Obama Facing Mounting Anger for Handling of Oil Spill

Saturday, 22 May 2010 09:03 AM
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ROBERT, La. – Anger grew along the Gulf Coast as an ooze of oil washed into delicate coastal wetlands in Lousiana, with residents questioning the federal government and others wondering how to clean up the monthlong mess that worsens with each day. "It's difficult to clean up when you haven't stopped the source," said Chris Roberts, a councilman for Jefferson Parish, which stretches from the New Orleans metropolitan area to the coast. "You can scrape it off the beach but it's coming right back." Roberts surveyed the oil that forced officials to close a public beach on Grand Isle, south of New Orleans, as globs of crude that resembled melted chocolate washed up. Others questioned why BP PLC was still in charge of the response.

"The government should have stepped in and not just taken BP's word," declared Wayne Stone of Marathon, Fla., an avid diver who worries about the spill's effect on the ecosystem. The government is overseeing the cleanup and response, but the official responsible for the oversight said he understands the discontent.

"If anybody is frustrated with this response, I would tell them their symptoms are normal, because I'm frustrated, too," said Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen. "Nobody likes to have a feeling that you can't do something about a very big problem."

As simple as it may seem, the law prevents the government from just taking over, Allen said. After the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska, Congress dictated that oil companies be responsible for dealing with major accidents — including paying for all cleanup — with oversight by federal agencies.

BP, which is in charge of the cleanup, said it will be at least Tuesday before engineers can shoot mud into the blown-out well at the bottom of the Gulf, yet another delay in the effort to stop the oil. A so-called "top kill" has been tried on land but never 5,000 feet underwater, so scientists and engineers have spent the past week preparing and taking measurements to make sure it will stop the oil that has been spewing into the sea for a month. They originally hoped to try it as early as this weekend. BP spokesman Tom Mueller said there was no snag in the preparations, but that the company must get equipment in place and finish tests before the procedure can begin.

Source: www.newsmax.com...

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(Credit: AP) In a demonstration against the BP underwater oil well leak, now in its 15th day, protesters carried a 50 foot long banner in front of the White House to deliver a message to the president.


YES I know, it's Bushes fault and stop trying to blame everthing on Obama-bla bla bla. Well, when will things be his fault? After the complete failure of BP and the total ruining of the eco-system for the whole Gulf coast? Naw, he gets a pass.

Don't worry though, I am sure he is as focused like a laser beam on the Gulf Oil Spill issue as he is with the MASSIVE unemployments he's been focusing on (allegedly).

How many more disaters and fowls up before the mass population marches on D.C> and tosses this bum and his cronies out? This is truly turing out to be Obama's Katrina.

Don"t forget pandering to the Mexican Prez and bashing one of our own states. I was going to say HIS own, but thought better of it. I don't think he claims 'em anymore.

reply to post by anon72


Good post anon72, however, I really wish people would stop using the term "Obama's Katrina". The gulf oil spill is much worse in terms of long term effects to not only the local area and region but the entire world. I believe this event will turn out to be one of global proportions. I'm sorry to say it, and I don't mean to belittle the Katrina event, but it just doesn't compare.

He hasen't faced enough criticism for them to start exploring other solutions besides the BP ones.

I have a feeling he will get away with inaction because many Americans will be "educated" by mainstream media that there was nothing more than he could do.
Katrinia was a "Bush disaster", not so much because of how he handled it but because of how America's mass, media reported it (and ultimately made it clear that their "political arisatocracy" had found Bush "out of fashion").

That is because he is allowing private interest as usual to handle the catastrophe that is becoming the BP oil spill

What Obama doesn't understand or perhaps his moron advisers doesn't get is that the spill is in US waters affecting US coast, economy and livelihood of millions, but because BP is not America base he is leaving the decision making to them.

