We can be thankful the flow of oil has stopped, at least at the blow out preventer. The question is, what's happening in the bore and how much is being forced, by the increase in pressure, through the cracks and fissures in the sea floor. Pray that BP has turned a corner.
"Now the wait begins.
BP finally gained control over one of America's biggest environmental catastrophes by placing a carefully fitted cap over a runaway geyser that has been gushing crude into the Gulf of Mexico since early spring. Engineers, politicians and Gulf residents will watch anxiously over the next day and a half to see if it holds.
"It's a great sight," said BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles, who immediately urged caution. The flow, he said, could resume. "It's far from the finish line. ... It's not the time to celebrate."
...Regardless, for the first time since an explosion on the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon oil rig killed 11 workers April 20 and unleashed the spill 5,000 feet beneath the water's surface, no oil was flowing into the Gulf."
Yahoo
The Obama administration has managed to force financial reform through the Congress. My guess is that this bill will not in any way create any meaningful reform that will stop a future crisis but instead is filled with language meant to satisfy particular special interest at the expense of the people.
And it will further consolidate government control of the market, advancing the socialist agenda of our political masters.
"Congress approved a rewrite of rules touching every corner of finance, from ATM cards to Wall Street traders, in the biggest expansion of government power over banking and markets since the Depression.
...Now, the legislation hands off to 10 regulatory agencies the discretion to write hundreds of new rules governing finance. Rather than the bill itself, it will be this process—accompanied by a lobbying blitz from banks—that will determine the precise contours of this new landscape, how strict the new regulations will be and whether they succeed in their purpose. The decisions will be made by officials from new agencies, obscure agencies and, in some cases, agencies like the Federal Reserve that faced criticism in the run-up to the crisis."
Wall Street Journal
Surprise, surprise. The newly minted reform bill benefits unions and activist groups. Who would have seen that coming?
"The financial reform bill expected to clear Congress this week is chock-full of provisions that have little to do with the financial crisis but cater to the long-standing agendas of labor unions and other Democratic interest groups.
Principal among them is a measure to make it easier for unions, environmental groups and other activist organizations that hold shares to put their representatives on the boards of directors of every corporation in the United States.
The so-called "proxy access" provision, which activist groups say they will use to try to improve oversight of corporate financial practices, has provoked a backlash from the Business Roundtable, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other major non-Wall Street business groups."
Washington Times
Senator Jeff Sessions says that Republicans may filibuster the Kagan nomination but only under extraordinary circumstances. Would suddenly growing a pair be extraordinary enough?
"Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) told HUMAN EVENTS that he would not rule out filibustering Elena Kagan's nomination to the Supreme Court. In an exclusive interview, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee said that a "filibuster is not off the table," but cautioned that such a procedural tactic would only be employed under "extraordinary circumstances." Asked if Kagan's penchant for judicial and political activism hit the benchmark of "extraordinary circumstances," Sessions wouldn't commit, but noted how Kagan did not "help herself in her testimony."
Human Events
I wonder if buying the votes of his fellow Senators would be extraordinary enough for Senator Sessions?
"Sources tell ABC News that Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pennsylvania, has informed the White House that he would like to consider remaining in public service after his Senate term ends at the end of this session, and White House officials are keeping an open mind about possible job openings for him."
ABC News
We can't force Switzerland to give up Roman Polanski but we still have enough power to serve as mercenaries for our enemies in the Muslim world when they need to settle old scores.
The things we'll do for oil; all while making it illegal to drill in our own waters.
"The U.A.E. may be about to support the U.S. and Israel in their rumored plans to attack Iran, according to reports from Der Spiegel.
"The U.A.E.'s ambassador to the U.S., Yousef Al Otaiba, recently expressed his concerns that the costs of having Iran be a nuclear power were too high for his country, and worth the costs of going to war with the country:
But, he added, "if you are asking me, 'Am I willing to live with that versus living with a nuclear Iran,' my answer is still the same. We cannot live with a nuclear Iran. I am willing to absorb what takes place at the expense of the security of the U.A.E."
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev recently expressed his concerns that Iran was close to building a weapon, after Iran announced it had 20 kilograms of 20 percent enriched uranium.
This will only lead to growing worries over the plans of both the U.S. and Israel regarding war with Iran."
Business Insider
While American kids die in pointless foreign wars and the middle class is slowly destroyed, the "too big to fails" and their executives continue to profit on the backs of future generations of Americans; if there is a future.
