Couldn’t find any political cartoons on our issue this week, so here were my top 5 favs otherwise…
by Jack Ohman at GoComics.com…
by Ken Catalino at Townhall.com…
by Chip Bok at Townhall.com…
by Glenn Foden at Townhall.com…
by Mike Lester at Townhall.com…
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Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
A better cartoon would have been the same caption above him but instead of the “experts” pictured, sealife were depicted drenched in oil. So there would only be the caption above his head and the sealife nodding in agreement to his stance on drilling. And an additional caption could be living treasures. I wish I could draw.
bama is a mental case. He has come to destroy America and I have indeed spoken to plenty of people who regret voting for him. I love to see the liberals turning on him.
I agree with his moratorium on drilling.
The liberals are only “turning on him” because he’s much more moderate than they hoped. (although he ran as a moderate, they secretely hoped the crazy right was accurate when they said that he was some kind of socialist)
Since I’m not a socialist, I’m satisfied with his performance so far. Not perfect, but pretty good.
Hal, I get so much pleasure when liberals turn on him. I could just throw a party!!! I have met a few who have said “What in the heck was I thinking??? I lol!
Even the liberal media is having trounle defending him. liberals love animals and the oil spill is killing them. obama is on the golf course.
Anyone who thinks obama is doing a good job needs to see a shrink at once!
Hey Jill, remember when K olbermann said that you were one of the most hated people??? Well he just explained that “We really don’t hate these people. We are just saying to them “Boo” and raspberries.” like you would do raspberries to a kid. Perhaps he caught some flack for stooping so low!!!??
I agree with his moratorium on drilling.
Posted by: myrtle miller at June 27, 2010 3:34 PM
The drilling should be done in shallow water where leaks can be easily fixed, and in places like ANWR.
Sorry, myrtle, I love wildlife as much as the next person, but I have to agree with Kristen. The oil workers’ loss of jobs (drilling in the shallow waters of the Gulf) will affect many other aspects of the Gulf States’ economies.
Myrtle Miller, 3:34PM
You can’t be serious. That will put thousands out of work on the gulf coast. This is appalling incompetence on the part of a totally clueless Obama, who was more concerned with golfing and Paul McCartney concerts then he was with preventing oil from reaching the shores.
Oh come on Hal 3:34PM
When will you own up to the fact this guy couldn’t run a lemonade stand? I can honestly say I’m beginning to miss Bill Clinton, who would have at least known how to manage a situation like the oil spill. At least Jimmy Carter can take comfort in knowing someone is actually a worse president than he was.
Oh, but Mary, that’s no big deal, ’cause Bush visited his ranch two ga-zillion times during his Presidency… Lord knows there’s no electricity or telephone service in Texas for communicating with the outside world…
Hi Janet,
I’m sure its Bush’s fault anyway. I don’t know how it could be, but that’s beside the point.
Had Obama acted decisively and quickly, including accepting help from the Dutch and other countries and assembling the best minds in the oil business, engineering, and drilling, the damage from the spill could have been contained.
Come to think of it, why didn’t Obama just stand on the beach and order the waters of the Gulf of Mexico to part so that workers and equipment could get directly to the leak?
Parting the gulf of Mexico should be easy for a man who can heal the planet and slow the rise of the oceans.
Mary,
Not accepting foreign help. That’s the kicker.
In his most recent address from the Oval Offic b.o. said there was no more oil reserves in America that were easily accessible and that is why the oil companies have been forced to drill wells in deep water.
Either b.o. is stump stupid and/or he is a malicous liar.
The United State Congress has removed from access both onshore and shallow offshore oil leases.
The Alaskan National Wildlife Refure aka ANWR is a huge expanse of wilderness that few Americans will ever see except those who live and work there. Every oil industry expert will tell you it is one of the most promising areas for oil exploration in the world.
Within 500 yards of my home in Fort Worth, Texas land is being cleared to drill a gas well. It is surrounder on three sides by residential dwellings and a public school across the street within 200 yards on the third side. The well site is on land that belongs to the school district.
