Amen Ahmed Ali is California Yemen-American Agent Sentenced

Amen Ahmed Ali accepted a plea agreement in Bakersfield, California on charges that he was acting as an agent for the Islamic country of Yemen. He admitted "illegally exporting military equipment, possession of stolen U.S. property and conspiracy to act as an illegal agent for a foreign country between 1997 and 2006. Note that he was aiding terrorism before September 11, 2001. Thrown in the pot of indictments, Ali was initially charged with "acquiring and transmitting secret defense information obtained from a government undercover agent. For this, he is sentenced to a maximum of 5 years in prison.

Amen Ahmed Ali Arrest

Ali is a naturalized U.S. citizen according to this Bakersfield news site. He was born in Yemen and has been in California for more than 30 years. A Federal Judge ruled that he was not eligible for bail due to risk of flight, and has apparently been held in a Bakersfield jail since early 2007

Amen Ahmed Ali, who would be about 60 years old now, had two accomplices indicted by a federal grand jury in Fresno, California: Mohamed Al-Rahimi of Bakersfield, about 66 years old today, and California and Ibrahim A. Omer of Fort Worth, Texas, about 44. The arrests came after a two year investigation by the Joint Terrorism Task Force along with the Bakersfield Police Department and the Kern County Sheriff's office.

Prosecutors said Ali shipped night-vision goggles, laptop computers, and satellite phone sold to him by an FBI undercover-agent who posed as a soldier of the U.S. Army. He also admitted shipping bulletproof vests, and chemical protective suits. Source: Fox News

Ali reportedly had access to five bank accounts holding large amounts of money. Prosecutors had 115 taped phone calls authorized under FISA.

According to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in September 2006, the man had several aliases: Ali Amin Alrowhani, Amin Al Rohany and Ameen Alrohany.

The original counts charged:

COUNT ONE (Ali) - Conspiracy to Possess and Transmit Defense Information - 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine;

COUNT TWO (Ali and Omer) - Conspiracy to Unlawfully Export Defense Articles - 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine;

COUNT THREE (Ali and Omer) - Attempted Unlawful Export of Defense Articles - 10 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine;

COUNT FOUR (Ali and Al-Rahimi) - Conspiracy to Possess Stolen Government Property - 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

For this and his guilty plea, the man will spend only five years in prison, the maximum penalty. Sentencing is January 24th, 2011. That's like a slap on the wrist to a dedicated Muslim terrorist. If his previous jail time on the charges are considered (and I cannot confirm they will be counted) Ali will spend only 1 year in prison.

According to JihadWatch, when the arrests first occurred on September 8, 2006, accomplice Ibrahim A. Omer was taken into custody in Bossier City, Louisiana, and Al-Rahimi was being sought. I'm finding no arrest or conviction information about Mohamed Al-Rahimi.

Posted by Maggie @ Maggie's Notebook

Six Teenagers Drown in Louisianas Red River: Whites Kept Blacks from Swimming Pools

Six teenagers from two families wading in Louisiana's Red River fell into deep water and drowned as their families watched. No one in the group could swim and only one life jacket was available. The Shreveport fire department was able to pull one 14-year-old boy to safety. CBS, never failing to play the race card, says few Blacks can swim because racism keep them out of swimming pools for decades.

Six Teenagers Drown in Louisiana

The victims ranged in age from 13 to 18 - three brothers from one family and a two brothers and a sister from another.

Swimming skills can be scarce among African-Americans like the teens in this tragedy. A study commissioned by the sports governing body USA Swimming found 69 percent of black children had low or no swimming ability. Segregation kept blacks out of public and private pools for decades and the disparity continues because many poor and working class children have limited access to pools or instruction.

The teens had started playing in a familiar area but ended up at a spot in the river where the bottom fell suddenly and that's where divers found the bodies, Sanders said.

These kids were under 20 years old. We haven't had segregated public pools for decades. They were with their parents, and the parents failed to protect their children by making them safe in water. Shame on CBS for making this a matter of racism.

Bobby Jindahl on Moratorium: Louisiana Wants None of Obama's Community Organizing

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindah speaks forcefully without a teleprompter or notes in sight. He demonstrates how out of touch with Americans, Obama and his administration are. The president is trying to organize Louisiana workers, like the community organizer he is, and they want none of it. See the video below.

Bobby Jindahl

Jindahl quotes Obama saying, "Governor, if people lose their jobs because of the [drilling] moratorium, they can file a BP claim. I said, with all due respect, what if BP doesn't pay. He said don't worry Governor, they can file an unemployment claim. I said with all due respect Mr. President, we don't want a BP check or an unemployment check, we want to go back to work."

Obama also told Jindahl if the drilling rigs leave, meaning if they are taken to other locations because of a lack of operation in the Gulf of Mexico, "the rigs will just come back." Jindahl tells the crowd - "as if you can turn it on and off like a switch." Jindahl said the rigs are gone for years, two are on their way to Africa right now.


Has there ever been a president in our history, besides Obama, who equates an unemployment check with a "real" check?



Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindahl (video)

DeMint Vitter Try to Stop Federal Funding for Obama's Arizona Lawsuit

Republican Senators Jim Demint (SC) and David Vitter (LA) have introduced an amendment to "prohibit federal funding" for the government's lawsuits against the state of Arizona.

