"This is the biggest cover-up in the history of America"

[sixmile]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/07/gulf-oil-spill-still-foul_n_805983.html


'Federal and Louisiana officials got into a heated argument Friday over the cleanup of oiled marshes during a tour of an area that remains fouled 8 1/2 months after the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico.'

snip

'"This is the biggest cover-up in the history of America," Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser told reporters, gesturing with his gloved right hand, which was covered in oil.

Nungesser was accompanied by Robert Barham, the secretary of Louisiana's Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

As the two were answering questions from reporters, representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration interrupted to point out that a plan is being developed to clean up the marshes. They also insisted that the government has not abandoned the Gulf, nor has it lost sight of the fact that BP is a responsible party.

"Clearly there is oil here in the marsh but we are working as a team to find a best way to clean it up," said Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Dan Lauer. "It's a high priority."

The two sides then got into a heated argument, with Nungesser using profanity.

"It's like you're in bed with BP," Nungesser told the Coast Guard and NOAA officials.'

more at link

Q: How many U.S. Government Officials have lost their jobs over the BP disaster?
A: Zero.

[TwilightGardener]

1. How many government officials lost their jobs? Well, the MMS director was fired--

or encouraged to resign.

[sixmile]

2. Well, everything's right with the world then...

A triumph of mediocrity.

[Rage for Order]

11. Don't forget, they also changed the name of the MMS

Pretty serious consequences if you ask me

[zbdent]

3. I have a question ...

didn't the "liberally biased mainstream media" more or less allow George W. Bush to blame the (years of neglect of the) levees in New Orleans on the "failure of his predecessor"? (Despite the fact that Bush diverted $$$ and resources from the Army Corps of Engineers, responsible for America's waterways, to his favorite pet project, the occupation of Iraq)

[sixmile]

6. What's your point?

This disaster is STILL destroying part of your country (I assume), and will continue to do so for many years.
Where is the accountability?

[spin]

4. BP profits are are far more important than the environment or American citizens ...

BP contributes to politicians and politicians kiss BP's ass because of this.

The citizens whose lives have been destroyed are just the "little people" and don't count for shit.

[JDPriestly]

10. Let's stop blaming the government and the oil companies.

We choose to use more oil than we need to use. Next time, take the train or the bus. Next time, insulate your house. Next time, turn off the air conditioning and turn down the heat.

We have to cut our oil consumption.

Drive less. Consume less. That is the answer.

Much of the plastic stuff we buy is made of oil.

[FormerDittoHead]

12. Suggestions that voluntary cooperation will affect such things have never worked.

The vast majority of oil is used for cars / transportation.

Studies I remember hearing say we will change our behavior once gas rises above $5.00/gal.

Oil will always be with us, if for nothing else the other things we can do with it besides burn it. (Paint, plastics, nylon, etc)

If the gov't were to tax gas (a regressive tax) to bring it above $5.00 that would change things, but it would be political (and for the short term, economic) suicide.

But what we should do, SIMPLY, is to GO CRAZY (like war budget crazy) promoting (tax breaks / credits / grants, etc) research in alternative energy (esp solar cells and battery tech) along with tax breaks for people installing alt-energy into their homes / businesses.

[spin]

14. Good advise ...

I would like to sell our home and move out in the country and try to get off the grid using solar and wind power.

I'm retired and my five year old pickup truck has 18,000 miles on it. I don't waste gas for the fun of it.

Still there does appear to be plenty of evidence that BP was violating numerous safety regs before the oil rig exploded and during the cleanup process used dangerous chemicals which merely caused to oil click to slink to the bottom of the Gulf where it will damage the environment for decades.

Our government seemed to be doing everything within its power to cover up the scale of the problem and to protect BP. We should be using independent research to determine the extent of the damage and insure that BP pays for the restoration of the environment and compensates the people who were effected for their loss.

[lunatica]

5. All this time and they're still working on developing some plan?

Maybe they should use all those hair booms in the marshes while they're still floundering around groping for some plan.

This planet and all life on it are doomed. It's a miracle we haven't killed it long since.

[frazzled]

7. Bigger than Iran-Contra? Bigger than assassinating Allende?

Bigger than Watergate? Bigger than the Pentagon Papers? Bigger than My Lai? And I go back only a half-century or so in American history to ponder this.

But if a right-wing Republican Parish boss down in New Orleans tells you this is the "biggest coverup in American history," many here will agree. It's not even a coverup: it may be slow action, but it's hardly a coverup.

[sixmile]

9. Environmental destruction is not political

It knows neither left nor right. It affects everyone and everything.

And though I agree that your short list of coverups is notable, none compare to the BP oil spill for pure environmental and economic devastation in our hemisphere.

Further, if our government is capable of committing the above-mentioned atrocities, is it not possible that the oil spill is yet another?

[frazzled]

13. Sorry ...

Your apologia is not satisfying me. To call slowness to clean up a marsh the largest coverup in American history is plain, unadulterated (political) hyperbole. I agree that the BP spill was devastataing. But the government did not "commit the atrocity." BP, Halliburton, and the other companies did, with lax government oversight to be sure. To commit an atrocity and coverup would have been for the government to have directly ordered that millions of barrels of oil be purposefully spilled into the Gulf (for whatever nefarious reason) and then to destroy all evidence of its order. And refuse to try to right it.

My Lai was an atrocity that was covered up. The BP oil spill was a result of corporate greed and laxity and lack of sufficient government supervision. Its aftermath--the cleanup--is not tantamount to a coverup.

[JNelson6563]

8. The LA officials I've heard on radio say it's all good!

Most notably the governor. You know, the one many DUers find to be an OK guy. *gag*

Julie

[Kurovski]

15. K&R&bookmarked.