A Patriotic Response To The "Clown Prince;" 06/05/2010
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Weekly Address
[Grand Isle, Louisiana]
I’m speaking to you from Caminada Bay in Grand Isle, Louisiana, one of the first places to feel the devastation wrought by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. While I was here, at Camerdelle’s Live Bait shop, I met with a group of local residents and small business owners. Folks like Floyd Lasseigne, a fourth-generation oyster fisherman. This is the time of year when he ordinarily earns a lot of his income. But his oyster bed, along the north side of Grand Isle, has likely been destroyed by the spill. Terry Vegas had a similar story. He quit the 8th grade to become a shrimper with his grandfather. Ever since, he’s earned his living during shrimping season – working long, grueling days so that he could earn enough money to support himself year round. But today, the waters where he’s spent his years are closed. And every day, as the spill worsens, he loses hope that he’ll be able to return to the life he built. “You can put a price on a lost season,” he’s said. “But not a lost heritage.” The effects of the spill reach beyond the shoreline. I also spoke with Patti Rigaud. For 30 years, she’s owned a small convenience store – a store opened by her father. She depends on the sales generated by tourism each summer. But this year, most of the boats that would line these docks are nowhere to be seen. Dudley Gaspard, who owns the Sand Dollar Marina and Hotel, has been hit hard as well. Normally, this time of year, rooms are filling up and tackle is flying off the shelves. But he too has been devastated by the decline in tourism and the suspension of fishing in the waters off the Louisiana Coast. [What I'm not telling you: Do you remember one of the greatest statements--of all time--made on November 21, 2008? That's when Chief of Staff designate, Rahm Emanuel said: "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. Things that we had postponed for too long, that were long-term, are now immediate and must be dealt with. This crisis provides the opportunity for us to do things that you could not do before." While Mr Emanuel was blathering about the 'Bush generated economic crisis,' I've taken that quote to a whole new level: applying it to the current Gulf Oil Spill, also most probably caused by the Bush administration!! I dragged my feet for eleven days so the incident would escalate to a full-blown crisis before I acknowledged it. If not 'handled properly,' this could change from a 'Bush generated crisis' to my very own "Bay of Rigs" incident--harkening back to President Kennedy's {"Bay of Pigs"} calamitous invasion of Cuba. As highlighted, I normally have supporters picked from the union-controlled crowd of spectators which I speak with in a fatherly, good-will engendering manner which makes them and the general public feel that I really care about them and what's happening in their lives.]
Their stories are familiar to many in Grand Isle and throughout the Gulf region. Often families have been here for generations, earning a living, and making a life, that’s tied to the water – that’s tied to the magnificent coasts and natural bounty of this place. Here, this spill has not just damaged livelihoods. It’s upended whole communities. And the fury people feel is not just about the money they’ve lost. They’ve been through tough times before. It’s about the wrenching recognition that this time their lives may never be the same. These folks work hard. They meet their responsibilities. But now because of a manmade catastrophe – one that’s not their fault and that’s beyond their control – their lives have been thrown into turmoil. It’s brutally unfair. It’s wrong. And what I told these men and women – and what I have said since the beginning of this disaster – is that I’m going to stand with the people of the Gulf Coast until they are made whole. [What I'm not telling you: As noted in the May 4th entry in this blog, I HAVE NOT been "on the job since day one!!" That makes for a good soundbite, but don't believe it for a minute!! After three or four days, I did send some of my minions to the scene--they had no authority to act, what so ever!! I maintain and control EVERYTHING!! This "manmade catastrophe" is an anvil hanging from my neck, and RIGHTFULLY SO!! I made the decision--based on campaign contribution levels--that all the verifications required by the various govenmental agencies were not necessary!! I'm sure I can lay the blame at someone else's feet; as usual, I refuse to shoulder the blame, myself!! I do fully intend to "stand with the people of the Gulf Coast until they are made whole" but only because it makes for good photo ops and soundbites on the evening news!! I feel no obligation to those people; how can we tell who did and who did not, vote for me?!?!]
