I find myself incredulous at the Republican response to Obama’s creation of a BP funded relief fund for their epic spill. Actually, incredulous may be an understatement. I’m raging really. Just how bad is the GOP (in its current form) for America? But that’s not even what I’m raging about. I’m raging about the fact that despite the increasingly obvious faults with that party, the magnitudes of morons in the US of A continue to keep it viable. There’s speculation that they may regain control of the house and senate in November. How is this possible? In the wake of an economic meltdown due, in part, to a lack of financial regulation, the GOP has a chance? In the wake of what will certainly become the worst environmental catastrophe in the history of the United States, very much due to a lack of regulation and the failure to enforce existing regulations the GOP has a chance? In the wake of Joe Barton apologizing to BP the GOP has a chance?
Michelle Bachman called it a “redistribution of wealth” fund. She went on to say BP should tell us “We’re not going to be chumps and we’re not going to be fleeced”. Really Michelle? This is the same woman who argued that carbon dioxide is a “natural” ingredient of our atmosphere and therefore carbon emissions are no big deal. I wouldn’t hire this idiot to shovel shit.
Rush Limbaugh said it will be a “slush fund”. He wanted to know “Who’s going to get this money? Union activists? Acorn people?” Yeah, that’s right fatso. Union activists and little people who live in trees are going to get the money. Screw the chumps on the Gulf Coast.
The chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a group of anal retentive douche bags, came out and said it was representative of the Obama administration being “hard at work exerting its brand of Chicago-style shakedown politics.” That’s right asshole. The administration is trying to insure some degree of accountability on the part of BP. Insiders tell me that while Tony Hayward was sailing off the coast of Great Britain, Michelle Obama was on a covert op kidnapping Tony’s grandmother and holding her in the White House’s basement torture chamber. She was heard screaming “don’t fuck with me you old bitch! I’ll pull your fucking finger nails out with my teeth! Yo Rahm. Pass me another ‘Chicago style’ brewski…. And shake it down baby!”
What the hell is wrong with America? How is it possible that GOP devotees don’t see the insanity of these statements? How is it possible that the party that preaches less government regulation has a viable chance at anything in the wake of the economic meltdown and the worst environmental catastrophe in the history of the United States? What am I missing? Am I the one who’s insane?
Getting back to Joe Barton out of Texas (because I’m REALLY incredulous over this one). He apologized to BP? Apologized? Huh? WTF? Apologized? As a nation, we should be standing hand in hand, condemning these bastards regardless of party affiliation. Apologized? Am I dreaming this shit or is it really happening?
You want to observe a difference between the GOP and the Democrats? Harkin back to the onset of the Iraqi war. When our Congressmen and women voted on the Iraq Resolution, 215 Republicans voted yes, 6 voted no, and 2 didn’t vote. On the left side of the House, 82 voted yes, 126 voted no, and one didn’t vote. One independent voted no. In the Senate, 48 Republicans voted yes, and one voted no. Among Democrats 29 voted yes and 21 voted no. Again, one independent voted no. What’s my point? Well, do you notice how Republicans band together?
Need another example. Look at the recently passed health bill. Not one single Republican Congressman or woman voted in favor of it. Not one. Hell, 34 Democrats voted against it but not one Republican voted for it. Notice a pattern here? Need I go on? Democrats vote on what’s in a bill. Republicans vote based on which party endorses the bill. It’s bull shit and I don’t understand why more Americans don’t see it. There had to be Republicans in the general population that didn’t condemn the bill. Why NONE in Congress?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I’m not that far left! I’ve voted for Republicans in the past. I have some right leaning views on immigration, law enforcement, gun control, the “Muslim question”, and several other issues. But in all things, I believe the well being of America should be a priority and when I see party line votes (be they left or right) I don’t like it.
The ignorance I see coming out of the GOP is staggering. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer was quoted saying that most of the illegal immigrants coming here from Mexico are smuggling drugs. "Well, we all know that the majority of the people that are coming to Arizona and trespassing are now becoming drug mules. They're coming across our borders in huge numbers. The drug cartels have taken control of the immigration. So they are criminals. They're breaking the law when they are trespassing and they're criminals when they pack the marijuana and the drugs on their backs." This woman is a fucking governor? Who elected her? How stupid do you have to be to vote for someone so stupid?
Anyone with specific knowledge on the demographics of illegal immigration from Mexico, including representatives of the Border Patrol has stated this isn’t true. But the idiot from Arizona has repeatedly stuck to her guns. "The simple truth is that the majority of human smuggling in our state is under the direction of the drug cartels, which are by definition smuggling drugs. It is common knowledge that Mexican drug cartels have merged human smuggling with drug trafficking." In the interest of brevity, I won’t get into numbers but ask yourselves this. Why do people come here from Mexico? What do they do when they get here? Would they, en masse, do something that greatly increases the odds that their quest for a better life will be futile? Besides, just thinking in terms of volume the position is ludicrous. Yet she sticks to it. Incredible really don’t you think?
