A Short BP Item

Now that the small cap is on, and appears to be working, I did some re-figuring on the spillage numbers.

If you begin with the working rate of 9 gallons/sec. used while “top Kill” and this current effort were under way, you get 9 x 60 x 60 x 24 = 777,600 gl/day, or 17,672.7 Bbl/day. Once the riser was cut, the flow was expected to rise by 20%. this makes it 933,120 Gal/day or 21,207 Bbl/day.

Now lets consider what the “Cap” is doing and adjust the figures.

From here I read that “If earlier estimates are correct, that means the cap is capturing from a quarter to as much as half the oil spewing from the blowout each day.” Or if you read at Yahoo News, “The cap, resembling an upside-down funnel, has captured about 252,000 gallons of oil, according to Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the government’s point man for the crisis. If earlier estimates are correct, that means the cap is capturing from a quarter to as much as half the oil.”

 If you go with the 252,000 figure then we get 681,120 gal./day. If we go with 50% then we get 466,560 gal./day. This is the amount of oil that will spill from this disaster every day until “Some time in August”, and that’s if the weather holds out! Approaching storms will cause them to disconnect, run for shore, then go back out and resume pumping, and drilling.

Both of the articles I linked above are using an estimate of “24 million to 47 million gallons” for the amount of oil that has spilled since the April 20 explosion. Well, if you take the current rate that they are not collecting oil, vs. their most optimistic rate, this is still one hell of a lot of oil.

In fact, if you take the 466k figure above, times the 92 days remaining until the end of August, it means there is going to be yet another ~43 million gallons of oil to be spilled throughout the summer.

Now go look at what our government, and BP are doing to control the 24-47 Million gallons already out there. Then consider that there is another 43 million gallons coming!

Does it look like they are preparing for this? Is the rate at which they are ramping up “clean & control” for what’s already out there look like enough to handle a 67 to 90 million gallon catastrophe? Sure doesn’t look like it to me!

What to do?
Well I can come up with two suggestions.
First, according to yesterday’s news, we have some 411,000 people, employed by the government out taking the Census. Wouldn’t you say this is a bit more important? We can take the census later in the year, or even suspend it until Jan. 1. Saving the southern coast of the country has got to be more important. So let’s leave 111,000 workers on the census.

Second, we have 95,000 troops in Iraq; a country we should never have gone to, in the first place. Iraq has an operating government. Give them notice that, we have our own problems, right now, and they’re just going to have to figure it out. We can leave them say… 25,000 troops (similar to South Korea) as a trip-wire and be on our way.

Voila! We now have some 370,000 workers, ready to train and deploy. Also, they’re already on the payroll! Appropriations required Zero!  This is money we’re already going to spend.

All we need our government to exercise some courage, vision, and management skills.

Who’s toes should we step on?

The Dangerous Weapons Fraud

On June 1, Israel released footage of the “dangerous weapons” found on the Flotilla Ship
Mavi Marmara.

To read the IDF’s Website (Israeli Defense Force), you’d think they had a narrow squeak involving a nuclear weapon. So far, they look like:

• knives
• fireworks,
• slingshots,
• baseball bats, and

Farm implements.

Just the thing to start a “New Offensive”, or a revolution with. Can you imagine the ruckus if they had actually found a water pistol? … loaded ?

Americans will never hear from the US media that Turkey’s prime minister Erdogan declared that the aid ships were carefully inspected before departure from Turkey and that there were no terrorists or arms aboard:
“I want to say to the world, to the heads of state and the governments, that these boats that left from Turkey and other countries were checked in a strict way under the framework of the rules of international navigation and were only loaded with humanitarian aid.”
Turkey is a US ally, a member of NATO. – Paul Craig Roberts

DHS, ICE, Child Svcs, and your government from hell

Don’t EVER think, “It can’t happen here!”, even for a second!

I have known Suzanne, and Calvin McHenry for close to seven years. During that time, Suzanne and I have “spoken” to each other, via Instant Messenger, on a daily basis. We speak by phone 2-4 times a month. These are some of the best people anyone could hope to meet on this earth. Being their friend is both an honor and a privilege.

What has happened to them, over the last 30 days, should never happen to a soul on this earth, let alone people like this. They mistakenly caught the attention of three of most the despicable agencies our government has ever created:

• DHS, the Department of Human Services
• The Children’s Advocacy Center, of any state, and
  
• ICE, the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, the Other DHS).

As if the first two, aren’t bad enough, it takes their collaboration with the third to really bring home the depth of contempt our government has for it’s citizens.

I have had two run-ins with California’s Child Stealing Agency. Both times due to false claims, maliciously made by people with an axe to grind. These resulted in the government stealing my grandchildren, none of us seeing them for as long as 6 months. In both cases, every allegation was proven false. Even though the claims were shown to be of a malicious nature, no one was ever prosecuted! (That’s “not their job”) No one went to jail, except my grandchildren. (Ah, but that IS their job.)

