"Cancel that SOS, mate. We've got it all under control."
Every day, I hear a few of the folks out there who still believe in Barack Obama say, "What is he supposed to do? He didn't cause the leak. He can't suck it up with a straw" (to borrow a line). Yet, I suspect that during Katrina, these same folks were damning George Bush for not saving the citizens of New Orleans-even as Coast Guard helicopters were lucking people off roof tops.
Here are a couple of things, Obama could have done in the early days of this disaster. First (on Day Three), he could have accepted the offer of the Dutch to sail ships into the Gulf with skimmers. (The Dutch know a thing or two about dealing with leaks, you know.) Yet astonishing, the State Department...
Yeah you!
.....politely declined the offer as well as other offers from several other nations. Basically, DOS said that they had it under control.
Besides, there was an obscure law from 1920 called the Jones Act, which essentially requires boats carrying goods in our waters to be built, owned and operated by American crews. Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia:
"The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 (P.L. 66-261) is a United States Federal statute that regulates maritime commerce in U.S. waters and between U.S. ports.
Section 27, also known as the Jones Act, deals with cabotage (i.e., coastal shipping) and requires that all goods transported by water between U.S. ports be carried in U.S.-flag ships, constructed in the United States, owned by U.S. citizens, and crewed by U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents. The purpose of the law is to support the U.S. merchant marine industry, but agricultural interests generally oppose it because, they contend, it raises the cost of shipping their goods, making them less competitive with foreign sources."
Of course, such a regulation could be waved by the President as George W Bush did during Hurricane Katrina when several nations pitched in to help.
And those miles of booms sitting in a Maine warehouse? Can't blame that one on BP, folks.
It reminds me of Katrina when firefighters and rescue personnel from all over the country were volunteering their services. Once accepted, they were sent to Atlanta for a training course on FEMA guidelines, etc-even getting classes on the history of FEMA and sexual harassment rules. Many gave up in disgust and went home. That wasn't Katrina's fault; that was the government's fault.
And in that vein, having a dozen government agencies down there in the Gulf tripping over each other stopping one effort after another due to their own regulations is only showing government incompetence.
10 comments:
I thought the most cogent criticism is that the navy should have prepared a team to detonate plastic explosives and bury the hole the first week. Never mind BP's attempts to stem the flow or capture the oil. They want to preserve their well for future use. To hell with them. Blow the damn thing up. I suspect the president was concerned that Michelle Bachmann would have been screaming about socialism and destruction of private property.
That's a new reason. It was Michelle Bachman's fault.
Michelle Bachman has neither the intelligence nor the physical capacity to cause a significant hazard -- she is limited to running her mouth in a totally incoherent fashion about it afterwards. It appears she ran for congress solely to give herself an exalted pulpit to do so, since she is utterly ineffectual at doing her job, governing, all that dull, mundane sort of thing. We're having a nice conversation about that at Alexandria right now:
http://aleksandreia.wordpress.com/2010/06/20/an-opening-for-the-taberna/
Siarlys,
If she is so dumb, why do the Dems fear her so much and devoting so many resources to getting rid of her?
Generally Gary, when a loud-mouthed advocate of everything you oppose is vulnerable, you try to take them out. Someone intelligent, coherent, capable, who is overwhelmingly respected in their district... you say oh well, and don't waste much campaign cash on running against them. Dumb Republicans are the ones that really have to go. But Lance has a point: dumb klutzes carrying a bag of hammers can do some damage. Ever watch the Three Stooges?
Dumb republicans have to go? How about dumb dems like Pelosi, Reid, Waters, Jackson-Lee, Clyburn, Grayson et al. (Ill stop here)?
Siarlys - brilliant use of running with my random metaphor.
Gary - just because there are dumb Dems, that doesn't suddenly make Bachmann any less idiotic.
And again, I suggest that you look up what she's had to say about gays. I know that you'd find it to be just as offensive as I do. (It's not simply opposition to same-sex marriage.)
Re: Bachman and gays, I'll check it out.
BTW: Did you know they hang gays in Iran? (It's the LAW (Koran)
I see you are now on Alexandria. Ah what's one more adversary over there? BTW, if you think I'm bad, check out some of Kim's comments about Jews.
Regarding Alexandria, I am hardly your opponent regarding your latest post.
Gary, I've been saying every chance I get that this is not a Democratic year, this is not a Republican year, this is an anti-incumbent year. I am blessed with a couple of incumbents I am fully committed to voting for, one in congress, one in the senate, but I am so glad our Democratic governor is NOT running for re-election, and I'd even consider voting for a Republican, if one worth voting for were offered, but none has stepped forward.
I am glad that David Obey is retiring -- not that I didn't rejoice to see him take Mel Laird's seat in 1969, but really, its time. I cheered to see Spector go down in the Democratic primary, and I'm not entirely unhappy to see Paul win the Republican primary, although I probably would vote for a Democrat in the fall, if I lived in Kentucky.
Most of those Dems you mention ought to go, but unfortunately, the Republicans running against them make them look worth putting up with. I've always said, there are a lot of decent, honest, thoughtful, capable Republicans out there... WHY AREN'T ANY OF THEM THE ONES RUNNING FOR OFFICE?
I think I saw a bumper sticker once: the people who are capable to straightening out the country are too busy teaching school. Right Lance?
Post a Comment