David Vitter and Jim DeMint

Senator David Vitter is the chairman of the U.S. Senate Border Security and Enforcement First Immigration Caucus. Senator Jim DeMint is chairman of the U.S. Senate Steering Committee.  The DeMint-Vitter amendment includes prohibiting funds to the Department of Justice and other government agencies attempting to sue Arizona for SB 1070. Source: Daily Caller

From Senator Vitter's website:

Arizona’s new law, SB 1070, grants state law enforcement officials the authority to enforce federal immigration laws by allowing them to inquire about immigration status of individuals who are lawfully stopped for other crimes. The law explicitly forbids racial profiling. As many as 18 states are considering similar laws, as reported by the Associated Press, including Florida, South Carolina, Idaho, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Michigan. 

From Senator DeMint:

“States like Arizona shouldn't be prosecuted for protecting their citizens when the federal government fails to do so,” said Senator DeMint. “The federal government is rewarding illegal behavior and encouraging many more to enter our nation illegally when they refuse to enforce our laws. States along the border are facing kidnappings, drug trafficking, human trafficking and gang violence and they have a duty to keep their residents safe. Instead of suing states for doing his job, the President should get serious and stop holding border security hostage to pass amnesty and score points with his liberal base.” 

Odd that this Department of Justice is interested in suing a state attempting to apply federal law, but ignores sanctuary cities who routinely bread federal illegal migrant laws. That oddity is being discussed everywhere today. There are more than 50 sanctuary cities in the U.S.

Heavy Oil Miles Out in Gulf: Sharks Dolphins Swimming in Oil Video

This video offers 9 minutes of aerial views of the Gulf, starting at Gulf Shores, Alabama.  At the time, the area was in a no-fly zone. In the second video the narrator explains how the plane was able to get around the closed airspace. The date is June 21st, 2010. John Wathen, known as the Hurricane Creekkeper, said he and the crew see solid masses of oil at 17 miles out. The entire Gulf is covered. "There is no more clean water."

At 23 miles out, the heaviest sheen of oil was found. - a "rainbow of death."  The video shows dolphins and sharks - swimming in oil.

In the second video below, Wathen is interviewed on CNN. The first 1:45 is a replay of the aerial video, then the interview begins. He says this is much, much bigger than we are being told. Wathen is a representative of Save our Gulf, which has 7 waterkeeper programs. He speaks of how difficult it was to realize "this is hopeless, hopeless to think that we can't keep this coming on shore and affecting our communities."

This video is a production of BP Oil Slick. Click the link and listen to the audio of Billy Nunguesser, the president of Plaquemines Parish, New Orleans. The early conversation is about the press black-out [see that story linked under the videos].

Nunguesser is very vocal. He talked about Thad Allen, the U.S. Coast Guard and the government's reluctance to let the A-Whale begin gathering the oil. See the A-Whale video, and how it works here, as well as Nunguesser saying if the clean-up fails, it will be Obama's fault.

While at BP Oil Slick, take a look at this article which says BP claims they are not covering over oiled sand on the beaches with more sand, yet on July 2, 2010 the writer watched them do so for over 24 hours. Apparently the Coast Guard stood by and watched it too. Be sure to watch the video. This gets sadder and more frightening by the day. While this affects all of us, and breaks our hearts, the people in the affected area are in special need our prayers.

Aerial Views of the Gulf - A Rainbow of Death

John Wathen on CNN

Related and Background:Allen Kruse Death a White House Whitewash - Pensacola Beaches Black with Oil
Press Banned from Action at Oil Spill: First Amendment Suspended
Huge Methane Gas Bubble Under Gulf Floor?

Press Banned from Action at Oil Spill: First Amendment Suspended

We can send our press into the heat of Iraq and Afghanistan, but their presence in the Gulf is forbidden by the administration - it's all about their "personal safety" dontcha know. This is outrageous, as you will see in the video. Is air space still closed?

 Obama is still looking for some ass to kick. He chose the press. If you don't see it, it didn't happen. I'd love to see Anderson Cooper this pumped about the border. We could sure use some press about the Arizona and Texas problem. Cooper says "we are not the problem here," but he and others in the mainstream media have become the problem because they won't tell the stories with any sense of thoroughness or urgency. Seriously, does anyone know if the airspace over the spill has been opened?

Thanks to my sculptor friend David Lemon for the First Amendment video. Have you ever traveled the Old Bozeman Trail along the Madison River in SW Montana? David says it has been traveled for 11,000 years. He videoed it for you. Also video of the bronzing of his War Medicine piece. Awesomely beautiful. If you haven't seen this process, you must. At about 3 minutes into this video you see David in the foundry, and the bronzing is going on, and in the background you hear Rush Limbaugh. Gotta love it!








Anderson Cooper First Amendment Suspended )video)

A Whale in Gulf Being Tested Video

The A Whale oil skimming rig arrived in the Gulf and is said to be about 6 miles out from the spill site. Today the vessel is undergoing tests of a 25 mile area. See the video of this giant ship below

A Whale Oil Skimmer

A Whale's project manager says the rig can skim up to 300,000 to 500,000 barrels of oil out of the water daily (a max of 21 million gallons), depending on weather conditions. God help him if his projections come in low. The government has had a bit of an attitude about it. The EPA and the Coast Guard have delayed the A Whale's arrival while checking procedure manuals to determine whether the giant vessel may damage the environment:

The ship arrived in the Gulf on Wednesday, but officials have wanted to test its capability as well as have the federal Environmental Protection Agency sign off on the water it will pump back into the gulf. 

Although the ship cleans most of the oil from seawater, trace amounts of crude remain.

The wait has frustrated some local officials, who say the mammoth skimmer would be a game-changer in preventing drifting streams of oil from washing ashore on vulnerable coastlines.

During a Thursday tour of the inlet to Barataria Bay, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said it was exasperating to have A Whale anchored offshore instead of being put to immediate use.

