As the situation in the Gulf of Mexico worsens by the hour, the efforts to stem the flow of oil into the environment is beginning to look like, in bird terms, a major cluster flock. British Petroleum (BP), the oil company responsible for the large scale pollution and subsequent loss of animal life, habitat and the accompanying loss of food and jobs for humans, is pouring poisonous chemicals into the mix in an effort to disperse the oil. This despite the fact that the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has told them most sternly to stop. And here is problem number one: The EPA has no teeth.
Lisa Jackson, current head of the EPA may issue as many warnings and requests as she likes. There is no way to back them up. BP can soak her in oil and until she drowns, there is no enforceable way to stop them. If President Obama were to step in and issue a supportive executive order or any sort of backing for Jackson at all, it would be a huge step forward for the EPA.
The EPA is so powerless that it trains its dozen or so enforcement officers (One for each region. Ours covers Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico. He's a very busy man) not to stand still while on site for inspections so no one will get a good bead on them and shoot them. Obviously, the EPA is more of a "tattle-tale" agency and there is no one to do that spanking.
Let's give the EPA enforcement powers. Let's give them the authority to stop companies in flagrant violation of the Clean Air and Water Acts. Let's give them the powers to close down life-threatening operations immediately. Let's let them do more than suggest fines. And let's protect those dozen guys and gals who are out there trying to protect us from those multi-million dollar companies who don't care if we are poisoned by their moneymaking.
Another problem is the impunity with which BP is handling this situation. First there was the lying about the amount of oil escaping. This went on until government officials demanded BP put a live feed camera on the leak site. Then there was the "blame-shift-shuffle" in front of Congress among BP, Transocean and Haliburton. Here, I believe, there is plenty of blame for all and no one need go without.
Then BP had the US Coast Guard chasing television reporters from the soiled beaches. (and of course, that was live on camera. Plus they announced that all damage assessment and animal rescue should cease in wildlife areas and preserves because they (BP) would be sending in their own experts to take care of that damage, a declaration which was blatantly ignored by those already toiling to save the beaches and wetlands.
The failure to stop the use of dispersants upon request and the subsequent failure to lower the amounts upon request tell us all we need to now about BP. Dispersants make it look like less oil is leaking, therefore a smaller lawsuit.
Meanwhile people's livelihoods are crashing into oblivion and endangered species are rocketing toward extinction. So what to do?
OPTIONS:
Seizure: We can seize all BP holdings in the US and keep them until this is over (if ever). That way when BP balks at paying for this mess, we can just liquidate their holdings and pay for it ourselves.
Dispersants: The dispersants that British Petroleum is using were banned as too dangerous in Britian. That shows us that BP doesn't give a flying rat's butt about our environment. Especially not when they have a safer dispersant stockpiled in a Houston, Texas dockyard. Much safer still is the gentle detergent that is used for cleaning animals and birds covered in crude.
I believe we should load two huge tankers of Dawn dishwashing liquid and take them to the Gulf. There they can be torpedoed and allowed to leak into the same area as the oil spill. Dawn is safer for the animals, it's a pretty color and comes in several lovely scents. There may be some bubbles, but remember, "Dawn gets grease out of your way". Too bad it doesn't work on sleazy executives.
Leak Stop: Finally, stopping the leak. It seems that all of BP's leak containment methods are centered around recovery of oil. The huge concrete bell with the siphon on top was an attempt to cover and recover the leaking oil. These clogging ideas also allow for later recovery. Likewise, the alternative drill sites they are planning to use to take pressure from the leaking well will also provde BP with more oil.
What we really should be doing is finding something big to go over the entire site and just forget about recovering the oil. In the Department of Energy, these items are referred to as BFRs or Big Freaking Rocks. DOEs BRFs cover the enterances to underground bunkers in which plutonium pits are stored. But using a BFR to stop this spill could be just what we need.
We will need to maneuver a large rock or huge concrete pad over the site, then drop in onto the entire area. This will cover the entire ocean floor for at least a half mile around the site. The pipes will be crushed closed and the oil held back in the ground by the weigh of the BFR. Of course, there will be no access to the original well. Will BP agree to that?
If that seems too difficult, perhaps we can take those huge tankers of Dawn and as they sink, guide them into the same position as the BFR would have to be and crush the leak that way. Unfortunately, this option, too, would mean foregoing access to the oil.
So what's more important here? Stopping the oil or saving the oil?
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Can You Believe It?
I can't. There's God-only-knows how much oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico and the companies involved in the disaster are doing their best to minimize what Americans are seeing. BP chases reporters off the beach
British Petroleum claims it doesn't know how much oil is leaking but it's pretty clear from NASA photos that it's much worse than anyone has admitted so far.
And if a cat can find this out, it makes me think the humans are lying.