"US banking giant JPMorgan Chase on Thursday announced a net profit of 4.8 billion dollars in the second quarter, up nearly 80 percent from the same period last year.
Reporting solid performance across most business areas, the New York-based bank's profits included 1.5 billion dollars that had been set aside to cover bad loans."
Raw Story
And now we all get to not only finance wars that we don't want but we get to pay for the murder of innocent children, too. Is this a great country or what?
"Anti-abortion groups are claiming that millions of federal dollars are about to go into a Pennsylvania health care plan that would cover abortion, contrary to lawmakers' pledge to erect a virtual wall between such coverage and taxpayer funds.
The Pennsylvania Insurance Department announced at the end of June that the federal government had approved $160 million to set up a high-risk insurance plan for thousands of Pennsylvania residents with pre-existing conditions. Though the announcement made no reference to abortion and the policy itself says "elective abortions" are not covered, the National Right to Life Committee claimed it would cover abortions in almost every circumstance.
"What their plan actually does is say if it's legal, it's covered," said NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson. "Abortion ends up being covered if it's not explicitly excluded."
Fox News
At least here in Missouri our politicians are doing what they can to protect the babies in the womb. I realize that for political reasons our Democrat Governor didn't want to sign the bill but at least he had the decency to let it become law.
"Today, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon will allow SB 793 to become law without his signature, which will significantly enhance the state's informed consent protections for pregnant women and make Missouri the fifth state to opt-out of the abortion mandate in the federal health care law.
"We applaud our allies in the Missouri legislature for dramatically enhancing the informed consent protections for women in Missouri and making Missouri the fifth state to opt out of taxpayer-funded abortion," said Dr. Charmaine Yoest, President & CEO, Americans United for Life. "This new law protects women, their unborn children, and taxpayers making it a win for everyone in the state."
Christian News Wire
Not only that, but in just a couple weeks Missouri gets to be the first state to tell the federal government to get out of our healthcare. Pray this bill passes!
"Missouri is poised to become the first state to put a new federal health insurance mandate to a vote of its residents.
The Missouri House gave final approval Tuesday (May 11) to a measure that will appear on the Aug. 2 ballot stating that people and employers cannot be compelled to have health insurance nor penalized for paying for health care out of their own pocketbooks.
The referendum seeks to defy a federal health care law signed earlier this year by President Barack Obama that requires most Americans to have health insurance or face fines beginning in 2014. But the legal impact of the state measure is questionable, because courts generally have held that federal laws trump those in states."
Columbia Missourian
Our Governor in Missouri, Jay Nixon, is a Democrat, as is our Attorney General, Chris Koster, while our Lt. Governor, Pete Kinder, is a Republican. Since the Governor and Attorney general would not oppose the Democrats health care power grab, Kinder has filed suit on his own to block implementation here in my state. This ought to be fun.
"Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder filed a lawsuit Wednesday over the federal health care overhaul, accusing Congress of overstepping its authority, trampling on state sovereignty and attempting to interfere with consumers' health decisions.
Numerous states have challenged the federal health care overhaul since it was signed into law last March. Missouri's lawsuit — filed by Kinder in his personal and official capacities and by three other residents — asserts that the federal government cannot compel people to buy a product and cannot require state officials to participate in enforcing a "federal scheme."
Columbia Missourian
Of course, our turn coat, one time Republican, now Democrat Attorney general is going to do everything he can to stop all of this from happening.
"Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster is trying to block the state from becoming involved in a lawsuit over the federal health care overhaul.
Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder filed a lawsuit last week in federal court challenging the federal health care law. Kinder, a Republican, sued in his personal and official capacities and is raising private funds to pay for the lawsuit.
The attorney general contends in a motion that Kinder should not be allowed to sue in his official capacity and wants that part of the lawsuit dismissed. Koster left the Republican Party and became a Democrat in 2007.
A Kinder spokesman said Monday the lieutenant governor has a statutory duty to advocate for Missouri seniors. The lawsuit contends part of the federal health care overhaul will harm the state's seniors."
Southeast Missourian
And in the midst of all this news over the past week I'm still left with two, at least in my mind, unanswerable questions; who the hell is LeBron James and why should I care about Mel Gibson's descent into hell? Both would seem to be personal matters best left out of the public eye.
Maybe I'm just old fashioned.
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