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BP is trying to get off for even less . . .
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/05/ag_bp_trying_to_get_al...
Supreme Court Gone Paranoid
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/03/AR201005...
The Supreme Court is permanently closing its massive, bronze front doors to the public, citing security risks.
The court announced Monday that visitors to the high court will no longer climb the 44 marble steps that lead to its great hall and courtroom, and cross the threshold under the famous words "Equal Justice Under Law." Instead, visitors will enter the building on the plaza level for security checks. They still may exit the building through the front doors.
"The new entrance, which will serve as the primary means for public entry, was designed in light of findings and recommendations from two independent security studies conducted in 2001 and 2009," the court said in a news release. "The entrance provides a secure, reinforced area to screen for weapons, explosives, and chemical and biological hazards."
The new procedures begin Tuesday.
The rest of the story is at the link.
Here's another issue, Thom's pointing out at the moment, if the government has allowed simple safety devices to be "optional". To what extent do we hold our government responsible, for as much as BP/Halliburton etc... is pissing me off, in the North Atlantic these companies make a far better effort to be safe... because they are required to.
The recent mining accidents, same issue, the companies use loopholes that essentially brings the bottomline vs. safety into a very real competition, and the companies back the bottomline every time. Profits first.
Ultimately by trying to hold companies responsible for our lack of responsible governing does no one any good. We must be clamouring for enforced regulations. (Killing the fossil fuel industry would be nice too).
N
The Los Angeles Times ran a story about http://www.skytruth.org/ and their mapping the spill using satellite images. But perhaps the most interesting story on their home page today is how severely oil and gas development has impacted wildlife in the Upper Green River (Wyoming). The many roads and drilling pads have disrupted migrations. This provides a clear example of what will happen if drilling is allowed in ANWR. Old plans with the BLM and National Forest Service called for only a few roads and pads, but there is apparently no will in either Federal agency to stem the spread of the production footprint.
Does giving these corporations the "Death Penalty" do anything to clean up the mess they made? I think not. I think the appropriate sentence would be to have them sentenced to a "Corporate Life" sentence of hard labor... cleaning up the mess they made. Let the corporate CEO, go down to the beaches and start scrubbing.
N
The Essential Wisdom of the Saints
This weekend, May 1 and 2, 2010, gave us at the Gospel reading, Jesus’ Eleventh Commandment – Love one another as I have loved you. To be a disciple of Jesus we are called to love one another.
As a side note on Mat 2, 2010 at 3 PM our church had an organ recital. We had the blessing of the organ and Dr. David Wagner was the guest recitalist. He holds a Doctor’s degree in Music from the University of Michigan and he is a renowned organist and harpsichordist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
My wife was sent a book from one of her sisters. The title is, “The Essential Wisdom of the Saints.” The book was edited by Carol Kelly-Gangi. In the book there are many quotations from the saints that can be applied today. I will share some quotations and I will try to relate these quotations to our present day.
“He who desires nothing but God is rich and happy.” - St. Alphonsus Liguori! Our possessions cannot make us happy. Only God can give us everlasting happiness.
“At last I have found my calling! My calling is love!” – St. Therese Lisieux! I will second that quotation. We must love God’s children and we are not called to kill His children.
“God is served only when He is served according to His will.” – St. Padre Pio! We must come to understand what is God’s will? I believe that the Holy Bible makes it clear to the world the will of God.
“One must see God in everyone.” – St. Catherine Laboure! If we saw God in everyone, there would be no need to kill His children.
“Be not anxious about what you have, but about what you are.” – St. Gregory the Great! From my view I see Americans as mass murderers and so we are nothing.
“Penance is the purifier of the soul.” – St. Elizabeth Ann Seton! With our endless killing of God’s children we will require eternal penance in order to purify our souls.
“No one heals himself by wounding another.” – St. Ambrose of Milan! When you kill another human being, you are destroying a part of yourself forever.
“One should not wish to become a saint in four days but step by step.” – St. Philip Neri! The path to sainthood is not an easy one.
“Here is a rule for everyday life: Do not do anything which you cannot offer to God.” – St. John Vianney! Is the killing of His children a good offering to God?
When we die with perseverance to do God’s will, we can look upon death and remember the words of St. Maria Maravillas de Jesus – “Death in no more than falling blindly into the arms of God.”
I'm wondering if anyone here can give statistics on Arizona's working policies on businesses that employee illegal aliens. I mean, are they even close to being as remotely concerned about people hiring illegal aliens, or are they just full of it?
(I'm guessing the latter)
If they're not clamping down on businesses, why aren't officials (such as the Gov), being asked these questions? Media too liberal to care?
N
Israel has violated more UN resolutions than Iraq did leading up to the invasion by the United States to try and seize their oil.The mighty might of the US military will not invade Israel because their god was not that smart. He led his chosen people to one of the only places in the middle east that has no oil. The current leadership of Israel are genocidal maniacs. One would think that the Christian world would be upset with their behavior. Wasn't Mary, the mother of Jesus, a Palestinian virgin?
