Monday, May 31, 2010

On Memorial Day 2010, my Father, age 79 stated, "As a Korean War Veteran...

... I am disappointed in the loss of security experienced by South Korea.  Why is it in may older years I am still worried about my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildern?  Is my final wish going to be to have God bless my family as I could not secure their futures for them?

I watched Bush make a mockery of my sacrifice as North Korea began their nuclear program all over again and now the world has lost the security of our sacrifice completely."

In the year 2010, the USA has more domestic security issues than ever before in its history.  We have drug lords in Afghanistan dominating the efforts to bring security there, we have drug lords in Mexico attempting to bring war within the USA, we have greed merchants destroying our economy and now the work of generations of Americans along the Gulf Coast is being destroyed.  When does this hideousness end?

My father's sister, who was visiting stated (A woman that has a devoted Christian life all her life and two years older than he.), "I have never seen this country in such a poor state of morality.  They call themselves Christians these days, they talk about practicing a moral life, but, these same people don't recognize sin.  They don't practice any morality in their dealings with the economy, with protections for the heritage of our children and they seek to exploit good people and leave devastation in their wake.  In the USA, we are suppose to work a good job and not trivialize our importance in our work, but, today there is no respect for loyalty and there no regard for the love of our citizens for their country.  What has happened to our country?  What has happened to the sacrifices of generations?  How could this level of sinfulness have pervaded our culture to destroy all of our decency?"

Two very good Americans are looking at their 'aged years' in skepticism to the security of the families they leave behind.  THAT is a reality in my family on Memorial Day 2010.  It isn't good. 

I want to know what kind of sacriledge everyone thinks they can take license with in criticizing the President for wanting to honor the dead at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetary today?

Was it the fact that the dead at Lincoln National Cemetary were all known, is that the issue?  Or.  Is it that the dead at Arlington carry more clout than everyone else who gave their lives in service to this country?

 













This is Vice President Biden on Memorial Day 2010.


















This was President Obama in 2009 on Memorial Day placing the wreath on the tomb of the unknown..

Sunday, May 30, 2010

It is vastly obvious the petroleum industry does not have ANY answers for a rupture at this depth.

There is no research to back up any of the methods currently being employed by the petroleum industry in regard the Gulf oil rupture.

It is up to the USA military to solve this problem.

I really don't see any excuse for the military's inability.

NONE !

See suggestion below.

To encourage offshore drilling on any coast of the USA is grossly negligent of the Public Trust.

The USA needs it fisheries.  The Petroleum COMPLETELY neglected its responsibility, without exception of ANY company / corporation.

The USA military has no way to respond to close a drill hole once it is established.

The Petroleum Industry has no method to close a drill hole at 'depth' once it is established.

The repercussions of this inability to control an oil rupture is counter productive to the USA national security. 

We'll be lucky to close the drill hole in the Gulf at all and salvage the biotic content of the Gulf.

President Obama is committed.  The Gulf States should have had an emergency procedure for such an occurrence along their coast. READY TO GO, with all necessary endorsements from the federal government, so Homeland Security could immediately deploy measure that may have been necessary.

This lack of organization is no different than the poor response to Katrina that caused the deads of over a thousand people.  Mayor Nagin was the only person 'at the ready' and the best defense the people of New Orlean's Ninth District had was to hack through the roof of their homes and many did. 

THAT was the only immediate measure available to the citizens of New Orleans.  This is no different.  The lack of preparedness started long before January 20, 2009.  Currently, chasing every aspect of protections of this disaster is all the Coast Guard, NOAA and NASA can do to attempt to stem the damage locally and globally.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

The 'Word Smiths' of the Right Wing simply can't come to terms with what the Gulf disaster actually is about.

The President didn't have to cross into a disaster area and handle, bare handedly, cancer causing agents.  Or expose his lungs to damaging chemicals.  But he did and he did it because he wanted to instill commitment by the nation to the people of Lousiana. 

The unfortunate truth is, in recent times, the USA has not had a President that loves the people of this country as President Obama does on a daily basis.  His administration has acted admirably and in the best methods possible since this began, even with errors that may have occurred.  Never, did anyone involved with this disater believe we would be at Day 40 and still have a leaking rupture.

I still believe the use of the oil dispersant needs to come to an end.  The waters of the Gulf of finite in the ability to 'dilute' the chemicals and prevent permanent environmental damage.

I believe BP has some interesting decisions to make.  It would be wrong to state their 'top fill' operation was a complete failure.  I do not believe that.  I do believe communication between the military leadership and BP operators in Lousiana and abroad needs to be better, but, I do not believe the recent operations were ineffective at all.

The supposed 'next step' in trying to place an appartus over the well again, as was their first failed attempt, needs to be prudently.  I would estimate the 'top fill' being successful for now and STOPPING the leaking methane would be the best time to attempt placement again.  However, if the methane starts to return to the surface of the sea floor they will still have problems with the methane ice again.  Those dynamics haven't changed.  If continuing the 'top fill' procedures continues to 'contain' the oil and methane, it would be far more prudent to continue it UNLESS there is research somewhere that states, the 'top fill' procedure loses 'capacity' to success as time goes by.  In other words, the 'physics' of 'density' changes as the oil and methane start to change with 'mixing' and then the density no longer is greater above the oil and gas vat but more or less 'neutral' in its mixing.

That has been my only worry with prolonged use of mud.  Mixiing.  If the mud, gas and oil mix and become homogenous there runs the 'chance / danger' the 'homogenous mixture' becomes mute to its purpose and the dynamics will reverse simply because the 'mixture' provides higher dynamics to the oil and methane than without the mixing.  But, if mixing is not an issue and the mud being pumped into the pipe remains dominant in its vicosity and weight over the pressure from the vat then the concern is for not.