If we can drill in the middle of a rsidential neighborhood in Texas, then pray tell, why can’t we drill in the middle of a wilderness?
I have taken time to view nearly all the testimony given before Congress and Dept of Interior, Mineral Management Services and the United States Coast Guard.
[In the late 70’s I spent a few years working in the oil patch off the coast of Louisianna and southern Alaska. I am not an expert by any means, but I am familiar with some of the lingo and the processes.]
Based on what I have heard and read, when all the facts are in this oil spill will be determined to be the result of human error, perhaps negligence, and multiple mechanical failures and failure of processes.
If the mechanical failures had not occurred then the human error could have been mitigated.
If the human error had not occurred then both the failure due to equipment malfunction and proccess failures could have been mitigated.
The Mineral Management Service failed to enforce exisiting regulations. The existing regulations were not adequate even if they had been enforced. Congress failed to produce legislation and provide oversight to the Department of Interrior, Mineral Management Services.
This was all preventable. But once the milk was spilt, those who were most culpable invested/wasted a considerable of valuable time, energy and money in ‘cover your *ss (CYA)exercises.
The b.o. administration has their share of the burden to bear after the fact for their indecisiveness, incompetence and counter productive actions.
I am not going enumerate all the missteps by b.o. and the gang.
Anyone who has been paying attention is well aware of b.o.’s misfeasance and malfeasance.
The result is the damage to the ecology and the economy of the gulf coast will be greater and will take longer to repair. The damage to the economy will have a detrimental effect that extends well beyond the gulf coast states.
The recession will be deepened and prolonged. This too was preventable.
How long will b.o. devotess and apologists continue to attribute all these ‘wrong’ decisions to inexperience and/or blame Bush?
Hey Heather, being named “Worst Person in the World” is currently the high point on my bio… :)
DLB, 8:16am
Since thousands of people die every year in car and plane crashes, would you support a moratorium on driving and flying?
Also, what should be done about the fact the ocean floor naturally spews oil into the ocean on a continuoual basis?
If we can drill in the middle of a rsidential neighborhood in Texas, then pray tell, why can’t we drill in the middle of a wilderness?
Posted by: yor bro ken at June 27, 2010 9:39 PM
Because residential neighborhoods in Texas are already messed up ecologically. A spill there wouldn’t cause much additional environmental damage or hurt the little creatures of the forest (or tundra).
hahaha funny
please l%k @ dis site
http://www.myspace.com/536840548
Hal,
It’ll just hurt the little critters of the neighborhoods, those pesky humans.
Mary,
There’s no sense in trying to make sense with people who have no common sense…..
I for one am not going to count on windmills for energy. What happens when they become ice-clad in January during a Nor’easter off Cape Cod?
Won’t that make for a fun time!
* * *
“Because residential neighborhoods in Texas are already messed up ecologically.”
Please Hal, if it will get rid of some chipmunks, and keep my car running in winter, I’m all for the drilling. I can’t even remember to charge my phone, much less a car.
it’s not Obama’s fault….he’s just a community Organizer…
How would he know how to handle the Oil spill, the immigration problem, being commander in chief, the financial crisis, the job market…ad nauseum…?
Mary
I’m very serious. I believe we should be stewards of the planet we’ve been entrusted with. Destroying the habitats of animals and compromising the integrity of eco-systems shows a terrible lack of earth sense. Although I don’t agree with a lot of what our President does I absolutely agree with the moratorium. I do believe though that at the beginning of the disaster he should have called for goverment intervention and should have taken control of the situation. Sorry Mary I believe the earth is our home and it’s our job to defend our home.
Ken
I usually agree with what you have to say but drilling in Alaska? Hopefully the people of Alaska will fight for their environmental heritage. And if the rest of the country isn’t paying close attention to the environmental and economic implications that drilling in Alaska would have than there sleeping and need to wake up. My real hope is that environmentalists and people involved in drilling will start working togethor to come up with earth friendly solutions.
myrtle miller,
Had this disaster been properly handled from Day 1, we would not be seeing the destruction that we are. Yes we should be good stewards but keep in mind myrtle that there is no more a destructive force than nature itself, or a more healing one.
