The government is trying to focus all blame on the oil companies for not having plans in place to prevent/clean-up from an offshore oil spill. If you look back on history, there has never been a plan in place. Our government never required a plan be put in place and the government never had a plan of its own.
What about the government response to the spill? Why did the government fail the American public by not overseeing what the inspectors were doing, or in this case not doing. Why did our government wait so long to accept help from other countries? BP screwed up bad on this but only because the government allowed them to.
When aid was offered from Sweden with their large Oil Skimmers, we did not accept their assistance. The government has also refused help form at least 10 other countries including Canada, Mexico and Great Britain. The oil skimmers from Sweden which are some of the largest and most efficient in the world could have helped to clean up so much more of the oil spill. The ships are capable of collecting 50 tons of oil / hour, around 1000 tons/day. Currently the leak spews out 1000 – 1500 tons/day if current estimates are accurate. Just the other day the State Department issued a statement on behalf of the President: "While there is no need right now that the US cannot meet, the US Coast Guard is assessing these offers of assistance to see if there will be something which we will need in the near future," it added. I am telling the government right now – we need the help damn it!
Democrats and Republicans have both aimed some of their criticism at Obama. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) complained about the "incompetent response to this disaster" and said that President Obama had given too much cleanup authority to BP and behaved like "a spectator in the stands." Our President is expected to be a leader and demand answers and solutions. He should be exploring and using any means available including foreign aid to help with this horrible situation.
So I say to our government – to out President - I expect to hear an apology from you to the American public during your Oval Office speech. Our government failed us just as bad as BP. We have plans in place for various other disasters, why not have one for off shore oil spills. I want to express my deepest gratitude to the rest of the world that has offered to help us – we appreciate the offer and we really can use all the help we can get, but our government does not seem to feel the same urgency. I hope when we do finally ask you for help, your offer still stands. – My explosion of thought!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Sinking to Rise - A Poem
My heart sinks low each day
Each night I cry and pray
Everyone seems so far away
They ask me not if I’m okay
My thoughts no more do they convey
The love that now does go astray
My heart does heavy weigh
My feeling now in decay
I feel so lost in disarray
They all to me betray
Hope I wish I would belay
The sharp pain does me slay
I feel inside cold as clay
I wish from the sun I’d feel a ray
My life does now delay
A vote for promise is now nay
I pray to God to lead the way
I see the darkness at the end of the driveway
Against me now they do gainsay
My soul has dived into the bay
The evil now I can not slay
The fires rise and form a spray
To each to him to find a way
This awful game that you now play
Please get me out without delay
I want out of the fray
I hold within a beautiful bouquet
Each night I cry and pray
Everyone seems so far away
They ask me not if I’m okay
My thoughts no more do they convey
The love that now does go astray
My heart does heavy weigh
My feeling now in decay
I feel so lost in disarray
They all to me betray
Hope I wish I would belay
The sharp pain does me slay
I feel inside cold as clay
I wish from the sun I’d feel a ray
My life does now delay
A vote for promise is now nay
I pray to God to lead the way
I see the darkness at the end of the driveway
Against me now they do gainsay
My soul has dived into the bay
The evil now I can not slay
The fires rise and form a spray
To each to him to find a way
This awful game that you now play
Please get me out without delay
I want out of the fray
I hold within a beautiful bouquet
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
The BP Spill and Our Government's Failure
The bottom line on this is that the government - all of the government failed us in allowing the behavior of these oil companies to go on. Both republicans and democrats are responsible. The President is responsible on the clean-up end because he was not quick to respond. Louisiana has begged for federal assistance for weeks from the President and he ignored them. The barrier they requested was just approved - after billions of dollars in economic, ecologic and personal disaster has already taken place.
In addition the European Union, the United Nations and 14 individual countries, like Sweden, are offering to help the U.S. clean up the mess in the Gulf of Mexico. The President has been in talks with the United Nations. The President just visited the Gulf area to see first had the disaster that will take years if not a decade to clean up. His slow response is abhorrible.
The little country of Sweden, has been offering to send three ships with the ability to skim 50 tons of oil per hour from the water’s surface with a capacity of 1000 tons. It could take a few weeks for the ships to get here. Swedish officials say the offer has been made and they’re just waiting for a request from Washington. These are very large oil skimming vessels that should have been mobilized a few weeks ago. Once the oil reaches the shoal waters of the panhandle, these large vessels will be useless.
