What Jindahl should know about volcano monitoring--you betcha!

[Liberty Belle]

In the GOP response to Obama's speech tonight, Louisiana Governor Jindahl lampooned the stimulus bill for including money for "volcano monitoring, whatever that is!"

As a reporter who has interviewed a top volcano specialist before, and done some research on this topic, I feel compelled to enlightened the Governor, though it's shocking to think that the leader of a state drowned by Katrina due to inadequate government disaster monitoring would even need to be told why we ought to keep tabs on any natural disaster in the making.

Apparently Gov. Jindal is unaware that a major volcanic erruption is about to occur near Anchorage, the capitol of Alaska. No doubt Sara Palin can see it out her window--and probably would like to know before it blows. You betcha!

Details:

Fears mount over Alaska volcano:
http://www.blatherskite.com/index.php/2009/02/fears-mount-over-alaska-volcano-mount-redoubt-anchorage-yelowstone-national-park-supervolcano-yogi-bear-booboo/

Volcano Alert: Air Force Moves Alaska Planes to Washington:
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/38780882.html

Then there's Yellowstone, which sits atop a "super volcano" that experts agree is working up to a major erruption, the likes of which we've never seen in America. A poison gas cloud from this one could kill people many miles away. Just last month, there was a flurry of earthquakes which could be precursors to an erruption:


Quakes shake loose fears about Yellowstone volcano:
http://www.physorg.com/news150810698.html

Yellowstone Volcano: Is the “Beast” building to a violent tantrum?
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/08/0828_wireyellowstone.html

That brings us to Hawaii, where just this week a new path of lava to the sea has developed. I'd think a state dependent on tourism would want to keep the boaters and hikers safe:

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Has a New Lava Ocean Entry
http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/volcano/20090219lavaentry.htm


The volcano was just one of many examples of Jindahl's ignorance or worse, outright whoppers. Mother Jones nails him on it:

Bobby Jindahl’s Stimulus Lies
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2009/02/bobby-jindals-stimulus-lies

So does Factcheck:

Factcheck.org: GOP Stimulus Myths
http://www.factcheck.org/politics/gop_stimulus_myths.html

In all fairness, Factcheck also called Obama on a point or two, but it pales in comparison with the stupidity and callousness toward human life displayed by Jindahl, who thinks keeping people safe from disasters should not be a proper role for government!

Stimulus Bill Bravado: Obama claims the stimulus legislation will do all sorts of things. But there are no guarantees. http://www.factcheck.org/politics/stimulus_bill_bravado.html

[Nevernose]

1. Thanks for the links, but I'm pissed about the train lie

No specific projects are mentioned, though LA to Las Vegas is a possibility. Why does the rest of the country think this is such a bad thing? Las Vegas has 10 times the population of other, more respected towns -- say New Orleans, for instance. The jobs created will go to one of the cities taking one of the biggest economic hits in the last couple of years -- Las Vegas. The roadway it will supplement is one of the busiest, most expensive to maintain interstates in the country -- I-15.

The trains, the salt marsh mice, the volcanoes, everything they've got is total bullshit.

[beac]

2. Jindal doesn't want volcano monitoring b/c he is hoping Palin will be buried in molten lava

and he won't have to split the religiously-insane vote with her in the GOP primaries.

[Liberty Belle]

4. Haha! Good one!

[ddeclue]

3. I would disagree that Katrina disaster was the result of insufficient "monitoring"..

You could see this thing from SPACE -it was very well monitored and reported on by the NWS and commercial weather organizations like the Weather Channel and by major news networks everywhere.

The problem was a PRESIDENT who didn't care enough to pay attention to the abundance of information about Katrina and New Orleans.

[Liberty Belle]

5. Exactly. The White House wasn't monitoring squat.

And even after they knew about the disaster, the President cut birthday cake with John McCain and did nothing--just let New Orleans drown.

But imagine how much worse things would've been if we hadn't even had scientists monitoring the situation and sending out warnings via the media. We all knew Katrina was coming, and that it was going to be bad. A lot of people did get out, and the death toll would have been even worse otherwise.

Bush also ignored warnings for years about the need to fix the levees. It was Republican neglect and refusal to heed scientists warnings that caused New Orleans to drown.

[ddeclue]

8. Who has to imagine?

The 1938 New England Hurricane killed hundreds.

The Galveston hurricane killed 8000.

The one that collapsed the Okechobee levee in the 1920's??? kiled 2500.

It's historical record in this century.

[Blackhatjack]

6. He thought it was for "Vulcan Monitoring" .... n/t

[Ilsa]

7. Kicking this back up to show how ignorant Jindal really is. Well, he's as ignorant as most

of the Repug Party. Most of them take the approach of: "So what if a volcano blows? Freepers know how to survive! It'll only be the liberal West Coast that gets taken out!"

They are too stupid to understand the depth and breadth of the what the Yellowstone volcano eruption would mean to the entire US population, including crops, transportation, industry, health, etc.

[anonymous171]

9. Looks like he is trying to narrow the competition for 2012.

If Palin were to be killed in a freak totally unexpected Volcano eruption, he would have a clear path to the GOP's nomination.

[Generic Other]

10. Damn it is gonna be noisy over my house!

I wish they'd at least make them quieter!!

[leftofthedial]

11. he thinks they can see volcanos and stuff from, ya know, Louisiana,

so he can, ya know, have an opinion.

[Stephanie]

12. MSNBC just reported Jindal requested funds for hurricane watch and levees

He acknowledged it would cost $100M, engineers estimated $100B. FYI.

[ladywnch]

13. uh, Anchorage is NOT the capital of Alaska.....Juneau is.

Anchorage is the largest city in AK but not the capital