Ahhhh... the sweet smell of petroleum

[itschris]

The second perfect Florida day ruined by the nasty smell of oil... presumably from the slick out in the Gulf. Yesterday it was worse, my nose was actully stinging after being outside for an hour or so at lunch.

Speaking of the big explosion, I think I'm going to float my moronic conspiracy theory since so many seemed to have so much fun doing it during the Bush years. This is what my diehard liberal friend and I (diehard conservative) came up with this morning. Let's play along...

Okay... Obama had been against drilling for oil. Against the coal industry. His presidency has largely been a failure in every way, his popularity reaches new lows every month. He's gotta be thinking how am I ever going to pass cap and trade with new green energy initiatives that we can control and tax and yet rebuild my popularity at the same time?

So first, the coal mine blows up. Obama - See? Coals bad... but I can give a heartfelt eulogy. Now... I'll reverse my position... say I'm for drilling in the Gulf now since it really does make sense and it's what people want... but... I can't turn my back on my tree hugging constituents who helped get me here.... hmmmm.... I know... I'll say we need to drill in the Gulf, then we'll blow up a rig and cause an environmental disaster so that when people no longer want to drill, it won't be my fault and I can't be blamed. A clear win/win for me!!!!!

So either it's all a coincidence or you're really nervous if you work at a nuclear plant.

Seriously though... I just was reading that it could take over a month to stop the leak. So far, nothing happened to our beaches and nature areas, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time before our coast is impacted... especially if it's going to flow for a month or more. The whole thing is just a sad and tragic event. There were already a lot of people complaining about breathing issues yesterday here where I live. I can't imaging how bad it's gonna be if they can't contain it soon. Open up a quart of Quaker State, put your nose over the opening, and take a big whiff... that's what it smell like.

 

[rnatalli]

Most of the states along the coast are red states with the same folks who chanted "drill baby drill" during the last election. Quite frankly, I could care less if their air quality sucks.

 

[Gizmologist]

Another attack on oil will be undertaken

Naturally the pseudo science will be brought out by the anti oil crowd. "See? We told you oil is bad". Now of course these are the same morons who buy the latest video game, computer, clothes, etc and somehow conveniently forget how all that came into being.

The "greenies" want you to toss out perfectly good appliances in favor of newer "Energy Star" rated devices. Too bad the ES program has been deeply investigated and proven to be almost totally fraudulent. What to do with the old computers and other electronic stuff? Send it to 3rd world countries (via diesel powered ships) to be dismantled by children with no protective clothing and burned in open pits to retrieve the precious metals.

Old carbon and lead acid batteries? Same story. Off OUR shores and polluting and injuring others in unsafe untrained methods.

You want all the power YOU need for your HT, computer stereo, air conditioning, fast foods, mega concerts etc but decry the methods used to produce all that CHEAP power.

No wind turbines as they disrupt the landscape view form your house, they kill birds who fly into them and they make that awful whoop whoop sound. No nuclear as it produces dangerous waste and remember Three Mile Island. No coal as it produces green house gases and is dangerous to mine. We KNOW about oil. Solar only works in the daytime and takes acres and acres of space. Producing the cells requires massive amounts of open pit mining and expensive, water hungry processes to manufacture.

Geothermal is bad because all that ground water pumped out caused sinkholes. You have bad knees so you can't use a cycle mounted personal generator. Hydro dams damage the river ecology.

Seems we are in a bit of a sticky wicket here.

 

[jamie2112]

Obama didnt do this......lets place the blame where it lays....

 

[itschris]

On the poltical end of things, I'm for utilizing all potential energy resources as long as they are done with the latest technology to ensure safe and efficient operation to best possible degree.

The reality is, accidents are going to happen... two major ones in one month... so like most things... there is a cost beyond dollars to be had.

The one thing I do know is that eventually oil is going to run out... maybe not in my lifetime... then again who knows. We need to diversify our energy sources and plan for the future and the faster we can become less dependent on the Middle East the better and this point behind the dril baby drill movement. Ideally, I don't want an oil rig sitting of my beach, but at the same time, it's just like the people who complain about crime, but "don't want a prison built in my backyard." Everybody wants solutions as long as it doesn't cost them anything... money or otherwise.