He needs tostop get the panties and skirts off that he is wearing and start making decision as the president of the US

[edit on 22-5-2010 by marg6043]

It's mankinds problem, not just obamas. If people could focus on the issues of the world and not what the political sides are, we could actually solve issues.

If Obama would have parted the water and plugged it himself we would have people saying he should stay out of the private sectors affairs.

People just love to hate and its sad he is the focus instead of the tragedy.

reply to post by whoshotJR


This is beyond foreign affairs, this US territory been destroyed by a corporation that is not even US base.

Private interest even foreign one are the ones dictating policies, writing laws and screwing the American people

The disaster in the gulf is going to become the biggest blunder in the world history due to its ecological significance

People is not even trying to understand the magnitude of what is going on right now in the gulf of Mexico and in our coast.

why

Why

WHY

is there not a bale buster out there on a barge... chopping up round bales of straw and disbursing it over the oil slick?



WHY????

Every round bale could soak up a barrel of oil, and oily straw could be netted, brought ashore, and burned as a biofuel in a trash incinerator that makes electricty.

There is such an abundance of round bales in America that the market value of a round bale is just barely over the cost of the fuel involved in harvesting it. Most fields go unharvested many years and many round bales sit around to rot.

WHY after a month... is nothing being done to clean it up???? Why is this simple technology not being exploited?

Sri Oracle

[edit on 22-5-2010 by Sri Oracle]

I am from Louisiana, and trust me, the people down here get it. The people here are also well aware of the tepid response we can expect from the Federal Government, aka Katrina. As a result, many local initiatives, funded by local governments, are already underway to protect and cleanup the shore lines. Of course, it is a monumental task, which is just beginning because only a tiny percent of the spill has reached the shore at this point. Over time it is going to get bad, very bad, and will cost many billions in lost fishery revenue, lost tourism, and for the clean up.

I have fished the coasts of Lousiana for decades, and to think that the beautiful islands, the birds, the fish, and wildlife will soon be covered with stinking, slimy, sticky, and deadly oil breaks my heart. I think this may the final straw that breaks the camel's back. At a certain point Mother Nature is going to say enough is enough, and the infestation known as human beings may very well be wiped out by its own incompetence and insatiable greed.

[edit on 22-5-2010 by Angiras]

reply to post by Sri Oracle


That is the one million question and the one that all that people that will be affected by this catastrophe will be asking for generations to come.

Is all about government vs private interest, now people will be able to really understand who rules in the US

5. I tell you, it is so incredible to be witnessing the death of Planet Earth. Oh is that too far reaching? Let me scale it back..

4. It is so incredible to be witnessing the deaths of millions of living things along the coast line and in the Gulf. Still too grandiose..

3. It is disturbing to see the livelihoods of thousands of communities be completely demolished. No that can't be it either..

2. It bothers me to see human incompetence with possible economic and political reasonings behind it. True but what can I do? I'm not in control..

1. Oh crap. Gas prices are going to go up again. What a tragedy!

Right now I'd say we are approaching 3. The Earth continues to bleed out, and those of us in charge are too busy arguing.

This is the end of everything right here folks. Even the youngest of us will be long dead before the effects of the spill are completely counter-acted. Who's up for moving to Mars? Maybe it takes the death of one planet to do better the second time around...

By now it should be painfully obvious to everyone that Obama does not care about the American people. He gives 110% to push hard for agendas that the majority say they do not want and turns a blind eye when the people implore him to act.

At this point the only thing Louisiana people can do is file a class action lawsuit. Unfortunately, knowing that gov't and big business sleep together, so damages will be capped at a Snickers bar and a glass of milk.

Originally posted by TheRoadLessTraveled
At this point the only thing Louisiana people can do is file a class action lawsuit. Unfortunately, knowing that gov't and big business sleep together, so damages will be capped at a Snickers bar and a glass of milk.

Or maybe free oil changes for a year.

reply to post by marg6043


I ask myself often, would I "know" when a earth changing event happened? and I think this maybe the one that really screws the coast.