“They’ve used the war rhetoric,” Jindal said aboard a Louisiana state wildlife boat floating in oil-slicked waters near Grand Isle. “If this is really a war, they need to be using every resource that makes sense to fight this oil before it comes to our coast.”

Last week, Palquemines president Billy Nungesser said with the A Whale in the area, we could be "kicking butt," and also said, if we lose this war, it will be the President's fault. This is a great video.

Judge Martin Feldman Receives Death Threats After Banning Drilling Moratorium

In a move that a New Orleans publication is calling "bold," - presumably for standing up to Eric Holder, the Judge who overturned Obama's moratorium on Gulf drilling, is receiving death threats. Judge Martin Feldman is now accompanied by a federal marshal security team.

Judge Martin Feldman

After Feldman's initial decision came down, the government asked for a "stay" of the decision until they can get their case through the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Feldman refused the "stay."

The Judge noted that just because the BP well was beset with problems and resulted in a massive oil spill, there is no reason to believe other wells would have similar problems. "If some drilling equipment parts are flawed, is it rational to say all are? Are all airplanes a danger because one was? All oil tankers like Exxon Valdez? All trains? All mines? That sort of thinking seems heavy-handed, and rather overbearing,” Feldman wrote.

While the Judge said  there was no "rational connection between the facts found and the choice made," distractors questioned Feldman's integrity. At one time he held stock in Transocean and Halliburton. According to Bayoubuzz News, he owned those stocks in 2008 and sold them long before issuing the ruling.

The 5th District Court uses a sophisticated computer system to check whether judges have a conflict of interest in any legal proceeding. This system automatically determines whether a judge needs to be recused from a particular case. In this lawsuit, Feldman was allowed to take the case because he did not own any stock related to the parties involved.

To the dismay of coastal residents, overwhelmed with the BP oil spill, Obama's moratorium on drilling has further threatened any chance of a livelihood in the area:

I think he's lost his mind. If they shut down the oil fields, I might as well shut down," said Joan Strohmeyer, who owns a hotel in Venice, Louisiana.

Before the moratorium, Obama instructed Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to convene a panel of experts to determine what needed to be done now to further protect the Gulf area. After the panel signed off on the final report, Salazar and Obama changed the report, indicating the panel agreed with to a moratorium. In fact, they did just the opposite and a Berkley professor (yes, Berkley!) called Salazar on it, who then admitted he AND Obama changed the report to suit their preference for a moratorium:

If anyone should be questioned, it is the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar who disregarded the advice of his own scientific experts in declaring the deep water drilling moratorium. In the wake of the Judge’s ruling, Salazar said he would issue a “refined” moratorium, ask for a stay of the ruling and appeal the decision. Some legal experts predicted the preliminary injunction would lead the government to compromise on the moratorium. In fact, Salazar decided to be confrontational instead of working with business interests in Louisiana to find common ground.

The lawsuit was brought against the U.S. Department of the Interior by "more than a dozen companies involved in offshore drilling operations.

Linked by Conservative Hideout - Thanks Matt!

Joe Bastardi AccuWeather: Two Hurricanes for Gulf Oil Spill Area Predicted

Joe Bastardi, one of the AccuWeather forecasters disputing the plethora of global warming claims, is predicting at least two hurricanes in Gulf oil spill area between now and the end of hurricane season. Three additional storms are predicted close enough to the spill area to affect clean-up areas. See a video below.

From AccuWeather:

AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center meteorologists, led by Chief Long-Range Meteorologist and Hurricane Forecaster Joe Bastardi, are calling for a much more active 2010 season with above-normal threats on the U.S. coastline.

"This year has the chance to be an extreme season," said Bastardi. "It is certainly much more like 2008 than 2009 as far as the overall threat to the United States' East and Gulf coasts."

Bastardi is forecasting seven landfalls. Five will be hurricanes, and two or three of the hurricanes will be major landfalls for the U.S.

He is calling for 16 to 18 tropical storms in total, 15 of which would be in the western Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico, and therefore a threat to land.

There are a number of physical drivers that have Bastardi concerned for this upcoming hurricane season. These include:

--The rapidly weakening El Niño.

--Warmer ocean temperatures in the typical Atlantic tropical breeding grounds compared to last year (tropical storms draw energy from warm water).

--Weakening trade winds which reduce the amount of dry air injected into the tropics from Africa.

--Higher humidity levels which provide additional upward motion in the air and fuel tropical storm development.

Bastardi compared a number of years to the upcoming season in terms of storm setup, including 1964, 1995, and 1998. All were major impact seasons for the U.S. coast.

Joe Bastardi AccuWeather Forecast (video)

Obama Seeking Bullhorn Moment: Compares Oil Spill to 9/11: Emulates G.W. on 9/11 from Oval Office?

I won't soon forget George W. Bush speaking to the Nation on 9/11 from the Oval Office. He addressed "despicable acts of terror" against our country. Tomorrow night, Barack Obama will speak to the Nation from the Oval Office, the first time he has done so. Yesterday, he compared the Deep Water Horizons oil spill to September 11, 2001. Tuesday night he will hope to emulate the sober, saddened yet determined demeanor of G.W. on that terrible night almost nine years ago. Obama is looking for his bullhorn moment. He will start with the Oval Office address, pack up his presidential podium and haul it all down to the oil-laden sand in Louisiana, and don't be surprised if he pulls out a bullhorn.

Obama with Podium and Politicians

Somewhere in the blogosphere, there is a long-shot version of the photo above; Obama standing alone with his little podium, on a Louisiana beach. I have seen the long-shot of it, but can't locate it right now. The above photo is a close-up with Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) on the left and Gov. Charlie Crist (I-FL) on the right.

