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President Barack Obama
promised Saturday to stand with the people of the Gulf Coast "until they are made whole" and recovered from the damage caused by the oil spill, as he defended his handling of the disaster. Obama recorded his weekly radio and Internet address from this barrier island town he visited Friday on his third trip to the Gulf since an April 20 drilling rig explosion
Here are the president's remarks in a conversation with local residents, as provided by the White House:
For Immediate Release June 4, 2010
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
IN CONVERSATION WITH LOCAL RESIDENTSCamardelle’s Live Bait and Boiled Seafood
Grand Isle, LouisianaTHE PRESIDENT: Everybody knows the Mayor. The Mayor has gathered up a group of local businesspeople. Butch, for example, owns a marina; Terry, a shrimp boat; Floyd, oyster fisherman; and Patti has a convenience store; Chris is the owner of this bait shop.
And so we were just talking about the economic impact that this has had. And just to give you a sense of perspective -- Terry has been shrimping out here for 46 years. His grandfather did it before him. And right now things are completely shut off for him.
Floyd, he leases the oyster beds from the state. The state now, obviously, and properly so, has said he can't be pulling seafood out of these waters right now. He’s got oil that's starting to seep in into these oyster beds where he’s got leases and, as a consequence, Floyd is trying to figure out how long this damage is going to last.
FLOYD LASSEIGNE: I'm a fourth generation, and I've got a son who is a fifth generation, so we've been -- somebody lease has been -- been in the family for 100 years.
THE PRESIDENT: Butch was talking about the marina and making the point that these three, four months are basically when all the business comes down. And normally all his slips would be full right now -- sounds like about only a third of them are full and it may get worse from there.
BUTCH GASPARD: Our charter boat guys are hurting real bad, too, because all the charter boat business is shut down. They make a living off of taking people out fishing.
THE PRESIDENT: So right now, Butch isn’t taking a salary so he can pay his employees, but he doesn’t know how long that's going to last.
Then you’ve got Patti, who owns a convenient store. Obviously that store is dependent on these guys -- the boats coming in, filling up with gas, buying ice, buying soft drinks. So she’s down 85 percent on her business right now.
So this is just a sampling of what’s happening out here. And part of what we talked about was what we can do to prevent oil from coming into these areas; part of what we talked about is -- in terms of the relief effort -- can we deploy folks who’ve got boats here to help save their livelihoods right where they are, as opposed to having to go to other places. And so I'm going to ask Admiral Allen to make sure that he’s looking at where people are being deployed, where vessels are being deployed, to make sure the people who know the waters best end up being hired there.
And the final thing is we've got to talk about -- what we talked about up in New Orleans -- which is are we making sure that claims are being processed effectively. And right now, after that initial $5,000 check that BP wrote, the claim center has been taking in claims, but it sounds, based on what I'm hearing, that there’s a lot of process but not much actual action. And so we're going to see if we can do something better on that.
But the main point I think I want to make -- and, Mayor, feel free to chime in on this -- is these are communities that have had a way of life for generations, and what people are concerned about right now is not just the damage done in the short term -- because these are some tough folks. They’ve been through hurricanes and --
VOICE: Low prices.
THE PRESIDENT: -- low prices --
VOICE: High cost of fuel.
THE PRESIDENT: Terry was talking about how the walls stay up on a building around here; a hurricane comes, you wash out the mud and a week later everybody is back in business. So these are folks who are used to hardship and know how to deal with it. But what they’re concerned about right now is, is this going to have a lasting impact that they can't recover from. And that's why Thad and the rest of the federal team is so committed to making sure that everything that can be done will be done.
This is going to be bad, no matter what we do. But we can hopefully minimize the damage, but it requires good coordination between the state, federal and local; and it requires BP to make sure that, as I said up in New Orleans, folks aren’t getting nickled-and-dimed and that we're doing what we need to do early to prevent the worst-case scenario from happening later.
So, Mr. Mayor, anything you want to add?
MAYOR CAMARDELLE: Well, again, the main concern is to block these five passes that we talked about. The barges are available, Admiral, right there all along the coast, from Venice to Harvey Canal, all the way back to Homer. They’re standing by, and hopefully we can get the President to get on BP -- between both of you guys -- so we can put some barges there temporary to block these passes so we can save Claiborne Parish, LaFourche Parish, St. Charles Parish, Orleans Parish, Jefferson Parish, Plaquemines Parish. And Jefferson Parish, where we live at -- if we can block them five passes right now, these fishermen can tell you that we can save -- continue to save the rest of the 2 million acres of oysters.