Despite the ravages of nature, it heals itself and this area will recover. After all, the ocean bottom spews out oil on its own. Volcanoes constantly spew toxins into the atmosphere.
This moratorium will only put thousands out of work and is just another worthless action of a totally clueless president. Oh, and BP is drilling another deep water well, near Libya! That should put thousands of Libyans to work, not that I begrudge the Libyans.
As for Alaska myrtle, the animals simply walked around the pipes and drills. Apparently the population of the caribou I believe, actually increased because of the warmth generated by the machinery and pipes. It would seem the caribou, like us people, would rather not have romantic encounters in the snow if they can enjoy them in a warmer environment. I wonder if the warmth also improved survival rates for the young.
Animals simply adapt, as they have since the dawn of creation, and they have survived far worse natural and climatic catastrophes than oil drills.
Mary
We just see it from different perspectives. I also believe in economic growth but I believe in intelligent growth where we don’t sell out our real treasures for temporary economic growth. I believe as humans we are intelligent enough to figure out ways to have econmic growth while at the same time keeping our priorities in the right place. If Alaska is sold out and that’s what it will be if they succeed in their lunacy, can you justify that in your mind? I can’t. Alaska is a national treasure and I hope people that recognize that are vigilant in protecting it.
myrtle,
Do you have any idea how incredibly vast Alaska is? ANWAR is just a little speck of nothing, except for caribou who apparently enjoy the warmth of the drills and pipes.
The rest of the world is running on oil and nuclear energy and we are talking about windmills?
Oil can be safely drilled and we can use the resources we have been blessed with without destroying anything.
As I said myrtle, who or what is more destructive to the planet than nature itself?
Check out Drudge report. Seems our fearless leader has finally agreed to accept international help, after 70 days.
Mary
I do know how incredibly vast and how incredibly beautiful Alaska is and I hope it’s citizens have the wisdom and foresight to seriously look for better ways to achieve economic growth. Nature operates within a system of guidelines. When you consider the power of nature you realize the very restraint that nature employs. So if nature in all her power and glory practices extreme restraint we as humans can at least practice reasonable restraint when it comes to our environment.
Saying that ANWR is just a tiny speck of land is like saying a baby at the embryonic stage is just a tiny speck of flesh. Both statements are true, just not the whole truth.
The difference between drilling in a residential neighborhood and a wilderness is that the residential neighborhood has *already* been disturbed. Virginity can only be lost once – whether in wilderness or in humans.
The oil companies are also – uh – less than honest when they talk about the footprint of land affected by their drilling, and the quantity of oil available. Before you accept their environmental assessments, look at what’s going on in the gulf now.
If we decided to drill tomorrow, it would still take about ten years to see a difference on the world markets. Most of the oil would go to Asia anyway.
More and more people are willing to throw away precious wilderness for another few years of gas in their SUV. Even here, which is SO disappointing.
Anyway, how did ANWR end up on a pro-life blog?
sabella and myrtle
Show me examples of the vast amounts of wilderness destroyed by modern drilling.
Has the desert been destroyed by oil drilling in the Middle East? Ocean drilling takes place the world over. Show me examples of how our oceans are on their last leg.
The ocean bottom naturally spews vast amounts of oil on its own. The ocean absorbs and disperses it naturally. What about the tons of toxins tossed into our atmosphere by ever erupting volcanoes? If you want to see unimaginable destruction, check out the forces of nature. If you’re worried about the animals, take comfort in knowing that they are incredibly brutal to each other, including their own young. Nature shows restraint myrtle? Oh, you mean hurricanes,tidal waves, typhoons, tornadoes, destructive thunderstorms, volcanoes, earthquakes, floods, droughts, epidemics,avalances, lightening strikes, and windstorms are nature restraining itself?
sabella, check out ANWAR.