There have been many rebels who have chosen to defy their gods. Without this option there can be no true devotion to a holy concept. For devotion is only valuable when a conscious decision is made to follow that course, even in acknowledgement of the difficulties ahead. Choosing to be a devout person is good. Choosing to defy the gods is also good, for it reaffirms the basic ability of human beings to make choices. We cannot support religions which say that there are no choices.From daily meditations by Deng Ming-Dao 1992
"I regret that I'm now to die in the belief, that the useless sacrifice of themselves by the generation of 1776, to aquire self-government and happiness to their country, is to be thrown away by the unwise and unworthy passions of their sons, and that my only consolation is to be, that I live not to weep over it." Thomas Jefferson
"Man is a religious animal. He is the only animal that has the true religion--several of them. He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself and cuts his throat if his ideology isn't straight. He has made a graveyard of the globe in trying his honest best to smooth his brother's path to heaven....The higher animals have no religion. And we are told that they are going to be left out of the Hereafter.I wonder why? It seems questionable taste." Mark Twain
United States and Israel are birds of a feather flocking together!!!
While I was reading Uri Avnery's article, I could not help but believe that the United States and Israel have an everlasting symbiotic relationship.
Here is an article from one of my favorite writers.
http://original.antiwar.com/avnery/2010/05/02/a-cloud-over-jerusalem/
What a crock of crap!!! Will Israel be included as well???
http://news.antiwar.com/2010/05/02/us-poised-to-join-push-for-nuke-free-mideast/
Please educate yourself to the true America!!!
http://www.opednews.com/populum/linkframe.php?linkid=111126
Dear Major General Butler
http://www.opednews.com/articles/1/Dear-Major-General-Smedley-by-Chris-Landau-100430-22.html
Thom's three topics for today's show highlights three issues of many issues that gives insight into what is wrong with the United States of Hell. This first decade in the Twenty-first Century may well be the norm for the entire century. We are truly living in disgusting times.
As always, Thom... you hit the nail right on the head.
What statistical analysis was done on the life expectancy portion. For example if in the US people live to be 80 and in Canada it is 81, but the standard deviation of both sample populations was 10 years, then it is unlikely that there is any statistical difference between the populations.
Also did the life expectancy number include homicides which are far more prevalent in the US? Or did it take into consideration the lifestyles of the populations from each country? I am sure that if I ate fatty food, didn't exercise, smoke, drank, did heroin and played russian roulette in my spare time, that my life expectancy would be a lot shorter than that of nearly any Canadian irrespective of the type of Health Care I might get.
A little more substantive information would be nice. I guess I am not willing to swallow everything that somebody wants to spoon feed me.
Final Bill Moyers Journal
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04302010/watch.html
It is with great sadness that this past Friday, April 30th, was the last episode of The Bill Moyers Journal. It is an hour and a half and includes interviews with Jim Hightower and Barry Lopez. It might be the best episode ever. It was comletely on Populism and The Human Condition. VERY VERY EDUCATIONAL.
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04302010/watch.html
We need more TV and people like Bill Moyers, not less.
As much as they talk about BP being responsible for the clean-up and damages, let's not forget how the Exxon Valdez bunch slithered out of their responsiibilities; I believe set free for a fraction of the original judgement by a Bush-appointed court.
How's that Drilly-Baby-thingy workin' out forya and your ex-state, Sarah?
People were supposed to be compensated then Exxon ran it through the courts like an insurance company waiting for you to die..
Feh!
I raised an eyebrow when Pres. Obama included off-shore drilling in his package.. in one way, he may have picked up some necessary points from that but now I bet it will be the congress that quashes any new drilling, or maybe, just maybe, they can strengthen the actual enforcement..
We shall see.
Rick
You can't blame the man in the president seat for doing the job of president. You should just blame the job, along with the different houses, and justice branch of government for no one doing the job as intended to benefit the american people instead of themselves and the rich.
As far as the deepwater horizon goes, I worked on a rig with my two brothers only 29 miles away from it. On the open ocean 29 miles is easily visible at night especially with any source of light, like a fire. The reason we were given for the explosion is they were pulling out of the hole after pumping cement and there was hesitation to shut in the well when they were getting small amounts of pressure back. They have a sub surface blow out prevention system that failed once they did try to close it in.
It would be hard to lay blame on human error for the mechanical failure unless that rig wasn't following regulations, being the weekly testing of their BOP systems. The hesitance to shut in the well may have been a factor but you can't regulate out poor judgement under high stress situations that an oil industry professional may never face over the course of their careerf. Where people are involved mistakes happen. Some are more costly than others.
The only really sad thing is that people die regularly in the oil industry. It takes a fire, millions of dollars in damages, and an oil slick before anyone even mentions the death of 11 people whose lot in life lead them to putting their lives on the line to fuel a modern world that after their death uses them only as a talking point for ridiculous political debate.
I am growing very concered about this oil disaster, Speculation will drive up oil prices causing a win for the oil companies, The media is focusing on the oil spill and not the lack of enforcement of safety that caused the disaster which will keep the back lash focused on just this event and not wide spread change in practices.
This is also taking focus from finacial reform that will require very strong public support to get anything done, immigration may even be swept under the rug again. I think everyone (in the main stream) has forgotten about campaign finance reform and our government will be completely corpritists in a couple years.
In response to Bernie saying he has a bill to limit interest to 15% - So disturbing to me! I believe 15% is still usury, far too high! I think no interest rate should be allowed to be two digits! 1-9% interest rate is plenty of profit for a financial institution to earn. If they can't be profitable on that they should not be in business! My Mother had a 30 year mortgage at a fixed 3% interest rate, her bank did not go out of business! Also, variable rates need to be made illegal, fixed rates ONLY.
I'm really getting disgusted with being asked to be grateful for baby steps. We need Giant steps of reform!