So, I’m beginning to feel like the kid in “The Emperor’s New Clothes”. Listen up people. The GOP is not wearing a nice new suit. They’re naked. Please, don’t lower yourselves to that level. The only way they will change is through your votes. It’s a shame really. I mean some of their dogma has merit. But they’ve made such complete ass holes out of themselves that until they clean it up, no one should care. Vote for the Democrats and the Independents. Send a message for crying out loud.
Peace,
Common Sense
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
BP=Big Profits=Big Problem
It’s been awhile since I posted because I have been quite busy with other things. Extremely busy as a matter of fact. But I can’t stay silent on this oil spill any longer. I’m far beyond outraged. Outraged is a tiny speck in my rear view mirror. Clean up of this fucking mess will take YEARS and YEARS and YEARS. BP is a joke. I read with interest a recent article focused on the opinions of Scott West, a former investigator for the EPA. Mr. West retired in 2008 after 18 years of service and insists that throughout his tenure he repeatedly saw BP “skirt the law and cut corners”. In fact, he specifically states that the current crisis was “a disaster waiting to happen” and that BP is, in his opinion, a “serial environmental criminal”. How’s this for a quote? “"If I was still on the job and had the area of the gulf, the day I heard this I would've started a criminal investigation just because of the fact that it was BP. If it was Shell or anyone else, I would've monitored it. But the fact that it's BP, I would have assumed it's criminal and started an investigation before evidence disappeared."
If that isn’t enough, in 1999 BP was convicted of dumping hazardous waste on Alaska’s North Slope. I took the following directly from the EPA’s website. “BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc., or “BPXA,” admitted in U.S. District Court in Anchorage that it failed to immediately notify authorities of a release of hazardous substances to the environment, and it agreed to pay the maximum criminal fine of $500,000. As part of the plea agreement, BPXA also admitted that it failed to provide adequate oversight, audits and funding to ensure proper environmental management on Endicott Island, Alaska.” They injected a bunch of very nasty stuff into an old oil well. Here’s a link to the page. There are several things in there that should make you sick.
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/016bcfb1deb9fecd85256aca005d74df/5d61856989631e20852567f6004bbbff?OpenDocument
Moving on, 6 years after the conviction Mr. West gathered intelligence from BP employees regarding a burst pipeline in Alaska. According to them they had registered complaints about the faulty pipe and were told to ignore it! Apparently, if you know about a “condition” prior to it becoming a “problem “ that constitutes a felony. Here’s the kicker… the Department of Justice shut down his probe of the incident before he could take it anywhere! Hmmm…. Whose Department of Justice was this? Why it was THE MORON’s DOJ. What a shock. BP dumps a bunch of oil in the wilderness of Alaska and THE MORON doesn’t want to prosecute. I’m shocked, how about you?
Prior to that, in 2005 there was a fatal explosion at a Texas refinery that can also be pinned on BP. Rather than boring you with all the details, why don’t you just Google BP screw ups and see for yourself. This company needs to be held accountable. And we can’t be talking about $500,000 fines for a company that operates in “billion dollar land”. It’s time to get serious.
If you continue to dig into this what you will find is there are “whistle blowers” out there who have been yelling about BP’s disregard for safety protocol and they have been yelling for awhile. One in particular raised concerns about this particular well's lack of paperwork and documentation. It appears to me that BP’s attitude has been one of minimizing expenses, regardless of risk, and if the shit hits the fan so what? Billions have been made and will continue to be made because hey, BP is bullet proof.
Eric Holder has stated a criminal probe has begun. Mr. West says that’s not likely as no one is hearing about subpoenas, task forces, or FBI visits. His take is that something very big is at work to keep these things covered up. Let’s hope the Obama administration breaks that shit down pronto. We need to raise hell and insist that a criminal investigation moves forward.
Remember when the second dumbest member of the GOP was chanting “drill baby drill”? I remember having a debate around that with that online forum I’ve mentioned repeatedly (see previous posts). One of the conservatives was insistent that it was the only way to cut off our dependency on foreign oil. I said no, alternative energy sources were the answer. As the debate heated up I pointed out that when the disaster occurred my only hope was that it was HIS beachfront property in the path of the spill. The guy doesn’t own beachfront property. But when I sent out a query about his thoughts, now that the disaster had occurred, it was met with dead silence.
And speaking of the second dumbest member of the GOP... do you know what her take on this is? It’s the environmentalists fault. That’s right. If the environmentalists hadn’t pitched a fit we would be drilling in shallower and safer waters and this never would have happened (I can not for the life of me comprehend how someone so stupid can garner that much positive attention). Never mind BP’s track record. Never mind their blatant disregard for safety and accountability. Apparently if they had been drilling in safer waters they would have had a change of heart and put safety in front of profits.
