The end of the world as we know it. No more cheap oil from sheiks

Notes 64

Interesting. Government departments find another way to protect oil companies than just wars or backroom diplomacy

Scientist finds Gulf bottom still oily, dead

By Writer Seth Borenstein, Ap Science Writer – Sat Feb 19
WASHINGTON – At a science conference in Washington Saturday, marine scientist Samantha Joye of the University of Georgia reported, "There's some sort of a bottleneck we have yet to identify for why this stuff doesn't seem to be degrading," Joye told the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual conference in Washington. Her research and those of her colleagues contrasts with other studies that show a more optimistic outlook about the health of the gulf, saying microbes did great work munching the oil.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief Jane Lubchenco told reporters Saturday that "it's not a contradiction to say that although most of the oil is gone, there still remains oil out there."
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The Public and the Congress they elected by varying margins in 62 districts, upending the former order, seems to be determined to eliminate the public safety net and turn the country over to private interests. When the public can’t get into parks, ride safe roads, and benefit from all the myriad programs from which they benefit, they will wonder, too late, what they were thinking.

House GOP spares no pet projects in trimming budget

House passes cuts to domestic programs
Jolted to action by deficit-conscious newcomers, the Republican-controlled House passed sweeping legislation early Saturday to cut $61 billion from hundreds of federal programs. (Feb 19)
By Philip RuckerWashington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, February 20, 2011
The GOP plan to fund the government through September is an assault on bedrock Democratic priorities. It imposes substantial spending cuts that would alter the role of government in nearly every area of society - from education and human services to transportation projects, foreign humanitarian aid and medical research. Gone, too, are an array of federal environmental regulations and consumer product safety measures that private industries have long opposed.

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All the discussion is about cut, cut, cut. Whatever happened to the idea of pay, pay, pay?

Obama and Boehner: bi-partisan cowardice on the budget
February 14, 2011, by ctucker
Anybody who has looked seriously at the federal budget knows that three areas consume 60 percent of federal spending — the Pentagon, Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security. You can entirely eliminate the rest of the budget and you’d still be looking at a deficit calamity by, say, 2030. You could kill the Environmental Protection Agency, shut down the FBI, eliminate the Drug Enforcement Agency, never fund another interstate, turn off the spigot of foreign aid to Pakistan, Israel and Egypt, dismantle the Education Department — and still not come close to conquering the deficit.
(See chart below.)
Boehner knows that. So does Paul Ryan, the GOP young turk who heads the House Budget Committee. But they won’t make serious moves on the Pentagon because the Republican base insists on protecting the military-industrial complex. And they won’t curb Medicare spending because seniors are conscientious voters who demand that their entitlements be protected. (Social Security wouldn’t be that difficult a fix, but it would require raising taxes — something else the GOP refuses to do.)

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Tell us something we didn’t know

Former aide slams Palin in leaked tell-all book manuscript
Laura Donovan - The Daily Caller
Although Palin “had God’s blessing and people’s love and faith,” Bailey added that the campaign was vindictive, malicious, and catty, and had a tendency to dwell on petty disputes.



The trading and the damage that takes place off the radar screen

Al-Qaida figure believed killed in US drone strike

By Ishtiaq Mahsud, Associated Press –
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan

The strike was the first since the arrest of a U.S. citizen who shot two Pakistanis in late January.
The frequency of the missile strikes — often more than one a week — dropped to zero after American Raymond Davis was detained for shooting two Pakistanis in the eastern city of Lahore on Jan. 27. The U.S. has demanded his release, arguing Davis was acting in self-defense against robbers and has diplomatic immunity from prosecution because he works for the U.S. Embassy
Pakistan's government publicly denounces the missile strikes as violations of its sovereignty, but is believed to secretly support the program. Wary of public opinion, however, Islamabad has strained its ties with the U.S. by refusing to verify whether Davis is a diplomat.
Al-Iraqi was believed to be one of several foreigners among the dead.

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The world we ruled since 1989 is collapsing. Maybe it will be like Reagan said, “Mr President tear down that wall,” and it will pass without a whimper.

Libya air force jets in Malta, pilots seek asylum
AP – One of two Libyan Air Force Mirage jet fighters to land in Malta, is surrounded by Maltese police after …
By GEORGE CINI, Associated Press George Cini, Associated Press – 53 mins ago
VALLETTA, Malta – Two Libyan air force jets landed in Malta on Monday and their pilots asked for political asylum amid a bloody crackdown on anti-government protesters in Libya, a military source said.
The two Mirage jets landed at Malta International Airport shortly after two civilian helicopters landed carrying seven people who said they were French. A military source familiar with the situation said the passengers had left in such a hurry that only one had a passport.

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The era of the 1,000 billionaire sheiks is finally passing and maybe Lawrence’s aborted dream for Arabia will finally be realized after passing through the British and then the American Empires.

Gulf worries weigh on effort for Bahrain talks

By Barbara Surk And Brian Murphy, Associated Press –
MANAMA, Bahrain – As tanks moved into Bahrain's capital, top envoys from across the Gulf gathered inside a seaside palace and emerged with a message: They were united behind the nation's monarch and his ruling system.
But the show of solidarity last week among the Gulf Arab fraternity — including heavyweight Saudi Arabia — was more than just outreach in a time of crisis. It also sent an implicit warning to Bahrain's leaders not to allow more spillover from pro-democracy unrest within the club of sheiks and kings who hold sway from Kuwait to Oman.