Friday, May 28, 2010

Obama’s Half-Truth on the BP Oil Disaster~Tyson Slocum

Obama's oil spill response:
Too much culpability, too much passivity ~Dana Milbank


Judge rules against Ivor Van Heerden, but the Show Ain't Over till the Fat Jury Sings
~Before issuing his ruling though, Judge Brady described the university's behavior in the situation as "beyond unprofessional."
~DefendIvor.org

How did the pumps get from...
~Fix the Pumps


A Fitting Image~Bayou Child
~Sieze BP Campaign Gaining Momentum

May 27th, 2010~News from
United Commercial Fisherman’s Assn.
Contact: Val P. Exnicios (504) 495-9666 or
George Barisich (504) 439-2013 If you need help reaching these contacts, call C. Brylski (504) 460-1468 or H. Harper (504) 289-0499
Counsel for George Barisich, President of the United Commercial Fisherman’s Association, announced today in open court that an agreement has been made with BP in the attorney’s continuing efforts to add transparency and accountability to the claims process.

On behalf of the group, Attorney Val P. Exnicios presented the agreement, which stated:
1. Claimants with lawyers will not be treated any differently than those without;
2. BP will maintain the confidentiality of all claimants financial information; and
3. BP has agreed to hire more multi-lingual translators to process claims.
The motion for court supervision, or alternatively to appoint a special master or special master over claims will be continued on June 4.

The Court also indicated that BP should cooperate with plaintiff’s counsel in determining whom to appoint as the independent mediator that BP announced yesterday would be overseeing claims-payment process for damages caused by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Mr. Barisich stated, “I am very pleased that my attorneys have been able to advance this case so rapidly.”
On May 15, Plaintiff George Barisich, President of the United Commercial Fisherman’s Association, Inc., submitted a memorandum to the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana, in support of his motion to appoint a special master to provide oversight and implementation guidance for the claims processing program initiated by BP to provide emergency interim compensation for the damages caused by the ongoing oil spill.
These documents are available at: www.gulfoildisasterrecovery.com

Blame it on the porn
~Mark Moseley, The Lens


22-mile oil plume under Gulf nears rich waters

Loop Current Eddy cuts off; oil danger to Keys now greatly reduced ~Wunderblog

Chance to buy an island
~Library Chronicles


~Matt Stamey/The Courier~ A worker places absorbent pads in the marsh grass in Lake Barre near Cocodrie, La. on Thursday, May 27, 2010. Crews worked to wipe the grass of oil to prevent it from spreading farther into the marsh. The grass that's already been in contact with oil will die.

Science be damned; Bobby, Buddy and Billy draw a states’ rights line in the sand! ~LaCoastPost

Billly Nungessser, Louisiana BP Oil Spill Folk Hero ~BBuzz

The tort lawyer and the BP oil disaster~Oil giant will have to deal with Louisiana’s ‘firehouse dog’

Smart Pig: BP's OTHER Spill this Week~Greg Palaste

Can BP do the math? Can BP keep its word?~GRN

Gulf Oil Spill: With so many oil resources, can't we just drill somewhere else?
~Gail the Actuary


BP calls Gulf oil leak 'environmental catastrophe' ...like they give a flip?
~Hat Tweet~John McQuaid
~BPGlobalPR~ Can we just start calling it the oilcean and move on please? #bpcares

~Special Thanks~Humid Beings

Coast Guard harass journalists covering BP's oil spill disaster
~On Tuesday, a photographer with the New Orleans Times-Picayune was prevented from flying over the ocean after the plane company was issued with a temporary flight restriction after BP officials learned a member of the press was on board.
~Newsweek: The media blocked from photographing worst-hit oil sites.

Joint hearings resume for 3rd day in Kenner

Alaskan offers Louisiana advice
~Amy Wold

~The Exxon Valdez spill occurred 21 years ago, but it still feels like yesterday, said Gunnar Knapp, professor of economics at the University of Alaska Anchorage Institute of Social and Economic Research.
One lesson is that the oil spill in Alaska raised a number of opportunities and challenges for scientists, he said.
Soon after the oil spill occurred, decision makers wanted answers to basic science questions that no one had been interested in funding before the spill, Knapp said. That meant some of that basic science still needed to be done.
In addition, there is a lot of money at stake after an oil spill, so the conversations between scientists, that need to be done for good science, don’t happen, he said.
“It’s shocking. You find people attacking you and your research because what you find is inconvenient,” Knapp said.

Jus'soz Ya'knowz....Louisiana Sinn Féin
~Hat Tip~KG

"Blue Window with Peonies"
~Polly Jackson

3 comments:

Ima Wizer said...

love you to pieces!!!!

Editilla said...

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Horatio Algeranon said...

"Obama told a half-truth (or a half-lie, depending on your perspective) because it is clear that MMS does indeed have discretion beyond a 30 day bondage' -- "Obama’s Half-Truth on the BP Oil Disaster~Tyson Slocum"

If you do it purposefully, can it still be considered a "half-truth?"

It's clear from Obama's rather detailed answer that he was informed (coached?) on, as he put it "the question of how is it that oil companies kept on getting environmental waivers in getting their permits approved".

Whether Obama was being honest or not is a question that only he can answer, but it's perfectly clear that whoever coached him was being purposely misleading.

I know it rarely happens, but isn't it the job of the President to challenge the information he gets? (from MMS, BP, even from his chief of staff)