Satan In A New Role

California Federal Art Project, 1936
Library of Congress
Starring Dick Cheney, with supporting players: the oil industry, and the political hacks who do its bidding.

A geologist joins in what knowledgable observers have been saying all along: B.P., Halliburton and Transocean have unleashed Armageddon and now there is no stopping it.

In case the likely destruction of the Gulf—along with potential destruction of the Atlantic, and who knows how much more—weren't enough:
there is always more.

Thom Hartmann dubs this, "How Dick Cheney destroyed the lives and water supplies of millions of Americans"—

A major upswing in [natural gas] production took place in 2005 when the Congress and the Bush Administration exempted the industry and its new process of drilling, "Hydraulic Fracturing," from the Safe Drinking Water Act and many of our primary environmental protection laws... the new form of drilling, pioneered by Halliburton, is incredibly harmful to our environment and threatens to permanently contaminate a huge amount of the country's water supply, create drastic air pollution conditions, and despoil huge areas. Despite overwhelming evidence of contamination,mismanagement and corruption, the general public remains unaware of the extreme effect the drilling may have on their lives.

As to the Gulf: throughout his show today, Hartmann said that, "BP put an ice pick in the heart of Mother Earth, and She is bleeding to death"...

That was prompted by Obama's underwhelming performance last night.

The main feature distinguishing it from a Junior Bush speech was its delivery by an articulate speaker of English.

But the contents were familiar: go shopping [come on down, and eat some safe seafood]; everything's under control [BP will capture up to 90% of the oil in a few weeks]; we're in god's hands...

The only tepid mention of anything to do with how this could have happened: "Over the last decade, [the Minerals Management Service] has become emblematic of a failed philosophy that views all regulation with hostility – a philosophy that says corporations should be allowed to play by their own rules and police themselves. At this agency, industry insiders were put in charge of industry oversight. Oil companies showered regulators with gifts and favors, and were essentially allowed to conduct their own safety inspections and write their own regulations."

Only there, and beginning ten years ago?

Then everything is All Clinton's Fault.

We can pray all we want for the rescue of the Gulf—and for an FDR to save the economy.

Driftglass has something to say about who's winning the Corporate Satan vs. non-FDR game.

And sadly, but unsurprisingly: Driftglass had this right, weeks ago—

BP's "GULF KILL" Procedure

Now nearly 85% successful! ...

It occurs to me that, like the mining industry and the ecology of West Virginia, if the oil industry can simply kill off the entire Gulf fast enough, there will be nothing left for environmentalists to protect.