The fact is the rest of the world is leaving us in the dust while we sit and contemplate our windmills. Oh, did you hear windmills are killing our feathered friends and generating noise that is very annoying to residents?
Mary
Our perspectives are different. I’ll let you do the research because you challenged my statements. You can start with what is happening now in the gulf and it’s effect on wildlife and people. Then you can do a little research on the beauty of nuclear waste?!? I see no country leaving us in the dust. And yes nature does show restraint there are 365 days in a year. Mary windmills are just a small part of green technology and will be a part of a very big picture. I think when compared to the extreme dangers associated with nuclear waste windmills are a very wise choice. I know of no ocean that is on it’s last leg but that’s because people have spoken out about environmental issues and will continue to do so. The earth is our home and we have a responsibility to treat it with the same generosity that it shows us daily. If you want examples of unchecked economic growth research countries that have embraced capitalism at any cost and read for yourself the damage that’s been done to their environments. I believe in economic growth and I love capitalism. But intelligent growth where we proceed with thought for the environment and how we can proceed knowing the long term effects of our actions. Our earth is a gift. I’m just being facicious here but lets see green technology or nuclear waste wait I’m thinking?! Have an incredibly environmentally friendly day.
myrtle,
The earth has survived billions of years. After we’re gone the earth will be sitting here giving us the finger.
I can do the research? Myrtle you are challenging what I said! If there is so much destruction, point it out. Deep water drilling goes on all over the world, point out the destruction to the oceans. Show me the lost wilderness. You might have a bigger issue with Mom Nature and her massive forest fires. Or the destruction wrought by volcanoes. Ever see those pictures of molten rock flowing into the oceans?
And Mom Nature grows new volcanoes to replace the ones that have blown! Sorry myrtle, we don’t hold a candle to Mother Nature when it comes to forces of destruction.
I have no issue with sensible environmental policies, both with individuals and gov’t. Believe me myrtle, we have done nothing to save the oceans. You give the human race too much credit. Look how well the oceans handle the oil spewed up naturally from the ocean floor. More likely its the modern rigs and technology that are decreasing the risks. After all, oil companies don’t want to take it in the shorts and being careless costs them bigtime.
If you want to see economic disaster myrtle look at the socialist countries, especially western Europe. Not to mention the people’s paradise of Cuba. It the communist country of China that has such horrendous pollution. Its modern innovation, incentive, and entrepeneurism that enables one to curb pollution and preserve the environment.
There’s a big windmill debate near me. People don’t want them, they’re noisy and destructive to wildlife.
The situation in the gulf has more to do with a clueless president who couldn’t run a lemonade stand than it has to do with oil drilling.
Actually I consider myself very environmentally friendly. I just don’t make it a religion. Now, its time to head out in my SUV. Won’t catch me driving those oversized lawn mowers that look like clown cars. I wish you an environmentally friendly day as well.
Myrtle, Mary,
I recycle, I mulch my grass trimmings, I try not to use pesticides….but there’s a point where this environmentalism gets a bit crazy. Today, for example, I have on my kitchen counter a biodegradable soup bowl and lid from my lunch and I’m trying to figure out how to dispose of it. Do I re-use it until it degrades one day in my fridge or dishwasher – how long will that take and will it make a mess in my fridge? Do I recycle? I don’t think I can re-cycle it with plastic waste because it’s not really plastic even though it looks a lot like plastic. If I put it in the trash, it will take decades or centuries to decompose because I use those plastic bags with the convenient drawstring ties that seal it up nice and tight. At least while I ponder that, I don’t need to listen to the annoying whirring of a windmill outside my door.
Hi Janet,
I also recycle. I buy my children water filter pitchers so they won’t use plastic bottles. I purchase steam cleaners so as to curtail the use of chemical cleaners. The health food store I shop at sells environmentally safe dishwasher soap.
Actually, entrepreneurism and capitalism do much for environmentalism. People invent steam cleaners and as they profit, they improve the products.
Shaklee sells environmentally safe products. Its all entrepreneurism and innovation, and more power to them. If these folks are inspired by profit, who cares? They make and sell a good product.
