Think Progress

Louisiana Governor Jindal Unaware Katrina Caused ‘Major’ Oil Spills In His Own State»

While serving in Congress in August 2006, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) slammed the Bush administration for its response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Jindal said the state suffered “trauma” from the “widespread incompetence of the federal, state and local government response.”

But yesterday on Fox News, it was Jindal who was displaying Katrina incompetence. Making a push for expanded offshore oil drilling, Jindal repeated the myth that Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused “no major” oil spills in the state. Jindal called it a “great unwritten success story”:

Q: Real fast, Governor, the price of oil went up five bucks a barrel today. You’ve been drilling off the coast of Louisiana for a number of years. Any oil spills to worry about?

JINDAL: You know, that’s one of the great unwritten success stories, after Katrina and Rita, these awful storms, no major spills.

Watch it:

Jindal is clueless about the reality in his own state. As noted in the Wonk Room, the Hurricanes caused offshore oil spills so large that they could be seen from space (check out a picture here.) The Minerals Management Service reported that 113 oil platforms were “totally destroyed” — a total of 124 offshore spills.

In fact, oil seeped onshore into southeast Louisiana, which saw 44 onshore and offshore oil spills. The EPA called the spills “worse than the worst-case scenario.” Even oil industry representatives admitted: “nature can always topple you.”

It’s hard to see how this is a “great unwritten success story.”




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99 Responses to “Louisiana Governor Jindal Unaware Katrina Caused ‘Major’ Oil Spills In His Own State”

  1. Badmoodman Says:

    But really, Bobby Jindal is Mitt Romney with a tan.


  2. dixie blood Says:

    Jindal is clueless …

    Duuuhhh??


  3. belac Says:

    It’s an unwritten success story ’cause fiction about oil rigs only sells to neo-cons… and they don’t like to read… so it doesn’t sell that well.


  4. Luis M Says:

    Maybe it’s unwritten because it never happened.


  5. klide Says:

    He’s not clueless he’s a goddamn liar.


  6. Zooey Says:

    Bobby Jindal (R)

    ’nuff said.


  7. tarazan Says:

    He demonstrated unique qualifications to be McCain’s Vice President…!


  8. Max-1 Says:

    .

    See no Evil…
    Hear no Evil…
    Speak no Evil…

    See no Damage…
    Hear no Cries…
    Speak no Problems…

    .


  9. Max-1 Says:

    .

    Incompetence is… as incompetence does… Deny, deny, deny!

    .


  10. beltman713 Says:

    He would make a perfect Republican Vice Presidential running mate.


  11. Game of Life Says:

    So much for the whiz kid.

    He would be perfect for mcchimpy’s veep. Both are liars.


  12. Saint Augustine Says:

    I wonder if Wendy Vitter gives David an exception to associate with the whore Jindal?


  13. KayInMaine Says:

    The right wingers of America who care more about the oil industry than they do the people of our country are nothing but a bunch of lying pigs.


  14. The Shadow Says:

    The truth of the matter is Bobby Jindalsis a lying PIG. He isn’t mistaken, I knows about the oil spills. He just wants to be McCain’s running mate and is willing to lie to get it. Jindal is a say anything, do anything politician that shouldn’t even be governor. If is weren’t for Katrina and all of the people being misplaced he wouldn’t be governor.


  15. Marie Says:

    HOw did this guy ever get elected? He’d be perfect for McCain! Dumb and Dumber.


  16. had enough Says:

    HOw did this guy ever get elected? He’d be perfect for McCain! Dumb and Dumber.

    This guy probably got elected due to all the smears and swift boating Gov. Blanco was put through with the repukes money. Remember all the twisting of blame concerning Katrina… how the repukes lied and blamed lack of communication on Gov. Blanco, whereas it was she, and she proved it, that desperately tried to get help?


  17. wizard2000 Says:

    Remember the story that ran right after New Orleans flooded and people were stranded on rooftops, the story about hundreds of Good Samaritan Louisianans with boats rushing to New Orleans to help with rescue efforts…and how they were turned away…with the reason given to the frustrated rescue boaters that the waters in New Orleans, swirling around people stranded on rooftops, was too toxic, too contaminated with oil spillage???

    The boaters knew the risk.

    The real reason they were turned away was because Karl Rove (and other Bush administration officials, eg. Chertoff, Rumsfeld) were trying to blackmail Louisiana Gov. Blanco, a Democrat, into handing over control of Louisiana and her state’s national guard to them, while at the same time in Alabama and Mississippi, states hit by Katrina but with Republican governors, this request was not made.

    As part of this evil Karl Rove scheme, the Bush administration not only withhold desperately-needed federal disaster aid from New Orleans while people were dying, but also blocked attempts by anyone else (like these boaters) to rescue the people dying in New Orleans.

    Does “war crimes” cover this?


