Ink Stained Fingers, Blood Stained Elections

Ink-stained finger voters hope will keep them alive

But some people remained defiant. “I refuse to vote,” said Blessed Manyonga in Chitungwiza. “If they ask me I will say I lost my identity card. I will not vote for my own oppression.”

Others said they spoiled their ballot papers. “I put a question mark next to Robert Mugabe,” said a man who gave his name only as Tendai. “It’s a joke.”

I’m not going to rehash our own problem elections for President, but I am going to point out that as a moral leader in the world for democratic and humane treatment of all people the last decade has left America as a one legged man in the ass kicking contest.

Fill in your expletives deleted here.

Assume Sucking Is Good For Your Eyesight

Having recently returned from Egypt, I have the Suez Canal on my mind. And looking at Iraq from Cairo, the thought occurred to me that maybe the Iraqis have just crossed the Suez Canal.

Little Tommy Friedman Can I has a job writing lines like that?

It Will Not Occur In A Corner

Put oil firm chiefs on trial, says leading climate change scientist

James Hansen, one of the world’s leading climate scientists, will today call for the chief executives of large fossil fuel companies to be put on trial for high crimes against humanity and nature, accusing them of actively spreading doubt about global warming in the same way that tobacco companies blurred the links between smoking and cancer.

Hansen will use the symbolically charged 20th anniversary of his groundbreaking speech (pdf) to the US Congress – in which he was among the first to sound the alarm over the reality of global warming – to argue that radical steps need to be taken immediately if the “perfect storm” of irreversible climate change is not to become inevitable.

Speaking before Congress again, he will accuse the chief executive officers of companies such as ExxonMobil and Peabody Energy of being fully aware of the disinformation about climate change they are spreading.

OCS Oil Spills Following Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina – Gulf of Mexico Oil Spills

But for months after the storms, officials from government and industry repeatedly claimed that there were no “significant” spills in the Gulf. That line is still heard even now. Yet in May 2006, the U.S. Minerals Management Service published their offshore damage assessment: 113 platforms totally destroyed, and – more importantly – 457 pipelines damaged, 101 of those major lines with 10″ or larger diameter. At least 741,000 gallons were spilled from 124 reported sources (the Coast Guard calls anything over 100,000 gallons a “major” spill).

MMS Updates Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Damage

NEW ORLEANS – Minerals Management Service (MMS) today released an update of the assessment of damage to offshore oil and gas infrastructure caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

MMS Gulf of Mexico Regional Director Chris Oynes noted that “Today’s assessment of damage updates the assessment MMS released on January 19, 2006. Based on additional industry assessments, investigations, and reports, the number of pipelines damaged has risen to 457 from 183. The number of larger diameter pipelines (10 inches or greater) that were damaged has risen to 101 from 64. Thirty-two have returned to service versus the previous number of 22.” Table 1 and Table 2 list the major pipelines that were damaged.

MMS has also revised the number of platforms destroyed from 115 down to 113 (one well was mistaken for a platform and one platform was damaged not destroyed). Table 3 and Table 4 list the destroyed platforms. Of these 113, four replacement platforms have been proposed by the operators and approved by MMS to date. These replacement platforms will take the place of eight destroyed platforms with a pre-hurricane daily production of 16,700 barrels per day.

Contrary to somes assessments we have heard, Katrina dumped beau coup oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

Since General Honoree Requests

Help out the bright spot of Katrina and New Orleans.

SOFA Taters

Couch Guests

One, he points out that “in all of my experience, there are no SOFA agreements that authorize military action.” In other words, we have agreements with Germany, Italy, South Korea, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and other countries governing the presence of U.S. military forces in those countries, but none of them authorize the use of military force inside the host country or against the host country’s citizens. Analogies between the SOFA the Bush administration is putting together with Iraq and standard alliance relationships are, in other words, totally invalid.

That never stopped the Bushco, and will not penetrate the minds of the fearful, who have found the modern world to be confusing.

States In Flood Zones Prepare For Second Disaster

President Bush informed the public that the federal government was in contact with the various states, and are prepared to assist in any way possible.

Reportedly a herd of swine ran over the top of a levee.

Update: I had thought to clobber this post because it is really so poorly written in the first statement, and clearly follows an ideological position that I do not, and the second statement is just in bad taste, and non germane.

While many bloggers lose posts for one reason or another, it is pretty standard for them to leave up whatever they post and take their lumps, and retract if they find out they are wrong, or have misstated a fact. If you say something off the wall that’s too bad too, shouldn’t have hit the return key.

On the other hand I am constantly moving, and removing posts and blogs has become to easy a thing to do. I’ll do my best to take down the whole thing all at once, and avoid the incremental snark from those whom are about to receive.

The Babel Loonians

We Came Here Tonight To Get Started, To Cold Act Ill And Get Retarded

What a Nimrod. (The most traumatic event to hit the Arab world before there was one.)

McCain Stuck In Spin Cycle

The most coherent goal the U.S. can hope for in Afghanistan, according to the ex-CIA official, is probably the avoidance of national humiliation. “I suppose that’s the best we can do with Bush’s wars,” the former official said.

You’ll have to thwart the google and read the article.