(V):  And I hope the Federal gov loses this one as they are totally out in left field.

OldFartNamesArt: You would like the company who just messed up BIG STYLE to (amongst others) drill in an area that has been designated risky drilling areas because of the depth....

... I personally would like to make sure there is the equipment to seal another leak like the one which is happening now before they might even be considered granted the go ahead.

Call me fickle but it's called safety and don't make the same mistake twice as being unprepared. The oil companies can afford some R&D don't you think?

(V): Drilling suspension would likely cost 6000 jobs in Louisiana alone (and could go as high as 10,000). If the rigs leave the gulf, they won't be coming back. And there are interested parties that want those rigs in their waters. Here are some facts:

There have been over 50,000 wells drilled in the Gulf of Mexico, over 4,000 of them deepwater wells and 700 ultra-deepwater wells; all this with no major incidents until now. That is a 99.998 percent success ratio. But they are going to punish Louisiana anyway. They have invested over $150 million for its fleet of vessels that are now being shut down for six months. When in the history of the country has an entire industry been shut down for six months? Why do it now?

Here's another fact that's not being discussed: With 33 rigs about to be put out of commission, one company that contracts their oil rig vessels (Laborde Marine) received a call. that call came from Petrobras. Yes, that's right, the George Soros heavily-backed Brazilian state run oil company Petrobras wants to lease the unused rigs.

I smell a rat.

It costs at least $10 million to move the rigs, so it's unlikely they'd find their way back if they are leased. The jobs won't ever come back.

Yes the oil spill is bad. And yes BP was negligent. But you don't shut down (and destroy) and entire industry (and the livelihood of thousands) for ONE accident.

This spill could have been less severe if Obama hadn't sat on his hand for 6 months. He's incompetent. The leak is BPs fault. The mess is Obama's fault. He's done NOTHING in a timely way and the actions he does take are minimal. It's like he wants this disaster.

OldFartNamesArt: No-one has said shut down.. just no more. Regardless of it being 99.998 or 99.999999999% ok the cost to the other industries is what?? How many people cannot work?

.... ONLY 33 RIGS ARE AFFECTED, not 50,000.

And how much is the cost to another or the same oil company if they mess up? The cost to the UK private pensions is considerable.

Obama sat on his hands.. was that when he was face to face with the BP lot to restrain himself from expressing the feelings of those affected?

(V): You need to learn to read. Never said more than 33 rigs were affected. The CONTEXT was historical: "There have been over 50,000 wells drilled in the Gulf of Mexico, over 4,000 of them deepwater wells and 700 ultra-deepwater wells; all this with no major incidents until now."

Note: "have been"

Obama did NOTHING (that's zero actions) for two months. Actions that do nothing to contain the spill are worthless.

Oh yeah he attends sports games, played some hoops and golfed a lot. and he gave impressive speeches. But as for anything meaningful to contain the spill

NOTHING

OldFartNamesArt: Have been until now. No immediate tech is available to contain the leak AT IT'S SOURCE.. How is Obama supposed to contain that? Nuke it???

So.. what about the fishermen, the wildlife, tourist industry, etc ?? A few thousand men is more important then them... please explain how?

OldFartNamesArt:

Is it Obama's job to stop the oil spill or to pass regulations to ensure companies work safely? How quicly everyone forgets that it was the Republicans under Bush who lowered the environmental standards that oil companies have to meet, all under the guise of decreasing dependency on foreign oil sources.

How quickly everyone forgets Sarah Palin saying "Drill baby, drill" during the presidential campaign. Since she is so much in favour of drilling, shouldn't she do something other than criticize Obama and point to oiil companies supporting his campaign? According to Hufftington Post, she blamed environmentalists for the oil disaster because they force tougher regulations?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/03/sarah-palin-blames-enviro_n_598977.html

Her logic is that deep sea drilling is being fuelled by oil companies being unable to drill in Alaska's National Wildlife Refuge. I suppose the fact that her husband is an oil company employee does not color her desire to drill in the wildlife refuge. She goes on to say that America shouldn't trust BP because it is a foreign oil company, even though her husband worked for BP for years.