He has a little podium set up near some rocks, protecting him fro the oil and mud and dead animals and unemployment. 

I don't remember G.W. Bush taking his little podium to classrooms or the rubble of 9/11. Maybe I'm wrong. See his "bullhorn moment in the second video below. Note that Bush didn't plan it, it just happened.

Yesterday, Obama compared the Deep Water Horizons oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico to September 11th, 2001. This from CBSNews:

While the Obama administration has fended off comparisons between its response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina, the president is not averse to making comparisons with the worst terrorist attack on American soil.

In an interview with Politico.com's Roger Simon on Friday, Mr. Obama likened the effect upon the national psyche of what may become the largest oil spill in history with that of 9/11.

Never one to let a crisis go to waste, Obama will push for Cap and Trade from the Oval Office - he says he will make a "bold" push for a new energy law. A reasonable person might think plugging "the damn hole" should be his priority, and consume his energy, rather than cantankerous legislation.

The first video below is Bush in the Oval Office on the night of 9/11 below.

Bush spoke of the Americans responding - the daring of rescue workers, others lining up to give blood, He called the attacks 'evil,' and mass murder. He said Americans, a "great people moved to defend a great nation."

On 9/11 public buildings were attacked and 3,000 died, the Pentagon was attacked, and fierce heros died in a field at Shanksville, Pennsylvania as they protected further buildings, probably in Washington, D.C. from being a target. The loss of the eleven BP workers on the exploding Deep Water Horizons rig are important and a tragedy. This post in no way negates their deaths or the affects on their grieving loved ones. But America knows 9/1l, and this Sir, is no 9/11 - as terrible as it is, and as long-reaching its effects, this oil spill is no 9/11.




President G. W. Bush on September 11, 2001 (video)
George W. Bush's Bullhorn Moment (video)

Bay of Rigs Scandal Leaking: Dispersants are Where the Money Is

Bay of Rigs didn't begin leaking at the time of the oil spill. It goes all the way back to releasing the Lockerbie terrorist who was said to be dying. Could the oil perpetually abiding in our beautiful Gulf of Mexico be lingering because dispersants are where the money is, even though they seem not to be working? Wait till you hear who owns the company making the chemicals being dumped into our waters.

Oil in Plaquemines, LA Marshlands

Here's the story on a fast  track. Pan Am 103 exploded over Lockerbie Scotland on December 21, 1988. Everyone aboard died - all 270, 180 Americans. Libyan Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi was convicted of planting the bomb and sentenced to life in prison.

BP and its employees donate $77,051.00 to the Obama campaign, and a couple of million to Democrats.

The bomber spent about 20 years of a life sentence in a Scottish prison.  After a controversial terminal prostate cancer diagnosis, he was sent back to Libya. Physicians said he had only three months to live.

That was August 20th 2009. He's still alive today. Many rumors about the real story, including the part the U.S. played.

August 15, 2009:

The release of the Lockerbie bomber from prison would liberate Britain’s largest industrial company from a string of problems hampering its $900 million (£546 million) Libyan gas projects, industry sources claimed last night.

BP, the oil giant, signed a deal with Libya in 2007 to explore for gas in the west of the country and offshore. But since then it has faced a string of bureaucratic obstacles, including delays securing official permits and approvals to import equipment through Libyan customs, the sources said.

Obama didn't make much noise about Scotland releasing the bomber. He asked Libya not to have a big celebration on camera. They did it anyway.

September 2009:

The State Department notified lawmakers earlier this month of its intent to disburse $2.5 million in economic aid to Libya, including $400,000 for Qaddafi’s foundations. Of the $400,000  half will go to a foundation run by the leader’s son, Saif, and the other half to one run by his daughter, Aisha.

Republicans shut-down the $2.5 million Obama-Hillary Libyan scam.

In September 2009 the economic crisis still rages, "while government deficits are artificially showing quarterly GDP growth or stability after the free fall in Q1 of 2009, consumer spending is contracting due to massive unemployment and stagnation or reduction in real wages." The economic crisis still rages. And Hillary and Obama want to give Libya millions.

March 2010: BP CEO Tony Hayward sold 223,288 shares of his BP stock - approximately one-third of his holding. That timely sale saved him about $619,000 when BP stock plunged after the spill. Lucky guy. Reportedly he paid off the mortgage on his "mansion."

Fast forward to the BP Gulf oil spill, April 2010.

The Post and Mail Rig-Gate - Bay of Rigs - Industry giants own the dispersants, including Al Gore, George Soros, Goldman Sachs and Warren Buffet - and is connected to the University of Chicago:

The real money is in the use of dispersements. There is a company called purchased NALCO. 

NALCO is based in Chicago with subsidiaries in Brazil, Russia, India, China and Indonesia.

NALCO is associated with the University of Chicago Argonne program. The Obamas both worked for the University of Chicago.  UChicago Argonne received $164,000,000 in stimulus funds this past year and just added two new executives to its roster: one from NALCO, the other from the Department of Education.

If you dig a little deeper you will find NALCO is also associated with Warren Buffett, Maurice Strong, Al Gore, Soros, Appollo, Blackstone, Goldman Sachs, Hathaway Berkshire.

Warren Buffet/Hathaway Berkshire increased their holding in NALCO just last November. (Timing is everything). The dispersant chemical is known as Corexit. What it does is hold the oil below the water's surface. It is supposed to break up the spill into smaller pools. 

It is toxic and banned in Europe. NALCO says they are using older and newer versions of Corexit in the Gulf. (Why would you need a newer version, if the old one was fine?)

There are big money and even bigger players in this scam. While they are letting the oil blow wide open into the Gulf, the stakes and profit rise. 