  18. Namtillaku Says:

    He’s certainly not clueless about the oil spills. I don’t suppose it’s possible that he’s got some ulterior motives? Nah.


  19. joe cantwell Says:

    mcbush/jindal ‘08

    has a certain ring to it,

    don’t you think?

    *

    where are the trolls

    to support the ticket?

    good luck.


  20. had enough Says:

    wizard2000

    It seemed there were a ton of people trying to help but were turned away… Why? Because the plan was to allow Blackwater to do the deed, including taking arms away from the civilians.

    I remember Arron Brown from cnn doing a great story, really illustrating the suffering.. I guess it was too good as he is no longer there. It was then, I caught on to the scam (influencing the masses of our great neocon gov) of MSM. Bush was on tape, being informed, therefore his stupid unaware act does not fly.

    Personally, I feel hundreds more died than was allowed to be reported, this was an easy way to rid project housing, Gov. Blanco and the mayor did their best but the lying MSM including hate America radio viciously attacked them,… this was one horrific event we witnessed unfold on TV and the MSM/hate America radio twisting the facts to suit their polotics.


  21. kassandrasduplex Says:

    But will the mainstream media run with this and make a big issue out of it? Not bloody likely. We live in the age of totalitarian control through the television and radio sets. Modern propaganda is simply omission and distortion. The media will keep silent on the ugliest parts of the Republican ticket’s gaffes and fraud and distort beyond any semblance of reality those of Obama and any other truly progressive Democratic politician.


  22. RUCerious Says:

    I’d think this youngster would make a perfect foil for McIIIrd.
    He’s just as clueless, and obviously willing to lie his ass off for the fuhre, er, ummm, uh , leader, er candidate..


  23. republicanSScareme Says:

    You say Louisiana Governor Jindal was “unaware” of the facts. He wasn’t unaware. Republicans aren’t completely retarded.
    Governor Jindal is lying like all Republicans do to make a point. They do it all the time. Always have. It is their primary modus operandi…say whatever you feel like regardless of the facts.

    The problem with painting Republicans like Jindal as stupid is that it hides their evil intent. “He’s not lying, he’s just stupid.” No, Jack, I think the public thinks he’s a criminal who’s trying to bullshit us again.


  24. scytherius Says:

    Ain’t no dumb like republican dumb. However, he’s not dumb, he’s a liar. Another standard Republican trait.


  25. jnratliff Says:

    I don’t think they are dumb just insane.
    being a republican requires you to be insane.
    republican = insanity!!


  26. had enough Says:

    Louisiana Governor Jindal Unaware Katrina Caused ‘Major’ Oil Spills In His Own State»

    As Bush Lied on one of our nations most horrific events:

    Video shows Bush got explicit Katrina warning.

    then it is too easy to assume these other gutless, sociopaths LIE also hoping to keep up with hate America radio.


  27. Above the Clouds Says:

    Just another Republican dumb-bell. As long as he can appropriately match Karl Rove’s talking points to the right questions he’ll be fine. Heck, even John McCain is beginning to match the talking points and questions most of the time.


  28. christopher wiwi Says:

    Boy,the kool-aid sure is good, ain`t it. How did this maroon ever get elected???????????????


  29. Gregor Samsa Says:

    that’s one of the great unwritten success stories, after Katrina and Rita, these awful storms, no major spills.

    Indeed. It’s is one of the great unwritten stories of a reality that wasn’t.

    I believe it’s called fiction, or fantasy.

    La-la-Land: The place where most Republicans live nowadays.


  30. Gregor Samsa Says:

    I’ve said it before: The people who carry water for this administration lie like they breathe. It comes so very naturally to them, they don’t even have to think about it.

    They will describe reality as they would like it to be, without concerning themselves about finding out how the world actually works.

    (Which partly explains why the Republican party is full of Bible literalists, climate change deniers, warmongers, and morons like Jindal)


  31. LiberalVoter Says:

    Tanqueray, how does this make it OK for Jindal to outright lie about oil spills? By the way, you are supposed to blame Clinton, not the environment. Please try to keep up with the RNC talking points.


  32. Gregor Samsa Says:

    Of course, the comparison that Tanqueray is presenting is completely invalid. From the same source (different article):

    “[The persistence of oil from the Exxon Valdez spill] can pose a contact hazard to inter-tidally foraging sea otters, sea ducks, and shorebirds, create a chronic source of low-level contamination, discourage subsistence in a region where use is heavy and degrade the wilderness character of protected lands,” the researchers conclude.
    Subsurface Oil From 1989 Exxon Valdez Spill In Alaska May Persist For Decades

    Natural (slow) oil seeps from underground sources vs a catastrophic oil spill. Pears and apples. Not that the troll would know the difference.


  33. Gregor Samsa Says:

    And none of that has anything to do with Jindal lying through his teeth about the oil spills in Louisiana after Katrina.