With that, I thank President Obama for his dedication to the 'people' of this nation.  It exceeds that of any modern day leadership in the USA.  I admire his confidence in the 'new Green Economy' and a movement in the USA to alternative energies and fuel sources.  This 'event' states more clearly how much the USA needs new direction and take back its prominence as a world leader in a movement away from fossil fuels and the dangers that accompany them in an ever shrinking world.

I am grateful.

One has to question the motives of Louisiana Parish Presidents that were ranting about 'the presence' of the President.

Now, with new demands for 'influence' in regard to offshore drilling, the 'angry' bunch in Louisiana are sounding more like political opportunists than  concerned Parish officials.

A Gulf Coast official is pleading (click title to entry - thank you) with President Barack Obama to scrap the moratorium on new oil drilling and exploration as the investigation of the massive oil spill continues, saying the economic impact to her Louisiana parish would be too much to bear....


It doesn't get more 'histrionic' than this and leave it to cable to try to 'influence peddle' along with 'poor and desperate' Louisiana politicians.  This goes to prove how manipulative the political atmosphere in the USA has become.  It appears more and more that people cyring for help are trying to exploit the nation's emergency for their own agenda then sincerely care about the people most effected by BP's 'PRACTICES.'

At this point, I believe the White House needs to assess the 'political strategy' behind the 'crying' before pandering to the outcome of those too 'fearful' of the future to make good decisions.  I find this appaulingly overt in its purpose.  The Parish officials haven't learned how deadly and economically devastating 'poor practices' are?  They haven't learned yet?

This proves conclusively now corrupt the practices of the politics are, along the Gulf Coast and Southeast USA.  Wall Street first, small business owners dead last.  We were here once before.  As I said then, I repeat now, in many ways the tragedy that has effected Louisiana was deserved for as poor a value system as they have.

It is the impact on the rest of the nation that is grossly unfair.  We are again going to have to pay the bill for corrupt Wall Street influence.

And Cable news simply can't stay away from the 'political pandering' to advocates for Wall Street at any cost.  They pander to the outrage no matter the form it takes with the intent of exploiting it for ITS own purposes.

When will the USA ever be safe from its propagandists again?

Everywhere one looks in the USA today, there is ruthlessness rather than 'reason.'

It looks as though Gaza is closed due to weapons concerns. That is the issue, isn't it? This isn't the West Bank, this is where Hamas dominates policy.

Israel should still consider delivery of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.  They are not promoting weapons production, but, simply caring about the well being of the people there.  I am sure the flotilla comes at recognizing peril may exist in their efforts to provide aid to the people there.  



I would hate to think these strategic motives by Israel were promoted by the arrival of a 'statement' by people that see compassion before war as a priority.



IDF bombs targets in Gaza


Army says strike on tunnel, weapons-production sites response to foiled terror attack, Qassam fire
Ynet and AFP
Published: 05.29.10, 09:08 / Israel News

Air Force jets bombed weapons-production sites in the northern Gaza Strip overnight Friday, as well as a smuggling tunnel in the south.
The IDF Spokesperson's Office explained the bombing of the tunnel was intended to prevent terrorists from infiltrating Israel...

These are unarmed people and they are going to humiliate any aggressive response by Israel. Knock it off.

The Turkish ferry Mavi Marmara is one of the eight boats expected to set sail for Gaza in the next few days. Photograph: Reuters

The medical supplies are needed in Gaza as well as any expertise to help the people there.  This is outrageous.  Israel needs to escort them to safe passage rather than make a mockery of the incident.

Everything on these boats are of known capacity and origin.  There is no reason for any aggression by Israel.  Israel should be facilitating their safe arrival.  There is no war, there is no anything.

There is absolutely no weapon capacity by these people and they are not facilitating any aggression against Israel.  Any violation of any maritime law is hideous for the purpose of their venture.  Absolutely no harm can come to these boats and their occupants.

Israel vows to halt flotilla aiming to break blockade

By Donald Macintyre in Jerusalem
Saturday, 29 May 2010

Israeli warships were yesterday on full alert in the Mediterranean to prevent an eight-vessel flotilla carrying hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists and an estimated 10,000 tons of humanitarian supplies reaching the coast of Gaza.
Naval vessels were expected to confront the flotilla of cargo and passenger ships later today with the intention of diverting it to the Israeli port of Ashdod and away from its intended destination of Hamas-controlled Gaza.
The flotilla is the largest attempt yet to circumvent the three-year-old Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.
While the Israeli authorities have indicated they want to minimise the risk of violence, Israeli media reported yesterday that they are prepared to take over the vessels by force if they ignore warnings not to cross from international waters into a 20 mile exclusion zone enforced by Israel along Gaza's coast.... 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-vows-to-halt-flotilla-aiming-to-break-blockade-1986213.html

Their success has been realized by the opening of the highway in the West Bank.  If that happened years ago none of this would have occurred.  These ships intend no harm to anyone.  They are expected arriving in anticipation by the people of Gaza.  Israel would be foolish to allow any disruption of their mission.


Israel highway reopens with restrictions

Published: May 28, 2010 at 7:17 PM
JERUSALEM, May 28 (UPI) -- A major highway in Israel, running through the West Bank and closed to Palestinian traffic since 2002, has been partly reopened, authorities say.
The Israeli military banned Palestinian cars from the route in 2002 after shooting attacks killed six Israeli motorists, but Israel's Supreme Court ruled in 2009 the closure was illegal, the BBC reported Friday.
Highway 443, built in the 1980s, is a major four-lane route between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem with an estimated 40,000 Israeli drivers using the highway daily....

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/International/2010/05/28/Israel-highway-reopens-with-restrictions/UPI-13681275088624/

Incredible in roads to peace in the Middle East is being achieved by the Obama Administration, there should be no resistance to it and any aggression by Israel is counter to the path being pursued by all the other countries in the area.