The dolphins, whales, manatees, sea turtles and fish suffocate and die. The coastal regions, salt marshes, tourist attractions and the shore front properties are being destroyed, possibly permanently. The air quality is diminished. The Gulf of Mexico fishing industry is decimated.

The stock of Corexit 9500 took an 18 percent jump after its use became public. Rodney F. Chase, former Deputy Group Chief Executive of BP is on the NALCO board of directors.

The moratorium on drilling was put in place. Our deep water rigs will move out of the Gulf. We can't stop it. We might not have the rigs back for years according to Obama's own panel of experts, who recommended we do not stop drilling.

Earlier this month, PowerLine talked about Obama's visit to Grand Isle, Louisiana:

The AP story...includes this vignette:

On Obama's trip to the Grand Isle on the Louisiana coast, his motorcade passed a building adorned with his portrait reminiscent of posters of him during his presidential campaign. Instead of "hope" or "change," the words "what now?" were on his forehead.

...the AP didn't mention the Jindal for President sign 

This administration makes Watergate look like your kids birthday party. Follow the money to Obama's Bay of Rigs. (Sojourner, a reader at Maggie's Notebook left a tip in comments about this story - as I've said before, I love my readers.) Check out this blog talking about the fines BP will be hit with through the Clean Water Act, and why dispersants have been so handy for them. If the oil is "dispersed" it can't be counted.

Photo credit Ted Jackson/The Times-Picayune

Related and Background:

Did BP Secure Abdelbaset Ali Mohamed al-Megrahi Release: States Investigate Lockerbie Bomber

Saif al-Islam is Muammar Ghaddaffis Son Megrahi Lockerbie Bomber Release Deal?


Linked by:
Uncoverage - Thank You!
Crusader Rabbit - Thank You!
Project Camelot Productions - Thank You to Kerry Cassidy's Blog

Oil Containment Boom Sitting in Warehouses - Miles and miles of Floating Booms Stashed

Miles of oil containment booms are sitting in the Packgen warehouse in Auburn, Maine. Miles more can be produced quickly...but someone has to order them, pay for them, come get them and tote them to the Gulf. Does it surprise you, that as the oil washes up on the shores of beautiful beaches and treasured marshes, no one seems to be interested in oil containment booms? See a video below.

Wildlife in Gulf Oil Spill

This from PajamasMedia via Larwyn's Linx and GatewayPundit:

He’s [John LaPoint of Packgen] already had a representative from BP visit his factory and inspect his product. The governor of Maine, John Baldacci, visited the facility and made a video plea to no one in particular to close the deal. Maine Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins wrote a letter on May 21 to the secretary of the Interior, the administrator of NOAA, and the commandant of the Coast Guard to alert them to the existence of Packgen, their supply of boom, and their demonstrated capacity to make more. I have no idea if those are the correct persons and agencies to notify about the manufacturing capacity and the availability of boom. One wonders if the senators know.

So, BP knows, the Maine governor knows, both of Maine's senators know, and thanks to the Senators, Ken Salazar, the Secretary of the Interior knows, the commandant of the Coast Guard knows, and the administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) knows.

It's obvious President Obama has been too busy to read the memo about Packgen's oil containment booms. He is looking for some asses to kick, and now he has a list ready-made for him. Take a look at Packgen's website where their oil containment booms practically sell themselves on their homepage.

Here are a some interesting points by Gregory Sullivan at PajamasMedia (linked above):

A lot of people have been suggesting many ways to deal with the oil, and the ideas generally range from the comical to plain counterproductive. A fetish for sending hair from barbershops to the Gulf Coast has swept various pockets of the country. Booms are mainly non-absorbent, because the last thing you want to do is congeal the stuff and contaminate it. Oil collected against a boom is fairly easy to process and recycle. Sorbent booms, designed to collect oil at the water’s edge, are made from materials that absorb oil but not water — unlike hair. Oil full of hair or straw lapping against a shoreline is a HazMat nightmare. And sorbent boom is not in short supply anyway.

This report says that as early as May 27th, two miles of oil containment boom was on its way to Louisiana from Portland, Maine (apparently not from Packgen). So, TWO miles? Only two miles? What's up with that?

The DEP says it does take time to coordinate an effective response to a spill of this magnitude....Maine says its list of available assets is long...and ready to follow the booms to Louisiana whenever they get the call.

From the same May 27th article, I read that "BP has signed a deal with Maine agreeing to replace the boom within two years." Is the boom on loan to BP? BP isn't paying? About Packgen, maybe additional booms are not needed, or other suppliers are being used? Do we really have all the oil containment booms needed in the area? The video has more details.

Maine has Miles of Oil Containment Booms available video

BP Oil Spill Live Video Cam

So, is this mud or oil? Apparently, there is no definite word at this time.

Update 5-27-10 8:00 p.m. EDT:
Fox News just announced that after a pause, BP has begun the 'Top Kill' once again. I have no idea why that is not reflected in the video, but it would obviously take some time to feed the mud in the device said to be 5-stories long.

Find information on the 'pause' here.

Thanks to Master Sculptor, David Lemon for the link

Ken Salazar threatens to Nationalize BP Oil Spill

What is that Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar can do to clean up the BP oil spill? And if there is anything in his power to do, why hasn't he done it already?

BP Oil Sppill

"The government" gave BP "deadlines," and BP failed to meet them.

If we find that they're not doing what they're supposed to be doing, we'll push them out of the way," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told reporters.

A clown troupe is running the country.

