Sarah Palin was recently a guest on the Bill O'Reilly show, and she once again allowed her ignorance to shine bright on national television due to her inescapably obvious jealousy of the President of the United States. Her anger at him has been obvious, and while her supporters like to portray it as being something that is expected due to his inexperience, it is really an emotion she has a hard time controlling due to her inability to accept she did not succeed in the last presidential election. She pit herself not against Joe Biden with whom she was actually running against, but against the top spot on the presidential ticket because that is the title she covets.
So, onto the Bill O'Reilly show. Bill did a marvelous job of showing her to be the ignorant and ranting fool that she is, and all he had to do was ask her questions. The fact is he didn't even ask tough questions, instead questions like, "what would you do", and she couldn't even answer that. She ranted about stopping the leaking well in the gulf and yet when Bill pointed out that no one knew how to stop the well, she did not let that deter her from continuing her anger filled diatribe against President Obama. She claimed that the Dutch were never called back and that both they and the Norwegian had offered to help but "couldn't even get the proverbial call back".
You can watch the entertaining exchange if you'd like.
Now as expected many started immediately laughing at Sarah for her Dutch Dike image and why not, as she is known for not being accurate in her claims. In fact more than a few people were willing to show how easily Sarah stretches the truth to embellish her own record.
Palingates did a story about part of this interview: Sarah Palin, still lying about her record regarding the oil industry in Alaska; Sarah Palin, in her attempts to undermine President Obama, continues to make wild claims about her tough stance when she dealt with the oil companies in Alaska before she quit the office of governor. They did quite a good job showing just how far Sarah tends to go in order to try and smear President Obama and make herself seem important.
Now Palin Supporters are doing some serious twisting of the facts in order to attempt to make Sarah's claims seem accurate and it truly is a sight to behold, especially in light of the actual facts.
The blog "Conservatives4Palin" posted this commentary yesterday:
FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2010
Guess What? The Dutch Want to Build a Sand Dike to Help with the Obama Oil Spill
....................
The left should probably ask themselves why nobody in the mainstream media in America has criticized Palin for her comments about the Dutch. They haven't done so probably because they know that Governor Palin is absolutely correct. Barack Obama rejected assistance from the Dutch untilvery recently and he has failed to accept all the help that the Dutch have offered. What help from the Dutch has Barack Obama failed to accept?
The left should probably ask themselves why nobody in the mainstream media in America has criticized Palin for her comments about the Dutch. They haven't done so probably because they know that Governor Palin is absolutely correct. Barack Obama rejected assistance from the Dutch untilvery recently and he has failed to accept all the help that the Dutch have offered. What help from the Dutch has Barack Obama failed to accept?
The government is also making it difficult for the Dutch to provide assistance in creating sand barriers to prevent the spilled oil from reaching the gulf shores. Van Oord, a Dutch company and Deltares, a Dutch research institute provided plans to build 60 mile sand dikes and the government rebuffed their offer of assistance. The government has now changed it’s tune and has accepted the plan, but the Jones Act prevents the Dutch from operating in America’s coastal waters.
This article tells us that Barack Obama's failure to waive the Jones Act has prevented the Dutch from implementing its plan to build a.....sand dike, which is exactly the type of expertise that Governor Palin claimed the Dutch would bring. The article also tells us that Governor Palin is correct that Obama has only accepted some, but not all, of the help that the Dutch has offered due to his failure to waive the Jones Act.
It's pretty telling that Yglesias is the only liberal willing to come forward and concede that Governor Palin was "right" (his characterization of what Palin said, not mine). And liberals have the gall to claim that the right is suffering from epistemic closure?
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(I did not copy the entire article, only the truly relevant portions when taken into consideration what Sarah Palin was stating in her interview with Bill O'Reilly. )
Let's tackle the main points and go from there shall we? Sarah claimed "The Dutch could not even get a proverbial call back" and that they have expertise in Dikes.
Now The Dutch did get a call back. Even they admitted as such:
Three days after BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling platform exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, the Netherlands offered to help. Ships could have set about clearing the oil using Dutch sweeping arms, but the US government didn’t take up the offer. Dutch Consul General Geert Visser in Houston told Radio Netherlands Worldwide he was disappointed.
