Massive Gulf Coast Oil Spill

[Square]

"greed fatalities."

Nice phrase. Haven't heard it before, but I might steal it (TIA).

Big government seems a necessary evil.

I guess, I just don't see it changing. The people on the right aren't serious about reducing the size of the federal government (by actions, I hear them say it a lot but it never amounts to much) and the left doesn't have much interest in it (although I've evolved past thinking that is because they are socialist loyalists that hate America and our "freedoms"). So I think big government is not going away anytime soon. I guess I'd rather have them concerned with regulations because even when things are poorly regulated, it seems like less trouble is caused then when major deregulation happens in major industry. I mean, I never really hear about Canada's systems collapsing (and we all know those commie hosers regulate everything). Maybe it's better to have slower (but more stable) growth. Anyway, just some (admittedly random) thoughts but it probably won't fit into the left v. right thing we get going on around here.

[driveby]

The Katrina threads were largely gunned due to the politics. If you had any reading comprehension at all you might realize that Rajn is trying to keep the thread alive so that the spill, which effects all of us, can continue to be discussed.

Right, conservatives behave yourselves so this thread doean't get gunned like the libs did to the Katrina threads.

[TimC]

The Huddle wasn't too bad of a place when the libs screamed about Bush hating blacks and creating the hurricane out of his policy for lust and destruction. And you were called a homosexual in almost every variant of spelling by a Redskins fan who was an expert on homosexuality if you were a Republican.

 

Yeah, good times indeed.

Edited May 5, 2010 by TimC

[Kid Cid]

And here I was thinking how nice the Tailgate had been over the last couple of weeks with all the political BS finally dying down. Nice job guys

[bpwallace49]

BP has been extremely forthright in assuming blame and stepping up to the plate for paying for the ecological disaster LA is facing.

 

Where they could have done much better is the safety controls or an alternative way to shut off the oil flow on the damn drill . . .

[Perchoutofwater]

BP has been extremely forthright in assuming blame and stepping up to the plate for paying for the ecological disaster LA is facing.

 

Where they could have done much better is the safety controls or an alternative way to shut off the oil flow on the damn drill . . .

 

Possibly. I'm not sure. What was the industry standard? Were the industry standards met? How many back up options are there? Has a valve such like this failed before? I don't know I'm asking. It looks like everyone is looking for someone to blame (for the record I do not feel it is our incompetent president or his corrupt administrations fault, I just did the earlier post to incite the left), but sometimes nobody is really to blame. Some times $hit happens.

[rajncajn]

The point here is that during Katrina we heard the roars about the failures of the then current administration and evn the conspiracies about how they were possibly behind the disaster. It was sure easy to make it a political issue then. Why now is it not allowed to be a political issue? Oh, I know...Bush is not here so it can't be political. The hippocracy is a joke.

The Bush administration did fail in their response to Katrina & miserably. The Obama administration looked like they were headed down the same path initially, but once they started addressing the situation seem like they are doing a fair job. But honestly, we are talking about apples & oranges here in terms of disasters. The governments role in this is no where near what it was in Katrina. There is no hypocrisy, you just want another reason to bash the liberals.

[rajncajn]

Possibly. I'm not sure. What was the industry standard? Were the industry standards met? How many back up options are there? Has a valve such like this failed before? I don't know I'm asking. It looks like everyone is looking for someone to blame (for the record I do not feel it is our incompetent president or his corrupt administrations fault, I just did the earlier post to incite the left), but sometimes nobody is really to blame. Some times $hit happens.

Yep, and I hope for everyone's sake that is the way it turns out. Maybe this will turn out to be a good thing in the long run where we find new ways of preventing and containing a disaster like this.

[bpwallace49]

Possibly. I'm not sure. What was the industry standard? Were the industry standards met? How many back up options are there? Has a valve such like this failed before? I don't know I'm asking. It looks like everyone is looking for someone to blame (for the record I do not feel it is our incompetent president or his corrupt administrations fault, I just did the earlier post to incite the left), but sometimes nobody is really to blame. Some times $hit happens.

 

I would think that when you are dealing with something that can have this kind if far reaching impact, that you OVER engineer the safety and control systems. But that is just me . . . .

 

All media stuff I have seen involves one valve that controls this leak, that wont close. And it can only be closed by a robot sub. Doesnt sound all that safe, and backup options havent been publicized. You would think that BP would be proclaiming all the safety stuff if that were the case. Maybe it is a perfect storm of circumstances . . who knows?

[bushwacked]

But honestly, we are talking about apples & oranges here in terms of disasters. The governments role in this is no where near what it was in Katrina. There is no hypocrisy, you just want another reason to bash the liberals.

 

True. Common sense says there is a difference between govt's role in a natural disaster and an industrial catastrophe. But not everyone has common sense.

Edited May 5, 2010 by bushwacked

[rattsass]

I'd stick to writing about football, michael moore has already got this moronic schtick pretty well covered.

