“Usurpers always choose troubled times to enact, in the atmosphere of general panic, laws which the public would never adopt when passions were cool. One of the surest ways of distinguishing the work of a lawgiver from that of a tyrant is to note the moment he chooses to give a people its constitution.” – Jean Jacques Rousseau An economic crisis is created by Bush … Continue reading A Message From Rousseau…
Something I mentioned a few days ago, the arguments beginning about the allocation of the fine BP will pay for its oil spill…economy versus environment… and yeah, I get that some people would love to get renovations done for the Port of Mobile, but Louisiana is losing a large section of its, well, of its geographical state. Yes, we all knew that, but a recently released map … Continue reading About that oil spill fine…25% of La wetlands gone…
I know I’m cynical, I get it…I admit it, but when you spend any time reading the science and the journals and watching the documentaries about climate change, fracking, even peak oil…hope ceases to really be your specialty… It’s more two parts grim reality, one part enjoy the party while you can. Anyways, this might explain why, when it comes to the money, the between … Continue reading Economy versus environment…the oil spill fine…
“I sent an email to President Obama saying, ‘You are a fucking traitor,’ using those words… ‘You’re a traitor, you allowed foreign boots on our soil telling our military — in this case the coastguard — what they can and could not do, and telling us, the citizens of the United States, what we could or could not do’.” – Peter Fonda So said the … Continue reading He said it…
The federal budget must be reduced solely by spending cuts, so says David Vitter… The Washington Post then reported the results of a poll which found 69% of Democrats and 54% of Republicans say they would support a plan to raise taxes for those earning more than $250,000 a year, if the proceeds go towards deficit reduction. To which David replied, “With all due respect … Continue reading Sen. David Vitter…”Let them eat empty rhetoric”
When it comes to Gulf Coast claims larger than $250,000 dollars, appeals will be heard by a special group of judges and Feinberg named Jack Weiss, chancellor of the Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center in Baton Rouge, to be the person to select who those judges will be. About his selection, Feinberg said, “I canvassed the Gulf region in an attempt to … Continue reading On Feinberg’s Selection of LSU’s Jack Weiss…
An old fashioned clock, a family heirloom holding its place on a worn fireplace mantle, chimes the ten o’clock hour. The silence the strikes disrupt is loud, louder than the churning waves of the gulf, of the boat motor that once went out into the waters, of the wall-phone ringing… Probably just another creditor. The couple sitting at the table don’t even look up. Answering … Continue reading A family, not a statistic…
In a word? Climate. I’m not talking about environmental climate change, I’m talking about the political climate, the deregulation climate, the climate that continues to sweep through this country and threatens you, the American citizen at your door with not a polite knock, it’s more akin to home invasion, battering rams that splinter the wood with its force until the whole thing smashes in and … Continue reading What does Wisconsin have to do with the Gulf Coast?
When Feinberg posted the GCCF’s methodology, he opened up a two-week public comment period and requested claimants in the Gulf Coast post their thoughts directly to the website. He pledged to monitor the public feedback and make adjustments to his methodology as necessary, taking into account the concerns of the people most affected by the oil spill and the claims process. A perusal of the … Continue reading People eager to tell Feinberg their opinions on GCCF methodology…
Ed Note: Mr. Feinberg just released methodology on interim and final claims… More on that Friday… In the past few days, Ken Feinberg and co. have come under increasing attack… Bobby Jindal finally said something about the claims process and joined his Attorney General, Bobby Caldwell in filing a motion to request a federal judge to oversee the oil leaks claim process. Joining him is … Continue reading Dear Mr. Feinberg…Frankly, I don’t give a damn how much you’ve already paid out…and more…
Drake Toulouse: Photography and Words 