In a country like the USA, that drills, transports and uses more oil than any other country in the world, why doesn’t the U.S. have the largest oil skimmers in the world. The money we pay in taxes is supposed to be used to educate, protect and defend all of us. There are HAZMAT response vehicles in many of our fire departments and emergency response teams. We are equipped to handle oil spills on the road. How come we are not equipped to handle them out at sea? If Sweden can afford to have ships like this on standby, why can’t we? Why haven’t we demanded all along that oil companies, with their enormous profits, keep a fleet of such ships on standby in the Gulf and anywhere there are offshore oil platforms?
When it was time for the Coast Guard to procure new vessels, they didn't think large oil skimmers or multi-purpose vessels were needed or were necessary for their needs. An oil skimmer doesn’t quite have the appeal of a slick, fast cutter armed with multiple weaponry. When the Coast Guard became part of the Department of Homeland Security, its mission focused more on coastal defense, patrol and drug interdiction, the emergency response for rescue and environmental protection suffered.
This is not just the fault of BP but on our government - people who we elected to watch out for these things. They said they depended on what the oil companies said - took their word without asking the simple questions. One question that could have prevented all of this that I would have asked: Let's see Mr. Oil Company - we have never drilled a well like this have we. Weell no Mr. Investigator we have not. - Do you know what issues you may run into Mr. Oil Company.- Not really Mr. Investigator, we never drilled this deep in the ocean before. - Well Mr. Oil company, what if something happens, what will you do, what plans are in place, what equipment do you have that can stop or plug this thing at these depths that has been tested? - Well Mr. Inspector - we don't really have an answer for that. - I SEE Mr. Oil company, Then I can not allow this to go forward until you can present to me facts with answers to my questions and proof that you have the technology to prevent or stop anything that may go wrong.
None of this was done. Shame on our government! We need to get the whole bunch out and vote in people who will look out for the American citizens, not people who line their pockets.
“The rules on what plans must be filed by exploration companies before drilling a well were relaxed in early 2008 by the Bush administration. Thereafter there was reportedly some confusion over whether the BP well qualified to be exempted, but that appears to be precisely what happened. If so, lawmakers in Washington are likely to target the Interior Department for falling down on its responsibilities and becoming too cozy with the oil giants. “I’m of the opinion that boosterism breeds complacency and complacency breeds disaster,” said Congressman Edward Markey. “That, in my opinion, is what happened.”‘ -The Independent
A report in the Washington Post in April of 2009, pointed to the MMS (US Minerals Management Service) giving BP a “categorical exclusion” from filing reports on what exactly it would do in the event of a blowout at the Deepwater Horizon. According to the Post, the MMS, in its infinite wisdom, concluded any blowout that might occur wouldn’t be bad enough to threaten coastal ecosystems. So why worry? Now we have blobs of oil are reportedly washing up on the white sand beaches of Alabama and all along the Louisiana coastline, killing hundreds of birds and other wildlife, ruining the eco system, threatening the mouth of the Mississippi River, putting people out of work and causing billions of dollars in damage.
So what do we have to say about all of this. Sure BP is at fault – they have taken the blame for this mess. But we can’t put this all on them, our government has failed us. In comparison to Katrina which was caused by nature – this is far bigger. We are not even sure if anyone can stop this leak right now. What if it can not be stopped? Will this be the end of us all, all our water contaminated a huge upset of the eco system? All because some simple questions were not asked or maybe even the answers ignored. This is serious people, we should all be worried and we should all be questioning all the people we have in office right now. Who is managing this mess – not the mess in the gulf – but the mess we have in government. This government is supposed to be Of the people and For the people. We as citizens need to get a grip on government. We need to get people who truly care about this country and the people who are citizens into office. The people we have in now both Democrats and Republicans including the office of the President have no clue and are all guilty of this mess. We as American citizens were dependent of the people in office to protect us from situations like this. Voice your opinion and vote for new people to replace all of them.
See the live feed here: BP Oil Leak Live
This is MY EXPLOSION OF THOUGHT!
In addition the European Union, the United Nations and 14 individual countries, like Sweden, are offering to help the U.S. clean up the mess in the Gulf of Mexico. The President has been in talks with the United Nations. The President just visited the Gulf area to see first had the disaster that will take years if not a decade to clean up. His slow response is abhorrible.
