Tag Archives: drill baby drill

I am the Angry Left. But if I was in Congress I’d still be polite.

We know that the right wing revels in stupidity; Willful stupidity and well practiced stupidity are thought to be the way elitist anti-populous tax-the-middle-class Republicans capture support from the masses. Seems to work rather well. But increasingly this trope of (ig)noble ignorance is being supplemented by large doses of mean spirited in your face angry verbal assault. Imagine a member of congress saying to an expert witness at a committee hearing “As long as I’m sitting here and you’re sitting there, I can call you whatever I want.”

Seriously. The last time I heard that kind of talk in real life was in a bar, late at night, everyone was drunk, and the words were slurred.

I would like you to look at two freshly produced essays reflecting on one recent incident:

Continue reading I am the Angry Left. But if I was in Congress I’d still be polite.

Why do Republicans hate America and the Earth?

This is a bit long but you will benefit from watching all of it. It gets extra hot at 31:30.

I love the look on that woman’s face at 31:38 and again at 31:47. LOL.

This particular member of congress, Don Young from Alaska, needs to get unelected. Frank J. Vondersaar seems to be the guy running against him, and this seems to be his web site. You can donate money to help Frank’s campaign here.

I was originally made aware of this testimony from a blog post at Get Energy Smart blog, HERE. Please go check that out.

Another Gulf Oil Rig Has Exploded

An offshore oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday, west of the site of the April blast that caused the massive oil spill.

A commercial helicopter company reported the blast around 9:30 a.m. CDT Thursday, Coast Guard Petty Officer Casey Ranel said. Seven helicopters, two airplanes and four boats were en route to the site, about 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay along the central Louisiana coast.

The Coast Guard said initial reports indicated all 13 crew members from the rig were in the water. One was injured, but there were no deaths.

details

Is the BP Oil Well Gonna Blow?

It looks like the possible worst case scenario is more than a theoretical possibility. The news on this is vague and unclear, but it seems as though pressure reductions under the newly placed well cap have been detected, indicating that oil and gas in the deep sea wll are going somewhere. The fear would be that this indicates that the bore running from the deep deposit to the surface is leaking into surrounding sediments. If that really happens, it could be detected by gas coming from the surface near (but not directly from) the bore. Eventually, if this leak is for real, oil could start leaking out of various places as well.

Continue reading Is the BP Oil Well Gonna Blow?

The Leak has Temporarily Stopped, Stock Market Grins Stupidly

Apparently, BP’s well cap on Deepwater Horizon is holding, as the closure of the well cap plays a role in testing the device itself. The cap will stay closed for only a short time, then oil will be allowed to flow to surface ships again while relief wells are drilled into the deposit. One of the relief wells is currently a very short distance (several meters) from the shaft of the main boring.

Continue reading The Leak has Temporarily Stopped, Stock Market Grins Stupidly

Long-term environmental implications of the gulf oil spill

Jonathan Foley, Director of the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment. Professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior and Head of the Global Landscapes Initiative speaks about what is happening with the latest ecological disaster and what lessons can be learned from it.

Hat Tip: Emily