We have $2 billion worth of seafood that comes out behind me, right in this estuary -- $2 billion worth. We have a billion dollars of recreational license -- recreational fishing -- that generates to the marinas, to all the stores, all the way across Louisiana. But these guys -- this woman here with the convenience store, if we lose the estuaries in the back, we're history. And they’ll tell you that.
We're born and raised -- our grandfathers, grandmothers. We made a living right here behind us. There’s no reason why this shrimp boat should be tied up, it don’t have skimmers on it, to make sure we can block the oil until we put these booms. And I'm asking you to --
THE PRESIDENT: To go to work. Last week when I was talking to the Mayor, he started choking up just talking about the fact that out of his own pocket he was having to provide some help and some loans to his buddies, to fishermen, folks in the area. That's what we should be able to prevent. There’s oil washing in, but people can help each other. And the company that's responsible can make sure that it’s responding quickly and effectively.
And when the Mayor told me that story it was, I think, an example of what’s happening all across this Gulf Coast. And it’s going to be multiplied not just in Louisiana, but in Alabama, in Mississippi, in Florida. There are small communities like this all across the Gulf and they’ve got to make sure that their voice is being heard day in, day out.
And I know that they’ve got a fierce advocate in Thad Allen. But I wanted you to know that behind Thad Allen stands the President of the United States.
MAYOR CAMARDELLE: And like I said, since the last time you’ve been here, the Coast Guard is unbelievable. Admiral, I want you to know that. You guys are really working 24 hours for us. And you did push BP. And, like I said, I'm very emotional because I'm still giving -- I'm not going to cut the water off, I'm not going to cut the electricity off, and I'm not going to cut the gas off. I have one of the businesses right now that has a $5,200 electricity bill, and I'm calling energy to make sure not to cut him off.
When these businesspeople come up to you and say it’s time to help, it’s not easy. And Patti can tell you -- the night before last I told her that I'm going to keep you strong, I'm going the try to bring you more business. Butch calls me, telling me we need more boats, get some vessel of opportunities. He’s fighting to save his oysters. I'm trying to keep Grand Isle alive, to try to get tours. I opened the beach Memorial Sunday at 3:00 p.m. -- people were calling me. So the marinas can sell a towel so these young kids can lay on the beach.
And watching oil come across the shore -- some people think I'm better than God, you know. That's how serious this is. And they’ll tell you, I live right down the street. I've been averaging two hours of sleep, just going in and looking at the ceiling fan and wondering what’s going to happen tomorrow, and praying to God that no more oil comes on the beach.
So, like Terry said earlier, his wife is sick. I bring seven people a day to -- New Orleans in a van, to cross that long bridge you crossed, and putting gas in the truck to make sure that we can keep the help. And we help each other. And we don't have no money, don't matter. We help each other. That's what we do.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, that's supposed to be what the entire United States does, is helping each other.
MAYOR CAMARDELLE: Exactly.
TERRY VEGAS: We're not bitter at the oil companies for what’s happening. We're just bitter at those that cut the corners and cause the havoc that we're having right now.
VOICE: It’s not getting cleaned up fast enough.
VOICE: -- the oil company down here and we enjoy the business. We support them.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think the point with the oil companies is they’ve got to support you the same way you support them. And they’ve got to make sure that -- because there are a lot of folks in the oil business who do the right thing and who aren’t cutting corners. We've just got to make sure that we find out what happened and that those who are responsible are held responsible; that we fix whatever is wrong. We're still going to need the oil production, but we've got to make sure that we do it in the right way, because we just can't have a situation like this happen again.
VOICE: Can't have that happen all the time,, no.
VOICE: Have to follow the rules.
VOICE: Just tell the truth.
VOICE: From day one they lied to us -- BP. They said 1,000 barrels a day, then said it’s 2,000 -- put the tube in there, it was 5,000 -- now it’s up to 12,000 to 19,000 barrels a day. Just tell the people the truth, you know. That's all we want.
MAYOR CAMARDELLE: Like I said, the biggest shrimp dock in America is right here in Grand Isle. It’s Blanche’s Seafood. And he’s completely shut down. They’ll tell you, the boats are tied up. How many boats does he have right now -- about 100, close to 100 boats just tied up. And you’ve got the Vietnamese families, you’ve got the true Cajun people here, and they’re just sitting on the deck of the boat and just waiting on the vessel of opportunity.