The article also went on to state:
Not only capricious US decision-making has made life difficult for the Dutch companies, but also protective US legislation. Consul General Geert Visser’s pet hate is the Jones Act: “It means that Dutch ships, or whatever other ships not under a US flag, can’t operate in US waters.” According to the Jones Act, all goods in US waters have to be transported by US ships.
Dutch Counsel Slams Foot Dragging by U.S. In Oil Spill
Now clearly the Dutch got a call back as they are complaining that their offer was not accepted on the 3rd day after the rig explosion. It also sounds like the Dutch have a bit of a problem with the Jones Act itself so perhaps they are more than willing to show their displeasure with that "thanks but no thanks" by taking a bit of a pot shot at the U.S. with regards to the oil spill simply because of their anger with the Jones Act?
So Sarah lied about that, and her supporters even prove it by linking to the article that shows they did indeed get a call back. They are obviously unwilling to admit to that part though. Why point out the obvious when it is much easier to just go with her lie and pretend like her claims are truthful.
Now, as to the response to the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion and collapse, the Dutch claim that they offered to send help 3 days after the rig explosion, but it wasn't until the 4th day that the oil started showing up as leaking out of the riser pipe below the surface, prior to that there was simply oil from the platform, and based on those on scene, additional help was not really needed. Now lets just give them the benefit of the doubt and say that they are talking about 3 days after the initial explosion took place, that puts the date at the 24th, which is when the first signs of oil was leaking out of the riser pipe, but it was not known at that point that it was going to be the huge or long lasting gusher that it has become. BP was still the ones calling the shots at that point as they were "the responsible party" and therefore the ones who were responsible for all efforts. So, instead of being angry at President Obama, the anger should be directed at BP for their refusal of aide, but the Palin crowd can't let a chance to screech at the President go to waste.
April 20, 2010: 9:45 p.m. CDT - Deepwater Horizon catches fire.
April 21, 2010 Coast Guard rear admiral Mary Landry named Federal On Scene Coordinator
April 22, 2010 10:21 am - Rig sinks.
April 23, 2010 Coast Guard rear adm. Mary Landry tells CBS "At this time, there is no crude emanating from that wellhead at the ocean surface, er, at the ocean floor...There is not oil emanating from the riser either
April 24 - BP reports a leak 1,000 barrels (42,000 US gallons; 160 cubic metres) a day.
Here is the Response Timeline:
Deepwater Horizon Response
Here is the Timeline of events:
Wiki: Timeline of the Deepwater Horizon Events
So, despite the anger by the Dutch at the fact that the response team didn't need their help on the 3rd day as there was no noticeable leaking at that point, it was the correct response to make at the time. It should also be mentioned that since that time, the Dutch have again offered their help by way of skimmers and that help has been accepted, and with no waiver of the Jones Act needed. Now if you want to argue that the Unified Command was late in accepting that help, I will have no problem admitting that fact. The Coast Guard was simply stupid to allow BP to make the final call on these decisions for as long as they have. When it was obvious that BP was not putting the needed effort into the clean up of the spill, the Coast Guard should have taken total control of the clean up effort, but it didn't and still hasn't.
You will also notice that there is a constant reference to the Jones Act. The Jones Act was set up to protect the American worker.
The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 (P.L. 66-261) is a United States Federal statute that regulates maritime commerce in U.S. waters and between U.S. ports.
Section 27, also known as the Jones Act, deals with cabotage (i.e., coastal shipping) and requires that all goods transported by water between U.S. ports be carried in U.S.-flag ships, constructed in the United States, owned by U.S. citizens, and crewed by U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents. The purpose of the law is to support the U.S. merchant marine industry, but agricultural interests generally oppose it because, they contend, it raises the cost of shipping their goods, making them less competitive with foreign sources.
In addition, amendments to the Jones Act, known as the Cargo Preference Act (P.L. 83-644), provide permanent legislation for the transportation of waterborne cargoes in U.S.-flag vessels.