Only one thing won’t change Janet, I refuse to drive a clown car. People who think they’re saving the planet are much more likely to end up dead if someone hits them in one of these toys.
Also, they just look silly. Now my SUV, THAT is a vehicle, complete with looks and attitude.
Oh and Janet,
Do NOT use those cloth grocery bags sold by grocery stores. They’re bastions for bacteria which makes sense when you stop to think of it. You’re putting food in the same bags again and again.
I like plastic as I use them for garbage bags. Haven’t bought garbage bags in years. I use the paper grocery bags for recycling paper and garbage.
I heard those windmills are killing our feathered friends and the noise is incredibly annoying.
Mary,
I don’t’ feel safe in a small car either. I call ’em tin cans. I want some space between me and my car and the car that hits me.
I’ve heard that the older windmills were killing birds, but that the newer blade designs are not a real hazard to them… I wonder how they’ll keep the ice off of the windmills near Cape Cod in the wintertime.
Mary
O.K. I’ve done some research and this is what I found. The reason they want to drill at ANWAR is to set a precedent. This is from a speech given by Tom Delaney. The observation is that if they get to drill at ANWAR it will be easier to drill in other protected areas. This is from The National Academics Press in an article entitled Effect of Oil development on Northern Alaska’s Slopes. There’s more information at Ecoword. You can also google the effect of seismic waves on dolphins and whales. And you can google produced water. There’s also scripture that admonishes us to be good stewards of the earth. You can find that too. I got homework to do! Have a beautiful environmentally friendly day. :)
Mary,
I actually have checked out ANWR.
As an aside, the oil companies have been sitting on leased land that they *know* has oil for years, while whining about ANWR which is speculative. They wait for the market price to go up – until then, they simply make their lease payments and tie up the land so nobody else can drill. If we decide to sacrifice the wilderness and drill in ANWR, why not exhaust our other options first?
One of Sarah Palin’s accomplishments, whether you like her or not, was to take on “Big Oil” and tell them to either drill or lose their Alaskan leases to somebody who will. I’m not sure what happened to them after she resigned, or whether it’s back to business as usual.
I agree with you about the clueless president, and even about the SUVs, to some extent. I really miss my Chevy Silverado and may be trading in my Toyota for another truck – that won’t get stuck in a tiny 2 foot snow berm.
If I had the ambition, I’d calculate the extra fuel I now use for tow trucks and delivery vans, since nothing fits in my little Toyota. You have a valid point there for the self righteous small car drivers. Did I mention I miss my truck?
But I believe pristine wilderness has intrinsic value. Maybe that is how this ended up on a pro-life blog. It gives ammunition to the pro-aborts who ask how we can call ourselves “pro-life”, as we destroy the earth for no good reason.
For most of us, an unborn baby also has intrinsic value, despite its perceived uselessness to some people. In both cases (unborn babies and wilderness), once it’s destroyed, it’s gone.
Isn’t it a little hypocritical to ask pregnant girls to consider their other options when we are not willing to do the same as stewards of the earth? OK, so windmills are noisy and kill birds. The same is true for oil rigs, plus the added habitat destruction (especially in wilderness areas). Habitat destruction actually kills far more species – birds included – it just isn’t as immediately obvious.
I hope you change your mind about ANWR. Would you feel differently about windmills if property owners within a certain noise radius were bought out, or if their houses were soundproofed as part of the windmill project? (just wondering)
myrtle and sabella,
There is debate over the drilling, some say there is much oil there, others say we can only know by drilling.
Interesting that the local Eskimos supported it, probably because it would mean jobs and they know wildlife is very adaptable. Are you aware the carribou herds increased markedly after the oil pipes became functional? Apparently they like the heat and it is more conducive to romance and the survival of the young.
Also, Alaska is 663,267 square miles or 375.000,000 acres. 2,000 acres was approved for drilling and is a tiny fraction of the 19million acres set aside for ANWR.
