Why I vanished

[Loretta Anakin Skywalker]

Due to the oil spill in the Gulf I have not been at my regular haunts. I live on the Florida west coast, which means that I am on the Gulf. I am watching with concern where that spill goes. I want to know if I will be FORCED to move or will it be not as bad as reported on the news. Sorry about my absence.

[Jinsei]

If they don't get it stopped, it may start to get pretty bad down your way. Hopefully not as bad as it is in Louisiana and Mississippi. I'm worried about it getting into the Crystal River area and affecting the manatee that live there. I doubt that you'll be forced to move, but they may ban people from going to the beaches until it's safe.

Good to hear from you. Let us know if oil does start showing up down there that's not reported on the news.

[Adona Mara]

Hang in there. Even a spill bigger than this one (at least so far) didn't have long-term affects, even though it was pretty bad. And there are a lot of people out there with great ideas on taking care of things (not that the government seems to be listening to any of them ). It may be unpleasant for a bit, but it won't kill everything forever.

[Jinsei]

Have no fear... Kevin Costner and James Cameron will save us all!

Really, I have to wonder what types of ideas those two are coming up with. I know they've both said that they have designs and plans for containing it and stopping the leak, and both of them are willing to invest close to $25 million to help stop the oil. I just wonder where they've gotten their designs from. Both of them have access to some of the most creative minds in special effects for Hollywood, so maybe what they've come up with would be the best thing to try right now. Afterall, nothing BP has tried so far seems to really be effective.

[Adona Mara]

Well, last weekend, Huckabee had a few people on his show -- about 7 -- that did demonstrations of technologies mostly simple, some a little more complex, that could do the job. He also showed some video of Costner describing his technology to clean up the Gulf. He also had on an expert on Oil technology of all kinds (I swear, the guy looked about 3 years older than God) who was evaluating each of the technologies as to whether it would be useful. He suggested that some was more useful than others (of course), but all of it, including Costner's plan, would do excellently to clean up the oil, according to him. The problem is, they have to get the well capped. So, whoever's stupid, moronic idea it was to make them drill so deep (the well would have been easily cap-able had it been in shallower water.

The U.S. sits on the largest reserves of fossil fuels in the world. There are ways to extract it safely. We just need to be willing to let them drill closer to shore. This spill is horrific -- made worse by the depth of it -- but there are thousands of off-shore rigs. Tighten up safety issues, and this will remain a safe, secure way to help wean ourselves off of foreign oil.

[Loretta Anakin Skywalker]

There are two reasons that I am concerned. One is scientists say it is very toxic and gets into the air and you can get poisoned. Long term effects could cause Cancer something I would rather not get. It also could get caught in what is called the loop current which would mean that Florida would get it Worse than Louisiana because Florida would be surrounded by oil on both east and west coast which would be very unpleasant. An 83 year old women I care take has Asthma which would be horrible for her. Needless to say there goes the tourist industry, Florida's ONLY industry. No more Work at all.

www.newsweek.com/blogs/the-human-condition/2010/06/03/even-more-bad-news-about-the-oil-spill-slick-to-travel-up-the-atlantic-coast.html

The above link shows the projected course the oil will take. Push the arrow on the video and it will show the flow.

I do not share your optimistic appraisal of the situation. Sadly I think that the Gulf is destroyed. Even some Christians are quoting Revelation I think chapter 8. "I heard a second trumpet sound and a thing much like a mountain was cast into the sea and the water became as blood and 1/3 of the life in the sea died". I am not saying that it is the fulfillment of that verse but many on the Gulf are saying it since they are close enough to see it and see the dead. Of course the government is now sneaking out at night to quickly quietly take away the dead from the spill so people will not see the total death tole. But luckily people are sneaking out at night and using their cell phones and cameras to take pictures. The government is controlling what the news can show us. They are trying to make the spill seem lesser as usual to side with big business against the people. Even small businesses are considered garbage compared to oil the one worshiped business. The shrimpers do not feel they are treated right.