Now these child stealing vultures have landed on friends of mine. Suzanne was one of the people who consoled me, kept me sane, when I went through the hell she’s in now. I wish to God I knew how to turn the key that would undo all they’ve suffered, and what’s to come.

To describe what’s happened, I will leave the telling to Suzanne’s husband, Calvin. The sections below are his own words.

Lastly, if your attention should wander, Please! at least scroll to the bottom of this post, and read the two updates.

Hey Fred;
Enjoyed talking to ya today. Got some sore fingers from typing all this, But it was well worth it.

Sun June 14, 2009
On the weekend of May 22nd which was Memorial Day weekend. Suzanne and I, along with our neighbors had a get together and cookout. Our next door neighbor has a swimming pool. We were BBQ-ing and having some fellowship and such. Amie our 4 year old daughter was here with us at the time and she was in and out of the swimming pool constantly. We had continuious get togethers throughout the weekend.

My Father had come down on Sunday to get Amie so she could go back to my mom and dads so she could go to school. During the time Amie was in school the teacher had noticed Amie was walking on her tip toes. The teacher asked Amie what was wrong Amie then stated to her that her mommy burned her with a cigarette.

Amie was Immediately picked up from the school by my mom and dad as the school informed them of what she told them. She was immediately taken to a Doctor in Monette, Arkansas by the name of Dennis Parten. Parten then saw Amie for a total of maybe 5 minutes and was quick in making a determination. Amie told the doctor that Mommy burned her with cigarettes. The Doctor proceeded to take photos of Amie’s foot where the alleged burn was, and of other marks on her legs. If this was a burn then it could have been that Amie possibly stepped on a lit cigarette butt. However she did not complain of anything while with us. No testing of any kind was done in his offices to determine that these were true burns.

Parten then made a phone call to the child abuse hot line and alerted Authorities about a little girl who says her mom burned her. I then did some research on Dennis Parten, and was astonished at what I found. Not only does he have a poor rating but bad reviews from previous patients concerning their health care. Saying that he wont see you long enough, he wont run tests, do blood work, X rays etc.

An investigator from the DHS came to my mom and dads on Wednesday afternoon to let them know they had a 1:30 pm appointment the following day at the Children’s Advocacy Center in West Memphis, Arkansas. They said they wanted to talk to Amie and ask a few questions and do an interview. Upon arrival at the center the next day my kids were taken into one room, my folks in another. My kids never came back out.

My folks were then advised that my kids were being taken in to DHS custody. My parents were shocked and outraged. It was only 30 minutes later that a DHS worker came from West Memphis to my home in Marion where Suzanne and Bethany (our third child) were at the time. They advised Suzanne that they were taking the baby.

The DHS worker had advised Suzanne that all 3 kids were going to be placed on a 72 hour hold. The following day we went to Harrisburg, Arkansas in Poinsett county, because that’s the county my folks reside in, and where Amie goes to School. We found an attorney there. [Note: Amie is a special needs child and the closest school is near her grandparents.]

We had an Emergency order of Custody drawn up. We then followed the attorney’s to Jonesboro, Arkansas where a Judge was found and he signed the order.

During the time that Amie was in Foster Care she was seen by another doctor, by the name of Clay Spencer, in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. Dr Spencer checked over Amie and confirmed that what she had was a Staph Infection. He then prescribed her and antibiotic for Staph Infection.

This was told to us by the DHS worker that returned Amie to my parents later on that Friday evening, after giving custody of the kids to my folks. We had a hearing in the Harrisburg Court that following Monday the date was June 8th. While in the courtroom we met with the attorney’s who had the emergency custody petition filed and granted a Temp 90 day custodial order to my folks. After Suzanne and I signed this we went on home

So, at this point:

• The custodial agency has taken the child to a doctor,
• The doctor has identified the problem, and prescribed for it.
• The agency in question now knows this is not a child abuse case!
• But hell ain’t half over yet.

While I doubt anyone would answer him, if he asked, I can not understand why any of this is a DHS matter, to begin with?

Calvin continues:

At approximatley 3:50 pm we had 2 Dectectives from the Marion Police at our door; Sgt Freddy Williams and Dectective Mark McDougal. Williams stood in the background as McDougal did the talking. He asked if I would speak to him and I advised him no not without legal representiation present. He then asked Suzanne, she said the same.

McDougal then called for Sgt Williams to call for a transport unit. I then asked McDougal what’s going on here who’s in trouble. He then said to me that I was not in any trouble but Suzanne was. I said why, He responded by saying she has a warrant. I asked what for, and he said battery. I then asked for particulars, and he told me to, “Shut the fuck up and mind my own business”, that it was not any of my concern. I was furious.

McDougal then told Suzanne she was under arrest. Suzanne was sitting down on our doorstep and as she stood up  he grabbed her violently by the wrist and forced her to sit back down. He did not read her any Miranda rights, did not present a warrant, or serve her with any papers of any kind.

