Tech | June 01, 2010 | 107 comments

U.S. Begins Criminal Investigation into BP/Transocean/Halliburton Oil Spill

source: http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/06/01/gulf.oil.spill/index.html?hpt=T1&iref=BN1

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EthicalVegan
PART ONE...



U.S. begins criminal investigation into oil spill
By the CNN Wire Staff
June 1, 2010 4:24 p.m. EDT

(CNN) -- U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday that the Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into the massive oil spill spreading through the Gulf of Mexico.

Holder said the investigation would be comprehensive and aggressive. He promised that the federal officials will prosecute anyone who broke the law.

Holder, who made the announcement during a visit to the Gulf, called early signs of the spill heartbreaking and tragic. The attorney general was in the Gulf to survey the BP oil spill and meet with state attorneys general and federal prosecutors from Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, according to the Justice Department.

In May, a group of senators -- including Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-California -- sent Holder a letter expressing concerns "about the truthfulness and accuracy of statements submitted by BP to the government in its initial exploration plan for the site," and asking Holder to investigate possible criminal and civil wrongdoing.

In a reply to that letter last week, a Justice Department official did not say whether a criminal investigation had begun.

"The Department of Justice will take all necessary and appropriate steps to ensure that those responsible for this tragic series of events are held fully accountable," Assistant Attorney General Ronald Welch wrote.

Holder said in May that the Justice Department would "ensure that BP is held liable."

BP began its latest attempt to curtail the flow of oil from an underwater well in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, using robot submarines to cut into a damaged pipe a mile down.

The operation carries the risk that the flow of crude from the ruptured well, already the largest oil spill in U.S. history, will increase. But if successful, the company says it will be able to catch most of that oil with a cap it plans to place over the severed lower marine riser pipe.

"Even with an increased flow rate, this cap will be able to handle this," BP Managing Director Bob Dudley told CNN's "American Morning."

While the engineering has never been attempted at a depth of 5,000 feet, Dudley said Tuesday the latest attempt is "more straightforward" than previous, unsuccessful efforts.

A mechanical claw began squeezing the heavy riser pipe late Tuesday morning, the first step in a series of planned cuts. After that, a diamond-cut saw will be used to make a "clean cut," preparing the way for the custom-made cap to be fitted over the package.

Tar balls and puddles of oil from the oil spill reached the shores of Alabama's Dauphin Island on Tuesday, residents and researchers involved in cleanup efforts reported.

Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said authorities were investigating reports that the outer sheen of oil was reaching coastal waters off Mississippi and Alabama earlier Tuesday, but those reports had not been confirmed when he spoke to reporters in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration had warned earlier this week that the spreading slick was heading toward the Alabama and Mississippi coasts. Tar balls associated with the Gulf spill had hit Dauphin Island, about 35 miles south of Mobile, in early May.

Oil has been gushing from the undersea well since April 20 when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and later sank. Government estimates are that up to 19,000 barrels (798,000 gallons) of oil a day are flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. Dudley said that could increase by up to 20 percent -- nearly 160,000 gallons -- when the pipe is cut, but he said the company has learned lessons from its earlier attempts that it is applying to the new process.

Warm water and methanol will be pumped into the cap to limit the growth of gas hydrate crystals that thwarted an earlier attempt to cap the spill, he said. And a second line is planned to draw more oil off the well's blowout preventer, a critical piece of safety equipment that has so far failed to shut down the well, using equipment involved in last week's failed "top kill" operation.

BP's handling of the spill and its statements regarding the status of operations have been sharply criticized by some in recent weeks. The Obama administration announced Tuesday that it would no longer hold joint news briefings with the company and that Allen, its point man on the spill, will now become the face of the government's response effort.

Allen told reporters in New Orleans, Louisiana, that his job is to speak "very frankly with the American public."

"I think we need to be communicating with the American people through my voice as the national incident commander," he said.

Rear Adm. Mary Landry, who has been the Coast Guard's on-scene coordinator for five weeks, will be returning to her duties as chief of the service's New Orleans district office. Coast Guard Commandant Robert Papp said the plan always has been for Landry to resume that role in preparation for the Atlantic hurricane season, which began Tuesday.