Linked by Larwyn's Linx and Doug Ross

NOAA Obama: Obama waited too long: US Didn't Have a Fire Boom

A former official of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says the Obama administration didn't act quickly enough to institute the burn plan that would have burned-off the oil in the earliest stages and before it oil slick drifted closer to land - and that's not the only problem. When they did begin the burn, it was with the wrong wind conditions. Mammoth screw-up! To add to the embarrassing situation, we had to try to borrow burn equipment from other countries - "for a few days."

Deepwater Horizon Oil Slick

Washington Examiner - Beltway Confidential:

[Ron] Gouget said when he was at NOAA the agency created a plan that required burning off an oil spill in the region in its earliest state, if the prevailing winds would not push the smoke and soot from the operation inland. The plan is still in effect, but was not activated last week by NOAA.

"They had pre-approval. The whole reason the plan was created was so we could pull the trigger right away instead of waiting tend days to get permission," Gouget told the Register. "If you read the pre-approval plan, it speaks about Grand Isle, where the spill is. When the wind is blowing offshore out of the north, you have preapproval to burn in that region. If the wind is coming onshore, like it is now, you can't burn at Grand Isle. They waited to do the test burn until the wind started coming onshore.

"This whole thing has been a daily strip tease. At first they thought it was just the diesel, then they said the well wasn't leaking. It's unfortunate they didn't get the burning going right away. They could have gotten 90 percent of the oil before it spread."

 Al.com (Alabama.com) says the "federal government" didn't have "a single fire boom on hand." The "fire boom" is the piece of equipment that actually burns the oil:

When federal officials called, Elastec/American Marine, shipped the only boom it had in stock, Jeff Bohleber, chief financial officer for Elastec, said...."

At federal officials' behest, the company began calling customers in other countries and asking if the U.S. government could borrow their fire booms for a few days, he said.

A single fire boom being towed by two boats can burn up at 1,800 barrels of oil an hour, said Bohleber. That translates to 75,000 gallons an hour, raising the possibility that the spill could have been contained at the accident scene 100 miles from shore.

Incompetence or a plan? What better opportunity for a Liberal administration to sabotage offshore drilling, once and for all.

Obama Bret Baier Interview: Louisiana Purchase will help with Hawaii earthquake

Hawaii must have funds coming to the state from the health care bill. President Obama told FOXNews' Bret Baier that like the Louisiana purchase monies which bought Senator Mary Landrieu's health care vote, "also affects Hawaii which went through an earthquake." See video below.

Bret Baier

Media Matters is claiming that FOXNews "erases" 2006 Hawaii earthquake to attack Obama."

Brett Baier asked the President if there are special monies still going to Connecticut:

[OBAMA] 'll give you some exceptions though. Something that was called a special deal was for Louisiana. It was said that there were billions — millions of dollars going to Louisiana, this was a special deal. Well, in fact, that provision, which I think should remain in, said that if a state has been affected by a natural catastrophe, that has created a special health care emergency in that state, they should get help. Louisiana, obviously, went through Katrina, and they're still trying to deal with the enormous challenges that were faced because of that. 

(CROSS TALK) OBAMA: That also — I'm giving you an example of one that I consider important. It also affects Hawaii, which went through an earthquake. So that's not just a Louisiana provision. That is a provision that affects every state that is going through a natural catastrophe.

The most significant earthquake in Hawaii in recent years was a 6.7 in October 2006. It brought a 4-inch tsunami to the shores of the Big Island. The tremblor destroyed 61 buildings. Bridges and overpasses were down. Windows were broken and many homes received cracks to their foundations. The south end of the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on the island of Hawaii collapsed. The Mauna Kea closed and underwent a $150 million rennovation. President Bush declared the area a "major disaster." So far, I've found no mention of deaths from this earthquake. No disrespect to anyone who did die.

So the question is: are there monies in the health care bill for Hawaii?





Bret Baier and Barack Obama (video)

Douglas Schantz Missing: Douglas Schantz Sequent Energy Management Exec Missing in New Orleans

Douglas Schantz, president of Schantz Sequent Energy Management is reported missing in New Orleans. Surveillance video from the bar where Mr. Schantz was last seen shows him leaving the bar alone just after 2. a.m. Foul play is suspected. Updates as available. Update 3-9-10 below. Update 3-9-2010 4:00 EST: Douglas Schantz's body was pulled from the Mississippi River today. Read more below.

Douglas Schantz

Douglas Schantz (54), of Houston, Texas has not been seen since Friday morning when he did not arrive at the airport for his flight home. He was last seen in a Bourbon Street bar by his colleagues. Those with him said he was standing at the bar between 1 a.m. and  2 a.m. and then just disappeared. Security cameras show him leaving alone shortly after 2 a.m.

Mark Homestead, Sequent's VP of trading and marketing said "if we are out to dinner it is not unusual for us to leave at separate times," but said his boss always stays in touch, carries a BlackBerry, and returns a call within 10 minutes, 24/7. Lori Shantz, his wife, reported her husband missing when he did not arrive with his flight at the Houston airport.

The other men eventually returned to the hotel, and, in the morning, boarded flights back to Houston, where they had a noon staff meeting.

“We just assumed that he came back to the hotel,” Homestead said, adding that it is also not unusual for co-workers to take different flights home.

They began to suspect that something was wrong when Schantz didn't return for the meeting. Their worries escalated when Schantz's wife called to say he had not come home. 

Schantz was in the city to present a donation to Tulane University's energy graduate program, where he is a member of the executive advisory board of the Entergy-Tulane Energy Institute at Tulane. Students from Tulane joined Schantz Sequent executives, who returned to New Orleans on Saturday to join a search for him.