189 Nations Reaffirm Goal of Ban on Nuclear Weapons

By NEIL MacFARQUHAR

Published: May 28, 2010

UNITED NATIONS — Hard-fought negotiations over the future of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty ended here on Friday with 189 nations reaffirming their commitment to eliminating all nuclear weapons and setting a new 2012 deadline for holding a regional conference to eliminate unconventional weapons from the Middle East....

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/29/world/middleeast/29nuke.html

Israel does not have to worry about anything but an apology from the World Council of Churches, it has the USA as an ally and it always has.  Israel needs to rise to the occasion and realize ignorance when it confronts it.  Symbolism means something.

Confronting the flotilla is not the answer.  This is a PR stunt and Israel is feeding the fear intended to defame it.


The short sightedness SHOULD belong to the Christians.  

What an act of 'superiority' for 62 years !

Israel needs to provide safe passage to these humanitarian efforts, it has nothing to fear.  Israel can provide supervision to the visiting flotilla and escort is safely back out to safe waters after the delivery of supplies takes place and medical care is assured.

There is a 'place' for the Israeli military in this and that is one of protector of the people in the flotilla and the people of Gaza and Israel. 

Fri, May. 28 2010 03:51 PM EDT

Jewish Group Condemns WCC 'Anti-Israel' Peace Week

By Ethan Cole
Christian Post Reporter
A Jewish human rights organization denounced an upcoming World Council of Churches’ peace event as “blatantly anti-Israel.”
The Simon Wiesenthal Center was referring to the World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel, which begins Saturday and will run until June 4. Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the center, accused the WCC of never standing up for Israel in the 62 years of its existence but being “fixated” on the plight of Palestinians.
“It (WCC) never issued a single response to Arab attempts to annihilate it (Israel), to drive the Jews into the sea, to mass murder Jews at prayer through suicide bombings,” said Cooper. “It is remarkably fixated on the single democracy in the Middle East, while it cannot find its voice in countries that criminalize the practice of Christianity and tolerate the murder of Christians.”...

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100528/jewish-group-condemns-wcc-anti-israel-peace-week/


Friday, May 28, 2010

It also seems farily obvious to me, from the testimony, that BP is very autocratic based on 'fiscal strategy.'

What do I mean by that?

The testimony to date has revealed a 'crew' in 'observation' of the dynamics of the rig and its drilling into Earth.  The vat in the case of the Deepwater Horizon is over 3 miles below the surface of the ocean floor which is one mile below the sea surface. 

Drilling that deep in to the crust of Earth can be interesting, but, also very dangerous.  A single jointed metal structure 4 miles long gets respect from the people that are working around it.  So, it seemed to me the crew and their supervisors were very 'in tune' to the way the drilling was proceeding.

When they decided to call off the continuation of the drilling, it was the right thing to do based on their observations and sensitivity to the work environment.

The danger became worse when BP demanded they proceed to 'maintain a schedule.'  I have no doubt (and that is testimony or records we may never see without formal proceedings) that schedule was based upon 'fiscal ambitions' at BP with top decision makers.

It was still up to TransOcean to simply state "NO" to BP, which they didn't do.

But, it was the autocratic, probably predetermined decisions, that caused this entire calamity.

A decision tree, if you will.

It is why the workmen / women need to have contact with higher authority to relay 'facts' to 'adversity' when 'decision tree - autocratic' mechanisms are at work that do not react to 'conditions on the ground.' 

The industry has problems.  Lots of them.  From working conditions to what they are calling 'good enough research' to proceed with deep water exploration and drilling. 

If the petroleum industry was up to actually running deep water drilling well, there would be 'evidence' to that effect and not just 'dumb luck' that it hasn't happened elsewhere.

I sincerely believe it is the conditions of the oil and methane that will prove to be the underlying cause to the explosion contributed by 'lax standards.'  

This was 'exploration.'  There should have been complete control by Transocean and the Deepwater Horizon as they knew the 'conditions' on an 'exploration' contract.

If keeping the oil out of the Gulf means continual pumping of mud into the well until a relief well is dug, then it should continue .



I prefer to blow the lousy thing up, but, if this is the methodology that works best in the opinion of OTHERS, MUD (providing we know what is in the mud) is better than oil coming out of that hole. 


BP may have found a way of 'containing' the mess until a permanent fix can be made. 
WASHINGTON - The flow of oil from the broken well (click title to entry - thank you) in the Gulf of Mexico has stopped, the Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen  claimed Friday, but BP warned it would be a further 48 hours before it was known whether the "top kill" procedure had been successful....


The discharge from the 'top fill' will have to be analyzed to realize what could in the water column that might still be harmful, but, even if the 'plug' isn't complete, the steady stream of mud might be the answer for now.   

And to be completely honest, I am very worried about the vat that caused eleven deaths in the first place.  I sincerely believe there are real dangers affiliated with the high methane content when it is taped into again.  

As much as BP might want to pump that vat, the relief wells should be focused on shutting down the damaged well site.


I really believe that vat of oil and methane is a dangerous combination.  So, that is why closing the well head by disrupting the pipe to the vat seems like a far better solution.


Not for me to say, I guess.  

It is prudent at this point, to review the testimony of the eyewitnesses before Congress.  They will give real clues to the danger of the 'gas pressure' within that vat.  The 'pieces' of 'seal' that worried the Deepwater Horizon crew that proved to be fatal, might have been damaged by the pressure from the methane and then a release of it simply ignited it when it came in contact with oxygen.


I really think we are playing with fire and a whole lot of pressure within that vat.  The oil and methane was just 'jetting' out of that rupture at about a 50/50 mixture.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with adding 'perks' to a House members position to keep him in a seat he may be disenchanted with.

