Monday, April 18, 2011

Gulf Coast Memories

"Calling the crimes inexcusable and barbaric, a judge sentenced two former New Orleans police officers to prison yesterday for their roles in the shooting death of an unarmed man whose body was set on fire in the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina....

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Related: Report cites abuses by New Orleans police  

"Rise in baby dolphin deaths examined" February 25, 2011|Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS — Scientists are trying to figure out what killed 53 bottlenose dolphins — many of them babies — this year in the Gulf of Mexico, as five more carcasses washed up yesterday in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama....
 
Gee, I can't imagine what it could be; certainly not oil or chemical dispersant!

Scientists are investigating whether the deaths are related to last year’s huge BP oil spill, but they say toxins from oil or chemicals used to disperse it are considered a less likely cause than cold or disease because only one species of dolphin — and no other kind of animal — is dying, and because the calf deaths appear concentrated rather than Gulf-wide.  

Yeah, right, whatever. I no longer believe "scientists" when quoted by a cover-up media.

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And no other animals, huh?

"Gulf health improving, but fears persist" by Associated Press / April 18, 2011

BAY JIMMY, La. — Scientists judge the overall health of the Gulf of Mexico as nearly back to normal one year after the BP oil spill....  

This feels just like the Japanese obfuscations, and it puts me near tears.

AmeriKa's newspapers suck.

Yet scientists are still worried.  

WTF is with the DECEPTIVE HEADLINES!?!? 

In interviews, dozens of gulf researchers emphasized their concerns, pointing to the mysterious deaths of hundreds of young dolphins and turtles, strangely stained crabs, and dead patches on the sea floor.

I was told NO OTHER ANIMALS, but WHO IS QUIBBLING about ANOTHER LIE from the AmeriKan media??  

The Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded last year on April 20, ultimately spewing 172 million gallons of oil.  

I see the NUMBER is being CON$TANTLY REVI$ED DOWN -- which will $AVE BP a WHOLE PILE of MONEY!

“When considering the entire Gulf of Mexico, I think the natural restoration of the gulf is back to close to where it was before the spill,’’ said Wes Tunnell of Texas A&M University.  

And you better say so, "scientist," or the government will yank your funding.

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Yeah, but ALASKA AIN'T!! 

If the GOVERNMENT and PAPERS will LIE about OIL $PILL$ and NUCLEAR RADIATION, what makes you think they are TELLING the TRUTH about ANYTHING?

"Offshore drilling regulator still flawed a year after gulf spill" April 17, 2011|By John M. Broder and Clifford Krauss, New York Times

WASHINGTON — A year after BP’s Macondo well blew out, killing 11 men and spewing millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, the much-maligned federal agency responsible for policing offshore drilling has been remade, with a tough new director, an awkward new name, and a sheaf of stricter safety rules. It is also trying to put some distance between itself and the industry it regulates.

But is it fixed? The simple answer is no.... 

Oil industry executives and their allies in Congress said the Obama administration, in its zeal to overhaul the agency, has lost sight of what they believe the agency’s fundamental mission should be — promoting the development of the nation’s offshore oil and gas resources....   

And how dare you choose citizens over corporations (not that Obama has)?

William K. Reilly, a former Environmental Protection Agency administrator, said last week that the agency still lacked the technical expertise needed to oversee such a specialized industry. “They changed the name, but all the people are the same,’’ he said. “It’s embarrassing.’’

New director Michael R. Bromwich has asked the federal Office of Personnel Management to adjust pay schedules so his office can compete with oil companies, which in some cases are paying twice the government salary for petroleum engineers.  

And once again taxpayers take a soaking in a barrel of oil.

Obama has asked for an increase of more than $100 million to the agency’s roughly $250 million annual budget. Congress provided about half that in the short-term budget deal reached last week.

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At least it can't happen again, right?

"Another oil disaster is possible, analysts say; Containment still a key issue" April 15, 2011|By Harry R. Weber and Holbrook Mohr, Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS — With everything Big Oil and the government have learned in the year since the Gulf of Mexico disaster, could it happen again? Absolutely, according to an Associated Press examination of the industry and interviews with specialists on the perils of deep-sea drilling.
 
Maybe it already is and media is ignoring it.

The government has given the OK for oil exploration in extremely deep waters to resume, saying it is confident such drilling can be done safely.  

Then they haven't learned a damn thing.

The industry has given similar assurances. But there are still serious questions in some quarters about whether the lessons of the BP oil spill have been applied....

Brush those questions aside; we need the oil to lubricate the war machine.

The worst offshore oil spill in US history began with an explosion April 20, 2010, that killed 11 workers aboard the Deepwater Horizon rig. More than 200 million gallons of crude spewed from the well a mile beneath the sea.  

Up above I was told 172, sigh (as blog editor throws his hands in the air).

Since then, new drilling rules have been imposed, a high-tech system for capping a blown-out well and containing the oil has been built, and regulators have taken steps to ramp up oversight of the industry.  

Did you happen to see the article above? 

See why I type sigh so much, and why I am sick of the Globe?

But deep-sea drilling remains highly risky

But we NEED the OIL for FIGHTER JET and BOMBER FUEL!

The effectiveness of the much-touted containment system is being questioned because it has not been tested on the sea floor. A design flaw in the blowout preventers widely used across the industry has been identified but not corrected.

This is an "accident" waiting to happen -- AGAIN!

And regulators are allowing companies to obtain drilling permits before approving their updated oil-spill response plans.

After a monthslong moratorium, the Obama administration resumed issuing drilling permits earlier this year amid great pressure from the industry and from lawmakers seeking to protect communities and workers whose livelihoods depend on drilling....   

I'm confused

WTF, "newspaper?"

The rest is a corporate promotion.

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Also see: 4 die in Gulf of Mexico boating accident

What, they fall in? 

Gulf Coast Communities Robbed BP

I feel robbed every time I plunk down money for a Boston Globe.