  34. Exit Stage Left Says:

    Dumbass McJindal is one of the repuke up-and-coming stars? Holy crap…They are screwed :)~


  35. Buckie Boy Says:

    Like hell, he knew and ignored, Repukian manual page 12 para 8

    Ignore Oil spills, say it is bird poop.


  36. Exit Stage Left Says:

    Can anyone help me with this dilemma? Does McJindal’s obfuscation and/or ignorance move him up or down McDooshbag’s VP list? :)~


  37. Gregor Samsa Says:

    Wait. Maybe Tanqueray is trying to tell us that the beaches he goes to look like this, or like this, and that he is perfectly happy surfing and sunbathing there.

    If that’s the case, Tanqueray, I’d advise you to stay away from any open flame after a day at the beach.


  38. RUCerious Says:

    Seems just like McClueless & Cluelesser.


  39. shoeless Says:

    Louisiana Governor Jindal Spills His Own State Of Ignorance


  40. RUCerious Says:

    I remember as a kid, walking on the beach at Carpinteria beach between Ventura and Santa Barbara, and having to clean the bottoms of my feet with coleman kerosene to get the tar (oil) off. That was natural seepage.

    I was also home between Germany and Nam in December 69 when the Santa Barbara oil leak/spill occurred, and I can tell dufi like Ginhead that it’s one hell of a lot different when thousands of birds are coated in oil, all the clams, cockels and other marine animals are dead or dying.
    So bite me, jackass.


  41. shoeless Says:

    Tanqueray Says:

    The gulf of Mexico has the equivalent of 2 Exxon Valdez oil spills every year! An who is responsible? Well good old planet Earth. Natural oil seeps are killing the environment, have been for millions of years, who can we sue?

    Where have I heard something like this before?

    Oh yeah, now I remember!

    “Trees cause more pollution than automobiles do.”-Ronald Reagan


  42. shoeless Says:

    RUCerious Says:

    I remember as a kid, walking on the beach at Carpinteria beach between Ventura and Santa Barbara, and having to clean the bottoms of my feet with coleman kerosene to get the tar (oil) off. That was natural seepage.

    On the southeast coast of Florida, they are called “Tar Babies”. There are no oil rigs there, but the oil tankers coming out of the Gulf of Mexico pass very close to the coast in the deep water of the Florida Straights. Oil tankers leak a lot of oil.


  43. Kira Says:

    Yup - chemical castration of our wetlands. More drilling - yee haw! All these people know how to do is use and abuse until the skeleton is picked clean. Bastids.

    Meanwhile, Nero*bush fiddles:

    NYT - US Freezes Solar Energy Projects

    June 27, 2008
    “DENVER — Faced with a surge in the number of proposed solar power plants, the federal government has placed a moratorium on new solar projects on public land until it studies their environmental impact, which is expected to take about two years.

    The Bureau of Land Management says an extensive environmental study is needed to determine how large solar plants might affect millions of acres it oversees in six Western states — Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.

    But the decision to freeze new solar proposals temporarily, reached late last month, has caused widespread concern in the alternative-energy industry, as fledgling solar companies must wait to see if they can realize their hopes of harnessing power from swaths of sun-baked public land, just as the demand for viable alternative energy is accelerating.”


  44. Dr. Hussein Matt Says:

    Tanquegay,

    You’re ranting you myopic loser twit. Are you going to admit your reich-wing hero Jindal is completely wrong and is telling ties? OR, will you just continue ranting like a little competent loser?


  45. woodguy Says:

    Tanqueray Says:
    ——————————————————————————–

    Okay, okay, jeeez give a guy a break here. You’ve convinced me, oil is evil and should be banned totally. You guys have found the secret to living without it so I guess I can too. It’s obvious none of you needs transportation to get to work, living in mommies basement as you do. Just a question though, how are you generating the steam to run those PC’s? Let the rest of us in on it.

    ================

    Personally, I’m at this moment using power generated by dams that FDR had built to create jobs during the GOP Depression. In case you haven’t heard about them, they have supplied over 70 years of cheap clean electricity to those of us who are fortunate enough to live in the NW. Excuse me, I have to write my bi-monthly check for $70.


  46. celtic cynic Says:

    Inherent incompetence is OKIYAR.


  47. Nevar Says:

    “The Bureau of Land Management says an extensive environmental study is needed to determine how large solar plants might affect millions of acres it oversees in six Western states — Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.”

    And yet for the last 7 1/2 years they have rubber-stamped every oil and gas lease shoved at them by the Bush mis-administration.
    No EIS necessary…


  48. Nevar Says:

    They don’t seem to think grazing permits for the beef industry need any environmental oversight either, as the phucking cows chew and trample and sh!t their way across public lands.