In an interview in Fox News she talks of the media not doing enough to be on top of Obama's case for receiving campaign donations from BP. That is real grand from her considering her husband is a company employee!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh4ESaeUE2A

Here is some footage of Sarah Palin calling offshore drilling "environmentally friendly" during the presidential campaign:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn2Tyh6b5dE&feature=fvw

The funny thing is that when the next presidential race comes around, Sarah Palin will score votes against Obama saying that he did nothing, even though she was the one who championed offshore drilling during the previous campaign.

It just goes to show that a good politician is a good hypocrite.

Tuesday: Anyone who thinks any President can just wave a magic wand and remove the human factor ought to remember JKF, Nixon, Clinton, Raygun, Bush....

I think most moderate-ish Republicans are more reasoned. If not and the corporations have taken over the GOP then in no way do they deserve to be in power. A party that has sold it's soul for the dollar no longer represents the people.

(V): Alot of the flack Obama is getting is payback for the rough ride GW got during Katrina.

Jim Dandy: GW.. I feel deserved the flack for GWII... Katrina. I don't think anyone expected that kinda devastation, you cannot blame the guy for the weather.

Jim Dandy: Obama deserves the flack. Do you think he acted in a proper and timely way?

Artful Dodger: I think in hindsight he could have done better, but at the time there was little uproar.Most were duped into thinking BP had things under some degree of control.

Jim Dandy: You're probably right. I don't think we get the straight story from anywhere. I don't think the main stream media reports accurately, nor the left wing blogs, and it would be crazy to believe that right wing blogs are any more credible. I have to admit I do think Fox is the best. The shows I watch ALL have both sides of any issue represented. Still, it's hard to sort out conflicting stories. So many different slants on the news.

But I think it's clear that Obama has botched many things in his reaction to this spill. And I'm very confused with his latest action. Explain this:

"Feds halt work on LA sand berms
Jeannie DeAngelis
Sand berms are an insurance policy meant to protect the Louisiana coastline from oil spill damage. The Louisiana sand berm venture involves moving "sand from a mile out in the Gulf of Mexico and pumping it closer in to shore to build manmade barrier islands."

Nevertheless, lacking a more formidable idea and one week into the project the federal government decided to shut "down the dredging that was being done to create protective sand berms in the Gulf of Mexico."

Louisiana's Republican Governor Bobby Jindal staunchly supports protecting the coastline with a sandy barricade, which may explain why the "berm issue has created its own toxic friction between Louisiana and the Obama Administration."

It seems that ever since Obama took over the reins of reason the government's first-and-foremost effort is directed at implementing the illogical, obstructing progress and public wellbeing and placing the vulnerable at risk."

It's an emergency crisis. Why halt anything that will help? That's a part I don't get.

Tuesday: I just wish those in India killed and hurt through that USA firm flouting safety regs would get their compensation.. They are still fighting in USA courts I believe, and that is not the only case in the courts still.

Tuesday: I think it would be foolish to think many Republicans aren't putting a little more mustard on the fastball when opportunity presents itself towards Obama.They got hammered from the left regarding GW,it's payback time in many of their minds.

Übergeek 바둑이: Obama is the President, not Bush or Palin. This spill happened under his watch. He's responsible to do all he can to get this spill cleaned.

Explain why he does nothing for the first 60 days.

Why does he wait to act on Louisiana's requests and why doesn't he give them exactly what they need to protect the shores?

Why does Obama refuse the help of other nations who, by the way, have proven techniques and the proper equipment for such spills.

This is all on Obama. Not Bush. Not Palin (why you bring her into it is laughable).

OldFartNamesArt: Deepwater Horizon Incident Joint Information Center

June 15
"Currently, 15 foreign-flagged vessels are involved in the largest response to an oil spill in U.S. history." The center further explained, "No Jones Act waivers have been granted because none of these vessels have required such a waiver to conduct their operations in the Gulf of Mexico."

Are you sure Fox is reliable??

.....While discussing the BP oil leak on Glenn Beck, Flynn said: "The Dutch have offered assistance, the British have offered assistance. There's been a lot of international assistance offered. The federal government has not accepted that assistance because of some antiquated law passed in the '20s and '30s from labor unions, the Jones Act. We have denied the use of international ships.".....

"No Jones Act waivers have been granted because none of these vessels have required such a waiver to conduct their operations in the Gulf of Mexico."