Schantz is described as white, about 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, with a medium build, blue eyes and short, straight, dirty-blonde hair. He was last seen wearing a navy blazer, a white shirt and a tie.

Sequent Energy Management announced Saturday that it would match the $5,000 reward offered by the local office of Crime Stoppers. Anyone with information is asked to call 911, the New Orleans Police Department at 504-821-2222, Detective Gwen Guggenheim at 504-658-5300, or Crime Stoppers at 504-822-1111.  

Schantz Sequent Energy Management is reported to be a "major gas and oil company." Mr. Shantz had not used his hotel room key since Thursday afternoon. His bank accounts are untouched and his cell phone had not been used.

Update 3-9-10 @ 12:47 EST:

Mr. Schantz left from the Razzoo Bar & Patio in the French Quarter. The reward is up to $25,000.00. Tim Miller with Equusearch is using sonar and reporting that the Mississippi River is being searched this minute. Tim Miller says he is in recovery mode, while the family is still in the rescue mode.

4:00 EST:

Source: ABC New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS, LA (KTRK) -- A body found in the Mississippi River has been identified by New Orleans police as missing oil executive Douglas Schantz.

A Texas-based nonprofit group that had been searching Schantz, 54, found the body earlier today.
Tim Miller, president and founder of Texas Equusearch, said the body was found Tuesday in the Mississippi River, "very, very near" the spot where Schantz, president of Houston-based Sequent Energy Management, was last spotted on a security video Friday morning.

Searching through videos from businesses in the French Quarter, police were able to place Schantz at the dock for the Riverboat Natchez at about 2:40 a.m. on Friday.

Police Superintendent Warren Riley said Tuesday that Schantz, who left the Razzoo Bar and Patio about 2 a.m. Friday, was seen walking on a 2-foot walkway by the river.
"We're not certain, but it appears Mr. Schantz may have fallen into the river," Police Superintendent Warren Riley said.

Riley says the man, who had been drinking, seemed disoriented on the videos. He is seen going into a restricted area and is not seen again on the video, despite a review of the following four hours of tape, Riley said.

It does not seem that Schantz was the victim of foul play, which had earlier been suspected, Riley said.
"At no point in that 36 minutes was he ever approached or accompanied by any individual," Riley said.

James O'Keefe Arrested: ACORN Buster O'Keefe

James O'Keefe, one-half of the famous prostitute and pimp duo, who exposed ACORN for fraud and illegal services at numerous ACORN offices around the country last summer, has been arrested for allegedly, "maliciously" interfering with the telephones in Senator Mary Landrieu's New Orleans office.

O'Keefe was arrested along with Robert Flanagan, the son of acting U.S. Attorney Bill Flanagan, Joseph Basel, and Stan Dai, each 24-years-old.

You'll remember that Andrew Breitbart and BigGovernment broke the ACORN story. Breitbart issued the following statement today:

“We have no knowledge about or connection to any alleged acts and events involving James O’Keefe at Senator Mary Landrieu’s office.  We only just learned about the alleged incident this afternoon.  We have no information other than what has been reported publicly by the press.  Accordingly, we simply are not in a position to make any further comment.”

An FBI arrest affidavit says the men, on or about January 25th:

...entered and attempted to gain entrance to the office and telephone system of the United Sates Senator Mary Landrieu, located in the Hale Boggs federal Building, Room 1005, 500 Poydras Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130.

Dai is said to have "aided and abetted" Flanagan and Basel in the execution of the plan." A witness said James O'Keefe was already in the Senator's office when Flanagan and Basel showed up, and told Witness 1 "he was waiting for someone to arrive."

According to Witness 1, Flanagan and Basel said they were there to "fix problems with the telephone system," and she believed O'Keefe was taping the conversation with his cell phone.

Flanagan and Basel allegedly asked for entry to the main phone system. They told a second witness they needed to access the main phone system. Witness 2asked for credentials, which they said they left in their vehicle. The affidavit states that neither of the men are employed by the telephone company.

O'Keefe and Dai have also admitted to federal agents that they worked with Flanagan and Basel in the planning, coordination, and preparation of the operation." O'Keefe admitted to recording some of the conversation.

The affidavit states there is "probable cause" to believe there was "false and fraudulent pretense" to enter the Landrieu's office, and "maliciously interfering with a telephone system operated and controlled by the US of America," a violation of Title 18, US Code, Sections 1036, 1362 and 2." View the arrest affidavit pdf here..

Mary Matalin Out of the Closet: Matalin Calls Republican Friends Attila the Huns

Republican strategist Mary Matalin is a co-host at a fund-raiser in Washington, D.C. for Democrat New Orleans mayoral candidate, Mitch Landrieu. Mary Matalin is officially "out" as a closet Democrat. My husband is laughing himself silly - chanting "I told you so."

Matalin says none of her "Attila the Hun" fellow Republicans will attend. Really Mary!

Matalin says her support for Democrat mayor in her residence city of New Orleans has nothing to do with "party," and everything to do with "common sense" and "leadership." She says Mitch Landrieu has it.

Hmmmmm. Maybe there's more to it than that. And so it goes in Shreveport thinks that is the case. Could it be...that Senate Dems promised Ms. Landrieu more than the $300 million buyoff for her vote on healthcare? Did they promise national support for brother Mitch? Was Matalin's husband, Democrat operative, James Carville, convinced to ask Matalin to "pretty please," do this for me - A Republican cannot win, come on Mary, dear." Or was money promised for a New Orleans project near-and-dear to Matalin's heart? Who knows, but really, something doesn't smell right with this endorsement.