Allen praised Landry's work leading "an anomalous and unprecedented response" to the spill, but said Landry now needs to focus "on the larger array of threats" to her district, which includes the U.S. Southeast and Midwest.

CONTINUED...

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/06/01/gulf.oil.spill/index.html?hpt=T1&iref=BN1
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107 comments // U.S. Begins Criminal Investigation into BP/Transocean/Halliburton Oil Spill

  • 23485768934756
  • HsIV
  • futuregen
  • futuregen
  • futuregen
    • 0
      futuregen  
    • Image

    • http://www.huliq.com/8738/bp-ceo-sold-block-stock-shortly-oil-spill

      BP CEO sold block of stock shortly before oil spill
      Tony Hayward

      BP Chief Executive Officer Tony Hayward managed to avoid a huge hit on his portfolio by selling one-third of his stake in the company a few weeks before the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion took BP's share price down with it.

      Britain's Telegraph newspaper reports that Hayward sold a total of £1,4 million ($2 million) worth of BP stock one month before the Deepwater Horizon exploded. He then used the sale proceeds to pay off the mortgage on his family's mansion, which is estimated to be worth £1.2 million ($1.7 million).

      Had he still owned the shares, he would now be looking at £443,000 ($629,000) in losses on the block of shares he sold. That's a drop in the bucket compared to the roughly £40 million ($57.6 million) in value destroyed since the rig explosion.

    • 2 years ago
  • futuregen
    • 0
      futuregen  
    • Image

    • http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0602/month-oil-spill-goldman-sachs-sold-250-million-...

      Goldman Sachs sold $250 million of BP stock before spill.

      Excerpt:
      "Firm's stock sale nearly twice as large as any other institution; Represented 44 percent of total BP investment

      The brokerage firm that's faced the most scrutiny from regulators in the past year over the shorting of mortgage related securities seems to have had good timing when it came to something else: the stock of British oil giant BP.

      According to regulatory filings, RawStory.com has found that Goldman Sachs sold 4,680,822 shares of BP in the first quarter of 2010. Goldman's sales were the largest of any firm during that time. Goldman would have pocketed slightly more than $266 million if their holdings were sold at the average price of BP's stock during the quarter.

      If Goldman had sold these shares today, their investment would have lost 36 percent its value, or $96 million. The share sales represented 44 percent of Goldman's holdings -- meaning that Goldman's remaining holdings have still lost tens of millions in value."

    • 2 years ago
  • FoosMaster
    • +1
      FoosMaster  

    • "federal officials will prosecute anyone who broke the law"

      The problem is that the laws were written by politicians using the advise of Oil industry lawyers so that if/when this happened they would not have to worry about being prosecuted for breaking any laws.

    • 2 years ago
  • jubal
    • +1
      jubal  
    • FoosMaster:

      Exactly...that is why there hasn't been any legitimate government action on this crisis because they are giving BP time to "salvage the drill site" so they don't have to start over from scratch. That is why this is criminal and the two most responsible for this ecological devastation should go directly to Jail.....the CEO of BP and his buddy Obama.

    • 2 years ago
  • alexandrek
  • Varex_Sythe
    • 0
      Varex_Sythe  
    • alexandrek:

      Well yeah, they need to make sure that they can salvage this botched drill at some point. If they went through all of this colossal fuck up and completely closed it off so they couldn't harvest the oil again, then it would be a complete economic loss. And heaven knows they can't have that...

    • 2 years ago
  • jubal
    • +3
      jubal  

    • This tragedy continues to unfold at an alarming pace. It won't be long before the entire Caribbean coast and Southern Atlantic coasts will be devastated by the goo that is washing up shore. The impact to the fishing and food supply from these regions will be suspect for decades to come. There are vast areas that now are subject to permanent destruction of the fragile ecosystems in the affected areas.

      I am suffering over this. What strikes me most is that GREED is what has gotten us to this happening in the first place and it is GREED and INEPTITUDE that keeps this tragedy from continuing.

      I pray that this tragedy will propel the people of this country to demand that America gain independence from oil, that they ban, forever, undersea drilling for crude and that they punish BP to set an EXAMPLE so that all energy companies are put ON NOTICE that WE will not tolerate their CAVALIER impunity and ARROGANCE.