Oh, so your assertion is that America is not controlled by corporations? If you really believe that my friend you are either in denial, or you are in bed with the corporations yourself and want to continue screaming at the sleeping nation not to pay any attention to the man behind the curtain.

[rajncajn]

Oh, so your assertion is that America is not controlled by corporations? If you really believe that my friend you are either in denial, or you are in bed with the corporations yourself and want to continue screaming at the sleeping nation not to pay any attention to the man behind the curtain.

[Perchoutofwater]

I saw this and thought of you guys.

When the Soviets had leaking oil wells they couldn't seal, they nuked them Maybe we laughed a little too fast? Although I'm sure someone more qualified has already done a risk assessment on this and decided it wasn't a viable option. Thought it was interesting that it has happened 5 times in the past (latest one being in the 70s though).

 

I don't believe the Soviets nuked oil wells. Surely we would have heard about it back then if it had happened. If it had happened wouldn't there be a lot more three armed forty toed cyclops walking around today?

[Duchess Jack]

The point here is that during Katrina we heard the roars about the failures of the then current administration and evn the conspiracies about how they were possibly behind the disaster. It was sure easy to make it a political issue then. Why now is it not allowed to be a political issue? Oh, I know...Bush is not here so it can't be political. The hippocracy is a joke.

apples and orangutans.

 

You realize that you are blathering at somebody who has suffered through both of these catastrophes, right? You'd figure that they'd have at least a wee bit more knowlege of it and who they should and should not be upset with, right? I am thinking that its not too political for these guys. They likely have better things to do than find a soapbox to score political points. If I remember correctly, I believe that Tbimm wasn't happy about skins making Katrina political at the time.

 

my heart goes out to everybody in the Gulf who is and will suffer from this. hopefully something good can come of it.

Edited May 6, 2010 by Duchess Jack

[tbimm]

apples and orangutans.

 

You realize that you are blathering at somebody who has suffered through both of these catastrophes, right? You'd figure that they'd have at least a wee bit more knowlege of it and who they should and should not be upset with, right? I am thinking that its not too political for these guys. They likely have better things to do than find a soapbox to score political points. If I remember correctly, I believe that Tbim took wasn't happy about skins making Katrina political at the time.

 

my heart goes out to everybody in the Gulf who is and will suffer from this. hopefully something good can come of it.

You are correct. I have always thought the political lunatics from both sides take so much away from some real productive discussions around here.

 

Right or left. If you think your side is the only side and your side is always correct then you all deserve each other. You goof balls really wonder why our country is where it is?

 

As far as the oil spill... I am waiting to here how todays attempt to contain the well head turned out. I think if they can get the flow shut down we may be able to save SE La's very fragile eco system. Damage will be done but it seems that the type of oil leaking will be a bit easier to deal with than the heavy crude that the Valdez off loaded.

I worry a bit for Florida now as there has been a good bit of talk on the local news about the winds and currents possibly bringing it that way.

[darin3]

Geez, Perch posts all day every day and we aren't anywhere near this chivesy.

Yeah. Surprised it took 4 pages for this thread to get Perched. Awesome.

[SuperBalla]

Possibly. I'm not sure. What was the industry standard? Were the industry standards met? How many back up options are there? Has a valve such like this failed before? I don't know I'm asking. It looks like everyone is looking for someone to blame (for the record I do not feel it is our incompetent president or his corrupt administrations fault, I just did the earlier post to incite the left), but sometimes nobody is really to blame. Some times $hit happens.

 

 

This type of drilling is high risk and they do have equipment that could have been in place to prevent this. They are operating at a fast pace and probably a stressed, tired crew. Bottomline is there are 11 men that know what happened, and they are missing. I think that there will be a major overhaul on the safety protocals and equipment going forward, hopefully the government allows the industry to survive. Especially changes in the reaction protocals. A few years back there was an oil well on land that had a similar blow out. It was, I'm guessing 300 yard max from I-10 near Henderson swamp in Louisiana. Gas well pressure blow out and caught fireIt caught fire and for weeks it couldn't be contained while on land. I remember driving by it at night and the fire was so bright and massive. This is common enough that there should have been more preventive measures in place, especially drilling a mile deep in the ocean. I have mentioned before, I read a report that listed all active wells in the gulf, and this rig isn't the deepest or farthest out. The rigs are required to have a certain amount of "boom" available incase they need to deploy immediately. ...there wasn't any. Keep in mind Exxon posted 45 billion in earnings?

 

The new issue people are discussing now is the "Dispersing" chemical that they are spraying, that helps break down the oil is settling on the floor and the bottom of the chain is digesting it, in turn bigger fish eat the smaller creatures, etc. This is a mess on so many levels, true $hit happens, but the risks and over all destruction far outweigh the costs that should have been in place. If these coffer cones that they are trying to drop don't work, we have about 10 weeks left until the relief drill bores through the existing leaking casing, assuming they hit the mark. I have said before BP is the "guy that the teacher caught". This could have easily been Exxon, Chevron, etc. I don't think any active oil company would have done a better job, considering the current industry standards. One thing though, that doesn't sit well with me was that BP immediately reported that the casing wasn't leaking, there must have been 24 hours before that report was nullified by three leaks.