The current liability cap (yes, there's a cap) for oil companies who create disasters is a measly $75 million dollars. BP made $5.5 billion dollars during the last quarter. (That's three months, in case you're wondering) I don't understand why there even IS a cap. Why in the world should American taxpayers have to pay for the mistakes of out-of-control oil companies wallowing in money? $75 million? That won't even pay for the overtime of the Coast Guard. A cap? We should OWN them, then give them back whatever is left.
On the other hand, the US and affected states need to be putting a disaster tax on gasoline, diesel, oil and gas (everything that is coming out of that hole in the Gulf). I believe that extra income can be used to help fund the difference between the liability cap and the actual billions of dollars it will cost to clean up after BP. That is if they ever figure out how to stop it to begin with.
Congress is still blocking efforts to support renewable, non-combustible, clean energy even today. When I look at the pictures of the spill I want to replace our representatives and senators with people not in the pockets of the oil companies. Somehow these companies have obtained the rights of individuals to donate to the campaigns of politicians. We have to either get these "company men" (and women) out of Washington or out of the companies.
British Petroleum, don't tell me you don't know how much damage has happened in the Gulf. We have the internet now. And don't tell me it's not your fault, it's Transocean or Haliburton. You worked this nightmare out together. You can't slip responsibility off on someone else. You were to benefit from this operation as were the other companies. In this case you will all hang together.
My God, people, you're almost as bad as Exxon!
British Petroleum claims it doesn't know how much oil is leaking but it's pretty clear from NASA photos that it's much worse than anyone has admitted so far.
And if a cat can find this out, it makes me think the humans are lying.
The current liability cap (yes, there's a cap) for oil companies who create disasters is a measly $75 million dollars. BP made $5.5 billion dollars during the last quarter. (That's three months, in case you're wondering) I don't understand why there even IS a cap. Why in the world should American taxpayers have to pay for the mistakes of out-of-control oil companies wallowing in money? $75 million? That won't even pay for the overtime of the Coast Guard. A cap? We should OWN them, then give them back whatever is left.
On the other hand, the US and affected states need to be putting a disaster tax on gasoline, diesel, oil and gas (everything that is coming out of that hole in the Gulf). I believe that extra income can be used to help fund the difference between the liability cap and the actual billions of dollars it will cost to clean up after BP. That is if they ever figure out how to stop it to begin with.
Congress is still blocking efforts to support renewable, non-combustible, clean energy even today. When I look at the pictures of the spill I want to replace our representatives and senators with people not in the pockets of the oil companies. Somehow these companies have obtained the rights of individuals to donate to the campaigns of politicians. We have to either get these "company men" (and women) out of Washington or out of the companies.
British Petroleum, don't tell me you don't know how much damage has happened in the Gulf. We have the internet now. And don't tell me it's not your fault, it's Transocean or Haliburton. You worked this nightmare out together. You can't slip responsibility off on someone else. You were to benefit from this operation as were the other companies. In this case you will all hang together.
My God, people, you're almost as bad as Exxon!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
An Interesting Day
Well, it's been an interesting day around here. First thing mom was pretty crabby for the first part of it. KK is getting bigger and he tends to hurt her when he runs and jumps now.
Mom decided to take Brigid outside and cut off her fuzzy fur on the porch. KK wanted to come out, but instead of just walking out, he stayed in the doorway and yakked until Kyra ran out. She, of course, took off up the street. KK panicked, shouting, "Kyra's running away! Kyra's running away!" Of course mom wasn't real happy about that, but there was no point in getting mad at KK. He started to run after her and mom yelled, "Don't run after Kyra! She'll come back." After several exchanges, she convinced ol' KK to stick around.
Let me tell you a little about Kyra. She's a tough little terrier mix mom and The Emily picked up at the pound. She's smart, bossy and jealous. And she's mom's syncophant. Kyra is always so close to mom that she trips her. I try to tell her that's a cat's job because we can do it without getting hurt, but Kyra just keeps doing it and keeps getting stepped on. If you hear a yelp, it will be Kyra.
When she makes it out the door, Kyra runs up the street. Her attitude is: They'll send a car for me. AND THEY DO! Everyone starts going nuts while mom just squats in the yard and watches her. Mom knows she'll come back, but everyone else is whacked out, jumping in cars and driving after her. When they get near her they stop and open the door. That's when Kyra jumps in the car and gets a free ride home, her face all covered in smug doggy smile. So when she got out today, KK whacked out.
Anyways, mom continued to snip hair from around Brigid's butt and KK gave a blow by blow of where Kyra was. "She's way down there Mimi" "OH NO! She CROSSED the STREET!" "She's coming back!" "I'm gonna go get her"
Here mom let out a tremendous NO! KK can't go across the street.
Then she came back to the porch and watched mom cut. I think scissors fascinate her. At least she's not afraid of them like Brigid. She's only afraid of the vacuum cleaner.
