Oil Junkie’s Refrain
It’s the one-year anniversary of the BP oil spill,
But nobody’s worried about oil extraction’s ills.
With gas near four dollars,
People start to holler —
That Palin-esque refrain: “Drill, baby, drill!”
Tag: oil drilling
Baby Don’t Drill
As an environmentalist he’s gotten high billing,
And as a man of principle, he seems willing.
And whatever the motivation
Behind Obama’s vacillation,
We’re glad he finally came out against offshore drilling.
Crist Continues to Demonstrate His Special Brand of Leadership
I have to hand it to Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (NPA), whose wardrobe choice for a recent roundtable with the president in Panama City helped him stand out. Charlie and the First Lady went with aqua, while the business owners, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, and others stuck to neutrals. If you’re going to go, go bold, Crist seems to say, while sitting as far from Obama as possible without leaving the room. No doubt Crist wants to avoid more photos of himself seeming friendly with the president. The endless repetition by Republicans of a shot of Crist doing the one-armed man hug with Obama last year could have been one reason for his departure from their party as a candidate for U.S. Senate. Well that, and the fact that they are soulless jerks.
Crist: Republicans Only Concerned with “Regrettable Glory” of Party Ideology
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has called a special session of the legislature to consider a constitutional ban on offshore oil drilling. Republicans are crying “foul,” citing the fact that there are already statutes that determine how close drilling can be to Florida’s shores.
“I think it’s completely unnecessary,” said Rep. Matt Hudson, R-Naples, in a view expressed by others. “There’s absolutely no reason we have to go and create a law for something that’s already unlawful.”
Crist: Republicans have “completely lost their way.”
What Hudson is saying is that there is no need to add something to the state constitution that’s already been dealt with by statute. Kind of like adding an amendment to the Florida constitution banning same-sex marriage when there’s already a law against it. Obviously there’s no need for that, right?
Hudson didn’t think so in 2008, when he and almost every other Republican politician in Florida, including then GOP-er Gov. Crist, publicly endorsed Amendment 2, a Republican initiative to make same-sex marriage double-triple-really-really-quadriple illegal in Florida.
This Pelican Would Like Its Life Back Too
We applaud the sentiment behind these T-shirts, available now at bitterpelican.com.
We do hope to benefit others such as The National Wildlife Federation and retailers that are suffering loss of income due to the oil spill. We also hope to inspire others to get involved. Our bp bitter pelican T-Shirts provide you the opportunity to express your feelings regarding the handling of the situation and the insensitive comments by BP.
The group is donating $1 from the sale of each T-shirt or coffee mug, along with 10 percent of the proceeds from each “photo art on canvas” print to the National Wildlife Federation.
The bottom line is that we need to pressure the market to come up with alternatives to an oil-based economy
Everyone wishes they could think of something constructive to do about the oil disaster, which is why calls to boycott BP, face the ocean and hold hands, and donate to wildlife groups seem like action. Those things are important but the bottom line is that we need to pressure the market to come up with alternatives to an oil-based economy.
I’m sure that you’re like me, and the only reason you drive a car that runs on gas and oil is because that’s what was available when you needed to buy one. We have to support alternative energy, by using our dollars as votes for the kind of products we expect, and by supporting candidates that facilitate change.
Hands Across the Sand — Miami Beach
Video from Pensito Review reporters on the scene.
Verbatim
The only thing worse than a massive oil leak from the bottom of the ocean would be massive radioactive oil leak from the bottom of the ocean.
— Rep. Ed Markey (D – Mass.), Chair of the House Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment and the president’s point man on the Gulf oil catastrophe, responding to calls from Donald Trump and others to nuke the oil spill. Markey was responsible for forcing BP to install its “spill cam” so the gushing oil could be viewed by the public.
Spinning the Spill: BP Just Can’t Tell the Truth
One can only guess that the reason BP doesn’t want people to know the extent of the disaster is because they hope to be allowed to continue drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico
The oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico already showed that BP has a basic disconnect between words and actions. The whole “Beyond Petroleum” campaign was just that: a media campaign, a tagline, an empty slogan. BP and the other oil companies have done almost nothing to move beyond petroleum, nor has there been any real pressure — by consumers, shareholders, or legislators — for them to do so.
But the company’s crisis communications is shaping into an even bigger sham. BP has done all the right things, according to the new media ethic. They have profiles on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr. The message is the same at each of these sites: “BP cares, and no one is working harder than BP to make this thing right. Check out for yourself how hard we’re working.”
Verbatim
You’ve got to keep a cool head in order to win a hot game.
— U.S. Senate candidate Gov. Charlie Crist (NPA), commenting on the importance of his leadership in helping Florida deal with the BP oil spill disaster. It’s unclear what actions, if any, Crist has taken in the crisis outside of accepting federal relief, and calling upon BP to provide more compensation to Floridians affected by spoiled beaches, fisheries, and habitat. Crist already accepted $25 million from BP to promote tourism and has asked for another $50 million to cover additional state expenses.
BP? Bitch, Please.
We love a snarky challenge, and there’s a really good one on Twitter right now. #renamebp invites you to come up with a new name that the inititals “BP” stand for. Currently leading are “Bitch Please,” “Bush’s Pals,” and “Blame POTUS.”
I’m thinking, “Big Polluters,” “Beware Pricks,” “Bleak Payoff,” “Begin Picketing,” and “Blatant Profits.”
What do you think “BP” stands for?
