Quote:

---

Originally posted by Fremdfirma:

I still haven't heard jack diddly about Costners machines, I'd be real interested to know if they work as well as they did in testing.

-F

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Niki2:
For all the bitching and moaning, I’m trying to find out what they ARE doing. This post is some of what I found, and I’ll start with today’s news conference, since it reiterates the points some of us have been making. If you’ve seen or heard about it, skip it and the details I found are below. Yes, it’s long as hell, but I dug up what I could for you, and it turns out it’s a LOT.

Quote:

---

The vocabulary of oil drilling is so colorful—junk shot, top kill, poor boy degasser—that there must be a name for the trick President Obama was trying to pull off at his press conference Thursday. He was trying to take responsibility and show that his administration is in control of efforts to stop and contain the massive oil spill in the Gulf. At the same time, he had to admit that the government hasn't always been competent, lacks resources, and is only kinda sorta in charge. Whatever the term would be, it would include mud.

"In case anybody wonders, in any of your reporting, in case you were wondering who's responsible, I take responsibility," said the president in his concluding remarks. But it's responsibility with an asterisk: BP is the only entity that can solve this problem, which is like none anyone has seen before. The government can stare harder over the oil company's shoulder—order a second relief well to be drilled, tell it what kind of chemicals to use—but overall the relationship is not unlike that between a frustrated user and his computer. The federal government is stuck on the phone, and BP is tech support.

Having responsibility without control is always a horrible situation, no matter what job you hold. But Obama and his aides know it is a special gift of the presidency. The dynamic is part of what keeps the "This is Obama's Katrina" story line alive, and the sense of confusion that dogged the Bush administration after Katrina was only heightened at the press conference when Obama said he didn't know whether the director of the Minerals Management Service had been fired or had resigned

Katrina was so damaging for Bush because he seemed so disconnected from the emergency he faced. This was exacerbated by the famous photo of him flying over the disaster. More damaging, but less remembered, is video footage of a pre-storm planning meeting in which he did not ask a single question of his briefers as they told him of the approaching disaster.

Obama's intent today was to show that the government was doing whatever it could, and had been from the start. "The day that the rig collapsed and fell to the bottom of the ocean, I had my team in the Oval Office that first day," he said. "Those who think that we were either slow on our response or lacked urgency don't know the facts."

He outlined administration efforts to close the well, clean up, and put pressure on BP to pay claims. He announced a series of regulatory changes to prevent similar disasters. He ordered work suspended on exploratory drilling in the gulf and cancelled or deferred some future wells elsewhere around the country. "Not a day goes by where the federal government is not constantly thinking about how do we make sure that we minimize the damage on this, we close this thing down, we review what happened to make sure that it does not happen again," he said.

The president wasn't focused on politics, he said, but was trying to get the hole plugged and focus on the disaster. (In contrast, the Republican National Senatorial Committee was focused on politics and released a video immediately after the press conference that charged Obama with half measures on a host of national crises.) But Obama was concerned enough about politics to do all he could from behind a podium to show that he understands that people are frustrated. He repeatedly expressed his empathy with locals. "Every day I see this leak continue, I am angry and frustrated as well." He touched on his personal experiences. "In Hawaii the ocean is sacred." He even enlisted his family, describing how his daughter Malia interrupted his morning shave with a question: "Did you plug the hole yet, Daddy?"

---

Okay, regarding this, from me:

a) Someone mentioned the daddy-did-you-plug-the-hole thing, but I didn’t know at the time what it was about. Obama HAS kept his family in the background mostly, and not paraded them on stage every time during the election, if you recall. So to hell with that one; it wasn’t political, if anything it was to show a human face.

b) You can bet if the head of the MMS resigned, it was one of those “resign please” things. Maybe it was her own decision, but I don’t think it matters.

c) When he said “that day”, MSNBC, note, mentioned that it wasn't the day the explosion happened, it was the day the LEAK became serious, so a bit of a misstatement. Remember; the story was the fire and loss of life on Day One; when the rig fell over, BP said there was no leak. The next day they said there was a “small leak” (and they kept right on lying about it, even now). The administration didn’t know this was a huge disaster for several days. But since then, they've been busy.

So much for defending Obama. Here’s what he reiterated that they’re doing:

Quote:

---

Regulatory changes to prevent similar disasters

Suspension on exploratory drilling in the gulf

Cancellation or deferment of some future wells elsewhere around the country

---

Here’s what I found:

NOAA (as of 4/29):

Quote:

---

--Weather monitoring: the winds must be tracked to determine the trajectory and velocity of the environmental release. The winds are forecast to become strong and blow from the southeast and continue through the weekend, pushing the surface oil towards the shore.