And I want to respect the Admiral and BP, where they try. It’s just since you left, they’ve made a big change. Since you came to me, you made a big change and we support you for that. But we just worry. You hear us here and we worry. And we don't know what’s going to happen tomorrow. And that's why we depend on you -- both of you guys -- to make sure that -- and you heard them today. We don't want to be on food stamps -- none of my people -- we want to just untie the boat, be able to see your two daughters right here and kiss them in the evening and Daddy’s going to work.
END
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So sad to that the Gulf is engulfed in oil. We as a nation have got to "get over our addiction to oil". As has been said many times. I remember first discussing this in 1975, when the gas shortages were so bad. At that time, the "experts" were saying it will take 30 years to get us off oil. Well it is over 30 years later, and the comment is "it's going to take us 30 years to get off oil into something else". Were is the will of the population of this country. We should be doing everything we can to make the change.
Destroying the Gulf, is that going to be enough to make the change? Or are we going to remain selfish and only think of the now and not the future. To make the changes before we destroy the habitat for the humans of this world is going to require SACRIFICE on our part. It is going to require paying MUCH more for our gas, heating, supplies. But if we don't make the change,, then we probably should not worry about much else, because we most likely won't have a habitable planet for humans to survive in. The earth will continue, but will we? This is just the beginning. Now a bunch of people who say..."you drive a car, you consume heating in the winter" are prefectly right. I do drive, I live in the country and have to drive to get to my job, shopping, fun. But if I want to make a change, I will have to make changes in my life. That is the part of sacrifice.
This entire disaster is the Gulf is due to "GREED". Have we seen that before?? Think of stock market crash, economy crash, housing crash, mine disaster, oil well explosion. All due to cutting corners to make the company more profits. We as a population have to make the sacrifice, have to demand that companies pay their FULL share of the damage they cause.
Trying reading a few books on the subject. A good one is "EAARTH" by Bill McKibben.
I'm not certain if I more sad or angry about what is on track to be the LARGEST man made catastrophe in the history of mankind!
After viewing the photo's of the innocent creatures that are being subjected to the cruelty by man all in the name of the 'precious' oil we are STILL addicted to, I find myself sick to my stomach and heart broken!
Anyone who doesn't believe that the WORST is yet to come is in some serious denial! This my friends is only the beginning. .. The question is will we EVER fully recover from this act of eco-terrorism?
If this isn't a WAKE UP call to end our dependency of oil... I don't know what it's going to take!
For now I'm doing my part by reducing the amount of driving I do - boycotting ALL things BP & donating to the World Wildlife Federation. It's not much but at least I feel like I'm part of the solution and not the problem!
You are so right Fiesty, I. too, am heartsickened.
We have to reduce our dependency on all fossil fuels, especially oil. The price of our comforts and conveniences has become too high. The toll in human suffering, through wars and skirmishes is too high.
The toll in irreparable damage to our ecosystems is too high.
The toll to treasures of nature we all enjoy, beaches, fishing, sailing, etc. are too high.
A very special way of life is being destroyed before our eyes. There will be nothing left for future generations to enjoy and we cannot replace much of it.
I ask any out there, anyone, who can, as I did today, to make a donation to the National Wildlife Federation, to help keep some of these innocent creatures here with us for future generations to wonder and marvel at.
Hey Gingerbread Mama if I remember correct isn't Jupiter on the west coast down there in Florida. Got and have some family on my mothers side in the area but I think thier more inland. Already sent some to the NWF and if I might add Duck's Unlimited to your list. I know that they are more associated with the hunting community but you don't have to join to send money and one of thier more positive aspects is the extensive work they do on saving and protecting wetland habitat especially down in the Gulf region which is nesting and wintering ground for so many birds.
Hello I.R. as always so good to hear from you. Jupiter is on the east coast about 12 miles north of West Palm Beach. It is still a town of about 85,000 which has managed to keep that small town feel. check out our town website sometime.
We are on the Atlantic and unfortunately expect at sometime to be tainted by this awful disaster. Our beaches are very special to us and for me I enjoy nature and all it has to offer so it hurts to see this terrible devastation. I am a member of the NWF and believe in their also the Nature Conservancy both work very hard to keep our treasures safe. Thank you for your support and I will look into Duck's Unlimited and put them on my list.
