Fabricating the Oil Cleanup
[Guest post by DRJ]
From David Freddoso at the Washington Examiner:
“Phantom Assets
“The number of assets claimed [by the White House], however, does not appear to match what is actually in the field. This is corroborated by Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser, who shared a similar story with investigators. BP and Coast Guard provided Mr. Nungesser with a map of the Gulf allegedly pinpointing the exact locations of 140 skimmers cleaning up oil. Sensing that the chart may have been somewhat inaccurate, Mr. Nungesser requested a flyover of the assets for verification. After three cancelled trips, officials admitted to Mr. Nungesser that only 31 of the 140 skimmers were ever deployed. The rest were sitting at the docks. According to Mr. Nungesser, the chart appeared to have been fabricated.”
Freddoso also addresses the “illusion” that President Obama and his Administration are in charge, saying instead that BP (or no one) is overseeing the cleanup. He alleges resources have been distributed based on PR and not cleanup value, and the federal government has tied the hands of local officials eager to help.
— DRJ
Can we take up a collection to buy the Emperor some clothes?
daleyrocks (1d0d98) — 7/1/2010 @ 12:14 pmIt occurred to me today that perhaps Jindahl could win the Presidency against Obama in 2012 based on the public’s perception of responding to the oil crisis alone.
What is going on when governmental agencies are giving out falsified information about a large domestic problem? Who is the Liar-in-Chief?
To what lengths will the MSM go to cover up, will the powers that be put out lies??
Can you imagine what would have happened if there was readily verifiable information like this about Katrina? Say, the official government position was that x number of truckloads of supplies had already been sent but there was documented evidence that 2/3rds of those trucks were still sitting at distribution centers, and that officials had been trying to hide that fact? The MSM and Dems would be out with pitchforks demanding for people to be fired, or impeached, and would push it up to Bush if at all possible.
Here we have clear evidence of at least gross incompetence if not criminal neglect and all we get is a yawn and a change of subject.
I wonder what kind of security details a governor has.
MD in Philly (3d3f72) — 7/1/2010 @ 12:21 pmImpeach.
Vivian Louise (eeeb3a) — 7/1/2010 @ 1:24 pmCan we find a “one-eyed man” to lead us, because the past 18-months certainly demonstrate that we are living in the “Kingdom of the Blind”?
“When in the Course of human Events…”
AD - RtR/OS! (1ed577) — 7/1/2010 @ 1:32 pmIs it that the 109 skimmers at the docks lack life vests and fire extingishers?
Ed of Mesa (8fa72d) — 7/1/2010 @ 1:40 pmOR
Do they have to train the operators but all the trainers are busy teaching people how to clean birds using Dawn and will not be available until that three week course is over?
Everyone’s waiting for their Background Check to be completed by DHS/FBI.
AD - RtR/OS! (1ed577) — 7/1/2010 @ 1:51 pmI’ll repeat an earlier suggestion.
Jindahl should staff whatever boats he wants out there with Muslims. Obama will never block a humanitarian mission manned by Muslim sailors.
MD in Philly (3d3f72) — 7/1/2010 @ 2:10 pmwith muslim sailors
ColonelHaiku (9cf017) — 7/1/2010 @ 2:20 pmno longer can use phrase “spend
like drunken sailor”
Whose Coast Guard are “we” using anyway.
Court Martial Thad Allen!
Lose the bolshevik by any means!
gary gulrud (790d43) — 7/1/2010 @ 2:29 pmI cannot say what I truly wish to say in this instance, or there will be legal ramifications.
You all know that impeachment is a dead issue, as this congress will not do anything to their fellow traveler in the White House.
I am at wit’s end.
NavyspyII (df615d) — 7/1/2010 @ 3:09 pmComment by MD in Philly — 7/1/2010 @ 2:10 pm
No, what Jindahl should do is deputize every crewman working on the spill clean-up as a member of the State Police, and when the Feds try to stop them, arrest the Feds for interfering with an officer in the performance of his duties.
AD - RtR/OS! (1ed577) — 7/1/2010 @ 3:11 pmAD, can’t actually, supremacy clause.
SPQR (26be8b) — 7/1/2010 @ 3:16 pmThree-Mile Limit….State’s have jurisdiction within that line.