    • 2 years ago
  • EthicalVegan
    • 0
      EthicalVegan  
    • jubal:

      I so very much agree!!!

      The greed and ineptitude you mentioned are precisely the two words to describe all these companies.

      You're not alone in your suffering, but I bet you, just as I, feel as if we've got far too much apathy, still, from "regular folks," who don't take the time to read about these atrocities. EVERYONE should be riled up and writing and calling and doing whatever it takes to change (not FIX) what's happened.

    • 2 years ago
  • jubal
    • +2
      jubal  
    • EthicalVegan:

      And you know where all that apathy is coming from...its created because we live in an overwhelming world of trouble that everyone feels powerless to change. We work to the bone and all we want is to be left alone when we get home. We just want to get stoned, drunk, drugged up, or be surrounded by our loving families or having mad passionate sex instead of having to hear about yet another round of tragedy brought into our living rooms on our TV's or in our computers or those pesky chain emails.

      We just want to focus on mindless entertainment and drown out the fear and the worry about the future that scares the hell out of us.

    • 2 years ago
  • Omnomynous
    • 0
      Omnomynous  

    • * EthicalVegan I apologize for leaving unclear statements that could be taken as me possibly questioning your character.

      My previous comment was based on cynicism.

      I just don't believe that justice will prevail in this case, I think BP will buy it's way out, and not by paying for the damage, but by padding certain wallets.

      And no amount of money can fix the damage or bring back almost extinct animals...

      Not to mention the stress this is causing everyone...

      I put the "comedy" tag on it, to emphasize my faith in the justice system, and to reassert the urgency in this situation. And to suggest anything short of extremely seriously actions being taken with BP, might as well be a joke....

      We don't need another "dog & pony" show....

    • 2 years ago
  • EthicalVegan
    • 0
      EthicalVegan  
    • Omnomynous:

      I want to thank you, as I already did privately (since you were nice enough to write me a note), for understanding... and explaining WHY.

      And yes, you're sadly right to believe that there will BE no justice... especially for, as you said, the almost extinct animals, etc. It's just awful.

      Thank you, again, for clarifying and making absolute sense of it, in the process.

    • 2 years ago
  • keanu101
  • EdJoyProductions
  • Hipstar
  • theunicorneffect1984
    • +1
      theunicorneffect1984  

    • Sorry to bear the bad news, on top of this bad news, BUT the diamond tipped saw got stuck according to a report on Mississippi news site....It actually WORSENED the spillage and it is pumping more than ever. It was caught on the barrier pipe for 12 hours this morning.

      Also, REALISTIC oceanography efforts claim that the U.S. government is not letting the ACTUAL extent of the severity of this once called "spill." It's more like a REVERSE Boston Tea Party but with an oil volcano erupting and not only disrupting the ENTIRE Gulf region, but ecosystem.

      Has anyone thought of the effects this oil spill will have within the INNER U.S.? Our weather systems rely HEAVILY on the Gulf Coast Stream to function normally. An oil release of this devastating proportion would inevitably create a barrier between simple weather patterns and cloud formations. Just a thought....

    • 2 years ago
  • Anonymous26
  • donkeyfly69
  • futuregen
    • +1
      futuregen  

    • BP works with the Neocons. BP's job was to 'darken the waters' to fulfill that prophecy. Their ultimate goal is to make people believe these are the end times so they can continue with policies that take away our rights and move closer to WWIII. All the neocons need to be thrown out of any leadership position, investigated and thrown in prison.

    • 2 years ago
  • s0uthc0ast
    • -1
      s0uthc0ast  

    • Yuh right, send in the lawyers.
      That oughta fix things.
      Jesus, whadda bunch of incompetent chimps.
      This mess is the result of decades of legislators, judges and regulators allowing themselves to be manipulated by environmentalists to contort the rules and regulations to push drilling into more and more dangerous places.
      The blame falls on the Sierra Club, Greenpeace, Environmental defense fund and so on. These groups are at the core of the dysfunctional energy policy which we find ourselves in now.

