Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dallas the Phallus on May 3, 2010 at 12:47pm

Current Could Push Oil Spill Up East Coast
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill is expected to strike the Louisiana coastline today, and officials are bracing for impacts to shorebirds, turtles, shellfish and other endangered wildlife. But many ocean scientists are now raising concerns that a powerful current could spread the still-bubbling slick from the Florida Keys all the way to Cape Hatteras off North Carolina.

Permalink Reply by Sydni Moser on May 4, 2010 at 2:30pm

The 7 Stupidest Statements Made About the BP Gulf Oil Spill

Environmentalists probably blew up the oil rig (courtesy of Rush Limbaugh) and other idiotic conservative ideas.

May 3, 2010 | AlterNet
By Brian Merchant


The BP oil spill is on par to outpace the Exxon Valdez oil spill in terms of size, impact, and devastation, which is no small feat. The Valdez spill cost billions of dollars to clean up, killed hundreds of thousands of animals, and registered a debilitating effect to the coastal ecosystem. And yet, we see, once again, that there's no shortage of people who seem to forget easily, or are downright ignorant of the catastrophe an oil spill of this magnitude presents. To illustrate, I bring you the 7 stupidest things said about the BP oil spill so far . . .

Some of these statements are made out of pure ignorance, while others are clearly intended to downplay the impact of the event, and any ramifications it might have on offshore drilling in general. Without further ado:

7. Rush Limbaugh: Environmentalists probably blew up the oil rig

Ah, yes. Where would any major event be if Rush Limbaugh wasn't around to say something idiotic about it? This time, Limbaugh predictably uses the fact that the explosion happened around Earth Day to, yes, blame environmentalists for it. Here's some of the quote:

But this bill, the cap-and-trade bill, was strongly criticized by hardcore environmentalist wackos because it supposedly allowed more offshore drilling and nuclear plants, nuclear plant investment. So, since they're sending SWAT teams down there, folks, since they're sending SWAT teams to inspect the other rigs, what better way to head off more oil drilling, nuclear plants, than by blowing up a rig? I'm just noting the timing here.

Such a sleuth, that Limbaugh. And that's just a snippet of his inane rant.


6. Rep. Taylor Compares Oil Slick to Chocolate Milk

On a television at a local station in Biloxi, Representative Gene Taylor (D-MS) attempted to downplay the severity of the oil leak -- yes, the one that may be spewing a million barrels of oil a day into the Gulf of Mexico -- by comparing it to chocolate milk. Taylor said, "I would remind people that the oil is twenty miles from any marsh. ... That chocolate milk looking spill starts breaking up in smaller pieces ... It is tending to break up naturally." His 'it's-not-that-bad" message took the host by surprise -- but his embarrassingly misleading attempts to save face for offshore drilling practices makes sense, as he's long a staunch supporter of expanding offshore drilling.

Also, that oil is already washing up on the shore. You're going to have to do better than pretending that this isn't a big deal.

5. Sarah Palin Promotes Offshore Drilling As Massive Oil Leak Continues

File this one under the 'you've got to be kidding me' header. Seriously? Doesn't Palin at least have PR advisers that can tell her to hold off on promoting offshore drilling while the biggest offshore drilling accident in US history is spewing millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf? Evidently not -- she went right on calling to 'Drill, Baby, Drill' at a speech in Kansas City last Saturday.


4. Bill Kristol Says Offshore Drilling Should be Brought Closer to Land

The conservative thought leader Bill Kristol has made a remarkably idiotic statement in the wake of the BP oil spill -- saying that "If we hadn't stopped closer-in drilling after the Santa Barbara accident 40 years ago -- we've had these Congressional restrictions until 2008, for 40 years -- we'd have more drilling closer in which is probably less dangerous, less treacherous than trying to drill 50 miles out from the coast," in a discussion on Fox News. Of course, if Kristol had his way, the oil would be piling up on shore much, much sooner, and preventative and cleanup efforts would be next to impossible.

3. T. Boone Pickens: "All of that will get cleaned up and we'll be back"

T. Boone Pickens, the famed oil man and architect of the thus-far non-operational Pickens plan, has made a surprisingly overoptimistic and largely ignorant assessment of the spill:

this is, you know, an unusual case but there've been others like this so I think way too much is being made of the... of the oil that's being... that's coming out there in the Gulf. All of that will get cleaned up and we'll be back... we'll be back to normal, the world hasn't changed because of this blowout.

2. Tony Hayward, CEO of BP: "What the hell did we do to deserve this?"

How about not complying with safety regulations, lobbying hard for softer, 'voluntary' safety reports as opposed to proper oversight, and boasting a history of negligence and accidents, for starters? Yes, the CEO of BP reportedly asked that question aloud to fellow executives in London -- and maybe he should take a closer look at his company's lousy safety record before counting himself (and his $5 million a year salary) as so unfortunate.