He should have luck in running for Senate and if Sestak is playing up the rhetoric surrounding this issue, it is because he is trying to enamor himself with an image that will win him a Senate seat.

For all Bill Clinton knew, it was what he wanted and simply asked if that would change his idea of leaving the House for the Senate.
Sorry, the Right Wing Media screws up again.

It is about that time of year, right?  Last year it was the Health Care Bill and how there were 'Death Panels.'  This year it is about Sestak and his ambition beyond anything the Democratic Party could satisfy him with.

Same old lies from the Right Wing.  I am sure no such activity ever took place with Bush and Cheney.

Sure.

End of discussion.

...The report of the exchanges by Bauer (click title to entry - thank you) concluded that nothing improper had taken place and that "allegations of improper conduct rest on factual errors and lack a basis in the law."
Bauer found that, contrary to allegations by many conservative pundits, Sestak had not been offered the position of Secretary of the Navy. Bauer concluded that discussions about "alternatives" to a Senate campaign by Sestake were proper...

I am sure Rahm was being his usual self and stated, "Bill, will you please talk to this guy and see what his problem is with his move to run for Senate.  Maybe he needs more of a challenge in the House or something."

Thanks, Rahm, we all really needed that.

This has been the time honored harassment by the Petroleum Industry of governments everywhere.

There is no form of employment the petroleum industry can offer that is actually worth the environmental risk.

When are the leaders to this industry going to get it through their heads that their industry has destroyed an entire coastline economy, killed citizens and still has an unstable set of circumstances in the Gulf of Mexico that is imperiling the entire global ocean circulation and food sources of an entire planet.


He also blocked planned drilling in Arctic waters this summer and canceled long-planned sales of leases in the western Gulf of Mexico and a tract 50 miles off Virginia's coast. At the same time, Obama lifted a ban on new drilling in shallow waters, where generally less than 500 feet separate the seabed and surface.
“I continue to believe that domestic oil production is important, but I also believe that we can't do this stuff if we don't have confidence that we can prevent crises like this from happening again,” the president said during a White House news conference. “It's going to take some time for the experts to make those determinations.”

We don't want what they are selling and whining about ANYMORE.


There are families and communities that have their economies completely destroyed and somehow the pathetic jobs they offer to the citizens of the USA are suppose to outweigh the damage their industry is causing and has caused.


Not very smart are they?

Drill suspension sparks economy fears

By Ed Crooks in London
Published: May 28 2010 02:30 | Last updated: May 28 2010 02:30

President Obama’s decision to suspend all offshore oil and gas drilling, even for wells that are already under way, would create a “moratorium on economic growth and job creation”, the industry association warned on Thursday.
The waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic are the most promising regions in the US for oil development. They are the focus both for companies hoping to grow in a country that is much more welcoming to private sector investment than most oil-rich nations, and for American hopes of raising domestic production to curb dependence on foreign imports.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0475065a-69ea-11df-a978-00144feab49a.html


I suppose stocks will go down.


Should have thought about that before.  The petroleum industry is grossly negligent in their practices and offer nothing to the world in the way of a 'valuable product.'  Why would any rational government want to continue in this manner?  The Petroleum Industry is incapable of 'sound science' and completely incapable of 'self regulation' and 'decent values.'  


We simply just don't want it anymore.


There is not a company on Earth that has not been guilty of grossly endangering human life and well being including the masacres in Nigeria, the cancer deaths in Ecuador and the chronic issues of oil spills.


The Petroleum industry has never been self regulating, has woven the NEED for hydrocarbons intricately into the lives of the people of this planet and it is time to end it.


RUTHLESS is only the beginning of the names of this industry.


WHAT  PART   DON'T  YOU  GET  ???

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Secretary Jackson needs to tell her buddies at BP to completely STOP the chemical dispersants.

If there is any flaw in the response by the Obama Administration it is the PROLONGED use of the quantities of the chemical dispersant used by BP to attempt to stop the oil from surfacing.

It didn't at all work and Ms. Jackson can redeem herself somewhat by auditing these chemicals, how they are used and determining IF any dispersant is prudent, which is best, the volume that is appropriate PER BARREL OF OIL and then rule on the 'brand' that is acceptable for use within the USA borders.  

If at all.

The most disturbing reality of oil dispersants is the way in which it could enter global ocean circulation and disrupt fisheries.  It might be better to not use them at all considering they allow oil to exist in the entire water column, especially, in the shallows of corral reefs.  Single celled organisms that are absolutely vital to these invaluable carbon sinks.

The phytoplankton of the oceans have to be taken into account.  They live within the top 30 feet of ocean circulations and they don't have a chance against these chemicals.  I remind phytoplankton and algae in the ocean supply 60% of the breathable oxygen of Earth.  This is NO MINOR MATTER.

I believe the subject needs more intense review and it is my hopes Secretary Jackson embarks on exactly that.  

The reality of these dispersants is that coastal fisheries might have to take the heaviest hit in order to protect the ocean and coral phytoplankton.

Micro managing an emergency is NOT the responsibility of the President of the USA

This is an issue of the Governor of Louisiana.  He has no emergency response in place to act in a manner with the leaders of his communities to make a difference.  This 'frustration' and that of residents such as Mary Matalin and James Carville, with the federal response to the local response effort has to be directed where it belongs and it is on the shoulders of the REPUBLICAN Governor.  Stop gaming this emergency. 

Venice, Louisiana -- Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser on Wednesday blasted the federal government's response to the oil spill that has fouled more than 100 miles of the state's coast, and called for its point man to step aside.
"Thad Allen should resign," Nungesser told CNN, referring to the U.S. Coast Guard admiral who has been leading the government's effort. "He's done absolutely nothing. He's an embarrassment to this country."
Nungesser, who had just completed a tour of the stricken area, bemoaned what he had seen. "The same oil that's been out there two weeks ago is still out there, and nothing is being done," he said. "The marsh is dying. It's dead."...