    • 2 years ago
  • futuregen
  • brit50
    • -1
      brit50  

    • What a joke! Obama is pushing this simply for his political well-being, as he has seen even lower approval ratings as this disaster continues. A criminal investigation into a company that has done NOTHING unlawful! He is not only alienating business but driving our independence on foreign higher and higher.

    • 2 years ago
  • donkeyfly69
  • brit50
  • Mark701
    • +5
      Mark701  

    • This will be interesting. Given the power of corporate lobbyists, there will be much smoke, many mirrors, and a great wailing and gnashing of teeth, but no individual will be found guilty of anything. Rather each party to the spill, Halliburton, Transocean and BP will pay of fine that will be miniscule in comparison to the amount of money they make.

    • 2 years ago
  • Almibry
    • -1
      Almibry  

    • One case where the "mob mentality" may actually be productive. I'm keeping my hopes up. There WILL be a mob, there Will be a mob, there WILL be a mob. Mob is such a strange word, don't you think?

    • 2 years ago
  • HaloedGriot
    • +4
      HaloedGriot  
    • Image

    • The greater implications of this disaster are that we need alternative energy sources yesterday and Sarah Palin should be force fed a cup of shut the fuck up.

    • 2 years ago
  • Nephwrack
  • EthicalVegan
  • HsIV
  • IndustryRule
    • +3
      IndustryRule  
    • Nephwrack:

      I wish... but highly unlikely... remember Exxon and the Alaskan Oil spill? A jury decided in 1994 that Exxon should pay $5 billion in punitive damages. In 2006, a federal appeals court cut that verdict in half. The Supreme Court last June slashed the $2.5 billion punitive damages award to $507.5 million.

      To quote Denny Green, "We had them and we let them off the hook"

      Hell, Tiger Woods could pay that and still have millions leftover. Hell, the movie Avatar made that is less than 2 months!!

      And because a Supreme Court Justice is a lifetime position, I'm afraid, when all is said and done, BP will pay next to nothing for this disaster, just like Exxon.... and just as an FYI, Exxon made a record $45.2 billion dollars in 2008.... so $500 million is next to nothing. It is estimated that BP makes 93 million dollars a day.

      The only way to hurt BP is via the stock price... hopefully this criminal investigation will have a huge negative effect on the stock price!

    • 2 years ago
  • brit50
    • -1
      brit50  
    • IndustryRule:

      How can you possibly wish for the failure of BP? Do you not realize that lessening the oil that comes from the high risk techniques of these large oil companies will greatly spur not only prices for oil but foreign independence on oil.

    • 2 years ago
  • IndustryRule
    • 0
      IndustryRule  
    • brit50:

      Who said anything about failure? If you want these companies to 'behave', you hit them where it hurts... in this case, their stock price. This all most likely could of been avoid if they installed the proper safety equipment... like they install in their home country:

      BP has a long record of oil-related disasters in the United States. In 2005, BP's Texas City refinery exploded, killing 15 workers and injuring another 170. The next year, one of its Alaska pipelines leaked 200,000 gallons of crude oil. According to Public Citizen, BP has paid $550 million in fines. BP seems to particularly enjoy violating the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, and has paid the two largest fines in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's history. (Is it any surprise that BP played a central, though greatly under-reported, role in the failure to contain the Exxon-Valdez spill years earlier?)

      With Deepwater Horizon, BP didn't break its dismal trend. In addition to choosing a cheaper -- and less safe -- casing to outfit the well that eventually burst, the company chose not to equip Deepwater Horizon with an acoustic trigger, a last-resort option that could have shut down the well even if it was damaged badly, and which is required in most developed countries that allow offshore drilling. In fact, BP employs these devices in its rigs located near England, but because the United States recommends rather than requires them, BP had no incentive to buy one -- even though they only cost $500,000.

      _____

      What, BP couldn't afford a $500,000 piece of safety equipment? They only had $246.1 billion in revenues in 2009.

      And last I check, BP was a foreign company...

    • 2 years ago
  • donkeyfly69
    • 0
      donkeyfly69  
    • brit50:

      "these large oil companies will greatly spur not only prices for oil but foreign independence on oil."

      bp - british - it's already foreign oil

      and we shouldn't use oil as much any way

    • 2 years ago
  • brit50
  • jdibari
    • +2
      jdibari  

    • Let's hope they actually charge, convict and imprison the executives in charge of the botched policies that led to this tragedy and not just the employees tasked with carrying out executive orders. Maybe with meaningful jail time (10+ years) and the predicted $60 Billion plus of fines transnational corporations will be more inclined to think about the consequences of their actions and/or inactions.