Compared to "Exxon Valdez" this catastrophic event eclipses 10 fold just to date, considering the amount of cruse oil lost in Exxon's blunder we passed that amount 3 weeks into this one.

And that little and I mean little tube they stuck in it to get some of the oil is almost nonsense, look for yourself BP realtime webcam of oil leak.

This is just going to be a very bad thing not considering the devastation to the economies relying on the coast but the ECO SYSTEM!!!

Yeh doom and gloom NOPE REALIST, this is bad!!

reply to post by Angiras


Californians who went through the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill remember. All you folks down there are in our thoughts and prayers, and many here want to help. Some oil has been stopped from coming on shore, but I sadly agree with you that the very worst is yet to come. You citizens are the first line of defense when the crude hits.

I was in my senior year in HS in 1969 and well remember the oil spill. Having been a surfer and enjoyed California Beaches all my life,,I will never forget feeling of pure sickening dread as the oil piled up on our beautiful California beaches. Incoming tides brought the corpses of dead seals and dolphins. Oil had clogged the blowholes of the dolphins, causing massive lung hemorrhages. Animals that ingested the oil were poisoned. In the months that followed, gray whales migrating to their calving and breeding grounds in Baja California avoided the channel ?their main route south. It was sickening and heart breaking. Thousand of us--students, citizens, home owners, residents..and non residents came to help, (met some Canadians who had come to help), buisness owners, rich people, poor people, young and old came out to help. I remember working along side a very large Mexican (at least 30)family..I spoke some spanish so was able to communicate with them. They had a very eldery couple...bending over, gently gathering birds for washing,,,and several little children..also helping... I got that they were visiting a very large family reunion and had driven up from San Diego to help..camping out in their cars for days..just to add their hands to the volunteer efforts.
My hert goes out to the residents of the gulf coast and again I want to scream....WHY HAS THIS HAPPENED??? WHY AGAIN????

source

"There's no time to discuss this in a committee your highness." ---Han Solo


Sorry. There was a Star Wars marathon on Spike TV today and I had to watch it.

The bureaucracy is the problem. The President is the problem. BP is the problem. The committees are the problem Dead animals, dead industry, dead shorelines, dead tourism, dead water are all the problem. Do you see how many problems there are originating from this one oil spill? How much more are the American citizens going to let the corporations rape them? How much more are we going to allow them to destroy the only home we have?

A FOREIGN company destroys US land, US fishing industry, US tourism, and what the hell are they doing about it (and before you naysayers start going on about the US wars, forget about them...this oil spill affects us all, and has nothing to do with the current US war status, which I don't support to begin with)? A tiny little pipe to siphon some of the oil? This is like using a women's tampon in a farking ELEPHANT! And they won't even let "private citizens" go down to help clean up? How hard is it to take a five gallon bucket and skim the water? How hard is it to shovel affected sand into a garbage bag? How hard is it to take the time to wash a bird, or a sea otter, or whatever other sea creature has been covered by this sludge? The last time I checked, I could use a shovel, use a toothbrush to wash a bird, and use my hands to skim oil with a five gallon bucket. I am qualified as far as I am concerned. BP has committed a crime on US soil, in US waters. The CEO should be charged with the destruction of all of this property, and screw the current liability cap. BP should pay out until it is all fixed (which won't happen now). BP should reimburse all of the fishermen, the tourism areas, the man hours spent cleaning, and all the people of all the states affected should get a check for $1000 bucks each just because BP are a bunch of a-holes.

Instead of deliberating in committees until the Earth is bled dry, they should be getting their arses down there to fix it. Screw the liability issue. Screw the lame duck President if he won't do anything. I'm going through the process of figuring out how to get people together to go down there and help with cleanup efforts. If anybody has any ideas of where to begin, please let me know....and if you want to participate, let me know.

And I like the hay bale idea. They should have been doing that from the beginning.

/rant.




Peace be with you.

-truthseeker