 There was absolutely nothing in place in Louisiana except a means to bring money to its treasury from the offshore drilling.  I sincerely doubt Jindal EVER gave a thought to any emergency occurring.  His 'tweeter' account is showing him exactly what a lousy Governor he is.  Isn't that too bad.

President Obama never had a, "Good Job, Brownie' day since this started.  I don't believe BP should have been given the lead, but, in reality the USA military had 'no clue' how to handle this and they refused to destroy the oil well.

People are complaining about pelicans eating dead fish as if there is something President Obama is suppose to do with every dead fish.  He didn't do this !  

Let's get one thing straight, this is a REPUBLICAN mess from beginning to end that HAPPENED to arrive during the Obama Presidency.  

TOO BAD.  When are the Republicans going to 'step up' and 'take responsibility' for some of the loosest and lousiest policies in the history of the country?  

Wait, let me guess, Never.  The blame game stated with the hearing of BP, Transocean and Halliburton, but, the political circus with Republicans is just as disgusting.



I do believe Senator Bill Nelson proudly stated, "Florida refused to have off shore drilling this close to its shorelines."  I'll be darn.

The reason President Obama's 'response' is a TARGET is because the Republicans are attempting to divert their idiocy of THIRTY years of loose and fast policy.

I don't want to hear about the cost of this to the people of the region, if the Republicans can run an illegal war with SUBSIDIES of $86 billion to Iraq in cold hard cash on a flight to Baghdad, the people of the USA should receive that and MORE.

The policies of George Walker Bush, Richard Cheney and every indulgent Republican along the way are directly responsible for this entire disaster, no different than the banking collapse.  

Give me a break !

A hotline needs to be established for employees of the petroleum industry.

Sara Stone cries as her husband Stephen Stone, a Transocean, Ltd., employee and survivor of the Deepwater Horizon explosion, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington Thursday about the night that led to the BP oil spill. He told the hearing that he went back into his collapsed quarters on the night of the accident for his life jacket, shoes, and wedding ring.
Cliff Owen/AP

At his own professional peril, Mr. Stephen Stone made testimony regarding the dangers on the Deepwater Horizon.

I am quite confident he lost friends from the explosion and fire.  I am also confident his spouse is grateful he is alive.

But, he was there.  He knows the truth as he understands it and working for petroleum companies are inherently dangerous.

No employee of any company should feel as though they are putting their lives on the line in order to make a living.  He made testimony and may very well save countless lives in the future.

A very simple way of 'helping' these people is to establish a hotline that is backed up by inspectors that respond to reports of questionable conditions. The hotline can be anonymous reporting and it can be established for every dangerous job within the USA, including the mining industry.

It is something that can be done now and can start to turn the corner on the dangers as they exist today to make working conditions safer in the future.

Every union involved with these professions should establish their own ways of helping by empowering their workers, but, that should not be a substitute for an employee to directly report any suspicions of dangers that can imperil their lives.  Nor should such reporting be interfered with by unions.  This has to be an autonomous mechanism whereby there is no fear of a paper trail to cause a person their job by reporting what they understand to be dangerous.

No doubt a simple mechanism such as this will save lives and prevent economic losses as well.  When a company 'hums' and their workers are safe, their opportunity to make profits becomes higher and CLEANER.  There should be no company on this planet willing to have a profit line that includes blood money.

The employees should be given reminders of such an opportunity to help themselves by having hotline numbers posted on their job sites and employee reports on working conditions should be a requirement for operation within the USA for these industries.  

OSHA needs to be more 'preventive' in its approach to assessing working conditions by including annual worker assessments from these industries.  In other words, these industries will have to submit workman assessments of their working conditions annually, forcing a bottom up approach to management.  It will improve working conditions and make businesses include same on their agenda of planning and budget.  If these assessments are required by law there can be no retribution for any submission.

I am debating the merits of oil mixed with mud as ? superior ? to simply oil coming out of the rupture.



Not that the priority is to stop it.  I am wondering what the 'consistency' and 'stickiness' and 'viscosity' is like on the surface not that the oil is mixed with mud. 


Engineers have at least temporarily stopped the flow of oil and gas into the Gulf of Mexico from a gushing BP well, the federal government's top oil-spill commander, U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, said Thursday morning.

The "top kill" effort, launched Wednesday afternoon by industry and government engineers, had pumped enough drilling fluid to block oil and gas spewing from the well, Allen said. The pressure from the well was very low, he said, but persisting. The top kill effort is not complete, officials caution.

Once engineers had reduced the well pressure to zero, they were to begin pumping cement into the hole to entomb the well. To help in that effort, he said, engineers also were pumping some debris into the blowout preventer at the top of the well....

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-oil-spill-top-kill-20100528,0,5782115.story

Arttificial barrier islands can also be removed.

Prudent decision making has to give way to 'emergency' decisions making.  When one sees a train coming, one does not debate the arrival of the train and whether to get out of the way.

In reacting to the emergency all measures should be deployed and not just THE BEST.

There is plenty of the 'emergency' to go around and whether or not there are good ideas that are better than other ideas is IRRELEVANT.

The problem is not the President's problem, the problem belongs to any advisers that are dividing the emergency into 'priorities.'  Every aspect of concern is a priority.  THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS REDUNDANCY.

Minimizing the emergency only LENDS TO ITS INCREASING DANGER.

The wave dynamics and fluid mechanics are beyond the expertise of most all that are being consulted.  How do I know that?  No one predicted the vortexes in the troposphere in October 2002 as the one dynamic that would wildly escalate the warming of Earth.

So everyone needs to GET OUT OF THEIR OWN WAY,   NOW !