    • 2 years ago
  • EthicalVegan
    • +3
      EthicalVegan  
    • jdibari:

      Might be wise to add to that that they build worldwide animal sanctuaries, animal rehabilitation centers, and then pay for the work done by non-BP people to care for all the newly-endangered species. And do you really think that a meager ten-plus years is even SLIGHTLY "meaningful" to these selfish humans?

    • 2 years ago
  • Miglue
  • hanzdogy
    • +1
      hanzdogy  
    • Miglue:

      If that is the case, I will buy my fuel from one of the other enormous oil conglomerates at a lower cost. If BP is incapable of selling their product at a cost that is accessible, than they should be more careful in the way they run their business. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, that sort of thing.

    • 2 years ago
  • Almibry
  • brit50
    • -2
      brit50  
    • hanzdogy:

      Oil prices will go up everywhere, not just BP stations. Obama is looking to set up even greater regulations on these companies which means less domestic drilling and rising prices due to foreign independence.

    • 2 years ago
  • donkeyfly69
  • ash_theory
  • onemalefla
  • hanzdogy
  • donkeyfly69
  • EthicalVegan
  • HaloedGriot
  • brit50
  • EdJoyProductions
  • donkeyfly69
  • brit50
    • 0
      brit50  
    • donkeyfly69:

      I agree the government in power is always to blame somewhat, but we can all agree that this problem falls on the company for the most part. It is a high risk business...

    • 2 years ago
  • keithponder
    • +4
      keithponder  

    • BP Oil Spill: Domestic or Foreign Terrorism Should Not Be Dismissed
      by Daniel T. Zanoza, Executive Director
      On April 20, 2010 an oil rig which BP (Beyond Petroleum) was leasing exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. This catastrophic event resulted in the deaths of nine BP employees who were working on the oil rig at the time. At first, the destruction of the facility was reported only as a human tragedy, which it was. However, since the explosion--which is now being reported on as an ecological disaster of monumental proportions--a number of questions have arisen which ultimately will have to be addressed.
      Of course, at the moment, the primary concern--and rightfully so--surrounds the impact of what is now being called the worst oil spill in American history. With thousands of barrels of oil being released into the Gulf of Mexico each day, BP and the U.S. government must find a way to cap the wellhead, which is almost a mile beneath the ocean's surface. The platform was located 50 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River, but the resulting spill will have a devastating impact on the environment and the industry of states in the surrounding area for decades to come.
      To say the timing and cause of the tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico is suspect would be a leap across a conspiratorial threshold that many would view as inappropriate. Yet such concerns are--and should be--considered valid, due to a number of factors.
      Recently, a high-ranking representative of BP did not dismiss the possibility the explosion at the drilling site could have been more than an accident caused by flawed technology or human error.
      Could the BP disaster have been an act of terrorism? The response to this query is a resounding "yes!" and here's why. Earlier this year, President Barack Obama announced he would allow oil exploration in some coastal areas, including the eastern seaboard of the United States. It must be noted, the administration did not provide new drilling leases to oil companies. There is a misconception regarding Obama's announcement. Many believed a President who was hostile to the search, recovery and use of fossil fuels available in America--which most experts say our country could tap into, in order to lessen U.S. dependence on foreign oil--was softening his position on the issue. But environmentalists, in virtual unanimity, were opposed to Obama's announcement.
      The oil spill in the Gulf has also brought up some questions regarding negotiations between Democrats and Republicans concerning pending climate control legislation, including Cap and Trade--which is high on Obama's political agenda. We have learned some Republicans, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, were willing to sign on to this controversial alternative energy bill, due to Obama's pledge to members of the GOP that he would allow for expanded oil exploration.
      But, again, many question whether new drilling leases would ever be issued. The Cap and Trade bill, which passed in the House of Representatives in 2009, was politically toxic and there was no way the legislation would have made it through the Senate without a conciliatory gesture, like Obama's edict regarding oil exploration in areas which were previously off the table. The mainstream media (MSM) was virtually silent about the negotiations between Republicans and the administration concerning support for Cap and Trade.
      More important, the MSM has also been silent in its reporting on domestic eco-terrorism conducted by groups which believe the ends justify the means when it comes to "protecting" the environment. Subsequently, those who are against the utilization of non-renewable resources within the United States, both on land and water, might go to any lengths to sabotage such efforts. Already Governors in coastal states have voiced concerns about expanded exploration and the construction of facilities off of their coast lines, due to the tragic BP spill.
      Most certainly, there will be time to investigate the cause of the explosion that destroyed the BP oil rig. Indeed, the sabotage of such facilities, like the drilling platform leased by BP would meet not only a domestic terrorist agenda, but a foreign one as well. After all, keeping America attached to the Middle East and the oil which comes from that region would essentially kill two birds with one stone.