Also we are concerned about hurricanes and the long range forecast is telling us we could be in for a very busy season. For the past week, our weather has got hot and hotter and today was particularly brutal, almost too early to be this hot and humid, maybe its because as I get older it seems hotter each summer. The last summer was bad and this one is shaping up to match it, and I wonder how much global warning is already influencing the temperature despite the clamoring it is all in our heads. One nice thing we have been getting a lot of rain so everything looks good an lush and all the new plantings are wiggling their roots and lovin' it.
Yesterday, I sent you a little missive on NV to say hello and welcome, when you have time check it out I think you will enjoy my tale of adventure. All the best for the weekend.
As an example of government and more precisely political corruption the Gulf oil spill is prominent. For sure it should neither be considered a spontaneous nor an unexpected disaster as it was precipitated by a mentality and by actions that predestined it. As with so much else that we have seen lately, government again was lax in both its oversight and in failing to demand adherence to a responsible standard. New stricter regulations and stronger enforcement may help but again, as with everything else, only if there is a real divorce between Special Interests and the politicians to end the relationship that encourages the problems. There has been an obvious long running symbiotic relationship between Halliburton, the oil companies, others and the powers in Washington that simply predestined this catastrophe. Government/politicians have to be diligently held to a much higher standard of concern for responsibly representing their constituents and for not being ‘puppets’ for Special Interests and for not just pursuing their political ambitions above all else. Currently we are seeing the combined aggressive efforts of Special Interests and those politicians interested in maintaining their mutually beneficial status and to literally preventing any needed reform. Together they are stopping at nothing in trying to use scare tactics, appeals to biases, prejudices and self-interests in order to sway and manipulate public opinion to deceptively support a return to ‘more of the same’ that facilitated all of our problems. If the voters should now fail to be objective and rational and instead are taken in by the subterfuge, then we are very apt to see ‘more of the same’ and a further decline into the abyss of problems.
sonokursh2, Feisty, and RGiles -
Well said and couldn't agree more. Sorry to see a story like this get buried on a Saturday when most folks are likely to miss it, because even after everything that's already been said and shown about the spill on tv, this one really hits home. No politics, no finger-pointing, just people. I'll try to remember to bring it up again on Monday and urge people to check the archives, but if I don't get a chance to log on here, could one of you please do so? I think everyone needs to read it.
sonokursh2 - Excellent point about the sacrifices that need to be made. And you're right, you're going to catch some flack from the people who are too lazy, too selfish, or too short-sighted to make them. Keep repeating it anyway.
Feisty - Thanks for the reminder about the WWF - I'm gonna send a check too. Not to minimize the human and economic costs, but in the long run, even those depend on the survival of the entire ecosystem, and nobody gets that better than the WWF.
RGiles - Too true about the special interests preying on our fears and prejudices. Unfortunately, nobody gets THAT better, either. Wish I knew the answer, except that as Feisty said, if we aren't part of the solution, we're part of the problem. We're our own special interest, if that makes sense.
Everyone else - as much as I hate to inject anything political in here, this is the President I voted for. Do I wish he could do more? Of course I do. I suspect he wishes the same thing. We all want to do more. The thing is, I feel like he "gets it" too. For now, that's enough for me.
Storming today on the hill so I'm trying to make some adjustments and figure out some mechanics here and I see Mr. Montanaro and the President putting in some overtime. My thanks and appreciation to the both of you. This thing is heartbreaking but I can see a lot of the response that we got up here in the mountains with the coal mine disaster from this administration first in the area of reaching out to the local folks in a spirit of trying to give some comfort to the stricken and to get a better handle on what the various agencies can do to help. The scale of the response that is going to be needed here is thousands of times larger than what we dealt with up here but I would hope that the folks on the gulf come to realize that the President is serious here just like he was in W.V. This really isn't about politics with him and what he will do to help you'll. Part of the problem with the response to this point seems to me that B.P. has been kind of in between and I think that the administration is starting to understand that. Judging by what I saw up here if you'll can get the corporation out of the middle and get the local and state agencies hooked up with the Federal President Obama is a man of his word and will do anything with in his power to make things happen for you'll. I think that some will be pleasantly surprised at just what the gentleman can and will do and just how far he will go to make sure that the Federal agencies are doing what their supposed to. He can be a very strong advocate and don't let that calm demeanour fool you he can kick some serious butt if he wants to. In the meantime I know that I have sent some assistance and reached out to a couple of old Cajun associates to get better lined up for future efforts and I already know that I'm going to burn most of my vacation time down there this year but I would like to reach out thru this forum to all the folks on the Gulf and surrounding area. First everybody I know is keeping you'll in or hearts and prayer's. Second let us know what is going on from your perspective. We all need that. Third let us know if there's anything we can do to lighten your load. Could be any thing. Do you know a group of kids that need to go to camp for instance? Do we need to get together and sponsor you'll some health clinics? Things like this you'll need to let us know. Reach out friends and neighbors and I garontee that we'll be there. The Old Indy Redneck done told you that.