  49. Nevar Says:

    Pardon my angst, this issue is a particular burr in my saddle.
    Ranchers are given a lot of leeway out here, they can overgraze and degrade grasslands and forests, and yet continue to receive their permits for a dollar an acre a year to make considerable profit. They cry and moan loss of tradition and the ability to make a living if their use of public lands are questioned. Meanwhile they make even more money charging big game hunters thousands, and sometimes tens of thousands of dollars to hunt on their lands, or have access to public lands through their locked gates and fences which otherwise deny access to other forest and grassland users.
    I am not questioning the BLM and it’s desire to have an EIS done regarding solar energy farms, I applaud and support the effort. My beef (pardon the pun) is that it should have been done years ago (like about 7 1/2), and probably would have but for the criminal actions of a certain Party in 2000.
    It also does not need to be a blanket moratorium on new solar arrays. A case by case basis could be developed. There’s plenty of room alongside all the new oil and gas pumping sites, where the roads and infrastructure are already there.


  50. Helena Says:

    He’s pitiful! Perfect for John McCain.


  51. Nevar Says:

    Bobby Jindal Sez…
    “It doesn’t count as an oil spill unless it’s leaking out of a supertanker…”


  52. VerbalKint Says:

    To be Republican means to lie, and lie, and lie, and lie…


  53. barfly Says:

    Just a question though, how are you generating the steam to run those PC’s? Let the rest of us in on it.

    I tap into my wingnut neighbor’s feelings of persecution, and religious self-righteousness. There’s enough steam rolling of him on any given day (especially after getting stoked up by listening to Rush) to run the computer, and even get in a few loads of laundry.


  54. tokin librul Says:

    I STILL think bombin’ Johnnie’s gonna name Condi Rice as his running mate.

    This is Murka. Her dismal record will serve mainly to [provide name recognition. Murkins don’t give a crap what people are known for, as long as they’re known.

    By naming her to the ticket, Waffle-neck John short-circuits Obama’s major appeal: novelty. Plus he gets a “woman” on the ticket (tho the same effect might be had with Jindal, I dunno).


  55. jnratliff Says:

    I tap into my wingnut neighbor’s feelings of persecution, and religious self-righteousness. There’s enough steam rolling of him on any given day (especially after getting stoked up by listening to Rush) to run the computer, and even get in a few loads of laundry.

    Boy aint that the truth but It is now a proven scientific fact that republicans are insane!
    republican = insanity!


  56. barfly Says:

    Boy aint that the truth but It is now a proven scientific fact that republicans are insane!
    republican = insanity!

    But, how do we tap into the republican fear and hatred, for positive results? There’s enough negative energy there to form a wormhole, but it’s chaotic, and destructive (ironically, coming from supposedly staid conservatives; harnessing it for good would be a monumental effort.

    Something similar to the Nasa moon landing…


  57. texaslady Says:

    The government overturns Exxon Valdez’s penalty and says they have been “[punished enough”. By paying about $500 million. This should cover all the damages to economy, land, environment. So, many former opponents of drilling in Florida have suddenly turned and now think it is a good idea. Gee, campaign money needed ? Oil company record profits. And the drilling today won’t provide oil for about 10 years. Just who does big oil think they are fooling or better yet do they really care ? Just like bush/cheney.


  58. texaslady Says:

    Americans shouldn’t worry about the loss of beautiful beaches you won’t be able to afford to vacation anyway, between paying back the $9 trillion and high gas prices and lack of jobs.


  59. jnratliff Says:

    Breaking news from the British Journal of Nutsology.
    It is now a proven scientific fact that being republican is proof positive of insanity says Dr Elmwood Futherthom.
    All republicans should be treated, and some can recover.
    However die hard bush supporters are beyond help and should be quarantined as soon as possible for the greater good of humanity; these people have lost all signs of being human and have become a danger to themselves and others. If republicans are spotted in your area they should be pointed out to local mental health professionals. The sooner the better. That is all.


  60. semivoid Says:

    I have read that the total oil spilled during Katrina was 12,000 barrels. The oil industry believes this is rather insignificant when compared to other spills during bad weather in earlier years (read: California).

    The fact that the platforms were destroyed doesn’t mean that there was an uncontrolled flow of crude; flow was shutdown prior to the storm’s approach.

    12,000 barrels is of course too much but I thought it was odd that Jindal didn’t come back saying something to the effect that ‘only a minor amount of oil was released into the environment and no ill effects were reported’. You think he’d be expected to say something like that…


  61. HeelingToPort Says:

    Unfortunately, Jindal (et al) are technically correct, but they are splitting [fine] hairs. The U.S. Coast Guard defines a major spill as 2,381 barrels or more. According to an earlier MMS estimate, no single offshore facility spilled more than 2000 barrels. So, using Republican logic, there was no major oil spill. Of course, they forget to mention that part.


  62. Exit Stage Left Says:

    HeelingToPort Says:
    The U.S. Coast Guard defines a major spill as 2,381 barrels or more.