Regardless of your stance on the issue.. I don't think I'd go so far as wishing bad air quality on people because their opinions differ.

 

[STRONGBADF1]

Obama didnt do this......lets place the blame where it lays....

It's the people who voted for him fault...


Jamie, I thought you were staying out of these threads!

 

[itschris]

Obama didnt do this......lets place the blame where it lays....

Of course Obama didn't do it... Rahm did!

Seriously... the conspiracy theory was a joke. We were discussing it this morning about how no one has come up with any yet like they did with 9/11 saying Bush planned the whoe thing. It was a lighthearted result of a deeper conversation.

 

[itschris]

It's the people who voted for him fault...


Jamie, I thought you were staying out of these threads!

This is NOT a political thread! This was me complainiing aboiut my nose stinging. A rant really...not much more.

 

[gmichael]

Jamie, I thought you were staying out of these threads!

Me too. I'm not really here.

 

[STRONGBADF1]

This is NOT a political thread! This was me complainiing aboiut my nose stinging. A rant really...not much more.

I know that Chris I was just picking on Jamie. I just couldn't help myself... and if I took this as a political thread I would have not posted.

I hope the air clears soon.

 

[jamie2112]

I know that Chris I was just picking on Jamie. I just couldn't help myself... and if I took this as a political thread I would have not posted.

I hope the air clears soon.

Doug,stop picking on me or I will call Gene and Clint and you will be in trouble..... sounds like someone I know of.......

 

[itschris]

I know that Chris I was just picking on Jamie. I just couldn't help myself... and if I took this as a political thread I would have not posted.

I hope the air clears soon.

I was kidding too... I should have put a smiley face on there somewhere. My bad.. I consider this issue all kissed and made up!

The air still stinks though and I'm still gonna float the idea that Rahm blew up the rig to see if I can get some traction. Just think of the publicity for the site.... CNN reports that the ugly rumor that Rahm Emanuel blew up the BP oil rig off the coast of Louisana seems to have started by a home theater enthusiast on a very popular site called Audioholics where heated political debates run rampant.

 

[Gizmologist]

Rahm

Rahm and Geitner just have the look of a mob guy and his geeky books cooker.

 

[lsiberian]

This is a tragedy in the making. It's gonna get bad too.

 

[indulger]

We have the same problem at our home....that is, whenever my wife feeds me mexican. I'm still trying to think of a way to blame that on Obama too!

 

[STRONGBADF1]

Doug,stop picking on me or I will call Gene and Clint and you will be in trouble..... sounds like someone I know of.......

I thought Gene and Clint stopped taking your calls.

 

[T2T]

This is a tragedy in the making. It's gonna get bad too.

Yeah, no doubt. They were talking about the sea turtles, shrimp industry and even the whales that were swimming through the slicks of oil. Not good. Not good at all.

 

[itschris]

Apparently now there's a second leak. This is not going to be good.

I guess I just don't understand what takes so long to fix things. You would think this is something they would have anticipated and have a plan for. Just cap the damn thing already.

 

[tcarcio]

I thought they had fail safes for these kind of things like automatic valves that will shut down on their own if there is trouble? I know this will not stop the drilling like Chernobyl didn't stop nuke plants but they should be smart enough to forsee that this would happen sometime....

 

[T2T]

Apparently now there's a second leak. This is not going to be good.

I guess I just don't understand what takes so long to fix things. You would think this is something they would have anticipated and have a plan for. Just cap the damn thing already.

I think they're using robotic subs to try and get this accomplished. I'd venture to guess that it's pretty hard to navigate through the muck and all.

What I sort of find ironic is that BP has been advertising for the past few years how they're "clean" and trying to preserve the environment, etc. - yada, yada, yada. Now, something like this bites them in the rear. One would have thought that they'd at least ran the oil right through a contracted company to keep their name out of it - like most companies try to do.