I can't believe it. I must be registered. And I thought it didn't work. Have a great weekend everyone.
Hey to all my aces that I see above me here. Taking a page from Joanne's post Mr. Montanaro if I could offer just a sugestion. I think most of us have gotten used to kind of sliding thru thru the weekend unless there's something like a convention or meeting going on. It sure would be nice if you'll could put this back up first of the week. I think there are many who would like to leave a thought or two on the subject who might not for various reasons be amongst us today
Old Indy -
I love, love, LOVE what you "done told us" above about asking people in the Gulf to tell US what they need. The government has its job to do and lord knows BP has to step it up, and I know what I call the 'corporate charities" will be there too. But there are a lot of times where smaller, one-on-one efforts can have an even more immediate effect and help somebody directly and personally. So I'll gladly second your motion.
Gotta run - one cat is out of Feline Greenies (that's his idea of your pal's beef jerky) and the other one's insisting she needs a new brush, so I have to go float a loan at Pet Smart. So glad you stopped by on a Saturday too!
P.S. - We're all still figuring out the new mechanics here - somebody (sorry, I forget who!) mentioned yesterday that until the guys can figure out a way around the new color/font issue, we should all try using the "Bold" thingie up there in the corner, so I'm gonna try and see if it helps. Us geezers need all the help we can get!
Thanks Joanne(I know that your going to be back isn't this new deal great that way) Saw that bold suggestion yesterday so I thought I'd try it out while I'm trying things today. Looks funny when it's on the page but let's see what happens when I post it. I hope may be we can get this back up first of the week but I'm going to save it and put it back up somewhere anyway if we don't. Sonokursh and Rgiles you'll done good here too. Did you'll go through a name change on the transition that I missed. Your style tells me that I should recognize you but I can't place a name with it from before.
Hi All!
Excellent analysis of the pain & suffering that's going on in the Gulf! I just feel so helpless & hopeless after watching the non-stop gushing of oil!
I pray I'm wrong... but my 'gut' feeling is that BP is NOT going to be able to stop this until those relief wells are completed! This is one time I would LOVE to be wrong...
I question now if it's already too late and how the impact & damages will change our way of lives forever as well as future generations... and I cannot put into words how DEEPLY that disturbs me!
As I don't call the Gulf home I cannot comprehend what those people are feeling as I'm have extreme difficulty believing what my eyes are seeing!
Sonokursh: You beat me too it this morning and it's obvious that both of our thoughts were on the same page!
Gingerbread Mama: As always... spot on!
JoAnne: I'll make sure this is out there again Monday morning! So you're a 'cat' lady too! :0)
IR: What can I say... you GET it and as always bring your unique perspective to FR and for that we LOVE you! Your ex-RHST is a VERY lucky lady! ;0)
Red While I've been hanging at the house some today trying to get a handle of our new functions I've been checking on some of the B.P. stuff from the engineering/technical end.I'm going to kind of put it all together first of the week but for right now what I'm seeing would either make a grown man sit down and cry to know that there are people this heartless in the world or piss him off so bad he would grab up his long rifle and go hunting. Short version is that some of the language that was being used Friday kind of clued me into what these B.S. artists have going on. This new rig isn't designed to stop the well it's designed to put the well into production. They are only going to run the pumps to collect as much oil and gas as they can without going outside the proper ratios so they can still refine it. They're going to let the rest keep spilling until they can get the relief wells drilled to cap it off for the future which was their original plan in the first place. That's the part that Halliburton screwed up. Every thing we are seeing from B.P. is crocodile tears and has been from the beginning. They don't care how much oil spills as long as they can figure out how to get it in a tanker in the proper proportions to refine.
Looking forward to the analysis IR! Scary thing is I've started to get the same feeling but admittedly don't understand all the engineering stuff so I haven't wanted to comment!
If what you say is true... I have no idea what the PROPER punishment should be for these eco-terrorists... Any ideas?