(The cabotage provisions restrict the carriage of goods or passengers between United States ports to U.S. built and flagged vessels. In addition, at least 75 percent of the crewmembers must be U.S. citizens. Moreover foreign repair work of U.S.-flagged vessels' hull and superstructure is limited to 10 percent foreign-built steel weight.[2] This restriction largely prevents American shipowners from refurbishing their ships at overseas shipyards.)Merchant Marine Act of 1920
Now there has been constant complaints that we are not able to get help due to the fact that the Jones Act has not been officially waived, and yet that rates as a 'true but barely" on the Truth O'Meter scale.
Thad Allen sets up accelerated Jones Act waiver process
National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen today announced the development of specific guidance to ensure accelerated processing of requests for Jones Act waivers should they be received as a part of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response.
Currently, though 15 foreign-flagged vessels are involved in the response, but no Jones Act waivers have been granted nor required for the operations in which they are engaged.
However, in order to prepare for any potential need, Admiral Allen has provided guidance to the Coast Guard Federal On-Scene Coordinator, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the U.S. Maritime Administration to ensure any Jones Act waiver requests receive urgent attention and processing.
"While we have not seen any need to waive the Jones Act as part of this historic response, we continue to prepare for all possible scenarios," said Admiral Allen. "Should any waivers be needed, we are prepared to process them as quickly as possible to allow vital spill response activities being undertaken by foreign-flagged vessels to continue without delay."
To date, the administration has leveraged assets and skills from numerous foreign countries and international organizations as part of this historic, all-hands-on-deck response, including Canada, Germany, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, the United Nations' International Maritime Organization and the European Union's Monitoring and Information Centre. In some cases, offers of international assistance have been turned down because the offer didn't fit the needs of the response.
Generally, federal law prohibits a foreign-flagged vessel from transporting merchandise between points in the United States encompassed by the Coastwise laws. CBP makes determinations as to whether or not the Jones Act applies to the activities of a foreign-flagged vessel operating within U.S. waters.
Even if the Jones Act applies, a foreign flagged vessel can still conduct certain planned operations as part of the BP oil spill response if the vessel is an oil spill response vessel and meets the requirements of 46 USC section 55113.
The guidance provided by Admiral Allen would route waivers related to the BP oil spill response through the Federal On-Scene Coordinator, who will forward requests immediately through the National Incident Commander for expedited clearance.
A Jones Act waiver can be submitted by any interested party, either inside or outside the U.S. government.
Marine Log
So as has been reported repeatedly and more often ignored, there has been no need to waive the Jones Act, and by not doing so it has not stopped any help from being offered or accepted in the Gulf Of Mexico Oil Spill Containment & Clean Up. Color me surprised that this is ignored by those who are desperate to find anything they can to complain about when it comes to the current administration, even if it means making things up which seems to be about all they have nowadays, when as I see it there are plenty of legitimate things you can complain about.
Now lets move onto these claims that the Dutch want to build 60 mile Sand Dikes to help protect the wetland.
What about these Sand Berm's or Dike's?
Are they the best option? Will they work?
The U.S. Army Corps had objected to parts of the plan, saying too many berms would alter tidal movements and send oil spilling onto neighboring Mississippi.The approved berms make up about half of an 86-mile network considered a last-ditch attempt to keep oil out of the state's fragile marshes.
"Rather than just say 'No way' the prudent thing to do was start a pilot project and keep asking questions," Allen said Thursday during a news conference in Venice.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said BP PLC, which is responsible for the spill's cleanup, would pay for the first section to be built, at Scofield Island. He said the oil company would pay for the other five if the Army Corps deems the Scofield berm successful.
Shreveport Times
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is desperate: millions of gallons of BP’s crude are launching an amphibious assault on his beaches and wetlands. So let’s do the math: desperation + a pol’s “do something” mentality = a loony decision to build 14-foot sand berms to protect the state’s coastline—a decision that bodes ill for the many others the state will face as BP’s oil gushes at least until August.