 

Bushwacked, why shouldn't the government or military assist in an industrial spill that is affecting 3,840 sq miles of ocean in US waters? Oil leaking from the rig site was spread over an area about 48 miles long and 80 miles wide. The borders of the spill are uneven, making it difficult to calculate how many square miles are actually covered, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Erik Swanson. Currentlly it is moving away from the shore and could enter the ocean currents which could move the oil as far as the East Coast. Maybe I misunderstood your post, but this is a little bit bigger than an "Industrial" accident...? I'm not bashing any party either...I just know my homeland is being ravaged and I'd expect the Government to take over the management of a disastor like this. I assume this is a disastor or is it just an accident? I'm not sure I get Rajn and your points here. No need to call names, I'm trying to speak civil, I know how you get.

 

"Right now, the weather's in our favor," Swanson said, explaining that the wind was blowing the oil away from shore. But Swanson said the winds could shift later in the weeks and reverse that progress. .

 

 

 

Yep, and I hope for everyone's sake that is the way it turns out. Maybe this will turn out to be a good thing in the long run where we find new ways of preventing and containing a disaster like this.

 

 

There absolutely needs to be an overhaul to state and oil well reaction to these leaks and spills. This hopefully will be the last TIME WE DEAL WITH THIS. I just hope that we aren't looking at decades of damage.

Edited May 6, 2010 by SuperBalla

[wiegie]

Is anybody else hoping that Red Adair and Jacques Cousteau had a secret love-child who can come in a fix this whole mess?

[SuperBalla]

Is anybody else hoping that Red Adair and Jacques Cousteau had a secret love-child who can come in a fix this whole mess?

 

 

Dude, that is very very hawt. Would the child be called Loaf by chance?

Edited May 6, 2010 by SuperBalla

[Jimmy Neutron]

Deregulation leads to disasters. It led to disaster on Wall Street. It led to the disaster in the Gulf. And it is quite evident that big business is NOT capable of responsibility. It is sad indeed, but the group we have in Washington is the only thing between us and "greed fatalities." Big government seems a necessary evil. Corporate greed that allows a monumental tragedy like this to happen just to save themselves 500,000 on a failsafe method of containment is criminal. The fact that the US allows this to happen is criminal as well.

 

This whole idea is several exits past retardville. Saying that government regulation is the fix is akin to hiring the proverbial fox to tend the chickens.

 

Anybody catch the CNN piece tonight on the government "regulators" on the job with oil companies? Several were caught bumping uglies with employees and/or doing drugs with them. They were only slightly less effective in regulating than those tasked with Wall Street oversight.

 

Anybody find it the least bit curious that the two of the most heavily regulated industries are the ones in the news - healthcare and financial services....

[darin3]

A few years back there was an oil well on land that had a similar blow out. It was, I'm guessing 300 yard max from I-10 near Henderson swamp in Louisiana.

Man, I remember that. Me and the wife were on our way to BR and had to go 100ish miles out of our way 'cuz I-10 was shut down.

[wiegie]

Dude, that is very very hawt.

what sucks is that just did a google search for Red Adair and Jacques Cousteau to see if I had spelled their names correctly and it seems that somebody else on some other forum I never heard of already came up with this joke.

[SuperBalla]

This whole idea is several exits past retardville. Saying that government regulation is the fix is akin to hiring the proverbial fox to tend the chickens.

 

Anybody catch the CNN piece tonight on the government "regulators" on the job with oil companies? Several were caught bumping uglies with employees and/or doing drugs with them. They were only slightly less effective in regulating than those tasked with Wall Street oversight.

 

Anybody find it the least bit curious that the two of the most heavily regulated industries are the ones in the news - healthcare and financial services....

 

Sad really, I believe it.

 

Man, I remember that. Me and the wife were on our way to BR and had to go 100ish miles out of our way 'cuz I-10 was shut down.

 

Yep, it sucked. Terrible mess, that well was so hot that they actually repaired the section of the bridge facing the well for heat damage. We are talking about cement and rebar, 300 yards away! Wowzers...

 

 

what sucks is that just did a google search for Red Adair and Jacques Cousteau to see if I had spelled their names correctly and it seems that somebody else on some other forum I never heard of already came up with this joke.

 

I laughed at your joke...I pictured Darin though.

[rajncajn]

Balla, the military is assisting (Coast Guard). They have all the resources they need for this. Take it from someone very familiar with these ships' capabilities, there's no need for the Navy to be there.

[bushwacked]

Bushwacked, why shouldn't the government or military assist in an industrial spill that is affecting 3,840 sq miles of ocean in US waters?

 

Didn't say that, nor do I think that.