That’s why from the beginning, we’ve mobilized on every front to contain and clean up this spill. I’ve authorized the deployment of 17,500 National Guard troops to aid in the response. More than 20,000 people are currently working around the clock to protect waters and coastlines. We’ve convened hundreds of top scientists and engineers from around the world. More than 1,900 vessels are in the Gulf assisting in the clean up. More than 4.3 million feet of boom have been deployed with another 2.9 million feet of boom available – enough to stretch over 1,300 miles. And 17 staging areas are in place across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida to rapidly defend sensitive shorelines. In short, this is the largest response to an environmental disaster of this kind in the history of our country. We’ve also ordered BP to pay economic injury claims, and we will make sure they pay every single dime owed to the people along the Gulf Coast. The Small Business Administration has stepped in to help businesses by approving loans and allowing deferrals of existing loan payments. And this week, the federal government sent BP a preliminary bill for $69 million to pay back American taxpayers for some of the costs of the response so far. In addition, after an emergency safety review, we’re putting in place aggressive new operating standards for offshore drilling. And I’ve appointed a bipartisan commission to look into the causes of this spill. If laws are inadequate –laws will be changed. If oversight was lacking – it will be strengthened. And if laws were broken – those responsible will be brought to justice. [What I'm not telling you: I can cite you all the measures we've put in place to alleviate or mitigate possible damage to the beaches and industries dependent on the Gulf waters for survival. The fact clearly remains that I delayed any response to {Louisiana} Governor Jindal's request to build barrier 'islands' to attempt the prevention of the damaging oil sludge from reaching the mainland. How can I possibly be the 'Savior-in-Chief' in a "full-blown crisis" if the impending damage is mitigated by someone other than myself?!?! Who pays and who doesn' pay, is just so much blather at this point. BP--at the outset--assured the American public and this regime that they'd be responsible for all costs related to the oil spill damages and clean-up costs!! Although I'm making 'a big splash' about new regulations, they're not really necessary; that all for public consumption!! We just need--as with most of my policies--to enforce existing regulations. Those who broke the laws.....?? They're members of my regime and WILL NOT BE PROSECUTED!!]
Now, over the last few days BP has placed a cap over the well, and it appears they’re making progress in trying to pump oil to the surface to keep it from leaking into the water. But as has been the case since the beginning of this crisis, we are prepared for the worst, even as we hope that BP’s efforts bring better news than we’ve received before. We also know that regardless of the outcome of this attempt, there will still to be some spillage until the relief wells are completed. And there will continue to be a massive cleanup ahead of us. So we will continue to leverage every resource at our disposal to protect coastlines, to clean up the oil, to hold BP and other companies accountable for damages, to begin to restore the bounty and beauty of this region – and to aid the hardworking people of the Gulf as they rebuild their businesses and communities. And I want to urge all Americans to do what you can as well – including visiting this area. The vast majority of beaches are pristine and open for business. These are hard times in Louisiana and across the Gulf Coast, an area that has already seen more than its fair share of troubles. But what we have also seen these past few weeks is that – even in the face of adversity – the men and women of the Gulf have displayed incredible determination. They have met this terrible catastrophe with seemingly boundless strength and character in defense of their way of life. What we owe the people of this region is a commitment by our nation to match the resilience of all the people I’ve met along the Gulf Coast. That is our mission. And it’s one we will fulfill. [What I'm not telling you: I've assigned duties to some of the finest 'eggheads' academia has to offer to solve the problems of this and future oil spills. Primarily, all they've ever done is stand in front of groups of young adults and spout OUR liberal, fascist blather. They know from squat about oil spills; but they CAN and WILL run any and all 'into the ground' over percieved wrongs!! Given damage estimates, there will be hard times ahead for some areas of the Gulf coast. I can and certainly will use these events to my benefit; continuation and increasing the rate of wealth redistribution, increasing the number of Americans sucking at the federal tit, to name but a few!!]
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