He said this on MSNBC just last Sunday, when there was already plenty of evidence contrary to nearly all of those points: Experts have said that they'll be "lucky" if 15% of the spill gets cleaned up -- most of it simply will not. Secondly, there have not been others like this, as bad as this -- not in US history.

1. Rush Limbaugh: Oil Spill is as "Natural as the Ocean Water is."

It's only fitting that our list begins and ends with Limbaugh. The first statement he made, while undeniably stupid, is the sort of thing that he can be counted on to spout while blathering about the 'left' and those 'wacko environmentalists'. But this statement is 100% objectively stupid: ""The ocean will take care of this on its own if it was left alone and left out there," Limbaugh said. "It's natural. It's as natural as the ocean water is."

Woops. Here's TreeHugger's Michael Graham Richards taking down:

This shows a total lack of understanding, a big 'science fail'... "Natural" doesn't always mean good, despite what the marketing people would like you to believe. Arsenic, lead and mercury are as natural as can be, but you wouldn't want them in your food or your living room. Well, crude oil is also natural, but it's toxic to most living organisms (exceptions are rare, mostly bacteria), and the waters of the Gulf of Mexico are the living room and fridge of countless species.

And once again, Rush Limbaugh has been proven to be, wholly and unequivocally, an idiot.


Check out the many videos that are included in this article HERE:

Permalink Reply by Sydni Moser on May 4, 2010 at 3:27pm

I've got to Add another LUNATIC to the list of the Stupidest Statements Made About the BP Gulf Oil Spill...

Rick Perry: Oil Spill May Be An 'Act Of God,' Texas Governor Claims

Texas Governor Rick Perry (R) claimed on Monday that the oil rig explosion that caused a massive -- and still-expanding spill -- may have been "just an act of God" that could not have been prevented.

Speaking at a conference sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Perry offered his theory to a reporter who asked if events such as the recent West Virginia mine disaster, the financial meltdown or the BP oil spill may have been encouraged by too much emphasis on free enterprise and lax regulations.

Perry disagreed wholeheartedly:

Permalink Reply by Dallas the Phallus on May 4, 2010 at 3:32pm

These highly-paid con-men will say anything to prevent the blame from being placed where it belongs.

Permalink Reply by Dallas the Phallus on May 3, 2010 at 12:47pm

Animal Clean-Up After Oil Spill: A Lengthy Process
When it comes to organizing efforts to rescue wildlife affected by oil spills like the one in the Gulf of Mexico that made landfall in Louisiana late Thursday, timing is everything. Training is essential for volunteers, who could themselves suffer health problems if they should come into contact with the oil.

Permalink Reply by Dallas the Phallus on May 3, 2010 at 12:47pm

Tech Used to Clean Up Oil Spills
The Deepwater Horizon disaster off the coast of Louisiana is not the first oil spill, but it’s becoming among the worst. As of May 1, 2010, two undersea leaks are gushing crude into the Atlantic Ocean at a rate of 5,000 barrels, or 210,000 gallons, a day.

Permalink Reply by Dallas the Phallus on May 3, 2010 at 12:53pm

Well, gee, I'm glad he didn't get too technical for us.

Permalink Reply by Dallas the Phallus on May 3, 2010 at 1:17pm

Palin promotes offshore drilling in the middle of oil spill
As an oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico grows larger by the hour, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin continues to stick to "drill, baby, drill."

Permalink Reply by Dallas the Phallus on May 3, 2010 at 6:14pm

President Obama - We'll Do 'Whatever It Takes' To Stop This Oil Crisis
President Obama traveled to Louisiana Sunday to assure coastal residents that the government is doing all it can to control the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico— he had little good news to offer, though.

Permalink Reply by Dallas the Phallus on May 3, 2010 at 6:26pm

Dick Cheney and the oil spill
As we know from our own comment threads right here on this very blog, right-wingers are expert at taking a few facts from situations that appear to be superficially similar but really aren't upon reflection or closer examination and using them to attack liberals.

Permalink Reply by Dallas the Phallus on May 3, 2010 at 6:27pm

Drilling, Disaster, Denial
It took futuristic technology to achieve one of the worst ecological disasters on record. Without such technology, after all, BP couldn’t have drilled the Deepwater Horizon well in the first place. Yet for those who remember their environmental history, the catastrophe in the gulf has a strangely old-fashioned feel, reminiscent of the events that led to the first Earth Day, four decades ago.

Permalink Reply by Dallas the Phallus on May 3, 2010 at 6:32pm

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• …
• 9
• Next ›
• Page