There is also no 'funding requirements' that are considered to be minor.  There is no way the USA is going to reep the costs of this emergency and there is no way BP is going to fiscally survive it, so let's get that out of the way.  THERE  is NO BUDGET here.  Emergencies don't have budgets.

Barrier Islands will attract wildlife.  They may even find ways of surviving on artificial barrier islands that can only be imagined.  So they need to be built and everyone needs to stop belly aching about it.

Barrier Islands will also effect tidal surges if there are hurricanes that want to deliver large amounts of oil to the coast.

BUILD THEM.  NOW !!!!!!!!!!!

Barrier Islands also have dynamics.  They 'roll over' and there is no reason to believe that any barrier island that is artificial is any different than any natural barrier island.  IN THAT, is also a precaution.  As the barrier island traps the sludge it will eventually come out the back side of the island.  That has to be monitored over time to remove those contaminated soils as they are exposed.  That is not going to happen this year.  But, it is an aspect that can be realized to make plans for the future.

The coastal lands that should receive some protection from the artificial barrier islands can be monitored for negative impact and adjustments to those islands can be made.  I do believe the Army Corp is sensitive to most civilian observations, concerns and actual experiences.  I don't really see it as an issue.

Drilling relief wells will not resolve this problem.  It will only make it worse, there are very high methane contents in that vat..  There should be no drilling conducted into that vat again, unless there are explosives being set to displace the well head.  Relief wells are for profit, it has nothing to do with stopping the rupture.

President Obama has to make 10% Ethanol mandatory throughout the USA.

I use it anytime I can.  I always get at least 10% higher MPG on 10% ethanol.

Gasoline could go from 10% ethanol up to 20%  
Updated 3/5/2008 11:13 AM
By James R. Healey, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Key backers of ethanol fuel are starting a push to double the amount of ethanol commonly blended with gasoline to 20%. The move would boost the market for grain alcohol, while skirting problems and controversy surrounding E85, an 85% ethanol fuel.
Blending ethanol — alcohol typically now made from corn — into gasoline is a way to cut petroleum use. A 10% ethanol blend, called E10, now is standard at many gasoline pumps across the USA. It can be used by virtually all gasoline vehicles, which is not true of the E85 being promoted as a fuel of the future.
Studies by the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State University at Mankato suggest that ordinary vehicles could burn a mix of 20% ethanol, called E20, as routinely and harmlessly as they now burn E10. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is to announce the study results at a conference here today....

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/environment/2008-03-04-e20-ethanol-fuel_N.htm


Jan-14-2008 10:30

10% Ethanol Blend Mandated in Oregon Beginning Tuesday

As of January 15th, E10 Fuel is Required to be Pumped in Northwest Oregon.
(PORTLAND, Ore.) - A new law goes into effect tomorrow in Oregon requiring gasoline retailers to pump a ten-percent ethanol blend. The E10 standard kicks in on January 15 for these counties in northwest Oregon: Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Tillamook, Washington, and Yamhill.
A second group of counties will be rolled in by April 15th: Benton, Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Lane, Lincoln, and Linn Counties. And the rest of the state must meet the standards by September 16, including Baker, Crook, Deschutes, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Hood River, Jefferson, Klamath, Lake, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Wasco, and Wheeler Counties.
Gas stations in the Portland area already pump a ten-percent ethanol blend during the winter months, so some motorists won't notice a difference. "Gasoline blended with ethanol performs in much the same way that regular gasoline does," says Earl Baker, AAA Oregon Approved Auto Repair Coordinator.
"It can be very difficult if not impossible to detect the difference in engine performance when comparing an ethanol blend to regular gas."...

http://www.salem-news.com/articles/january142008/ethanol_11408.php

The States need to take exceptionally good care of their inland lakes and protect the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway.

Many lakes closed due to low water  (click title to entry - thank you)


http://www.gpscentral.ca/maps-charts/inland-lakes-us-vision.html

Minimize to eliminate use of motorized vehicles on lakes. 

Send some of the fishermen from the Gulf Coast to the Mississippi River and harvest the Asian Carp.  Sell it and send it back to Japan if that is the only market for it.  No limit on Asian Carp.  Sell to the Chinese on their fish markets.  They'll love it there.


Last Updated: May 27. 2010 1:00AM

Washington, D.C.

Rogers: Congress must stop Asian carp

U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers

Michigan's waterways -- from the Great Lakes to our rivers, streams and inland lakes -- are facing an invasion.
The very destructive Asian carp is making its way north, coming up the Mississippi River and it is now knocking at the door of the Great Lakes -- or more appropriately at the river lock in Chicago.
With Michigan struggling with major economic issues and unprecedented job losses, you might ask, why should we be paying attention to a fish?

http://www.detnews.com/article/20100527/OPINION01/5270344/1008/OPINION01/Rogers--Congress-must-stop-Asian-carp



Report from Rocky Mountain Climate Organization and National Resource Defense Council



Basically, the Gulf Coast is Lost.

I don't believe any scientist or environmentalist or conservationist has to go very far to prove their case.  The assessments of the Gulf of Mexico aren't really necessary, in my opinion, to prove that this has been a profoundly devastating episode that has consequences that reach all the way to global ocean circulations at multiple depths.

The continuing problem goes far beyond that and is multinational in dimension.

We have one planet for 6.8 billion to live on.  Never, in my wildest imagination did I ever believe an oil rig could have such far reaching environmental consequences.  

When an ecosystem goes down, it is devastating not only to the habitat of that one ecosystem it has impacts on regional and global environmental stability. 


Everyone is waiting for the rupture to stop while seeking to come to terms with its future consequences and trying to MINIMIZE the damage as compared to the Valdez OIL TANKER SPILL.


NOT EVEN CLOSE.  Let's get that straight.  Every scientist from here to heaven is going to have a job for the rest of their lives.  That is how bad this is.