Yes. I knew he'd do this. I think the press, and us, are still not in the same rhythm sync as the Pres. Seems to happen every time. Just when everyone is jumping up and down 'why doesn't he...(fill in the blank)?"
He gets to it.
I'd also SEND JOE, VP, as he's the best with folks,just hangin' . Have him set up camp in the Gulf-come and go for his VP things, but keep coming back and hangin' with the people there 'till things are much better. Like the King and Queen in WWII. Refused to leave London during the Blitz. Couldn't stop the bombs, but beloved ever since because they STOOD with the PEOPLE in bad times anyway.
Sometimes the people really need a solution, but also knowing you're there just helps. Really.
 Bravo, Mr. Pres.
After seeing the pictures of the animals that are being harmed by this oil spill, I think that public attention and opinion have (finally) turned. I submit that those that STILL want to 'Drill, Baby, Drill' will be drowned out by the populace that FINALLY is starting to understand the DAMAGE that these corporate entities have done to this country.
The SAD part about this is that those SAME corporate entities really don't care if you and I are harmed or not. As this situation plays out, they will do all in their power to NOT pay what they should for this mess. You will be infuriated by the 'gamesmanship' these companies will play because their GOD, the Almighty Dollar, is being taken from them. However, just as I have posted to Anita before, I do not think this is a coincindence that the very Gulf States that are run by the GOP are the SAME ONES that are being harmed irreparably. Can we say... KARMA?
What is TRULY interesting is that the GOP leadership is STRANGELY ABSENT from the headlines. Instead of banding together and working WITH the President to HELP THEIR constituents, we see NOTHING. I think that, and I have posted this before, that people are FINALLY getting the picture that the GOP does NOT have their best interests at heart. Can we explain WHY we are not seeing the Senators or Congressmen of those districts that are most vulerable standing with the President? Can we explain why we are not seeing the Governors of those very RED states sitting with the President trying to figure out what they can do to HELP?
All we have heard about is Gov. Jindal writing a letter asking President Obama to rescind his order concerning drilling permits. You CANNOT tell me that a RHODES Scholar like Gov. Jindal is STUPID enough to write a letter like that when his constituents are BEGGING for help. It is VERY unfortunate that right-wingers would rather STARVE than ask President Obama to help them. It is also unfortunate that the same 'Government is the PROBLEM' representatives and Senators cannot drop the rhetoric for ONCE and actually do SOMETHING for their constituents.
And these are the guys that are going to take over the Congress in November? Not a chance.
I applaud President Obama for stepping up to help the PEOPLE when their representatives choose not to. Although I have been seeing a lot more chatter about how the President did not respond fast enough or how the Government has given out leases without safety inspections, I think that the pictures of those pelicans will undo a lot of that argument.
I voted for President Obama, and he is DAMN well doing what I voted him in to do.
Well said Pietro. It is has been a long time since our friends of no have been so silent and how about ol' Haley Barber (sp) MIss Gov., skipping out on meeting the President for the second time, guess the rumor he may run in 2012 for pres may have a leg to it and Lord forbid the Teabaggers would rag on him for consorting with the President. To hell with his constituents and their misery and loss, I hope some are taking notes for the next election and remember who reached out to them.
I enjoy your posts and have to tell you your response to ITM, I believe yesterday, was a classic. I was laughing so much I could hardly read some of it as the tears of laughter were getting in my way. All I could think was that idiot really came to a battle of wits unarmed. Great response.
I agree. Where is "Chuckels" and the rest of them. I suspect they are waiting to see if their donation checks have cleared the bank yet.
We all have to pull together on this and help in anyway we can. I do not put much faith in BP or anyone who is tied to their purse strings. The videos of the wild life just rip your heart out. I have just sent a donation (not very big, I wish I had more) to WWF. I hope it helps some.
I just want to thank all the great americans I am seeing on this blog today. God Bless and stay healthy. Better days will come if we stay strong and help each other in any way we can.
Gary
Thank you Gary not only for your thoughtful post but your service to this great country as well!
We MUST keep getting the word out any way possible to the people & wildlife down there in the Gulf that they are NOT alone!
We're here to help... may not be able to do as much as we want individually... but TOGETHER we CAN make a difference!
EXCELLENT closing Pietro! The rest was good too :0))
This is why I worked my butt in making sure we had a intelligent, calm & pragmatic man in the WH instead of Gidget & the Geezer! Can anyone imagine where we would be today if the dynamic duo had managed to win?? I shudder at the thought!
