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When Obama announced a policy of expanded offshore oil drilling, a cry of "remember Santa Barbara!" was heard from the coast. They remember Santa Barbara now.

This satellite image taken Thursday shows the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico as it nears the shoreline, threatening wildlife along Louisiana's fragile islands and barrier marshes, 04/29/10. (photo: NASA/AP)

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+5 # Guest 2010-04-30 20:47

No one wants to hear cliches but sometimes they are appropriate. How about "too little too late" or "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".

+7 # Guest 2010-04-30 23:26

1. Enjoy your seafood now, till current stocks run out. Anything from the gulf that follows will not taste good. 2. How come every other country that drills for oil has and uses a simple gadget that avoids such blowouts -- Brazil and Norway have been mentioned in those reports -- and the good ol' USofA doesn't? 3. And the great environmentally sensitive BP uses Halliburton for a subcontractor, the scourge of the Iraq War? That's horror wholesale.

+1 # Guest 2010-05-01 00:13

I heard that Rush hinted the oil rig explosion may have been sabostage,and other republicans call it Obama's Katrina, so do they have some inside know how on these suspicious acts?? Katrina pointed right to the Bush Administration.

+8 # Guest 2010-05-01 06:17

Evidently, it takes a disaster of this magnitude every 20 years or so to remind those in power that offshore drilling is a very bad idea. Of course, those in blind pursuit of profit will always scoff at the risks. How unsurprising to find Darth Cheney's Halliburton at the literal bottom of this stinking mess.

-1 # Guest 2010-05-01 07:16

One could call it the "Obama" revenge. Or perhaps GOD (if there is one) is punishing the South for it's evil ways. To bad for the fish, though. Also, too bad Arizona is not in the way of the oil spill. But it's about to experience something like that with a boycott coming their way.

It tickles me just to see those old racist b-----d's pay more taxes to keep the sorry state of Arizona afloat.

Hummm.....there could be a GOD, after all.

+4 # Guest 2010-05-01 07:33

Look at the bigger picture....it's not just a greedy BP...it's not just corrupt government...You and I have created the demand for oil and this unspeakable event. There will always be accidents with off shore drilling, just as there will be more killed in coal mining without strict regulations. We have met the enemy.....and he is us.

+6 # Guest 2010-05-01 07:58

What will it take to convince the American public that off-shore drilling is a bad idea? (I have heard an anecdote of a guy who used to drive drunk, but who now says: "If I get a third DUI it will ruin me financially." According to the anecdote, he no longer drives drunk. If our courts would require that BP pay ALL the damages consequent upon its behavior--down to the last suffocated waterfowl or canceled fishing trip--, I don't think we'd have to worry about regulating off-shore drilling; it would simply end.)

+2 # Guest 2010-05-02 09:15

They'll just liquidate their assets and declare bankruptcy like Union Carbide did after Bhopal.

+3 # Guest 2010-05-01 10:33

I hope This is a learning lesson for Obama in not to creat more offshore drilling. These people are selfish and inconsiderate liars to be pushing for more offshore drilling. There are so many other ways of alternative energy. Why haven't we awakened up yet

+2 # Guest 2010-05-01 13:44

This comes down to a simple mechanical failure which was facilitated by lack of common sense inthe enforcement of existing regulations. The well closing mechanism failed when activated. How about requiring the testing of this device each week during the drilling opperations and monthly afterwards. The test being scheduled in advance so a government employee could be pressent to witness the tests. Simple?

+2 # Guest 2010-05-02 09:12

Nothing is foolproof. They'd just pay off the government employee like the mining cos were paying off the mine inspectors.

+2 # Guest 2010-05-02 12:38

They are going to need another 50,000 Mexican illegals to clean up the mess. Like in Katrina, they were the only one willing to clean up the mess in Louisiana.

One thing for sure, those TEA Partiers, the KKK, the GOP, Republicans, right wing conservatives won't lift a finger to help out. They are having to much fun trying to destroy our democracy than worry on such minor matters.

It will be like the fence that Texas and Arizona were building using illegal Mexicans to build it. The only problem is, those same illegal Mexicans are stealing the fence and worse yet, they are selling it back to Texas and Arizona...and very cheap too.

Oh, those pesky meskins!

+2 # Guest 2010-05-02 12:44

As one of my right wing conservative neighbors say: "Hey! Don't knock it! This is "America" and everything goes! Lying, cheap labor, dysfunctional corporations on the take, politicians for sale, the entire judicial system from judges, juries, police and penal system for sale, bankers robbing blind both the consumers and the government, etc.,.

Yes, indeed, if this keeps up, the sun will surely set on the US of A!

0 # Guest 2010-05-02 16:21

This mess will cost at least $1B (yes, $1,000,000,000!!) . For that money 1000 wind turbines could have been erected, and that oil would never have been needed. Instead of 'Drill, baby, drill!, we're in 'Spill, baby, spill', but we should be chanting 'Spin, baby, spin'!!!

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