    How about we dump 2,380.5 barrels of oil on the phony cowboy’s ranch, right next to his house, and see just how minor it is :)~


  63. hellinabucket Says:

    Ignorance knows no boundaries.


  64. HeelingToPort Says:

    Exit Stage Left Says:
    How about we dump 2,380.5 barrels of oil on the phony cowboy’s ranch, right next to his house, and see just how minor it is

    Actually, I’d rather ‘Oil’Board him with 2,380.5 barrels.


  65. barfly Says:

    HeelingToPort Says:

    Unfortunately, Jindal (et al) are technically correct, but they are splitting [fine] hairs. The U.S. Coast Guard defines a major spill as 2,381 barrels or more.

    Is that the only applicable standard? Does the EPA use the same standard, or Fema?

    Just curious.


  66. 5th Estate Says:

    In famously overcast Britain the government encouraged homeowners to install solar panels and heat exchangers by offering tax breaks if they did so (as the intial outlay was pretty high). This was around 2001.
    No suprise that the South and West made best use of the opportunity as thise areas get the best weather and southerners have higher average incomes making the intial outlay easier to manage.
    Some old friends of mine told me that their installation started paying for itself after three years and they began to see savings of 30% in their electricity bills.
    In my old home town new municipal buildings such as the courts and the sports center (I note we don’t have sports centers in the US) included alternate-energy features from the start. The town (pop. 100,000)now boasts it is one oif the most energy efficient in the country, in Europe even.
    It took some significant investment of taxpayers money of course but the taxpayers benefit from the efficiency savings.

    The key of course is a collective effort to provide a collective benefit.

    I note that subject here is solar plants. This is the identical economic model as the oil companies—a commonwealth resource placed in private hands for them to control.

    If the US govenrment were to encourage the homeowners direct access to alternative energy ( solar panels and heat pumps and so on) the privately run energy companies would lose a significant amount of business and the ‘competion’, being individuals, couldn’t be bought-out. Never mind that the individual savings would give individuals more disposable income that should boost the overall economy–current energy companies would lose a significant amount of control over energy supply and thus their influence over the spending options of the individual which the necessity of energy and how it is supplied currently limts.
    In other words if I could save 30% of my energy costs by using alt-energy devices that I own, my traditional oil energy supplier loses 30% of it;s income from me, and I can spend those savings elsewhere and on other things. To the oil and coal companies such a scneario presents an existential threat to their well-being–when in fact it’s just competition that they can’t then buy-out and exploit or eliminate.

    As Nevar notes

    “…for the last 7 1/2 years [the Bush mis-administration]
    rubber-stamped every oil and gas lease shoved at them…No EIS necessary.”

    If City, County, State and Federal government encouraged the adoption of solar panels alone on existing buildings and mandated solar technology integration into new buildings and renovations the effect on oil energy-consumption would surely be as great or greater than that of increasing the efficiency of cars. The ‘environmental impact’ of each installation would be essentially nil and therefore collectively would also be nil.
    The greatest individual savings would be to house owners where the ratio of solar-collecting area to energy consuming individual is highest. For existing apartment buildings the return would be far less for the individual dweller but the building owner/management would still realize some savings. What if the upper half or quarter of the southern facing side of a tower-block’s walls between the windows had integrated solar panels instead of the usual passive brick or concrete? What if the average air conditioner had it’s own solar panel and capacitor to lower it’s power demands, or simply to serve as a seperate low-voltage ‘power-station’ or for low power household and portable devices–for cell-phone recharging for example?

    The trick is not look for a complete replacement of oil-based energy, but to match the variety of energy sources available to specific energy needs. In short we need to diversify–and that’s the last thing the ‘traditional energy’ interests of the US want.
    Tiny little Wales is embarking on a tidal-power project that’s expected to serve at least 20% of their energy needs, because energy is considered by their government as a public resource, not a private commodity to be sold to the highest bidder. Here in the US however with it’s vast coastline, vast energy demand, considerable technological resources and huge economy I for one am not aware a single wave power-experiment, let-alone a $200 million dollar pilot initiative.

    I’ve no doubt that the use and management of energy is THE SINGLE MOST SIGNIFICANT ISSUE we face in the present and the future, It affects everything–the environment, the economy, our very survival; socially , politically, physically, actually.
    We are at the very brink of disaster, brought there in large part by the selfish dogma of “conservatives” and only through communal effort (rather than the self-serving individualism touted by “conservatives” who conserve nothing but their own short term privileges) that we will survive the near future.

    And that BTW, means that electing Obama and just returning serving Democrats to the Congress will not be enough–the “Blue Dogs” need to be replaced too. The 2010 mid-terms will be every bit as important as this upcoming election.


  67. hellinabucket Says:

    Good post 5th Estate. Well said.


  68. Bartolo Says:

    “Jindal is clueless about the reality in his own state.”