So, where am I going with all of this? Glad you asked. For all you conservatives out there who insist government is too intrusive and needs to stay out of our business, I say “why don’t you just go give yourselves a royal fucking?” It seems to me if government had been MORE involved in the oversight of this industry then perhaps we wouldn’t be looking at photographs of chocolate coated pelicans. The entire coast of Louisiana wouldn’t be looking at economic ruin. Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida wouldn’t be thinking “we’re next”. As I said, we will be dealing with the effects of this disaster for YEARS. And the thing that pisses me off the most is the possibility that BP will still be a profitable business going forward. When you conservatives are done fucking yourselves, go fuck BP.
Peace,
Common Sense
If that isn’t enough, in 1999 BP was convicted of dumping hazardous waste on Alaska’s North Slope. I took the following directly from the EPA’s website. “BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc., or “BPXA,” admitted in U.S. District Court in Anchorage that it failed to immediately notify authorities of a release of hazardous substances to the environment, and it agreed to pay the maximum criminal fine of $500,000. As part of the plea agreement, BPXA also admitted that it failed to provide adequate oversight, audits and funding to ensure proper environmental management on Endicott Island, Alaska.” They injected a bunch of very nasty stuff into an old oil well. Here’s a link to the page. There are several things in there that should make you sick.
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/016bcfb1deb9fecd85256aca005d74df/5d61856989631e20852567f6004bbbff?OpenDocument
Moving on, 6 years after the conviction Mr. West gathered intelligence from BP employees regarding a burst pipeline in Alaska. According to them they had registered complaints about the faulty pipe and were told to ignore it! Apparently, if you know about a “condition” prior to it becoming a “problem “ that constitutes a felony. Here’s the kicker… the Department of Justice shut down his probe of the incident before he could take it anywhere! Hmmm…. Whose Department of Justice was this? Why it was THE MORON’s DOJ. What a shock. BP dumps a bunch of oil in the wilderness of Alaska and THE MORON doesn’t want to prosecute. I’m shocked, how about you?
Prior to that, in 2005 there was a fatal explosion at a Texas refinery that can also be pinned on BP. Rather than boring you with all the details, why don’t you just Google BP screw ups and see for yourself. This company needs to be held accountable. And we can’t be talking about $500,000 fines for a company that operates in “billion dollar land”. It’s time to get serious.
If you continue to dig into this what you will find is there are “whistle blowers” out there who have been yelling about BP’s disregard for safety protocol and they have been yelling for awhile. One in particular raised concerns about this particular well's lack of paperwork and documentation. It appears to me that BP’s attitude has been one of minimizing expenses, regardless of risk, and if the shit hits the fan so what? Billions have been made and will continue to be made because hey, BP is bullet proof.
Eric Holder has stated a criminal probe has begun. Mr. West says that’s not likely as no one is hearing about subpoenas, task forces, or FBI visits. His take is that something very big is at work to keep these things covered up. Let’s hope the Obama administration breaks that shit down pronto. We need to raise hell and insist that a criminal investigation moves forward.
Remember when the second dumbest member of the GOP was chanting “drill baby drill”? I remember having a debate around that with that online forum I’ve mentioned repeatedly (see previous posts). One of the conservatives was insistent that it was the only way to cut off our dependency on foreign oil. I said no, alternative energy sources were the answer. As the debate heated up I pointed out that when the disaster occurred my only hope was that it was HIS beachfront property in the path of the spill. The guy doesn’t own beachfront property. But when I sent out a query about his thoughts, now that the disaster had occurred, it was met with dead silence.
And speaking of the second dumbest member of the GOP... do you know what her take on this is? It’s the environmentalists fault. That’s right. If the environmentalists hadn’t pitched a fit we would be drilling in shallower and safer waters and this never would have happened (I can not for the life of me comprehend how someone so stupid can garner that much positive attention). Never mind BP’s track record. Never mind their blatant disregard for safety and accountability. Apparently if they had been drilling in safer waters they would have had a change of heart and put safety in front of profits.
So, where am I going with all of this? Glad you asked. For all you conservatives out there who insist government is too intrusive and needs to stay out of our business, I say “why don’t you just go give yourselves a royal fucking?” It seems to me if government had been MORE involved in the oversight of this industry then perhaps we wouldn’t be looking at photographs of chocolate coated pelicans. The entire coast of Louisiana wouldn’t be looking at economic ruin. Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida wouldn’t be thinking “we’re next”. As I said, we will be dealing with the effects of this disaster for YEARS. And the thing that pisses me off the most is the possibility that BP will still be a profitable business going forward. When you conservatives are done fucking yourselves, go fuck BP.
Peace,
Common Sense
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