This episode with BP only shows the extremes these companies are pursuing to make profits for their stockholders.  This is a global referendum on oil in any way it is IMAGINED to be obtained.


The Age of Oil is OVER.  Over.  Completely over.  There is no more offshore ANYTHING any more.


We cannot continue to 'mix' oil and water.  It is out of the question.  


The oil that started at one mile down in the Gulf of Mexico is traveling around the world in a global circulation.  


You've got to be joking if you think this is going to end with the closure of a well that BP blew up !

Singapore oil slick closes beach after ship collision

Thursday, 27 May 2010 10:39 UK

The authorities in Singapore have closed beaches on its east coast because of an oil slick from a damaged tanker.
The order affects 7km (4.3 miles) of the coastline.
It has forced the closure of the national sailing centre and a popular area for swimming, cycling and picnicking ahead of school holidays.
The pungent oil spill resulted from a collision on Tuesday between a Malaysian oil tanker and a cargo ship.
Thousands of metres of containment booms were deployed as part of unsuccessful efforts to stop the slick from fouling the coast.
Initial reports after the collision appeared to downplay the risks to Singapore's coastline and major shipping industry, suggesting 2,000 tonnes of oil could leak...

Hey Sarah, "Drill now, drill here"

This Tuesday, May 25, 2010 photo released by Alaska's Division of Spill Prevention and Response shows an oil spill and its containment at a pump station near Fort Greeley, Alaska. The trans-Alaska pipeline remained shut down Wednesday, May 26, 2010 as responders took a cautious approach to cleaning up a crude oil spill confined to lined containment area. Up to several thousand barrels of crude oil spilled flowed Tuesday during a scheduled pipeline shutdown at the pump station about 100 miles south of Fairbanks. (AP Photo/Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. via Alaska Division of Spill Prevention and Response)


DEC tackling spill; pipeline still down 

by Ted Land
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The Department of Environmental Conservation says it is responding aggressively to the spill at Pump Station 9.
The Trans-Alaska Pipeline remains shut down.
Alyeska says nearly 70 responders are on scene at the pump station, which is about 100 miles south of Fairbanks.
The power failed yesterday and the pipeline company says several thousand barrels of oil spilled into a gravel containment area.
Alyeska says an impermeable liner prevented any oil from touching the surrounding environment.
The company says it is now taking in roughly 16 percent of the oil it normally would and is storing the crude in tanks upstream from the spill.
Those tanks are expected to fill up in the next day or two.
"We've restored backup power to the pump station and we're working now on our cleanup plan and on the remaining power that's required to start the pumps," Michelle Egan with Alyeska said.
The DEC says cleanup is proceeding as well as can be expected. It is overseeing the cleanup response plan along with federal regulators and Alyeska.
 The leaking storage tank was also the site of a fire three years ago that started when a portable heater was placed too close to it.
Oil industry analyst and critic Richard Fineberg believes cost-cutting measures led to accidents and safety concerns on the pipeline.
"When we look at why these things occur through the years, the root cause is cost-cutting and trying to save money and cut corners, and that's not the way to run a pipeline," Fineberg said.
Alyeska faces fines of more than $500,000 because of the fire. The company is still contesting that case.
Fineberg thinks there should be a citizens' oversight group to look into how the pipeline is being operated.
Contact Ted Land at tland@ktuu.com

http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=12550802

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

First Subtropical low system off the south east coast of the USA and it isn't even June 1st. This 'drama' in the Gulf has to end. I'll show you how since the military seems to be unable to do so.

 
May 26, 2010

22:40:13z 
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite of USA
Noted on Southeast Coast the first of the tropical weather we can expect.  The disaster in the Gulf needs a conclusion and the people of the Gulf need the autonomy to run their own strategies if they don't have that authority already.  I find it really difficult to believe the Governors of these states are this completely helpless.  They do have National Guard.  Tell the President to recall them from Iraq if necessary.  Jindal acts like he is helpless.  I don't think so.

Lisa Jackson surrenders to the plutocracy.

Angry with BP's inability (click title to entry - thank you) to find a less toxic dispersant against the gulf oil spill, the federal government will order BP to dramatically scale back its use of surface dispersants, chastising the company for an "insufficient" response to the issue....

BP has stated it can't find large quantities of another chemical dispersant other than Corexit.  Perhaps that is because BP is the only one purchasing a dispersant in large quantities and have large quantities in stock.  So, if they don't place an other somewhere else there will never be a large supply of any other dispersant. 

At this point the chemical additive to the water column needs to stop.  The coastal environment is better off with oil than a mixture of chemicals that have unknown capacity to destroy whatever might remain of the fisheries.

The dispersant is creating a hostile underwater environment for any wildlife, aquatic plants and fish.  The coastal area of the Gulf needs to shut down any fishing as they have no guarantees to the quality of the fish.  I don't care of Florida 'appears' to have been saved from chemical invasion, it hasn't.  The tides that wash up on Florida beaches and the fish and wildlife that frequent its shores have wide ranging swimming patterns.  Just because the fish and wildlife are alive doesn't mean they are chemical or petroleum free.

If I had plans for 'water activities' anywhere along the Gulf, I would cancel them.  There are no guarantees to the safety of the water quality of exposure to low levels of chemicals from moment to moment.

The Plutocratic statement by Jackson that absolutely astounded me was, "We haven't seen any toxicity by these chemicals."

Like where has she been.  Besides the carcasses of fish and wildilfe washing up on shore the workers 'mopping' up the beaches are becoming ill.  I suppose that is all coincidence.  Sure.  George Walker
Bush lives.


It is possible to be ingested by simple exposure of the hands or skin.  Crude oil is a carbon based substance that isn't easily removed from human skin.  There is every possibility Gulf Coast Workers could have ingested the chemicals as a 'residue' ON THEIR HANDS. 

