Sarah Palin, John McCain and their Tea Party/Measuring Up brethren have been chanting 'Drill, baby, drill' for some time now.
Wrapping themselves in the American flag, pro-drill Republicans say it's critical we plumb the oil reserves lying off the U.S. shoreline. To do otherwise, they argue, is to keep us held hostage by the Middle East oil cartel. But, at what price?
The horrific BP oil rig spill in the Gulf of Mexico is just the latest example of what will happen if we continue to recklessly drill, baby, drill. Five billion barrels of oil are pouring daily into the Gulf's waters and slowly, but surely, making their way towards shore. The carnage to wildlife and pristine shorelines may be catastrophic (and, New Orleans may once again bear the brunt of the damage). Making matters even worse, BP can't figure out how to cap the sunken oil rig's three separate leaks.
Republicans paint domestic drilling opponents as unpatriotic tree huggers. Maybe so, but the more companies such as BP are given free reign to drill into America's continental shelf, the more we'll see environmental disasters like the one unfolding in the Gulf.
It's time for even more significant investments in alternative energy sources such as nuclear, wind and solar. Nobody wants to be held hostage by the oil cartel, but right wing hawks like Ms. Palin need to wise up. Otherwise, her multiple children and grandchildren will not only be able to see Russia from their front porch, they'll be able to walk across an oil-caked Bering Sea to get there.
There’s a fascinating column in today’s NYT authored by Paul Krugman. In it, he quotes Rush Limbaugh, who suggested that environmentalists purposely blew up the BP oil rig so they could advance their own cause. That’s so absurd that it’s laughable. It’s sad that it took a major ecological disaster like the Gulf spill to get people to realize that a reckless ‘drill, baby, drill’ mentality has severe consequences. Limbaugh, Sarah, et al have been belittling anti-drillers, saying they’ve been making a mountain out of a molehill. It’ll be interesting to hear how the drill types justify the mountain of oil now making its way towards the Gulf coast.
while you were attempting humor, all I read was angst, Sully. You wanna talk about this pent up range some? You could buy me lunch.
Lunchboy, Brandon and I are mates and just the other day he admitted to me that, after many (indeed all of his) decades of enjoying any and all ‘things’ fair, he’s decided to test other waters–butt only as a “top” LB.
Congratulations LB and save some of your Thursday’s lunch “sammich” mayo for lubrication–you’re going to need it…oh and enjoy!
I’m supposed to meet a buddy for drinks, but can probably meet you two either before or after, Lunch.
A Sullivan Krist sounds like a nice sammich. Anyway, football with your three-year-old niece, Sully!? You might get hurt. I could be game…as long as the flip-flops could be worn on the 5th flr. once more.
In fact, Rep, I have a media tour this Thursday and will be meeting Brandon Osterhaut at the end of the day for an adult beverage. Game?
It would be a pleasure to moderate a panel between you and Lunch. Maybe we’ll invite Ed ‘Black Shirt’ Moed to join as well. Subjects can range from Goldman and the environment to Palin and Obama. Helmets and pads are optional.
Happy to do so Repman, right after I play a game of tackle football against my three-year-old niece.
Maybe I should host a RepChatter podcast and invite Lunch and Sullivan to duke it out. Gents?
Fine Sullivan, welp, I now have a problem with the Times for dedicating so many words to Obama for ‘just’ kowtowing.
Foist – awesome word choice. It really jumped off the blog at me!
Thanks for the comment, Sullivan. Ed is many things, but a Fascist he is not. In fact, I’ve never even seen him wear a black shirt.
Hey Steve,
Is your fascist partner going to cry “Witch Hunt!” When congress calls the oil company execs to DC?
Lunchboy, showing an example of Obama kowtowing to the drill-baby crowd hardly helps your point or diminishes Repman’s. Indeed, none of the knee-jerk strawmen you foist in your comment does.
Unbelievable, but highly believable, Rob. Thanks for sharing. It’s been my experience that almost every large corporation has a crisis plan written for it by one of the large agencies. Sadly, though, it sits on someone’s shelf and gathers dust. Until and unless an organization simulates how it would respond to an actual crisis, they’re as vulnerable as BP. Figuring out how to respond in the midst of a crisis is not a strategy. As my old boss at EPB used to say, ‘Someone’s going to take a bullet for this.
There is a great article on how the spill is impacting BP’s reputation from today’s NY Times with the headline “Oil Spill’s Blow to BP’s Image May Eclipse Costs.”
In the article, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Henry Waxman said ““A striking feature of the incident is the apparent lack of an adequate plan to contain the spreading environmental damage.”
One has to think that drilling companies have a crisis plan in place, but based on the cleanup efforts thus far, and the fact that BP rejected “a rule that would have required companies to have their safety and environmental management programs audited once every three years,” they are in too deep now…
Here is a link to the article – http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/business/30bp.html?pagewanted=1&hp
Thanks Lunch. I may use that one on stage.
that was laugh out loud (lol) funny. field dress a moose…in clothing paid for by the party!
So, like an oil wildcatter, I seem to have struck a vein, Lunch. Obama did acquiesce to limited offshore drilling. But, if Ms Palin had her way, you’d see offshore oil rigs up and down both coasts. And, she’d probably insist workers be trained to field dress a moose in their downtime.
Thanks Taborater. I appreciate the input. It’s always about the Benjamins.
Steve, you make a valid point about investments and the need for them in innovative and renewable clean technologies. However, I’d like to point out that much of these investments have already been made to produce technologies that would completely obliterate oil spills such as the one in the Louisiana Gulf. While we need investments, we need the right kind. The biggest issue with clean tech is not innovation- that already exists- but rather, we need funds that would accelerate commercial scaling operations. This is THE biggest issue with the adoption of clean tech- getting from lab scale to commercial, and where many companies fold. I guess that’s why it’s known as “The Valley of Death.”
Thanks Ann. Would that Congress were as eager to investigate companies that do irreparable harm to the environment as they are with Wall Street. How does one weigh short-term financial loss vs permanent ecological damage?
WHOA! Stop pumping this to become a Republican v. Democrat issue. Here is an article from not a month ago in which Savior Obama admits he sees the value in drilling offshore: http://tinyurl.com/32swvn9 (you won’t even have to read past the first paragraph and it’s from the Liberal Gray Lady!)
Wind Power you want? It took about 9 years for the Cape Cod wind farm to gain a go-ahead due to the roadblocks Democrats (ahem, the Kennedys likely) built in order to save their beautiful view of the ocean.
This issue, and the clean-up, needs real action, not he said/she said drivel. This is a catastrophe, caused by a private business, not a politician.
While off the subject, I was floored yesterday reading Facebook updates from people about how they couldn’t believe that Laura Bush struck a pedestrian while driving and never did hard time. HELLO? Ever hear of a guy named Ted Kennedy and his follies on Chappaquiddick Island?
Don’t get me started on Chris Christie v. the world of the clueless either (and I don’t even live in NJ!).
Politics is a dangerous dance on the blogosphere…I need a breather.
Amen, RepMan. I was just reading that it’s shrimping season on the Gulf Coast, and the industry is very much endangered as a result of the spill.
I suppose nearly every energy alternative has its potential threat — lots of people aren’t happy about the Dept. of the Interior okaying that wind farm off New England, for instance — but for the reasons you cite and plenty more, these alternatives are much less detrimental and have to be supported. Meanwhile, the climate change bill may die in the Senate because of political wrangling.
And Nero fiddles while the ocean burns.