Unwired

After a week of being completely unwired, I returned to discover we were still at war, but pulling out of Iraq while things heated up in Afghanistan; the northeastern United States was enduring yet another prolonged heat wave; and hundreds of thousands of unhappy citizens poured into Washington D.C. on the anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech to voice their discontent and listen to Fox TV's emotive pundit Glenn Beck. Hints about efforts of the super wealthy and corporations to direct and control the grass roots Tea Party movement hit a few more editorial pages and blogs. (They may have a tiger by the tail.)

The five-year anniversary of Katrina was marked by celebrations of New Orleans' remarkable recovery while coverage of the Horizon oil spill's massive contamination of Gulf Coast waters moved to the back burner.

The economy continued its drunken stagger. Market volatility persisted. Real estate remained an uncertain investment. The Federal Reserve maintained non-existent interest rates to the banks, who continued NOT to lend money. Fears of inflation vied with fears of deflation.

Pakistan flood victims struggle to survive. Haitian earthquake victims continue to suffer. Keeping track of the year's natural disasters is a challenge.

The hurricane season apparently favors a parade up the Atlantic along a very warm Gulf Stream. The resulting rip tides plague vacationers to the Jersey Shore.

The political season is well underway bringing the electorate the usual nasty, deceptive commercials, phony telephone surveys and disingenuous interviews.

Being unwired wasn't so bad. I may do it more often.

Gulf Oil Spill - The Oil has Miraculously Disappeared!

According to the Federal Government, 75 percent of the estimated 172 million gallons of oil spewed into the Gulf of Mexico by the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster has disappeared!

"It was captured. It was skimmed. It was burned. It was contained. Mother Nature did her part," announced White House energy advisor Carol Browner, appearing on NBC's "Today" Show.

I guess this means "no harm, no foul," right? Everything is once again hunky dory and we can all forget it ever happened as we continue to take ever more damaging chances with the life sustaining systems of the only world we have to inhabit.

Click on the title for the source ABC News story.
Additional information available at: http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2010/0727/Gulf-oil-spill-Where-has-the-oil-gone

Why don't I find this information reassuring?

Ditch the Scapegoating

I don't give a damn if Tony Hayward attends a sailing regatta. I am furious with BP and its management. I would like to see every operation the company has in North America shut down until it is thoroughly checked for safety. But we already know Hayward is a waste of air and space. Belaboring it does not address the problems at hand. Let the dwindling number of BP shaareholders decide if he is worth his $4.6 million annual compensation package.

Designating a scapegoat makes it way too easy to avoid getting down to the difficult job of remediating this terrifying environmental crisis.

President Obama's Oval Office Address

Underwhelmed by last night's address. When is the Chief Executive going to start EXECUTING? Being Cheerleader in Chief is NOT cutting it. For God's sake stop working on perception and start dealing with the situation on the ground.

There was an appalling absence of logistical strategy in the speech. Case in point - 17,000 National Guard troops put at the disposal of the region WITHOUT A PLAN on their deployment!

Ensuring BP escrows funds for claims is a good idea. Preventing BP from causing further damage with its "by the seats of their pants" approach to dealing with the disaster is essential, but was not mentioned.

Reorganizing Minerals Management is necessary. No mention was made of separating the lease and oversight functions as a critical first step. What about criminal investigations against bureaucrats that committed malfeasance? How about making it illegal to take a job in an industry over which you exercised regulatory control, no matter what regulatory agency you worked for?

Asserting the Gulf Coast will be restored "better than ever" was irresponsible. Get real. I believe returning this fragile environment to viability should be the goal.

Using the crisis to get his energy bill passed made sense.

Effect of Oil Spill on Other Countries

Click on this post's title to access an interesting report in the Christian Science Monitor that highlights the potential international impact not only of the gulf oil spill, but of oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

One more reason to normalize diplomatic relations with Cuba.