But I digress.
Mom told KK to open the door to let Kyra in and of course, he opened the door and stood in it. Kyra couldn't get in and started to run away again. Then mom hollared at KK to go inside. He got upset and started crying. Kyra waited on the sidewalk. Mom stood up and called her and the scissors fell out of her lap. That scared Brigid and she tried to bolt. KK said, "OH NO! Brigid's running away too!" And Kyra was heading back towards the front door again while KK tried to get out of the house.
Well, let me tell you, this was a great day to be sunning in the front window.
Mom stomped on Brigid's leash and grabbed KK by the arm. She pulled him out of the doorway and reached down for the leash. (I didn't know she could multi-task!) Then Kyra started to shy away and mom pushed KK into the door and grabbed Kyra's collar, putting her inside the door and pushing it shut. KK started crying because he's not used to his Mimi being abrupt with him. Brigid had sat down in all the trimmed hair and was whining. Kyra barked through the window.
I don't think I've been entertained like this since the bird flew down the chimney.
Finally, when Kyra moved away from the door, mom said KK could come out again. Mom finished up trimming the dog butt and it looks like she has a crew cut on her posterior. Brigid coming at you, Sarge going away. Then Mimi wanted to keep KK busy so she told him to clean up the hair. By the time he was done he was covered in black dog hair.
Later mom decided we'd go shoot some pictures because there were so many pretty clouds in the sky. Besides, she's like a tomato plant. She needs sunlight to be happy. So we hopped in the car and drove around some. We went through Taco Bueno and ordered a veggie bean burrito for mom, a cheesecake chimichanga, a diet coke and a chicken taquito for me (hold the cheese. It makes the litter box stink) Mom tried eating and driving and ended up with black beans on her shirt, the seat, the steering wheel and even me. I wish she'd gotten a taco.
Finally we went out in the boonies to the end of a dirt road. Mom wanted to get out past the power lines to get good pictures. Now let me set this up for you:
The road ended where someone had tried to put in a walled community. There was a huge stone gate at the end of the dirt road. Now that gate was only about 40 yards long on a side, so you could drive along the gate and drive behind it. The folks had also started to put in a road, so it didn't matter if you went through the gate or around it on the side, you ended up in the same place. Ok?
Now, mom just went along the side of the gate to avoid visual obstacles. We got out and flushed some jacks. Those dang rabbits are fast. By the time mom got the cap off her lens they were too far away to get a good picture. So she started taking pictures of the clouds and the rain in the distance and some other stuff there.
Then all the sudden this man drives up in an old blue Chevy (we know it was a Chevy because it had that famous peeling Chevy paint job) He stopped across the dirt road and stared at mom. I got in the car to get a good view of what would happen.
He continued to stare at mom, so she waved at him. He put on his grumpy face. She realized he wanted her to move her car so he could go down that little bit of dirt road to get to the street. N
Now, he could have just turned his wheel a little to the right and gone through the gate, but he just sat there and stared at mom. I know it wasn't because of her stunning beauty because she was still covered in black beans, so I figured "he's a nut". And he was.
Mom finally figured out what he wanted and waved again, took his picture and got into the car. She pulled ahead five feet and he went around her and travelled down the little swatch of road behind her. Mom said, "Yes, you have a dick, so I have to move my car."
What mom did next was great. She turned the car and raced through the gate, cutting him off at the road and getting in front of him. She waved as she went by and took his picture again out the window. He did not look happy, but mom did. She giggled. He honked and she said, "I know, you have a dick." He peeled out to the right when we got to the stop sign. Mom made a left turn. I was in the back window showing him my tail.
Well, then we came home. Mom stopped a couple of places to get a shot here or something there. We scared up some more jacks, but they don't interest me. Mom said it was because they were too fast for me. I could have proven her wrong, but why rise to the bait, eh?
So now we're home and mom's going to load the photos into the computer. Can't wait to see Dick's pictures.
Waiting with baited breath,
Perry
Mom decided to take Brigid outside and cut off her fuzzy fur on the porch. KK wanted to come out, but instead of just walking out, he stayed in the doorway and yakked until Kyra ran out. She, of course, took off up the street. KK panicked, shouting, "Kyra's running away! Kyra's running away!" Of course mom wasn't real happy about that, but there was no point in getting mad at KK. He started to run after her and mom yelled, "Don't run after Kyra! She'll come back." After several exchanges, she convinced ol' KK to stick around.
Let me tell you a little about Kyra. She's a tough little terrier mix mom and The Emily picked up at the pound. She's smart, bossy and jealous. And she's mom's syncophant. Kyra is always so close to mom that she trips her. I try to tell her that's a cat's job because we can do it without getting hurt, but Kyra just keeps doing it and keeps getting stepped on. If you hear a yelp, it will be Kyra.