Before this, Jindal was known to scientists as the governor who in 2008 signed a law allowing the state’s public schools to teach creationism (excuse me! “intelligent design”) in their classrooms. The difficulty he has distinguishing science from faith reared its ugly head again when he cast about for a way to hold back BP’s oil. Emissaries from Jindal’s office have made regular pilgrimages to the Netherlands to consult with engineers about protecting the state’s coasts from the next Katrina. Van Oord, a marine engineering and dredging company that is constructing the artificial Palm Islands for Dubai, proposed building what amounts to artificial sandbars. “If you ask a Dutch company that builds artificial islands in Dubai how to protect marshlands and barrier islands,” says coastal geologist Rob Young of Western Carolina University, “of course they’ll say, ‘Let’s make an offshore island!—and shall we put a palm tree on it for you?’
Nothing like this has ever been tried, and the potential problems are legion. For starters, the 45 miles of berms the Army Corps of Engineers has OK’d will take six months to build, and “is going to start to erode and disappear immediately,” says Young. “I wouldn’t be surprised if by the time they get to the end the beginning is gone—and that’s without a storm.” (Scientists predict this hurricane season will be one of the worst in years.)
But heck, it’s BP’s money ($360 million for the berms alone, to be constructed by The Shaw Group Inc. of Baton Rouge, though the feds and state would have to front it and hope to be repaid), so who cares if the berms have to be rebuilt over and over? The real problem could be if they last long enough to block inlets that carry water to the wetlands on shore. If that happens, notes Young, “organisms that need to move in and out with tidal flushing won’t. You could kill the wetlands without the oil ever reaching them.” If they don’t block the inlets, then oil will reach the wetlands, and they’ll be toast. (If you think it’s tough to clean oil from a bird or beach, try cleaning it from the roots and stems of a wetland’s grass and reeds.) Altering tidal currents could also cause erosion of the natural barrier islands that protect the coast from hurricanes. “This could do more environmental harm than good,” says Young.
Newsweek: Don't Just Do Something
Dallon Weathers, noted coastal geologist at the University of New Orleans. Dr. Weathers compiled his concerns about the concept, perhaps in response to my May 10 post. His thoughts are summarized as follow:
• The planned area of dredging 1 mile from the shoreline will provide very little usable sediment.
• The proposed location and geometry of the designed berm ensures a rapid erosion timetable.
• The trench left at dredge site will modify wave patterns and rob sediment from the coastal system for years to come.
• Closing inlets would wreak havoc on the natural functioning of estuaries and inlets which make up our coastal ecosystem.
• Dredging along our coast could sever oil and gas pipelines.
• Precious offshore sand resources will be spread diffusely and haphazardly.
• Plugging inlets will cause channel scouring and potential inlet relocation.
• Waste of money and sentiment for others to give to future restoration.
• The (proposed sand) berm won’t be ready to help with this oil spill, or last for another.
LA Coast Post
There seems to be a general consensus that these berms or dikes are a bad idea. Why invest so much into a project that is doomed to not only fail, but in all likelihood make matters worse? Is it really just a desire to do anything over doing something right? Bobby Jindal has wanted these berms put in place long before the oil spill and now he has an even better excuse to use to attempt to get them put up, and what's worse is that BP will be paying for them. I have no qualms about the fact that BP should pay for doing everything they can to not only clean up the mess, but to help find ways to prevent the disaster from becoming worse, but it seems really ignorant to have them spend that money on something that isn't going to work, when the money could go towards some other idea that will work, or someone who has lost everything due to this disaster.
When we demand that they just throw away money, then we become as reckless as they have been, and that makes us no better than they are.
So the basis for this whole article that Sarah Palins' fans have written is false. She was not right about the fact that the Dutch did not get the proverbial phone call back, because they did. The Jones Act is not something that is a concern, as that has been taken care of already, it has not stopped or prevented help from coming into the Gulf of Mexico to help with the oil spill. She lied about her record, unless of course she wants to come forward and admit that she did not do what she claimed instead she simply renamed an organization that was set up by the previous administration, and then admit that despite her claims of making sure that the Oil & Gas companies were working safer, they weren't and there is documented evidence of that fact.