I forgot in my earlier post to mention to PLEASE get the word out that people should NOT be touching these tar balls without proper protection!
This is TOXIC stuff... I admire people wanting to do something but lets make sure it's done safely! There's already enough devastation... :0(
The scope of this disaster is so overwhelming and heartbreaking that all I can do is just sit here and hang my head. We are not used to such calamities; we're used to helping folks affected by earthquakes and tsunamis and famine in faraway places. But now, it's us.
What can I do to help? I can pray. I can give to aid organizations. I can find time to go to the Gulf and spend my money to help the Pattis and Chrises and Terrys who face a bleak future if we ignore their plight and go blithely about our lives.
And as they all said - when President Obama shows up, things get done. It is my fervent hope that he will show up and stay for awhile, listening to his countrymen and women and learning what it means to be Comforter in Chief to his people. They need his presence.
This is so far beyond politics...it is about our basic humanity and charge to care for each other and our fellow creatures and the earth we have borrowed from our children.
All!
I'm with Gail... for the life of me I CANNOT wrap my head around what I'm witnessing!
That's all I got.. for NOW... I'm at a LOSS for words!
Nuff SAID..
Your witnessing what happens when we say, "we don't need no stinking regulations!" and "we don't need no stinking oversight!".
Truelove1...Oh SO true...
Did anyone else happen to catch the spawn of Satan's on This Week this morning!
Just like her old man with the exception that at times he has sense enought to SHUT the hell up!
Lizzard on the other hand won't let anyone get a word in edge wise!
Nice job by Arianna & Markos for holding their own against that b!tch!
The President has been pushing for reform from day one, however he can't do it alone, Congress writes the laws and we all know what a jackastrophy that is. The solution to congressional pollution is dilution, get the Thuglicans out of the way so we can finish the agendas that will finally get this country back on track. Has anyone noticed how the media is slowly and sometime blatantly become a platform for the Thuglican non talking points WITHOUT EVEN INVESTIGATING IF THEY ARE TRUE OR NOT??? This Sestak crap is crap, move on, quit trying to fill the 24hr news vacuum its embarrassing from an observer's point of view.
The comments we have seen last week ie; Maureen Dowd, David Broder etc...They are unqualified, inexperienced and clueless when it comes to anything involved with BP'S spill and what the response should or could have been..if they were on site I would have fired them as soon as they opened their unqualified, inexperienced and clueless mouths.
When will we see the media approval poll???
If we don't stand up and FIGHT now for the massive changes that are necessary... then when?
Amen, Fiesty! I think we have to recogize that this might be the time to stand up and be counted.
It often takes a great disaster to bring us to our senses and to start to get a change of mindset. We cannot continue to live our lives as if there is an endless supply of these toxic chemicals and fluids being processed to aid us in living better, we are only kidding ourselves. We now see the price of our self indulgence and over indulgence. Where do we start? Fiesty, as you said earlier, we start with ourselves, to change the way we live, drive a little less, be a little hotter in the summer, be a little colder in the winter. Conserve and recycle are ways we can all change a little at a time. We will work on this now and others will join us too. We will FIGHT for a better future. There is much work to be done. Chat with you soon, enjoy your weekend and rest.
Why ins't the GOP paying for this also? They created all this by letting their "OIL FRIENDS" dictate the policys.Same with health care ...same with the finanical disaster
KICK THESE BUMS ALL OUT IN NOV !!! EMPTY THE SENATE /CONGRESS
It is my opinion that BP's Senior Management should all be tried IN LOUISIANA for 11 counts of second degree murder due to depraved indifference in the deaths of the crew of the Deepwater Horizon. Given BP's abysmal safety record (over 700 fineable OSHA violations compared to Exxon's 1) this should not be a hard sell to a jury. Especially so in Louisiana where the defendant is presumed guilty until proven innocent.
As a part of their sentancing I say make a chain gang out of the lot of them to help clean up the mess they made a la "Cool Hand Luke". I volunteer for Strother Martin's role in this real life re-creation. "Hayward how did YOUR DIRT end up in this ditch ?"
Has anyone else noticed the Chihuahuas have been conspicuous by their absence? Probably busy mooning over Sarah Palin and Sue Lowden.
It is nice too without them. Although sometimes they lent a little spice to the posts and gave us a little something to gnaw at.