    • 2 years ago
  • Miglue
    • +2
      Miglue  
    • keithponder:

      long post almost didn't read it but glad i did. everything makes sense but we spend so much money to defend our country from terrorist how could anyone make us look so stupid so easy? J/K its always an inside job. if i were a serious criminal i would need to know everything about a job before i went for it. this is no different someone pulling off something this big would need to grease the gears to get it done. insurance covers the house because the house never loses and our govt is that house and it gets its grubby little fingers in everything. but when its all said and done we wont ever know the truth for sure, just like with 9/11. i have already seen enough of our so called "justice" system were justice is sold to the highest bidder. last i saw bush and cheney were liven pretty good lives while we live with their mess. Aint America swell.

    • 2 years ago
  • IndustryRule
  • brit50
    • -3
      brit50  
    • Miglue:

      Yes, because Bush destroyed this country right...Stop the blaming of an ex president. Look at what Obama is doing that is not only pushing business out of the US, but raising taxes as well through cap and tax, as well as his healthcare bill. You don't even need to do that, just look at his approval rating. Come to the table with facts before attacking anyone.

    • 2 years ago
  • Miglue
    • +2
      Miglue  
    • brit50:

      let me be clear, i said govt and then referred to bush. it doesn't matter who the "leader" is they all perform the same facilitator roll, just that bush was such a terrible liar that he always comes to mind. but you can defend his presidency all you want im sure you can convince a lot of people of his greatness. Starting with he was from Texass

    • 2 years ago
  • futuregen
    • +1
      futuregen  
    • keithponder:

      This was purposeful, pre-meditated terrorism by the neocons. No environmental organization would do this, including Earth First. The blowout preventer was damaged months earlier. Watch the whistleblower interviewed on 60 minutes. Thank God he lived to tell the story. Rubber was found from the damaged blowout preventer after some idiot (ON PURPOSE) leaned against a joystick that increased the pressure in the well. The rubber was taken to the supervisor who said (ON PURPOSE) that it was no big deal. Voila... "darkened waters", a prophecy fulfilled. Then enters Halliburton who disregards a bad pressure reading (ON PURPOSE) and doesn't properly place the O rings/concrete (ON PURPOSE). Battery is dead, modifications had been made previously in the blowout preventer that all three companies said in testimony before CONgress that they did not authorize. The proper diagram was not on board the rig so they wasted a day trying to remotely turn off the blowout preventer using the wrong info. ETC,ETC. They got what they wanted, "darkened waters". Now I hope the public can wake up fast enough to see through the Neocons and prevent further "Prophecy fulfillment".

    • 2 years ago
  • futuregen
  • IndustryRule
  • brit50
    • 0
      brit50  
    • Miglue:

      Did I say I was a total supporter if all Bush's policies...No. But I do believe that all the blaming going on should somewhat be directed towards the current president. I've seen Obama lie to my face in many of his left wing speeches where he tries to convince me his socialist agenda is a good one.

    • 2 years ago
  • Miglue
    • 0
      Miglue  
    • brit50:

      alright brit your starting to sound like a tea bagger, and well i don't know maybe you are one, but my point again is that no president is anything more than a puppet controlled by the strings held by big business and bush was the most obvious example I have ever seen and Obama is still trying to stay in the closet. but don't try to act like he is the devil, our system is what's to blame and we are to blame for that system.