--100,000 feet of non-flammable oil-containment booms have been fanned out to protect the particularly sensitive areas of the Louisiana coast where landfall is expected to occur.

--Evaluations are being prepared on the effects of oil on sensitive shorelines and habitats along the coast of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.

--NOAA’s Assessment and Restoration Division is evaluating the affects of oil contamination to fish and fisheries, marine mammals, and sea turtles.

--Baseline aerial surveys have been conducted by NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to assess marine life and will continue as needed.

---

May 5:

Quote:

---

The Obama administration supports increasing how much companies responsible for oil spills have to pay in damages, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Wednesday.

Current law requires companies to pay all costs of cleaning up the spill, but limits the liability on damages - such as economic loss - to $75 million.

Asked by reporters about pending legislation that would increase the damages limit, Gibbs said the White House supported the idea. However, he refused to provide a specific ceiling figure.

"We would be in favor of lifting that cap," Gibbs said, noting the current limit comes from legislation dating back 20 years.

A bill being introduced in Congress proposes lifting the cap on economic damages to $10 billion, and making the change retroactive to include the current Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Despite the current cap, Gibbs said that oil giant BP, which owns the leaking Gulf well, will be responsible for paying all clean-up costs and damages

---

As of today:

Quote:

---

Admiral Allen Approves One Section of Louisiana Barrier Island Project Proposal as Part of Federal Oil Spill Response

Will Save Louisiana the Cost of Funding a Major Construction Project

The National Incident Commander for the BP oil spill, Admiral Thad Allen, today approved the implementation of a section of Louisiana’s barrier island project proposal that could help stop oil from coming ashore and where work could be completed the fastest—as an integrated part of the federal response to the BP oil spill. This step will save Louisiana the cost of construction for this section by integrating it with the federal government’s ongoing oil spill response—thus paving the road for payment by BP, as a responsible party, or the federal Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund.

It will also allow assessment of the effectiveness and environmental impacts of this strategy in one of the areas most at risk of long-term impact by BP's leaking oil. The Army Corps of Engineers has granted partial approval for Louisiana's barrier island project proposal, covering approximately half of the state's original request and including six sections.

Admiral Allen’s recommendation would integrate a section of the project with the federal oil spill response—and therefore potential funding by BP, as a responsible party, or the federal Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund. Louisiana’s original proposal called for the dredging of more than 92 million cubic yards of material over a six to nine month period to build temporary barrier islands. The NIC Working Group found that implementation of the proposal in all areas approved by the Army Corps of Engineers, in the midst of an active spill, would not be prudent or provide effective protection—especially considering the complications of a major construction project occurring in the midst of a response encompassing more than 20,000 personnel and 1,300 vessels.

---

(Hence only the approval of “a section”.)

Past 24 hours:

Quote:

---

More than 100,000 feet of boom has been surged to the Louisiana parishes that are facing the greatest risk from the oil.

---

To date (no timeline specified):

Quote:

---

Personnel were quickly deployed and approximately 20,000 are currently responding to protect the shoreline and wildlife.

Approximately 1,300 vessels are responding on site, including skimmers, tugs, barges, and recovery vessels to assist in containment and cleanup efforts—in addition to dozens of aircraft, remotely operated vehicles, and multiple mobile offshore drilling units.

More than 1.88 million feet of containment boom and 1.25 million feet of sorbent boom have been deployed to contain the spill—and approximately 280,000 feet of containment boom and 1 million feet of sorbent boom are available.

Approximately 11.5 million gallons of an oil-water mix have been recovered.

Approximately 850,000 gallons of total dispersant have been deployed—700,000 on the surface and 150,000 subsea. More than 400,000 gallons are available.

17 staging areas are in place and ready to protect sensitive shorelines, including: Dauphin Island, Ala., Orange Beach, Ala., Theodore, Ala., Panama City, Fla., Pensacola, Fla., Port St. Joe, Fla., St. Marks, Fla., Amelia, La., Cocodrie, La., Grand Isle, La., Shell Beach, La., Slidell, La., St. Mary, La.; Venice, La., Biloxi, Miss., Pascagoula, Miss., and Pass Christian, Miss.

---

By Agency:

Quote:

---

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

Since the moments after the oil rig explosion on the night of April 20, DHS has played a lead role in federal response efforts—deploying the U.S. Coast Guard to search and rescue the 126 people aboard the rig, and quickly leading efforts to establish a command center on the Gulf Coast to address the potential environmental impact of the event and to coordinate with all state and local governments. Secretary Napolitano leads the National Response Team, an organization of 16 federal departments and agencies responsible for coordinating emergency preparedness and response to oil and hazardous substance pollution events.


