Pending BP Legislation in the United State Senate

From the Office of Senator Al Franken, in response to an inquiry from me:

Thank you for contacting me about the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. I appreciate you taking the time to share your concerns with me on this critical issue.

As you know, on April 20, 2010, an explosion occurred on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig off the coast of Louisiana, leaving 11 workers dead. The rig caught fire and sank, spilling millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. This oil spill is a travesty -- it has devastated the environment, the economy, and the way of life for many communities along the Gulf Coast. I was deeply disappointed by BP's neglect of safety and lack of progress in stopping the leak in the Gulf. This accident has also exposed the federal government's woefully inadequate oversight of the drilling industry.

BP must be held responsible for all costs incurred as a result of the oil spill. By all accounts BP had no viable plan in place to deal with an accident of this magnitude. This is unacceptable, and taxpayers must not be left holding the bag. That's why I've cosponsored S. 3472, the Big Oil Bailout Prevention Unlimited Liability Act, which would eliminate the oil spill liability cap that currently limits economic damages paid by oil companies to $75 million. I am also an original cosponsor of S. 3462, which would grant subpoena power to President Obama's Oil Spill Commission that is investigating BP. This will ensure that the bipartisan commission has access to all the evidence it needs to fully investigate the causes of the spill and make meaningful recommendations on how to prevent similar disasters.

This spill is a call to action -- it is time to pass comprehensive energy and climate legislation to end our country's dependence on fossil fuels and transition to clean, renewable energy sources like wind, biofuels, and biomass from Minnesota. For this reason, Senate Majority Leader Reid introduced S. 3663, the Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Company Accountability Act. This bill would eliminate the $75 million liability cap for oil spill damages, improve the claims process for victims of the spill, provide for better regulation of the oil and gas industry, and improve oil spill response and prevention programs. The legislation would also authorize the Home Star energy-efficiency retrofit program, provide tax breaks for natural gas vehicles and infrastructure, and boost funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

I'm glad this legislation would finally hold BP accountable for the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, and I support the provisions to provide rebates for Minnesotans to retrofit their homes and to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund. While it is an important first step, this bill falls far short of the comprehensive energy bill that I had hoped to see this year. It fails to put a price on carbon and does not include a Renewable Electricity Standard, which is critical for the growth of Minnesota's wind and other renewable energy industries. I am currently reviewing this legislation as well as the various other energy and climate proposals before Congress.

Please be assured that I will continue to closely monitor the Deepwater Horizon oil spill cleanup and will keep your thoughts in mind should legislation regarding offshore drilling come before the Senate for consideration.

BP, Joe Barton.........and Deputy Dawg?

Rep. Joe Barton, R - Texas
Terrytoons Deputy Dawg and Ty Coon

The recent news cycles are full of clips of Rep. Joe Barton of Texas making his apologies to Tony Hayward during the Energy and Commerce Committee hearings on the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster.
There will be more to come, including repetitions in political ads before the 2010 elections.

Often, blog posts attempt serious consideration and discussion of current events. I wanted to diverge from that, with humor and a bit of whimsy.

If you haven't seen it yet so often your eyes have begun to roll independently in your head in self-defense:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp4ErRJuCbM
(or any of numerous other clips of the exact same thing)

Possibly it is because I've become bored with this same clip over and over, interspersed with the occasional Bachmann BP/big oil boot-licking clips, and the Boehner call for the government to pay for the disaster, that are being retracted, or spun like a centrifuge, and then subsequently denied (despite all too much evidence to the contrary).

Being a bit bored, I cannot help but notice the close resemblance between Barton in both appearance and voice to the famous Ralph Bakshi cartoon character, with which he made his debut in children's television animation 'cult classic'-- Deputy Dawg -- back in 1959. The irony of this is that, being a baby boomer born in 1949, Barton may have grown up watching Deputy Dawg cartoons as a child, in his hometown of Waco, Texas; and the cartoons are set in the (in reality) oil-spill affected Gulf state of Mississippi.

You can refresh your own recollection of Deputy Dawg, either with a nostalgia collection on DVD, or at a number of sites that offer free perusal of the old terrytoons Deputy Dawg episodes, like this one.

http://www.ovguide.com/tv/deputy_dawg.htm

It kind of makes you want to start casting other political figures from this disaster as Deputy Dawg characters - Catfish-poachin' Pelican, Peach Pluckin' Kangaroo, Vincent Van Gopher, Muskie Muskrat, Ali Gator, Mother Crane and Lil Whooper, Moley Mole, Possible Possum, Ty Coon, Pig Newton, the Russian Mischa Mouse, Homer, Penguin, Lynx, and the Deputy's boss, the Sherrif - and his family members, Missus Deputy Dawg, and newphew Deputy Elmer. Let's not forget Astronut, the amiable alien, another spin-off character.

Whenever the election year politics starts to wear on your nerves, and your mind starts to wander during hearings, debates, and endless ads, I hope you will enjoy privately imagining the politicos posturing in front of you as an appropriate cartoon character from your childhood, with special emphasis on similar characteristics and mannerisms. It is a diversion that lends itself to any political POV.


There is a certain, odd, even freakish resemblance between the human and the cartoon character....that is BP CEO Tony Hayward on the right.




I decided to make a revision to this post, with a better comparison between cartoon and political figure -- Senator Joe Lieberman, (I)CT, and another cartoon hound, Droopy Dog.

I trust I don't really need to label which is which.

Perhaps the greatest similarity is in the voices, which you can hear on this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zuPjhLHHFo&feature=related

It might help keep the inevitable ennui of politics from getting you down, while adding a certain useful perspective to the political season.