her kids to clean that shit up personally.

And if Reagan were president, hell the explosion would have never happened under his watch.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

And if Reagan were president, hell the explosion would have never happened under his watch.

exactly.

 

[YBORCITY]

do you think he should put on a wetsuit and go and plug the leak himself, deep?

This is to me the biggest cop out statement of all. I hope yourself and BVS, Khanada don't really think that Deep and myself want Obama to actually physically doing anything about the leak. What I expected of Obama to do was take oversight of the clean up efforts to meet with local officials and BP to make sure all of these things were being done alot sooner than now. Maybe because this is right in my backyard, I'm hearing the stories that BP is destroying the "evidence". They are collecting the carcasses they are keeping the reporters and enviromental volunteers away from the dead sea life - don't forget these are public beaches. They are expanding a "no-fly" zone over much of the north eastern gulf, when I say "they" I mean BP. How can the Gov't sit back and allow this?

And all of you are "okay" with this? It just boggles my mind.

 

[anitram]

What I expected of Obama to do was take oversight of the clean up efforts

Sounds like a whole lotta socialism to me...