The Greater New Orleans Republicans (GNOR) were endorsing Democrat Ed Murray, but - oops! he dropped out in early January. GNOR is infamous for endorsing current Democrat Mayor Ray Nagin, the failed Mayor who didn't scramble his buses to get New Orleanians out of the inner city during Katrina:

The GNOR also overlooked one of the founders of their own organization, businessman John Georges. Back in 1986, Georges, along with fellow Republican Allen Churchill, launched the Greater New Orleans Republicans. For many years, Georges was a staunch Republican, who financially supported a variety of GOP candidates. However, he switched his party affiliation to Independent to run for Governor in 2007 and is now a Democrat in this race.

There is a Republican in the race. Rob Couhig isn't getting the endorsement of anyone, apparently. He is a longtime Republican, twice candidate for the U.S. House, and he ran for Mayor in the 2006 elections as well, which he lost to Nagin. Couhig is a lawyer and radio talk show host.

Update: 3:30 p.m. CST: A reader left some important information about Rob Couhig and the support he has received in the heavily Democrat city. This from a New Orleanian, and he/she makes a excellent point about Murray no longer being a contender:

I know you would want your post to be as factual as possible.  In that vein I want to correct a point you make.  You mention that "Rob Couhig isn't getting the endorsement of anyone, apparently" .  That is simply not true.  Rob Couhig has been endorsed by the official Republican party of New Orleans (see http://lagop.com/2009/12/la-gop-congratulates-republican-candidates-endorsed-by-orleans-parish-republican-executive-committee/) and the chairman of the state party is actively working to elect Rob Couhig. As well as by the Louisiana chapter of CRIMEFIGHTERS, a group of 11,500 retired police officers and victims who band together to improve the criminal justice system. The group you reference is a small group originally formed some years ago by John Georges as you point out that has their own political ambitions in mind and endorsed Murray as they said because they felt he had the best chance of beating Mitch Landrieu.  Well since Murray is no longer in the race I suppose they were wrong.  Rob Couhig is the only Conservative voice in this election. 

The Washington, D.C. fundraiser isn't Matalin's only outing. She is hosting a "Women for Landrieu" coffee this Tuesday - and she says she "doesn't see this as such a big deal."

I'm the first to admit I do not understand Louisiana politics, and least of all those of the city of New Orleans. The consensus is, a Republican simply cannot win - but we know they sure cannot win without the support of the local conservatives (assuming there are some). If Republican candidates are always given-up on, how does the message ever get out? When the GOP has no message except the support of Democrats...well, how does the message ever get out, and when can we expect a Republican to have a fighting chance? Who knows, a few good conservative ads might begin to breed conservatism within the city. So it takes years...I think it is worth doing.

Matalin, a former assistant to President G.W. Bush, and counselor to Veep Cheney, should keep quiet and just pull the lever for Landrieu in the privacy of the voting booth. Yes, it is her right to stump for whomever she wants, but her endorsement is not a smart move. Let hubby, leftist extraordinaire, James Carville, get down in the gutter and do the co-hosting.

Mary Landrieu Can't Be Bought: Louisiana, Katrina, Army Corps of Engineers and Federal Dollars

Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu (D) says her vote cannot be bought. A bald-faced lie. She is not embarrassed, not bowed, but she is proud. After holding out on her affirmative Senate health care bill, Democrat leadership offered her a bevy of consolations, and then added $300 million for the state of Louisiana to sweeten the deal. But Mary Landriue can't be bought. See video below.

Mary Landrieu

Landrieu says she fought for every dollar of the funds to be used for "gulf coast recovery," which she intimates will relieve Medicare costs which skyrocketed after Katrina. Well, we all know that $300 million won't bring much recovery to a state who refused to maintain the levees that the federal government paid for long ago. Did we ever get an answer to: where were the city fathers in any year you want to name, looking after the City and forcing the Corps of Engineers to fess-up to the sad plight of the waterway. No, we haven't gotten an answer. I have had it with the lack of any sense of responsibility for Katina.

Tracing federal payments to the New Orleans levees shows that neither the funds requested and/or the plans laid, would have protected New Orleans against a Cat 5 hurricane. There were plans, and there was funding, but neither was adequate.

SaveBigEasy.org wants $20 billion from American taxpayers to create miracles in the Big Easy, including those sections of the City sitting below sea level. On the website, this group layouts the huge cost of the Marshall Plan and our generous donations to HIV/AIDS and the Iraq war, but there is no mention of the billions already funneled to New Orleans for the levees. No one wants to talk about that.

In July of this year, a federal judge ruled that the Army Corp of Engineers was at fault in the failure of the levees in the Lower Ninth Ward and St. Bernard Parish, but not the flooding of eastern New Orleans. Plaintiffs received $720,000 or about $170,000 each. Over 100,000 individuals are said to waiting in the wings for even bigger awards.

Cornell Professor Thomas O'Rouke says his team studying the Katrina disaster, finds "history and politics" are perhaps more to blame than engineering:

As soon as levees are built, O'Rourke pointed out, they become "wasting assets" as they sink into soft and compressible soil. He added that levee and flood wall systems are paid for by the federal government but must then be maintained locally, sometimes causing local governments to resist more effective designs that require higher maintenance costs. Instead of building flood gates at the head of the New Orleans drainage canals, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, under local political pressure, built "I-walls" by driving sheet piling into existing levees, and many of these failed during Hurricane Katrina, O'Rourke explained.

The federal government will continue to pay, and then how will this blighted city maintain the levees, and why do we think they might, when they never have? Mary Landrieu and all the politicians taking home Obama's stash need to be booted in their next election.

In the video below, more bald-faced liberal spin - saying nothing.


Mary Landrieu "I Can't be Bought" (video)