    Careful, my brothers and sisters. This wacko went to Brown and Oxford and managed to keep his mental virginity. Anything is possible!


  69. HeelingToPort Says:

    Barfly says:
    Is that the only applicable standard? Does the EPA use the same standard, or Fema?

    In this case, I think this is the only standard that matters, as USCG handles all coastal/offshore waters and deep-water ports, while EPA (FEMA?) handle only inland waters. We’re kind of stuck with that for now.

    I think the 2,381 barrels mark is way too high and should be lowered drastically, but then we’re still in the Bush administration, so I doubt anything will happen soon. :(


  70. Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says:

    Tanqueray Says:
    The gulf of Mexico has the equivalent of 2 Exxon Valdez oil spills every year! An who is responsible?
    Of course that doesn’t quite fit the agenda now does it?

    Typical troll reasoning. Because mother earth leaks oil, we should be concerned about man made disasters when it comes to oil spills. Troll, do yourself a favor and take a critical thinking course at your local JC. It will serve you well.


  71. Gregor Samsa Says:

    Tanquegay,
    […] will you just continue ranting like a little [in]competent loser?
    ~Dr. Hussein Matt

    I suspect he will continue to do just that.

    That is his comfort zone. He is, after all, a Bush personality cult follower.


  72. Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says:

    Tanqueray Says:
    Okay, okay, jeeez give a guy a break here. You’ve convinced me, oil is evil and should be banned totally.

    Hey troll, have you ever heard of Peak Oil? If so, do you know what it means? Do you think that mother earth has an infinite amount of oil to cough up for us, or do you think it’s finite? Do you know what “finite” means? To put it simply, so you can understand, it means once something is gone, it’s gone, there is no more.

    Most scientists think we have reached peak oil and are on the downside. That means that if we don’t do something very quickly to stop our dependence on oil, we will spend the rest of my lifetime fighting with other countries for the oil that is left.

    If for no other reason, this is why people should vote for Obama. If you vote for McCain, he will just keep drilling and drilling with no concern about what to do once all that oil is gone.


  73. texaslady Says:

    Gasoline prices have been high for a long time in Europe, when it gets and stays that high here, then maybe Americans will seek alternative methods for their cars, homes, etc. We can learn from other countries, we aren’t the brightest bulb on the planet.


  74. jonny Says:

    McSame & Jindal ‘98.

    Careful — Nixon & Agnew ‘68. Bush & Quayle ‘88.

    Every 20 years a weasel + an idiot = success.

    NAHHHH, I’m just doin’ a pinhead pundit gag. That ticket is lookin’ way good.


  75. gitrdone Says:

    But really, Bobby Jindal is Mitt Romney with a tan.

    LOL.


  76. texaslady Says:

    The last President that tried to tighten up big oil profits, met an untimely fate, and a V.P. friendly to big oil became President. Not surprising all is quiet on closing the Enron loop hole for trading. And the American people think we choose leaders and determine the course American is on.


  77. JaneaneTheAcerbicGoblin Says:

    The MSM already adore Bobby. He’s young, stupid, a full blown idiot, doesn’t know what’s happening in his state, probably can’t find Louisiana on a map, god, he’s presidential material!

    The MSM are salvitating at getting this guy in the White House. They found George W. Bush II.


  78. 5th Estate Says:

    thanks, hellinabucket.

    It was of course a comment as long as a ‘post’–not uncommon. Maybe such original comments should be referred to as post-ments whilst the lengthy cut-and- paste ‘comments’ from the likes of rogerse should be referred to as com-posts?


  79. poperatzo Says:

    Bobby Jindahl is going to be a 1 term governor. Then, he’ll end up wandering the same desert as Rick Santorum.

    The folks in Louisiana are fed up with corruption and incompetence, naturally, but they’re gonna get sick of a GOP governor even faster. Then, they’ll elect a Democratic governor that’s not corrupt.

    I’d lay money on it.


  80. Kira Says:

    The oiligarchy bush controlled Bureau of Land Management since 2001 has brought us an “unprecedented rush to lease and approve permits to drill on federal public lands” - Colorado Rockies are the most hard hit - as evidenced by this research document from The Wilderness Society

    So, why should any of us think the bush administration REALLY CARES about the environmental impact of solar arrays? They aren’t fooling us.

    This article published on June 28th by Mercury News states:

    “We don’t want to have to have separate and new environmental studies for every claim to BLM land,” Bar-Lev said. “What we wanted, in effect, is a mapping of the entire West that would tell us what areas were suitable and what areas were not suitable for development.”

    One impact of the BLM decision, said Ausra’s Gordon, could be an increase in price to build on available private land. She also said the decision might encourage companies to look to build solar plants in Europe “where the legislative and regulatory atmosphere is more welcoming,” instead of in the United States.

    Both Bar-Lev and Gordon said the solar industry hopes to get the BLM to modify or reverse its decision.

