Exxon and Prince William Sound

Remember last week when I talked about Exxon's obscene profit and how they have fought for 20 years to weasel out of punitive damages for the Valdez spill?

Well, the story continues. There is more. Prince William Sound is remote and rugged area of Alaskan coast that was covered by an oil spill 11,000 square miles in size after the Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef on March 24, 1989. The official record states that 10.8 million gallons of crude oil were leaked by the disabled vessel.

Now, 20 years later, Exxon has received a favorable judgment that essentially lets it off the hook for reparations to the affected communities. Think the clean-up was effective? Exxon does.

Does this look clean to you?



That looks suspiciously like oil to me. How about you?

According to an article in the Guardian , "A study conducted by NOAA determined that as of early 2007 more than 26 thousand U.S. gallons (22,000 imp gal/98,000 L) of oil remain in the sandy soil of the contaminated shoreline, declining at a rate of less than 4% per year."

While the clean-up efforts at the time were hampered by the isolated location and our current technology, Exxon refuses to admit that this is still a problem. Much has been learned about how to correctly handle similar and even larger oil spills, so one can argue that we learned a valuable lesson from the Valdez spill. Environmentalists learned a lesson, certainly. But has Exxon?

I think they have not. They make BILLIONS every year. They balk at paying damages for so long that the judicial system essentially waves a white flag of surrender.

It is past time that Exxon and all the other megacorporations learned that they will be held responsible for their actions. Just like the current outrage over AIG's retreats in the face of multi-billion dollar bail-outs by America, we need to remember the outrage we felt when we watched hundreds of thousands of marine animals die, the livelihood of fellow Americans destroyed and what had once been a nearly pristine wilderness destroyed by our own addiction to oil.

We need to remember. We need to act. Think there's nothing to do in the face of such enormous greed? We must hold these corporations accountable.

I Hate Chihuahuas

I love dogs. Really, I do. But chihuahuas are not dogs. They're tiny little rat-like monsters that apparently are so potent their owners can't control them.

In the neighborhood where I live, there seems to be an overabundance of the little rat fucks. And the one common denominator? Their owners let them run loose in the street.

Now, we're talking about a dog that weighs less than a single tire on my car. One that seems completely unfazed by the two ton vehicle having to wait for it to decide to get out of the street. It's like, they look up and seem surprised to see me in my shiny silver Hyundai and wonder what the hell I'm doing in their way.

I'm about ready to put the Round Rock Animal Control number on my speed dial and just hit the button every time I see one of the little shits in the street. I mean, Holy Christ, don't these idiots care about the lives of their pets?

It's not like they don't have a fenced in back yard for them to run around in. No. Just about every one of my neighbors, I'd say easily 99%, have a fenced in back yard. Yet my next door neighbor opens her front door, let her two little yippy fucks out the front and CLOSES THE DOOR. She doesn't even stay out there with them the majority of the time. Holy Crap! If I let my 65 pound Rhodesian Ridgeback out the front door like that, I'd be in trouble in a second! Why is it these people think their little dogs are completely safe? Is it that they think the most they can do is piss all over you so it's okay to let them roam? Or that everyone thinks they're so darling they'd never hurt them? Well, let me inform you differently. These little shits are hard to see. They have no business running loose in the street. Hell, they're are cats in our neighborhood bigger than these dogs!

It's just a miracle one of them hasn't been run over yet. I mean, really. It's just a matter of time.

The Ineffable Quality of Being Quackers

Well, this has been an odd and exhilarating week.  I've been trying to settle on a way to describe how I'm feeling and not really finding it.

A week ago today we elected Barack Obama as our next President.  The world hasn't changed that much, really, since then.  There are still just as many wingnuts and kooks out there as before.  Ann Coulter is still an idiot.  Texas is still Red.  My dog is still neurotic.

What is it that has changed?

I think my red hot flaming anger at all things Bush has certainly receded.  He seems such a sad little man now, surrounded by people trying to tell him he's still great when all the world knows the truth.  My incredulity is no longer strained at the mad spewings of rabid right wing pundits since a majority of Americans apparently agree with my assessment of their stupidity and voted against their spokesman.

Maybe it's just that my husband is out of town and the neurotic dog keeps waiting up for him so I end up with the entire bed to myself, mostly.  The other dog doesn't take up as much room or steal the covers or flop around trying to get comfortable.  I've slept well for almost a week.  Could that be it?  Not that I'm ready for separate beds when he gets back in town or anything, but I've gotten everyone to work and school on time, fed the dogs and the kid and myself, and taken care of immediate concerns without anyone's help.  I went to church by myself, attended the newcomer class alone and didn't explode when I had to introduce myself. Sounds pathetic, doesn't it?

I even managed to lose almost 5 pounds last week despite a well deserved celebration last Tuesday.  Can you say wine and cheese and pizza followed by champagne?

Maybe it's just that I've discovered a whole host of like minded inmates out here in the blogosphere and fellow Christians who really do think like me and knowing I'm not alone has been a great relief.

When one spends the greater part of one's life being the odd duck out, it comes as no small miracle to discover the other ducks out there.

Quack!

Happy Veterans Day

Thank you to all veterans and their families who have served or are serving in our Armed Forces. May you all be remembered, respected and recognized as vital members of our nation.

Hate the war not the warrior.

Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) is a lunatic

Hokay. Now I have the "full picture" on what this jack-off was referencing. Are you ready? Seriously, I think you ought to sit down. I'll wait....

Ready? Apparently, Obama made a speech on July 2 in Colorado Springs in which he spoke about the need to expand...AmeriCorps!

For those of you that don't know, "AmeriCorps is a U.S. federal government program partnering with non-profit organizations, public agencies, and faith-based organizations that was created in 1993 by President Bill Clinton." (H/T to Into the Woods and Gooners on Daily Kos)

Now get what Broun thinks this means:

"It may sound a bit crazy and off base, but the thing is, he's the one who proposed this national security force," Rep. Paul Broun said of Obama in an interview Monday with The Associated Press. "I'm just trying to bring attention to the fact that we may — may not, I hope not — but we may have a problem with that type of philosophy of radical socialism or Marxism."

Not enough? He goes on:

"That's exactly what Hitler did in Nazi Germany and it's exactly what the Soviet Union did," Broun said. "When he's proposing to have a national security force that's answering to him, that is as strong as the U.S. military, he's showing me signs of being Marxist."

Do you see a powerful disconnect here? As in, how do we get from a service organization to Nazi brown shirts?

As always, don't take my word for it. And in case you think that this nut job from Georgia is alone, think again.