Again I remind you of the modern technology of drilling. For heaven’s sake Sabella we are not “destroying the earth”! All the abuse this planet has endured since creation! Neither of you as yet have pointed out any wilderness, desert, or ocean destroyed by oil drilling. You suppose this technology may have something to do with that? Also, do you think oil companies want to spend millions paying for damage?
Ladies, if you fear anything in Alaska, it would be their earthquakes and wilderness in which people disappear and planes crash never to be found, and also dangerous weather conditions. I would also show respect for any polar bear I encounter strolling down the street. As I said, no one holds a candle to mother nature when it comes to destructive forces.
Oh, an environmental tip. Use vinegar instead of rinse aid in your dishwasher and mix it with water to make a great window and glass cleaner. Great for the environment and lots cheaper too.
Mary,
I think we’ll have to agree to disagree. This is all on line if you are really curious.
The Eskimos (Inupiaq) support drilling because they subsist on sea mammals, not caribou. Also, they stand to profit by getting jobs because of their location.
It’s racist to simply refer to “Alaska Natives”, because there are many tribes here with differing views and ways of life. Tribes which subsist on caribou are opposed to drilling, because caribou are a migratory species and will bring any contaminants with them when they are hunted half the state away.
Conflating all the tribes into “Alaska Natives” is as rational as assuming all Europeans have the same views on everything simply, regardless of their native country.
I actually know how big Alaska is because I live here. I don’t lose a lot of sleep worrying about earthquakes other than to keep emergency supplies in my garage. We don’t have polar bears in my neck of the woods, but black and brown bears instead.
Thanks for the household hints, but I don’t do my own windows :) I’m bored with this thread now.
sabella,
You’re probably too young to remember the great earthquake in Fairbanks in 1964. Also, according to google Fairbanks has quite a history of rumbling and still is.
If you can directly quote me saying something racist then do so before suggesting I was racist. In my post I referred only to the Eskimos living in the area of drilling. Of course it makes sense they would want to take advantage of the economic benefits. I’m aware there are numerous and varied native tribes and cultures in Alaska.
Interesting about the caribou since their populations markedly increased near the pipelines. Exactly what contaminants would the caribou bring? Are animals the world over contaminated by oil drilling? Are humans?
Oh concerning the polar bears, I understand there are Alaskan towns and villages where they make regular visits. The brown and black bears would make me a tad nervous as well. I’ve heard of them actually breaking into homes and availing themselves of whatever they find in the kitchen.
Again, Mother Nature makes me a lot more nervous than the oil wells. :)
sabella,
Mary, a racist? That’s plain wrong. I’d like to know what contaminants the caribou will bring back to the villages from the oil wells. Do you think those who support the drilling would risk their families’ health and well-being if there were real risks?
Although you don’t do your own windows, there’s no reason the person who does couldn’t be more environmentally friendly in choosing their cleaning products. Maybe you were joking, but in my experience, the environment is no laughing matter. :(
Mary,
I’m afraid of earthquakes too. I’d love to live in CA, but between the quakes and wildfires, and the fact that the state is an economic disaster, I think I’ll stay put or just visit and pray I’m not there for The Big One. Hey, oil wells could provide jobs for the people of the state of CA. But then they shut down a perfectly good farming region to save some little fish from starving. Better to save the fish than the unemployed humans. It’s good to know that the Democrats can always save the day with their money printing machines in DC.
Hi Janet,
Thank you for the kind words.
I experienced my first earth tremor while visiting my mother in Michigan a week ago. We were sitting in her second floor apt. when the front door began to rattle loudly and the building seemed to sway a little. Talk about strange, and frightening. I thought it was heavy equipment in hallway with all the noise the door was making. I found out a few days later there was an earthquake in Quebec I believe and we felt it in Michigan, hardly an earthquake zone!
My aunt lived in San Diego and had to keep her cupboards locked at all times, if she didn’t want her dishes all over the floor! My friend’s mother who lived in California said she could never live in the Midwest with those tornadoes!
I guess its all in the perspective! :)