AD - RtR/OS! (1ed577) — 7/1/2010 @ 3:23 pmLand disputes…States &/or Counties v. United States…
Here’s an old dispute that ended up in District Court and is still a source of heartburn in the West where the Feds hold title to vast areas of states, in contrast to the original 13 states where Federal holdings are miniscule:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,983593-1,00.html
…and here’s the decision prompted by this dispute…
http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=6981601083682796521&q=United+States+v.+Nye+County+NV&hl=en&as_sdt=2002&as_vis=1
I feel that with the demonstrated incompetence of the Feds in dealing with the situation in the Gulf, that there will be additional pressure to assert State Sovereignty vis-a-vis Federal Powers.
AD - RtR/OS! (1ed577) — 7/1/2010 @ 4:03 pmParticularly if Congress sees an influx of new members dedicated to the downsizing of Leviathan, perhaps it might see fit to finally getting around to transferring title to these vast swaths of land (mostly West of the Mississippi) to the respective states.
This information combined with a piece I read on NR on how the feds shut down three different plans that Alabama devised to prevent oil from coming onto their shores continues to lead me to the belief that this administration wants this disaster to continue in a mis-guided and dangerous attempt to fool the American people into supporting their ideas on the environment and government regulation.
I don’t blame Obama for the initial disaster and even the initial reaction. What I do hold him accountable for is the subsequent action or in his cases inactions and his administration continued refusal to lift or temporarily suspend any government regulations or policies that have hindered cleanup efforts while at the same time spending a disproportionate amount of time assigning blame and “looking for an ass to kick”.
I know that sounds ridiculously conspiratorial, but this continued incompetence and refusal to address the problems with the full force of the U.S. and its people demonstrates either the most corrupt, incompetent, ignorant administration of all time or something far more sinister.
If only we had a mainstream media that was interested in holding government accountable. At least we have the blogoshpere. Here’s hoping for Rathergate 2.0!
Kevin Webb (0fa415) — 7/1/2010 @ 5:02 pmThe combination of the Obama administration and the MSM is really trying to keep the lid on all this. There are two possibilities that I see.
1. The majority of Americans are dumb enough and tied to government programs enough that they will ignore all the red lights flashing and trudge to the polls and pull the D lever, just like the precinct captain or union organizer tells them to.
2. People are going to slowly build a rage against this pack of clowns and petty criminals that Obama has brought to Washington and throw them all out.
I wish I had more confidence in the GOP leadership.
Today, I got a letter from the California Board of Equalization telling me that I have not filed a “use tax” return and so, unless I file one, they will assume a number for my tax liability and charge me that amount.
I have lived in California for 54 years years. I have never seen anything like this before. They are really getting desperate. My daughter is trying to make a DMV appointment and the earliest one she can get is July 17. And the Board of Equalization is after for something I don’t even know.
If I was a fundamentalist, I would think this is the End Times.
Mike K (82f374) — 7/1/2010 @ 7:13 pm1. The majority of Americans are dumb enough
There definitely is a streak of what I characterize as lazy liberalism that has become more pervasive and entrenched throughout modern Western society. A lot of that is evident in countries like Greece, France and Spain. It’s slightly different from the kind of lazy leftism found in countries like Venezuela or Mexico. The former flourishes in security, “sophistication,” prosperity and comfort, while the latter flourishes because people are in such screwed-up, backwards nations, they have nothing to lose. So it’s no big deal to them if they end up throwing the baby out with the bathwater. In comparison, I don’t know what excuses liberal (uh, make that “progressive”) Americans have for dumbing down their country.
the federal government has tied the hands of local officials eager to help.
Even if Obama — and all the people around him — were connected to the sensible, down-to-earth conservative side of the political aisle, I’d be no less livid over his half-assed approach to the BP mess. Actually, I’d be far more angry because, for one thing, such a conservative would be making the right look bad, and, two, he would presumably have enough common sense to not botch up things as severely as a leftist like Barack “Goddamn America” Obama.
Mark (411533) — 7/1/2010 @ 7:50 pm“I don’t know what excuses liberal (uh, make that “progressive”) Americans have for dumbing down their country.”
I think liberal is simply the default in our culture. You watch a braindead TV show and all the good guys are liberals. This has always kinda been the case, but now, if you’re not a liberal, you must have something really wrong with you.
You go to a university, or even some churches, or read a magazine, and liberal is the default.
I think this has had an effect on the weak willed, who want to be cool and normal and conform.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 7/1/2010 @ 8:21 pm