If they are exposed to crude oil, they are also exposed to Corexit.

Continued dumpning of a chemical that chronically dispurses crude oil through the water column will expose all sealife to danger rather than just those at the surface.  There is no prudent use of these dispursants at this point.  The prophilatic use of dispersants on a short term basis assuming the military would have a solution for this disaster was the only reason for its use.  Given the fact the plutocratic dynamics over ride any and all authority of the USA government and its military institutions, there is no reason to continue dumping the chemical to relieve PB of its stockpiles.

Oil cleanup workers report illness



Some fishermen hired by BP to mop up the gulf spill report nausea and breathing troubles after contact with oil and dispersant. A congressman calls for mobile health clinics to treat them....

...The fishermen report severe headaches (central nervous system), dizziness (central nervous system), nausea (gastrointestinal) and difficulty breathing (respiratory)....

Mr. Jackson was exposed to high vapor content that requires a Scott Air Pack and biohazard suit to prevent exposure.  Given the heat at the this time of year, working in a biohazard suit is difficult unless the Airpack also delivers cooled air throughout the suit.

...George Jackson, 53, has been fishing since he was 12 and took a BP cleanup job after the massive oil spill forced the closure of fisheries and left him unemployed. As he was laying containment booms Sunday, he said, a dark substance floating on the water made his eyes burn.



"I ain't never run on anything like this," Jackson said. Within seconds, he said, his head started hurting and he became nauseated....


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-oil-workers-sick-20100526,0,4604887.story

All the symptoms above are on the list below.

Crude Oil Toxicity Symptoms

...can damage every system in the body:
respiratory
Nervous system, including the brain
liver
reproductive/urogenital system
kidneys
endocrine system
circulatory system
gastrointestinal system
immune system
sensory system
musculoskeletal system
Damaging or altering these systems causes a wide range of diseases and conditions....

MSDS Data Sheet on Crude Oil

http://www.martinmarietta.com/products/MSDS-CrudeOil.pdf

III – HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

Amber to green to black liquid, depending on source. Crude oil is volatile and flammable, and may cause flash fires. If ingested,



aspiration may occur, causing lung damage or death.


Health Effects: The information below represents an overview of health effects caused by overexposure to one or more


components in Crude Oil. The individual effects are described in Section XI.


Primary route(s) of exposure: Inhalation Skin Ingestion


EYE CONTACT: Contact with eyes may cause mild to severe irritation including stinging, watering, redness, and swelling.


SKIN CONTACT: Mild skin irritation including redness and a burning sensation may follow acute contact. Prolongedcontact may cause dermatitis, folliculitis, or oil acne.



SKIN ABSORPTION: Liquid may be absorbed through the skin in toxic amounts if large amounts of skin are exposed


repeatedly. There have been rare occurrences of precancerous warts on the forearm, back of hands and


scrotum from chronic prolonged contact.


INGESTION: The major threat of ingestion occurs from the aspiration (breathing) of liquid drops into the lungs,


particularly from vomiting. Aspiration may result in chemical pneumonia (fluid in the lungs), severe


lung damage, respiratory failure, and death. Ingestion may cause gastrointestinal disturbances including


irritation, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. In severe cases, tremors, convulsions, loss of consciousness,


coma, respiratory arrest, and death may occur.


INHALATION: May cause respiratory and nasal irritation. Central nervous system effects may include headache,


dizziness, loss of balance and coordination, unconsciousness, coma, respiratory failure, and death.


MEDICAL CONDITIONS AGGRAVATED BY EXPOSURE


Skin disorders, respiratory conditions, liver or kidney dysfunction, male reproductive and peripheral nerve disorders.


EYES: Immediately flush eyes with plenty of clean water for at least 15 minutes, while holding the eyelids open.



Occasionally lift the eyelids to ensure thorough rinsing. Contact a physician if irritation persists or develops


later.


SKIN: Remove contaminated clothing. Wash with soap and water. Contact a physician if irritation persists or develops


later. Thermal burns may require immediate medical attention, depending on severity and area burned.


INGESTION: DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING. Do not give liquids. Obtain immediate medical attention. If vomiting occurs,


lean victim forward to reduce the risk of aspiration.


INHALATION: Remove to fresh air. If victim is not breathing, provide artificial


MSDS Data Sheet for Corexit - considerable data is not reported.  The chemical should be banned for its incomplete information in regard to human exposure.


SKIN CONTACT :



May cause irritation with prolonged contact.


INGESTION :


Not a likely route of exposure. Can cause chemical pneumonia if aspirated into lungs following ingestion.


INHALATION :


Repeated or prolonged exposure may irritate the respiratory tract.


SYMPTOMS OF EXPOSURE :


Acute :


A review of available data does not identify any symptoms from exposure not previously mentioned.


Chronic :


Frequent or prolonged contact with product may defat and dry the skin, leading to discomfort and dermatitis.


AGGRAVATION OF EXISTING CONDITIONS :


Skin contact may aggravate an existing dermatitis condition.

http://lmrk.org/corexit_9500_uscueg.539287.pdf

When on fire it emits SOXs.  Most of the interventions below are not chemical specific, so much as 'general recommendations' for any chemical exposure.

EYE CONTACT :



Immediately flush with plenty of water for at least 15 minutes. If symptoms develop, seek medical advice.


SKIN CONTACT :


Immediately wash with plenty of soap and water. If symptoms develop, seek medical advice.


INGESTION :


Do not induce vomiting: contains petroleum distillates and/or aromatic solvents. If conscious, washout mouth and


give water to drink. Get medical attention.


INHALATION :


Remove to fresh air, treat symptomatically. Get medical attention.


NOTE TO PHYSICIAN :


Based on the individual reactions of the patient, the physician's judgement should be used to control symptoms and clinical condition.