[Adona Mara]

Your pessimism is why I refer you to the IXTOC spill 31 years ago, which dumped considerably more oil into the Gulf -- although if they keep fartin' around with this ... anyway. It took roughly 18 months for things to turn around, but they did, and while 18 months is a long time when you're going through it, there IS light at the end of the tunnel. The toxicity is something else, again, and I think that's something that both BP AND the government are going to have to answer for. There are things that could have been done faster and sooner than what has been done that could have lessened the impact on the Gulf coast region.

While there's no question BP has much to answer for, the Government, I think, has even more to answer for -- and not just this current administration.

As for the Revelation quote, I believe in Armageddon one day coming .. I believe it could happen any time, including today or tomorrow. But this oil spill ain't it.

If they'd been allowed to drill in shallower water, the well could have been easily capped. If the government had used all the available resources immediately, instead of setting up their friggin' committees, a lot of the damage could have been avoided. If BP had been responsible and used all safety measures, this probably wouldn't have happened (there are thousands of offshore oil rigs, and such spills are immensely rare). If the government had acted quickly and decisively -- with real leadership and not "community organizing" -- damage could have been minimized. Too many ifs ... too many bad leaders ... not enough action. Where was Rudy when we needed him?

[Loretta Anakin Skywalker]

I mostly agree with you both BP and the government are responsible. The Itzsach spill took nine months before two relief wells capped it. The main difference between the Itzsach spill and this one is it is closer to home in American waters as opposed to Mexican waters so we will feel this one directly.

As to whether it is Revelation I can not say but I only quoted it to give you a feel how people who live where the spill is are reacting. They claim that they are drilling into deeper waters because there are shortages of shallow water spots left so they need to go deeper. At least that is the line both the government and PB are saying. Who is Rudy?

[Adona Mara]

They're actually drilling in deeper waters because of environmental lobbyists, as well as very rich "I don't want to see these things from the beach" crowds (not very rich crowds of people like wouldn't have made an impact ). There are plenty of shallow water spots left -- they're just too visible from shore.

I've no doubt that people who are living near there are feeling this far more than people up near where I am. It's like the further people were from Ground Zero on 9/11, the less it impacted them. Not that they didn't feel it, and didn't care -- just like all of us (or at least the awake, alert, intelligent ones) feel this mess in the Gulf. A magnitude 7 earthquake gets your attention far quicker in your backyard than when it's on the other side of the world.

And Rudy is Rudy Giuliani, mayor of New York City when 9/11 happened.

[Loretta Anakin Skywalker]

Ok, sorry I did not think of Giuliani. I just knew many people with the name Rudy so which one. Now I get it. You are right the closer you are to "Ground Zero" the more you feel it and are concerned. The further away you are the less you feel it.

Sadly it seems there is nothing big or disastrous enough that would unite America like Pearl Harbor did in WWII. It seems today America is so divided that we may end up as break away Republics like the former Soviet Union. There are three states calling to separate from the rest of America. The three States are at least by my sources, Texas, Arizona and Alaska. I am sure more will join as time goes on and it becomes more official.

[Adona Mara]

What fascinates me at the moment is how our Government says it's unsafe to drill close to shore (hence why they made the oil companies work further out) even though the current accident had a) nothing to do with the depth, and b) would have been far easier to deal with in shallower water. Then, after the spill, they come to the enlightened realization that 5000 feet deep is too dangerous, because it's too deep to fix a problem. Then they take 2 million of tax payer money (which we're short of at the moment) and give it as a loan to a foreign government's state run oil company (whose profits for that year were 18 million, so the loan doesn't make a lot of sense) that drills in waters that are waaaaaaaay deeper than where the Deep Water Horizon was sitting.

I just can't help thinking that our "leaders" have something else in mind all together.