    • 2 years ago
  • JanforGore
    • +1
      JanforGore  

    • This should bring about as much justice for what BP did as the outcome of Bush's impeachment trial... oh wait, they didn't impeach Bush... I really want to believe something will come of this, but I just can't help but think it's all just another dog and pony show. The Dept. of Justice was also investigatiing Monsanto... still waiting for something on that too.

    • 2 years ago
  • hanzdogy
  • Confucius
  • onemalefla
  • keithponder
  • brit50
  • Miglue
    • +1
      Miglue  

    • if i know one thing for sure its that the real evil doers only pay for their crimes with cash. and these guys got more than enough to pay this bill with out jail time.

    • 2 years ago
  • Omnomynous
  • EdJoyProductions
  • EthicalVegan
    • +2
      EthicalVegan  
    • Omnomynous:

      .

      Holy effing hell!

      SOMEONE added this article to "Comedy." The only group to which I even had time to submit this was "News," period.

      Please, please, please don't let someone else's sick joke be a reflection on me. If you read other of my submissions (as well as my comments), most are of a highly serious nature... and you'll see that I have seldom, if ever, submitted anything to "Comedy." [And the few times I've submitted to "Comedy," I put " - THE ONION" in the headline, as well as within the actual copied-and-pasted submission.]

      Please do not vote down the ARTICLE. It's beyond just important to every living being on earth, and I do hope the idiot who added it to the "Comedy" group can not only fess up, but remove this from that group.

    • 2 years ago
  • EthicalVegan
    • +2
      EthicalVegan  
    • EthicalVegan:

      Just realized I can remove this from the "Comedy" group, simply because I'm the one who originally submitted the article (to "News" only).

      Please let me know if whatever fool did this does it again, won't you?

      Okay, I've deleted "Comedy," and also added the following groups:

      x News, x Environment, x Webmash, x Oceans, x BioEthics, x Tech, x Voices of Advocacy, x Collective Journalism, x Current Tonight, x Earth and Science, x Earth Care, x Green, x Progressive America, x Green Living, x US Politics, x News and Politics, x Current Democrats

    • 2 years ago
  • hanzdogy
  • MrMxyzptlk
  • expendable_jew
  • UrbanGypsy
    • +4
      UrbanGypsy  

    • How likely is this to actually lead to those responsible being held accountable and punished? About as likely as having a snowball last two seconds in hell.

      Show me results and then I will celebrate. I will be the first to cry out against cynicism, but it just seems that everyone except the little guy can get way with the biggest crimes. Cause a huge oil spill that creates a crisis and nothing happens, and yet I dare you to steal $20 and you'll surely get thrown in jail.

    • 2 years ago
  • expendable_jew
  • EthicalVegan
    • +1
      EthicalVegan  
    • UrbanGypsy:

      Precisely!

      And citizens need to get outspoken about this, and do whatever -- WHATEVER -- it takes to see to it that maybe, for the first time in modern-day political history, justice can and SHALL be served!

    • 2 years ago
  • expendable_jew
  • EthicalVegan
  • onemalefla
  • expendable_jew
  • hanzdogy
  • Almibry
  • donkeyfly69
  • CalgarC
  • onemalefla
  • CalgarC
  • dragon1984
  • EthicalVegan
  • donkeyfly69
  • EthicalVegan
    • +1
      EthicalVegan  

    • CNN Breaking News - 06-01-10 - 3:35PM PT: A strand of oil came ashore on Petit Bois Island off the Mississippi coast, Gov. Haley Barbour's office says.

    • 2 years ago
  • Tayllerand
  • Tayllerand
    • -2
      Tayllerand  

    • This disaster was made by design , what they want is to pass the carbon tax world wide, thats the whole thing behind,they have the technology to fix the oil spill but they are not going to do it. Because they want to the put the US on her knees, they already destroyed the economy in the whole world , now they are going for the kill , the enviroment and everybody is believing every single word they hear on the TV.You think if the oil company its going to drill a well at 5000 feet under water , they are not going to be prepare for this type of accidents. Come on people.

    • 2 years ago
  • Earl_of_Edmonds
  • expendable_jew
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