When she makes it out the door, Kyra runs up the street. Her attitude is: They'll send a car for me. AND THEY DO! Everyone starts going nuts while mom just squats in the yard and watches her. Mom knows she'll come back, but everyone else is whacked out, jumping in cars and driving after her. When they get near her they stop and open the door. That's when Kyra jumps in the car and gets a free ride home, her face all covered in smug doggy smile. So when she got out today, KK whacked out.
Anyways, mom continued to snip hair from around Brigid's butt and KK gave a blow by blow of where Kyra was. "She's way down there Mimi" "OH NO! She CROSSED the STREET!" "She's coming back!" "I'm gonna go get her"
Here mom let out a tremendous NO! KK can't go across the street.
Then she came back to the porch and watched mom cut. I think scissors fascinate her. At least she's not afraid of them like Brigid. She's only afraid of the vacuum cleaner.
But I digress.
Mom told KK to open the door to let Kyra in and of course, he opened the door and stood in it. Kyra couldn't get in and started to run away again. Then mom hollared at KK to go inside. He got upset and started crying. Kyra waited on the sidewalk. Mom stood up and called her and the scissors fell out of her lap. That scared Brigid and she tried to bolt. KK said, "OH NO! Brigid's running away too!" And Kyra was heading back towards the front door again while KK tried to get out of the house.
Well, let me tell you, this was a great day to be sunning in the front window.
Mom stomped on Brigid's leash and grabbed KK by the arm. She pulled him out of the doorway and reached down for the leash. (I didn't know she could multi-task!) Then Kyra started to shy away and mom pushed KK into the door and grabbed Kyra's collar, putting her inside the door and pushing it shut. KK started crying because he's not used to his Mimi being abrupt with him. Brigid had sat down in all the trimmed hair and was whining. Kyra barked through the window.
I don't think I've been entertained like this since the bird flew down the chimney.
Finally, when Kyra moved away from the door, mom said KK could come out again. Mom finished up trimming the dog butt and it looks like she has a crew cut on her posterior. Brigid coming at you, Sarge going away. Then Mimi wanted to keep KK busy so she told him to clean up the hair. By the time he was done he was covered in black dog hair.
Later mom decided we'd go shoot some pictures because there were so many pretty clouds in the sky. Besides, she's like a tomato plant. She needs sunlight to be happy. So we hopped in the car and drove around some. We went through Taco Bueno and ordered a veggie bean burrito for mom, a cheesecake chimichanga, a diet coke and a chicken taquito for me (hold the cheese. It makes the litter box stink) Mom tried eating and driving and ended up with black beans on her shirt, the seat, the steering wheel and even me. I wish she'd gotten a taco.
Finally we went out in the boonies to the end of a dirt road. Mom wanted to get out past the power lines to get good pictures. Now let me set this up for you:
The road ended where someone had tried to put in a walled community. There was a huge stone gate at the end of the dirt road. Now that gate was only about 40 yards long on a side, so you could drive along the gate and drive behind it. The folks had also started to put in a road, so it didn't matter if you went through the gate or around it on the side, you ended up in the same place. Ok?
Now, mom just went along the side of the gate to avoid visual obstacles. We got out and flushed some jacks. Those dang rabbits are fast. By the time mom got the cap off her lens they were too far away to get a good picture. So she started taking pictures of the clouds and the rain in the distance and some other stuff there.
Then all the sudden this man drives up in an old blue Chevy (we know it was a Chevy because it had that famous peeling Chevy paint job) He stopped across the dirt road and stared at mom. I got in the car to get a good view of what would happen.
He continued to stare at mom, so she waved at him. He put on his grumpy face. She realized he wanted her to move her car so he could go down that little bit of dirt road to get to the street. N
Now, he could have just turned his wheel a little to the right and gone through the gate, but he just sat there and stared at mom. I know it wasn't because of her stunning beauty because she was still covered in black beans, so I figured "he's a nut". And he was.
Mom finally figured out what he wanted and waved again, took his picture and got into the car. She pulled ahead five feet and he went around her and travelled down the little swatch of road behind her. Mom said, "Yes, you have a dick, so I have to move my car."
What mom did next was great. She turned the car and raced through the gate, cutting him off at the road and getting in front of him. She waved as she went by and took his picture again out the window. He did not look happy, but mom did. She giggled. He honked and she said, "I know, you have a dick." He peeled out to the right when we got to the stop sign. Mom made a left turn. I was in the back window showing him my tail.
Well, then we came home. Mom stopped a couple of places to get a shot here or something there. We scared up some more jacks, but they don't interest me. Mom said it was because they were too fast for me. I could have proven her wrong, but why rise to the bait, eh?
So now we're home and mom's going to load the photos into the computer. Can't wait to see Dick's pictures.
Waiting with baited breath,
Perry
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