As for the state's "breaking up" that would suck. But I can understand completely why they would consider it. You have an unresponsive federal government that keeps passing on unfunded mandates, stirs up Hispanics against Arizona that's passed a law with more "anti-profiling" provisions than the federal law (and then they propagandize the law and the Governor of Arizona until you have people making Facebook pages that perpetuate the belief that the law is anti-Hispanic ), and that's just the tip of the iceberg regarding federal control vs. state's rights. Personally, if it weren't for that whole slavery thing, I would have supported the cause of "state's rights" back in the 19th century. Americans don't like being told what to do, and some states have enough of those to make a vocal and public stand about it. Sigh .. makes me wish I lived in one of them instead of the joke they call New York.

[Loretta Anakin Skywalker]

I hear you as to the federal government being a little slow on the up take. It reminds me of the question posed by Mrs. Murphy. "Who gets the brain today". and then she says something about Dumb and dumber.

I heard that we have to drill that deep because we already used up the close to shore oil so the deep is due to that is where the oil is left.

I sided with Arizona on that illegal immigrant issue. I got all the liberals angry because I gave good logical liberal reasons to side with Arizona. The right was just surprised that there were liberal reasons. Like you I hope the U. S. does not break up.

[Adona Mara]

I wish it were so, but no. There's plenty of oil in the shallower waters. Deep water drilling was the trade off for oil companies getting a "cap" on liability. The government said, "Sure .. we'll allow you a cap for that. In return, you have to let us tell you where to drill." Quid pro quo has gotten us in trouble before.

As for the Arizona law, that's sad, too. I hear people spouting off, comparing border patrol agents to the KKK (as if there were even the smallest iota of moral equivalence), about the inherent racism, blah blah blah -- and that sort of stuff comes even from those in the federal government. Of course, we know congress doesn't read its own laws -- and apparently they don't read any of the state laws either, because most of that condemnation was made before anyone, including the president, had read the Arizona law. I read it before Obama did. How sad is that?

[Loretta Anakin Skywalker]

Adona Mara
Thanks for informing me. I did not know that we could drill closer to shore but the government made a deal with the oil companies for "caps" on trouble. I see why the oil companies snatched that up. They only have to pay so much for damages caused. As usual we the people loose.

I do not believe that one is a racist if you side with Arizona. I am not racist and I side with Arizona. I think liberals are being unfair to accuse people of being racists just for protecting our boarders. America should protect it's citizens first. It is only natural and normal. Other countries do this all the time. If a Mexican is legal than he/ she is a citizen like everybody else that is. Legal is legal. Illegal is illegal period.

Here is the good liberal reasons to support the Arizona law. There are MANY good reasons to support the Arizona law that is NOT RACIST.1, Illegals drain from legitimate citizens and take welfare that is due for AMERICANS. 2, Illegals create hatred unnecessarily for those legitimate Hispanics that got here legally. 3, Illegals are not protected by our laws and are subject to extreme exploitation so to side with letting them come in illegally is to support out right subjugation of these people. It is a back door SLAVERY. Didn't Obama watch the movie called "Angel City" where it portrays illegal immigrants being treated like Black Slaves on a BAD plantation like in the movie "Roots". My question to Obama is, What are you a Night Train? To be illegal is like being a Gally Slave in the Roman Empire. How can Obama support such out right degradation of Hispanics. If you stop the illegals then only legal immigration happens and THESE people are PROTECTED by the SAME LAWS that protect you and me.
These are good LIBERAL reasons to side with the Arizona law. Even American citizens have trouble getting justice. Think how much harder it is for someone who snuck across the boarder to get justice if our own citizenry can not get justice.

This gives you an idea why I angered the liberals. My problem is I think so some times I side with conservatives and some times I side with liberals. This makes me independent and alone.

[Adona Mara]

There are a lot of independents . You're not really alone. I'm a libertarian myself -- not quite the same, but I understand. Of course, one of the reasons they don't want to secure the borders is because these people are potential voters who have been conditioned to believe Republicans are evil. They're rarely concerned with the true welfare of the people, or they would be helping them advance themselves, instead of keeping them down and putting them in a position where they're dependent on the Government. Back when he was a Senator, Obama voted against the "Guest Worker" program (put together by Bush and Ted Kennedy) that would have allowed people to come and work here under more controlled conditions and could have put at least one cap on the flood of illegals. It's gotta make you stop and think.