The little country of Sweden, has been offering to send three ships with the ability to skim 50 tons of oil per hour from the water’s surface with a capacity of 1000 tons. It could take a few weeks for the ships to get here. Swedish officials say the offer has been made and they’re just waiting for a request from Washington. These are very large oil skimming vessels that should have been mobilized a few weeks ago. Once the oil reaches the shoal waters of the panhandle, these large vessels will be useless.
In a country like the USA, that drills, transports and uses more oil than any other country in the world, why doesn’t the U.S. have the largest oil skimmers in the world. The money we pay in taxes is supposed to be used to educate, protect and defend all of us. There are HAZMAT response vehicles in many of our fire departments and emergency response teams. We are equipped to handle oil spills on the road. How come we are not equipped to handle them out at sea? If Sweden can afford to have ships like this on standby, why can’t we? Why haven’t we demanded all along that oil companies, with their enormous profits, keep a fleet of such ships on standby in the Gulf and anywhere there are offshore oil platforms?
When it was time for the Coast Guard to procure new vessels, they didn't think large oil skimmers or multi-purpose vessels were needed or were necessary for their needs. An oil skimmer doesn’t quite have the appeal of a slick, fast cutter armed with multiple weaponry. When the Coast Guard became part of the Department of Homeland Security, its mission focused more on coastal defense, patrol and drug interdiction, the emergency response for rescue and environmental protection suffered.
This is not just the fault of BP but on our government - people who we elected to watch out for these things. They said they depended on what the oil companies said - took their word without asking the simple questions. One question that could have prevented all of this that I would have asked: Let's see Mr. Oil Company - we have never drilled a well like this have we. Weell no Mr. Investigator we have not. - Do you know what issues you may run into Mr. Oil Company.- Not really Mr. Investigator, we never drilled this deep in the ocean before. - Well Mr. Oil company, what if something happens, what will you do, what plans are in place, what equipment do you have that can stop or plug this thing at these depths that has been tested? - Well Mr. Inspector - we don't really have an answer for that. - I SEE Mr. Oil company, Then I can not allow this to go forward until you can present to me facts with answers to my questions and proof that you have the technology to prevent or stop anything that may go wrong.
None of this was done. Shame on our government! We need to get the whole bunch out and vote in people who will look out for the American citizens, not people who line their pockets.
“The rules on what plans must be filed by exploration companies before drilling a well were relaxed in early 2008 by the Bush administration. Thereafter there was reportedly some confusion over whether the BP well qualified to be exempted, but that appears to be precisely what happened. If so, lawmakers in Washington are likely to target the Interior Department for falling down on its responsibilities and becoming too cozy with the oil giants. “I’m of the opinion that boosterism breeds complacency and complacency breeds disaster,” said Congressman Edward Markey. “That, in my opinion, is what happened.”‘ -The Independent
A report in the Washington Post in April of 2009, pointed to the MMS (US Minerals Management Service) giving BP a “categorical exclusion” from filing reports on what exactly it would do in the event of a blowout at the Deepwater Horizon. According to the Post, the MMS, in its infinite wisdom, concluded any blowout that might occur wouldn’t be bad enough to threaten coastal ecosystems. So why worry? Now we have blobs of oil are reportedly washing up on the white sand beaches of Alabama and all along the Louisiana coastline, killing hundreds of birds and other wildlife, ruining the eco system, threatening the mouth of the Mississippi River, putting people out of work and causing billions of dollars in damage.
So what do we have to say about all of this. Sure BP is at fault – they have taken the blame for this mess. But we can’t put this all on them, our government has failed us. In comparison to Katrina which was caused by nature – this is far bigger. We are not even sure if anyone can stop this leak right now. What if it can not be stopped? Will this be the end of us all, all our water contaminated a huge upset of the eco system? All because some simple questions were not asked or maybe even the answers ignored. This is serious people, we should all be worried and we should all be questioning all the people we have in office right now. Who is managing this mess – not the mess in the gulf – but the mess we have in government. This government is supposed to be Of the people and For the people. We as citizens need to get a grip on government. We need to get people who truly care about this country and the people who are citizens into office. The people we have in now both Democrats and Republicans including the office of the President have no clue and are all guilty of this mess. We as American citizens were dependent of the people in office to protect us from situations like this. Voice your opinion and vote for new people to replace all of them.
See the live feed here: BP Oil Leak Live
This is MY EXPLOSION OF THOUGHT!
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