...And up from the ground came a bubbling crude

Krimson X · #7 04-30-2010, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StanF18

Very witty indeed

But otherwise, a sad and tragic news story. This might eventually make the Exxon Valdez look like a kid's squirt gun. I really feel bad for you guys having to deal with this shit...after Katrina and all.

ALSO: Can someone well-versed in resource allocation explain something to me? Am I supposed to be "impressed" when I read that the US Navy has 1,000 personnel devoted to the clean-up?? Or that the Coast Guard has sent a whoppng 2 (TWO!) C-130 Hercules transports to drop chemicals on the spill?

Last I checked we have over 150,000 US troops in Afghanistan, including numerous specialized Marine Expeditionary Units consisiting of THOUSANDS of trained Marines.
OK, I guess I can be persuaded that Afghanistan is a worthwhile endeavor, even if it's on the other side of the planet and none of us will ever need to set foot anywhere near it.

But meanwhile, we are in the middle of an unprecedented man-made disaster right here in the United States. And all the Federal Government can do is throw a few sailors and a couple of C-130s into the fray?

I mean I realize that the US military's main goal is to fight and win wars...but how about using all that SKILL and MANPOWER to protect our very own COASTLINE from this spill....instead of (or in ADDITION to) blowing up barefooted Taliban dudes hiding in their caves.

If we can deploy massive and overwhelming amounts of firepower and thunderous hell on any spot on the planet within 48-hours of a "GO" order...why can't we deploy at least a third of that manpower and firepower to clean up this huge, shitty oil spill right in our own coastal waters?

Am I just being naive here?

I don't take credit for the little drill dity. I saw it on a local news blog.

It's kinda strange down here. People are upset, but are not up in arms about it. I guess because its more of an economic impact than an emotional one. Louisiana coastlines are not known for its white sandy beaches. The biggest impact will be on the seafood industry. Shrimp season is about 2 weeks away, and it doesn't look good for them. Oyster (or as they say doen here "erster") and scallop beds are threatened, and will likely not survive. Brown Pelican (state bird) habitats will be destroyed. The environmental impact to the ecosystem will last for decades. What everyone is worried about is whether this spill will be cleaned up before the hurricane season begins. What a mess that would be. Oil would travel up the Mississippi and into the wetlands and lake Pontchartrain and to the numerous canals that criss-cross South Louisiana.