    And if anyone doesn’t think this is another reTHUGliCON tactic designed to aid the oiligarchy criminals … BLM Leaves Harry Reid Out of the Loop

    Before bureaucrats slammed the door for almost two years on new solar plants on 119 million acres of federal land they manage in six western states, they might have mentioned it to Harry Reid.

    You know, Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader who represents a state that has been called the Saudi Arabia of solar, the senior senator from the state with 67 percent of its land under the control of the Bureau of Land Management, which implemented the freeze.

    But in this case, the BLM must have lost Reid’s number.

    “We read it in (Wednesday) morning’s paper,” Reid spokesman Jon Summers wrote in an e-mail, referring to a Sun story about solar developers protesting a delay they say could break the back of the nascent industry here and in the rest of the Southwest.

    But - here’s the hopeful part:

    “As far as discussing or debating the merits of a freeze with the congressional delegation before we took that administrative action, I am fairly certain that did not occur,” Resseguie [The manager of the Bureau of Land Management’s environmental impact study, Linda Resseguie] said.

    She said it is possible the BLM would reconsider the freeze.

    “Policies can always be influenced,” she said.

    Anyone interested in changing this policy should contact the appropriate people.


  81. jonny Says:

    People are being harsh about Jindal — he’s dirt-stupid, he’s pig-ignorant, yadda yadda.

    Cut him a break, willya? He’s a conservative. He ain’t supposed to have brains.


  82. Kira Says:

    Wired.com March 6, 2008

    Solar Company Says Its Tech Can Power 90 Percent of Grid and Cars

    Lots of additional links within the article above.


  83. Kira Says:

    jonny, do ya think Jindal is kin to Lindsay Graham [R-SC] ?? I detect a resemblance.


  84. marlow Says:

    Hey Bobby, 2+2=5, right? “If it helps get a regressive elected, you bet it does!”


  85. jonny Says:

    85. Kira Says:
    ______

    Jindal don’t set off my gaydar as fiercely.

    Then again, he’s still a media midget. ;)


  86. Kira Says:

    They are both mental midgets for sure :) Another prime example of the *R*egressive devolution.

    According to Wiki:
    In common parlance, “devolution”, or backward evolution is the notion a species may evolve into more “primitive” forms.


  87. Kira Says:

    Back on the subject of energy — with all the wasted trillion$ going to the already frighteningly obese Pentagon DOD budget - a few billion could be used wisely to fit homes with solar power panels and/or wind power generators hooked into the grid.

    2008 Pentagon budget - $504 billion

    http://www.truemajority.org


  88. Kira Says:

    I’m guesstimating here:

    US population is 303,824,646 [July 2008 est. from cia.gov library factbook ]

    Divided by 4 = 75,956,161.5 [guesstimate of number of US homes]

    Times $10,000.00 - guesstimate of cost to fit with solar voltaic panels

    Equals - $759,561,615,000.00

    Savings to inhabitants of earth? Priceless.


  89. jonny Says:

    89. Kira Says:
    _____

    Hey. Energy is THE national-security issue in the USA. Bar none.

    That’s why, I gather, we should leave it in th’ hands o’ good, honest Enron-style hustlers rather than trust the damn’ gummint.

    Especially right-wing gummint.

    Then again, in a democratic republic, to whom SHOULD it be trusted?


  90. Bird Dog Says:

    You’re being dishonest.

    Jindal was asked about the environmental effects of the hurricanes on offshore platforms. The report you linked to concluded the following:

    DNV evaluated the available failure reports and industry practices and has concluded that the vast majority of GOM offshore pipelines performed well during the passage of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Public and personnel safety experience with respect to the offshore pipeline operations has been excellent. Evacuations of non-essential personnel, and other operational precautions taken prior to hurricane events, including training, planning, spill response exercises, and industry alliances provided results that have protected life as the first priority. The impact to the environment has been minimal in hurricane events, primarily due to the design features, and industry practices intended for protection of life that are also focused on minimizing releases to the environment through planning, preparedness and response. The most significant impacts appear to have been the disruption of the oil and gas supply, and financial losses from the oil and gas infrastructure damage. While these are not desirable outcomes, the overall goal of prioritizing protection of life and the environment is clear in the demonstrated performance of the industry, meeting two of the major goals of the MMS for personal and environmental safety.

    The damage in your Chronicle link was mostly to do with spills from onshore tanks. Good job conflating two separate issues in order to smear a potential VP candidate. Well done!


  91. wizard2000 Says:

    Kira,

    Why don’t we have a “two-fer” on publicly-owned lands out west (the desert ones)…solar panel and cyano-bacteria farms?

    This would be a match made in heaven.

    A portion of the energy generated by the solar panels could be used to distill the sugars generated from the cyano-bacteria into alcohol.