U.S. Coast Guard

The Coast Guard has played a major role from the very beginning, when it responded to the explosion on a search and rescue mission to save lives. Pursuant to the National Contingency Plan, Rear Admiral Mary Landry was named the Federal On-Scene Coordinator to lead a Regional Response Team which was stood up that included DHS, DOC/NOAA, DOI and the EPA, as well as state and local representatives. As the event escalated, Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen was announced as the National Incident Commander for the administration’s continued, coordinated response—-providing additional coordinated oversight in leveraging every available resource to respond to the BP oil spill and minimize the associated environmental risks.


Department of the Interior (DOI)

The morning after the explosion, Secretary of the Interior deployed Deputy Secretary David J. Hayes to the Gulf Coast to assist with coordination and response to the event, and provide hourly reports back to the administration. Since then, DOI has played a vital role in overseeing BP’s response efforts while—-at the President’s request-—working to deliver a report with recommendations on what, if any, additional safety measures should be required for offshore operations. Secretary Salazar has announced that inspections of all deepwater rigs and platforms are underway.


Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Since the BP Oil Spill, EPA has provided full support to the U.S. Coast Guard and is monitoring and responding to potential public health and environmental concerns. Environmental data, including air quality and water samples, will be posted and frequently updated on this site as it is collected and validated by EPA’s response teams along the impacted coastlines. This data is meant to determine potential risks to public health and the environment: http://www.epa.gov/bpspill


Small Business Administration

SBA is making low-interest loans available to small businesses in the Gulf Coast regions of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi suffering financial losses following the April 20 Deepwater BP oil spill that shut down commercial and recreational fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) are available immediately in designated counties and parishes of each of the four states to help meet the financial needs of qualifying small businesses following the oil spill: http://www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance/


Department of Defense (DOD)

DOD continues to support the ongoing response effort by lending Naval and Air Force bases to provide vital staging areas for boom deployments and other activities, and providing C-130 aircraft equipped with Modular Aerial Spray Systems, which dispense chemical dispersant—-capable of covering up to 250 acres per flight. DOD also plays a significant role in the National Response Team, helping to lead the coordination of response actions for the federal government. Secretary of Defense Gates has authorized use of Title 32 status for up to 17,500 National Guard members in four states: Alabama (3,000), Florida (2,500), Louisiana (6,000) and Mississippi (6,000).


Department of the Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service

The Fish and Wildlife Service continues to support the joint agency response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico with experienced specialists, land managers, and support personnel. Booms to capture and deflect anticipated oil are being deployed at Breton National Wildlife Refuge, where thousands of brown pelicans and shorebirds are currently nesting. The Service also is initiating Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration activities in this incident to assess and address the long-term damage to impacted resources: http://www.fws.gov/home/dhoilspill


Department of the Interior’s National Park Service

The National Park Service is focused on human safety and resource protection in eight national parks in the Gulf area. These parks are working to assess resources, collect baseline data, coordinate boom placements, plan for responsible cleanup, install barriers for shore bird and turtle nest protection, and plan for potential park closures, if necessary: http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm


National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Oil spill response workers may be exposed to many different chemical, physical, biological, and psychological hazards. These hazards vary depending on the type and location of the oil spill, type and stage of response, degree of coordination between entities involved in response and recovery, and the workers’ specific tasks. Therefore, occupational and environmental hazards need to be identified, assessed, and monitored in each oil spill response: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/oilspillresponse


Information on Air, Food, and Water Safety

Air: With the prevalence of vapor concerns from oil near the Gulf coast and the controlled burning to help contain the spread of oil, air quality is a health concern. EPA has initiated an air monitoring effort to ensure the safety of local residents and track any developing air quality changes.

Food: Although crude oil has the potential to taint seafood with flavors and odors caused by exposure to hydrocarbon chemicals, the public should not be concerned about the safety of seafood in stores at this time. There is no reason to believe that any contaminated product has made its way to the market.

Water: NOAA is restricting fishing for a minimum of ten days in federal waters most affected by the BP oil spill, largely between Louisiana state waters at the mouth of the Mississippi River to waters off Florida’s Pensacola Bay. The closure is effective immediately. Fishermen who wish to contact BP about a claim should call 1-800-440-0858.

