BP Mess proves that the USA may soon collapse

FROM THE NY TIMES, June 21 article "Between Blast and Spill, One Last, Flawed Hope" - "Transocean said that BP, as the rig's operator, would have determined the blowout preventer's configuration. ''Operators select B.O.P. stack configurations based on their anticipated operating environments, including water depths, seismic data, anticipated well conditions and the like.'' "
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SO, THEY BASE ALL REQUIREMENTS ON THE 'BEST CASE' . MEANING, "WE WILL NOT SPEND A PENNY MORE THAN THE LOWEST PRICE, AND WE KNOW DAMN WELL THAT EVERYTHING WE DO IS BASED ON A  "FANTASY" OF HOW THINGS WILL GO."

Hang 'em High. The MMS folks too.

ALSO from the NY Times - "In 2001, just as BP and Transocean were pressing the Deepwater Horizon into service, the Minerals Management Service was being warned against allowing deepwater rigs to operate with only one blind shear ram. The agency had commissioned a study that documented more than 100 failures during testing of blowout preventers. "
BUT the MMS did nothing. They 'signed off' on drilling without EVER checking documents, because that way they have "plausible deniability".

Like I said, the MMS folks too.

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THIS is what we get when we have a government that is 'in bed with big business', and don't force out the bad apples. 

We are in DIRE STRAIGHTS, PEOPLE !!! Not only are the shits in Congress in the pocket of big business, but the people doing the "low level control" of big business is either being paid 'under the table', waiting to quit to go work for them, or JUST PLAIN CROOKED and are collecting paychecks (OUR TAX MONEY) while sitting with their thumbs up their butts, playing video games on government PC's, and downloading / copying porn with OUR money.

The Beatles -- "say you want a Revolution". Beginning to sound "better all the time".

Drill, Baby, Drill -- but do it safely.

While I agree that you must go after BP, freezing assets would mean they could not operate the business, therefore NOT be able to pay for cleanup, pay workers, businesses hurt by all of this. Better would be to pressure them to not pay but a minimal (if any) dividend, and divert any other money possible to Americans hurt by their actions. Further, hit them too hard and they will declare bankruptcy, and then we get only a few billion from asset sales - years later.

Then we need to prosecute officials for unsafe practices, or whatever else we can, including 'wrongful death' since the shortcuts caused 11 people to die. That would INCLUDE MMS people who didn't do their job, took bribes, etc.

Last (and needs to happen ASAP) is to pass laws that mandate procedures for operation, record keeping, etc, so this never happens again.

We MUST drill offshore. But we need to have the utmost care in how it is done. Sen. Sanders (VT) is saying "no" to offshore. But that is where the oil is, and all other options are either too costly (including enriching our enemies) or decades away from being enough to power America.

(Sent to Rep. Kissell, D, NC on 6/15/10)

OBAMA Admisistration -- just how STUPID ARE THEY?

Let me first say -- I would have voted for someone ELSE if there was a decent candidate. 

TODAY (6/10/10) the news reports say that President Obama says British Petroleum (BP)  must pay for ALL other laid off workers, even those out of work because Obama has placed a 6 month moratorium on all oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

WHAT? I can't agree that any company be forced to pay for something the Government 'decrees' like this. Should there be a moratorium? YES - until ALL of the rigs are checked thoroughly for all safety procedures, that ALL 'blow out preventers' (BOP) are fully TESTED and verified by regulators, and the same with all other things related to the drilling platforms, AND the production platforms, performing "as claimed". And that all procedures are FILED with the government, and that they meet the highest possible standards worldwide.

BTW - lawyers say that the filing requirement "as built" is NOT the same as filing the actual AS IS on the platforms. BULLSHIT. Any common sense would say that they MUST file paperwork for AS THINGS ARE, not as they "might be."

But for the GOVERNMENT to stop a company (in this case, multiple companies) from doing it's work for months, and then demand another company PAY ALL THE WORKERS -- THAT IT NUTS. It might sound OK to some radicals, but will NEVER stand up in a court.

Is BP at fault for the disaster in the Gulf? YES - 100% YES. Should they pay for cleanup, for other businesses like shrimpers, deep sea fishermen, hotels, etc, that can't work while the oil pollutes the waters? YES.

But for them to pay the workers of Anadarko, Shell, and ANY other because OBAMA said 'you can't drill here for whatever random time period I declare' will NEVER be done.

If this Administration keeps making up crap like this, BP may well declare bankruptcy and walk away from the entire thing. The Obama administration needs to GET REALISTIC about this situation.

Now that I think about it - maybe they WANT all this to fail. If they are 'in cahoots' with the oil industry, by making these demands, they are forcing the bankruptcy, and therefore the NON-payment by BP. All of this will cost about 5-10 years of profits. Few companies could ever sustain this, and none will do so willing.

Oil Spill may be Impossible to Clean

For article in USA Today --  on Yahoo -----

IN WIKI - search for "oil spill" and you find ---
Dispersants act as detergents, clustering around oil globules and allowing them to be carried away in the water.[12] This improves the surface aesthetically, and mobilizes the oil. Smaller oil droplets, scattered by currents, may cause less harm and may degrade more easily. But THE DISPERSED OIL DROPLETS INFILTRATE INTO DEEPER WATER and can lethally contaminate coral. Recent research indicates that some dispersant are toxic to corals.[13] ******* (I put in the CAPS section)*******
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NOTE that the dispersants do EXACTLY as I speculated over the past few days in other posts - the "plumes" underwater are a direct result of huge amounts of the chemicals used at the source of the spill.

So if it is a known fact, why are they "surprised" to find that oil released into the water as a steady stream will clump together in "plumes"?

It is clear that NO ONE in government (because industry certainly would not want to do it) ever did a decent study of what happens when you use dispersants at the source instead of places like beaches (like Alaska where it was so hard to clean it all up) and other already contaminated places. And if they never studied it, why have the OK'ed the use of massive amounts?

This is not just an Obama problem; it comes through 60-70 years of governments not wanting to interfere with big oil. Great job Washington Bureaucrats.