Reflections in the oil sheen

People across the nation probably knew the exact moment I first heard about this. That repetitive percussive noise was me beating my head against the wall to make the stupid go away.

As anyone who hasn't been in a coma for the last five weeks is aware, the beautiful Gulf Coast is facing an assault of Black Death from the worst oil spill in recorded human history. The Obama adminstration insists it's been there since "Day One." They repeat it over and over, even though it was "Day Nine" before the Annointed One came down out of his ivory tower, rolled up his sleeves and went straight to work holding everyone in sight--other than government--accountable. He sent an heroic force of bureaucrats and lawyers who are likely preparing to prosecute BP, the oil roughnecks, Mother Nature and a couple of stray gators who happened to swim by. Nothing like the hands-on, can-do, boots-on-the-ground attitude of the Obamachine!

Now, if only they'd done something effective, like maybe implement the pre-authorized NOAA plan from 1994 that was developed for just this situation. Guess they were too busy exceeding their Constitutional authority in just about every area of our lives to spare a moment to attend to one of the few things that actually fall under the duties of the Federal Government.

The oil is beginning to hit the Louisiana coastline, swamping beaches, invading fragile marshlands and decimating everything in its path. One proposal has been to build shallow sandbars to keep the majority of oil offshore. Governor Bobby Jindal has been pleading for help from the Army Corps of Engineers, who are still...

...here it comes...

...studying the environmental impacts from the emergency barrier proposal.

Bang...bang...bang...the stupid!! IT BURRRRNS!!

Does anyone with enough brain cells to keep their head from whistling on a windy day honestly think that moving some sand around will cause any sort of 'environmental impact' at all, let alone one-millionth of the 'environmental impact' currently making the Redneck Riviera its bitch? If you're so damn worried that some endangered flea might be inconvenienced, build the berms, plug the leak, clean up the oil and then put the sand back where you found it. If you can move it from A to B, you can move it from B to A. Problem solved with wisdom their mammas should have taught them.

Governor Jindal is reported to be proceeding with Project Sandbar on his own, which--as far as I'm concerned--he should have done in the first place. Anyone who counts on the Feds in general, and this administration in particular, is doomed to disappointment. I salute Governor Jindal for standing up for the people of Louisiana, "even if I go to jail for it." Bravo!

I'm given to wonder if this crisis would have been far less severe if we had someone in the White House with personal experience dealing with a devastating oil spill. Someone practical. Someone beholden neither to ego or special interests. Someone who serves the people, and who gets things done.

But I'm dreaming. Where in America's political theater could we possibly find someone like that?