---

Now, who was saying the government isn’t "doing anything”? Sure, it’s not enough, and a lot of it isn't the kind of "physical" help we'd like to see, but these are governmental actions, a LOT of them, in a government that doesn’t move all that fast and has to coordinate to do anything big.

More will come, I have no doubt, and this was compiled hurriedly (I gotta do SOMETHING with my hypomania, and TV didn’t work!), so there may be things that don’t relate, duplication, or things that happened which have changed. At least it’s a start to answer the frustrations that inevitably come to all of us and the question of what our government IS doing.


"I'm just right. Kinda like the sun rising in the east and the world being round...its not a need its just the way it is." The Delusional "Hero", 3/1/10

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Niki2:
Ahhh, Frem; trust you to put my feelings into visceral language:

Quote:

---

I swear, the GOP, so-called Libertarians, and all those goddamn RightWingAuthoritarians remind me of vicious, petulant, maladjusted children who hate anything that isn't them, and when they can't be in charge of everything, go around smashing all the toys out of sheer spite - they disgust me with a profoundness that is beyond words, especially as up here in Michigan, they've damn near succeeded in the utter destruction of our state, all cause THEY can't be in charge of it.

---

Thank you so much; I don't agree with your "solution", but it felt good just to read that, it's so right on.

Not that you're worth responding too, Whatsit, especially as I have to put on glasses to read the leeetle, bitty type because you won't remove the coding, but government/Obama ARE two different things, so "are" is correct.


"I'm just right. Kinda like the sun rising in the east and the world being round...its not a need its just the way it is." The Delusional "Hero", 3/1/10

---

You're not worth responding to be yet I did. I love reading you libs agreeing with each other, that's fair and balanced in liberal world right?....... God you libs are stupid

Quote:

---

Originally posted by AnthonyT:
Hello Auraptor,

Your post is so saturated with hyperbole and aggression that it turns me away from any support I might have felt towards your position. Your indignation is no longer peripherally righteous. It's just loud and crude and self-serving.

I can see that the president is beginning to deeply engage physical resources to grapple with this incident. Your apoplectic fit has no further usefulness to the well-being of the nation.

--Anthony

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Fremdfirma:

It never had any in the first place, Anthony.

You're too polite to say so, but surely you noticed they became even angrier when the problem did get solved, and elements of society from the government all the way down to individuals got involved, including the president, cause it removed their excuse to be hateful, not that they needed one.

This vile and revolting malice - this is their true colors, always has been, you're just seeing it without the mask of justifications and excuses they hide it behind, is all.

Make sure to remember it once they put the mask back on.

-Frem

---

Quote:

---

Posted by Rappy:


Yeah, Frem. Me and James Carville are showing our " true " colors.

Revolting, ain't it ? You miserable piece of shit.


" Daddy, did you plug the hole yet ? "

C'mere, Malia.....

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by AnthonyT:
Hello,

I will take steps to make sure that I do not forget.

--Anthony

"Liberty must not be purchased at the cost of Humanity." --Captain Robert Henner

On this matter, make no mistake. I want you to go fuck yourself long and hard, as well as anyone who agrees with you. I got no use for you. --Auraptor

This vile and revolting malice - this is their true colors, always has been, you're just seeing it without the mask of justifications and excuses they hide it behind, is all. Make sure to remember it once they put the mask back on. --Fremdfirma

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Kwicko:
No thanks. You're too far gone.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by AURaptor:

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Kwicko:
No thanks. You're too far gone.

---

Son, you got no out here. You've backed the wrong horse.

And not even by a little bit.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by AURaptor:
" Daddy did you plug the hole yet " was 1000% purely political. It may have been the most political stunt in all of U.S. White House History. ( hell yes, even more than " mission accomplished " )

To claim otherwise it dabble is partisan nonsense.

Both James Carville and Bobby Jindhal, opposites on the political aisle , are saying the exact same thing.

The Federal Gov't is utterly unresponsive to the needs of the crisis at hand. PERIOD. End of sentence.

" It's the last thing I think about before I go to bed.... "

Mr. President, you're a god damn, mother fucking liar.

Fuck you, you cock sucking community activist piece of shit. You no more gave any thought to this colossal disaster than you did as to the high end menu items you were going to order from at your next 'date night' with Michelle.

Your " oh, by the way " photo op jet down to LA is as pathetic as your joke of a VP choice. Sorry for the environmental "distraction" your oneness has to endure, but it comes w/ the job. Had you had A N Y fucking leadership experience beforehand......oh, go fuck yourself, Mr. President.

---

Quote:

---

It's not so much anti-Obama, but anti Federal Gov't.

---