    With this “two-fer” process in place on publicly-owned lands, there’d be energy pouting into our nation’s electricity grids while at the same time non-corn-based gasohol would be decreasing our dependence on foreign oil. A win-win for all U.S. citizens, except maybe for the oil companies and their shareholders, who represent a small minority of U.S. citizens.

    Moreover, what’s so great about this “two-fer” proposal is that while the solar panels draw power from the Sun’s energy, the cyano-bacteria can be irrigated with salt water, thus completely removing pressure from freshwater supplies out west.

    Of course, it will take having a liberal, progressive as president and a wider liberal, progressive majority in Congress to get this renewable-energy ball rolling.

    In the meantime, one thing that might bring gasoline prices down by a $1.00 or $2.00 within thirty days is completely closing the so-called “Enron loophole” and re-regulating on-line energy trading, vigorously reinstating the energy market regulations that had been in place for 70 years before former Sen. Phil Gramm helped create this regulatory loophole in late 2000, which directly led to Enron gaming West Coast energy markets in 2001, causing rolling blackouts and doubled/tripled monthly utility bills…kind of like what we are experiencing today with grossly-, artificially-inflated high gasoline prices…with high monthly utility costs sure to follow nationwide.


  92. Kira Says:

    Wizard2000,
    I like that idea. I haven’t studied the cyano-bacteria, but found a LINK to an article at Science in Review.

    But, yes, that sounds intriguing. I’ll finish reading this article later tonight.

    Using food crops to make ethanol is a terrible idea - on many levels.

    And, yes. Closing the Enron Loophole is the only way we’ll see the gas/oil prices drop. OTOH, this may be the final straw that wakes up that old American inventive spirit.


  93. Kira Says:

    By the way, I really think energy independence is where activism is urgently needed. H.R. 6049 — The Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008 was filibustered by the reTHUGliCONS on June 18th. Why?

    (Entrenched Politicians) + (Heavy Lobbying from Big Oil) = (Shameful Filibuster of HR 6049) - according to Liquidporkgun.blogspot.com

    It’s the end of Solar Credits and the word of doom to many fledgling alternative energy companies - others who can afford it will move their operations to other countries.

    republicans filibuster renewable tax credit legislation again

    By a 52-44 vote, the Senate failed to achieve cloture on the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008 (H.R. 6049), the tax package that included extensions of the renewable production tax credit, energy efficiency incentives, and a suite of other tax credit extensions. This version included an Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) patch without any offset.

    Sen. Reid (D-Nev.) cast a procedural vote with the Republicans and Sens. Clinton, Kennedy, McCain, and Obama did not vote. Sens. Collins, Coleman, Corker, Smith, and Snowe voted with the Democrats (Collins, Coleman, and Smith are up for re-election). The voting was otherwise entirely on party lines.

    From Thomas L. Friedman’s column [the first link, above] - But our future is not in oil, and a real president wouldn’t be hectoring Congress about offshore drilling today. He’d be telling the country a much larger truth:

    “Oil is poisoning our climate and our geopolitics, and here is how we’re going to break our addiction: We’re going to set a floor price of $4.50 a gallon for gasoline and $100 a barrel for oil. And that floor price is going to trigger massive investments in renewable energy — particularly wind, solar panels and solar thermal. And we’re also going to go on a crash program to dramatically increase energy efficiency, to drive conservation to a whole new level and to build more nuclear power. And I want every Democrat and every Republican to join me in this endeavor.”

    That’s what a real president would do. He’d give us a big strategic plan to end our addiction to oil and build a bipartisan coalition to deliver it. He certainly wouldn’t be using his last days in office to threaten Congressional Democrats that if they don’t approve offshore drilling by the Fourth of July recess, they will be blamed for $4-a-gallon gas. That is so lame. That is an energy policy so unworthy of our Independence Day.


  94. Kira Says:

    I must say I rarely agree with Thomas L. Friedman but do on most of what he says in the article linked above. I’m not so sure about setting the price for gas at $4.50/gal or $100/barrel of oil. Surely we can do better than that.

    OTOH … ???


  95. indyjones Says:

    I will give him the beenfit of the doubt here as he said “after” Katrina. He did not say during or as a result of.



  96. In Truth Says:

    Whatever does happen-GOD has got this!!~!-Do YOU HAVE HIM?


  97. IBTunion4obama Says:

    God has nothing to do with this ‘In Truth’, we’re discussing oil spills and Hurricane Katrina.


  98. Stellathomas Says:

    While serving in Congress in August 2006, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) slammed the Bush administration for its response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Jindal said the state suffered “trauma” from the “widespread incompetence of the federal, state and local government response.” But yesterday on Fox News, it was Jindal who was displaying Katrina incompetence. Making a push for expanded offshore oil drilling, Jindal repeated the myth that Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused “no major” oil spills in the state. Jindal called it a “great unwritten success story”
    —————————
    Stellathomas

    Louisiana Drug Treatment


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