She has been in jail every since. She had a bond hearing this past Wednesday (June 10). Judge William Palma Rainey presided, and the Prosecutor was Lindsey Fairley a former West Memphis District Court Judge.

It was then and there that she was being charged with Battery a Class Y Felony in the State of Arkansas and that could carry a minimum sentence of up to 10 years in State prison but not to exceed life. Fairley went on to read the allegations, video of which were broadcast on local news, and posted on YouTube.

Farley stated that police recieved a tip on the child abuse hotline saying that a 4 year old girl was burned with cigarettes by her mother. When Suzanne heard of the charges brought before her her face was a picture. She was in total shock. Judge Rainey also said he saw these photos and that they were shocking.

On Thursday June 11th. The DHS Case worker named Julie called my parents advising them to get my daughter Amie to Little Rock ASAP for testing. It was then they went to the Arkansas Childrens Hospital and Amie was seen by 3 different physicians that confirmed Amie had Staph Infections and not burns. This report also indicated that NO SIGNS OF ABUSE OR NEGLECT WAS FOUND ON THIS CHILD.

This information has been forwarded onto the prosecutor who must then get the Judge to sign off on all charges on Suzanne. We are just waiting at this time to see what the outcome of this is.

She should be back home by tomorrow if not then I’m gonna get a bit upset. As far as I am concerned she has already been proved innocent. The Doctors report, The State Social worker on the scene there and the DHS Case worker involved in our situtation. All called for Suzanne to be released.

I will keep you updated for sure. Thanks Bro for all you do for Suz and being an awsome friend.

God Bless,
Calvin McHenry

Understand, at this point, the child has been seen by four agency appointed doctors, all of whom stated there was no child abuse involved! The case workers know it! The prosecutor knows it! There is no case! Why is this woman in jail?

Update No. 1 From Calvin McHenry:

8:00 AM June 30, 2009:
Suzanne has now been taken into the custody of ICE. She is being held in Memphis. Based on the decisions of ICE she will be deported back to the United Kingdom. She may leave as early as Thursday or sometime early next week. I have a visit with her later on today after Lunch. I will keep you guys updated.

Update No. 2:

3:30 PM June 30, 2009:
I just got home an hour or so back from my final visit with Suzanne. I cannot begin to describe what I am going through now. She is currently being held in a Federal Facility just outside of Memphis,TN. She will be taken to Oakdale, Louisiana to the main ICE detention facility and put on a plane back to England from there. I will keep you posted on details as i get them as I’m on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
God Bless,
Calvin McHenry

Technorati Tags: DHS, ICE, Government Child Abuse

Greenwald Speaks of Whining

I chime in.

Glenn Greenwald, on Salon.com, is probably one of the best writers on Constitutional issues available to folk on any popular website. He has at least a 4 year track record of trying like hell to not giving a damn what party, when it comes to the Constitution, and that suits my own passion, as well.

Reading him on other topics he is, what most would call “left of center”. He went after Bush for the last four years, and he’s gone after Obama with the same energy, over the same things; the Constitution, and rule of law.

He fares better than the whining children of my former party of 32 years, who either turned their back or cheered while Bush shredded his way through the document which empowers government. This brings me to his topic of April 14. One that can’t be brought up enough.

The Ultimate Reaping of What One Sows: Right-Wing Edition.

I did a quick count from a list of articles he’s wrote in Feb, and Mar 2009. He writes on at least one, sometimes several topics a day. In that time I found:

• 19 critical of Obama’s admin (He wrote many in January criticizing Obama’s stated policies before taking office)
• 7 Critical of the current Congress
• 6 Criticizing Press coverage (at least)

Sorry, he doesn’t write on the 1st dog, where Mrs. Obama shops, who bowed first, or any of the other asinine garbage the neo-con sycophants see as sure indicators the sky is falling.

If fact, the childish, and incompetent job the Republican party is doing as “our loyal opposition” pretty well sums up the manner in which they led, the last eight years. If this is any indicator of their learning skills, I imagine they’ll do just what the Democrats did, the last eight years; Whine, back-bite and plot their way back into power. The people’s freedom, and Constitution be damned.

G. Greenwald;
Indeed, thanks to the very people who are today petulantly complaining about politically-motivated federal police actions (now that they imagine it’s directed at them rather than at people they dislike), the Federal Government today has the power to:

• Eavesdrop on telephone calls, and
• Read the emails of American citizens without warrants;
• Monitor bank records without court approval;
• Obtain all sorts of invasive personal records, medical and financial, without Subpoenas;
• And obtain and store a whole host of other personal information about American citizens who have not been accused, let alone convicted, of having done anything wrong.

Also thanks to them (and things like the War on Terror, the War on Drugs, the Patriot Act, the FISA Amendments Act, etc. etc), most of this is carried out without any real oversight or safeguards, left entirely to the judgment and good faith of federal officials to wield these powers carefully and for proper ends.

And, better still, federal officials can hide behind sweeping claims of secrecy and National Security to prevent courts from scrutinizing what they did and determine if it was illegal. We call that “the state secrets privilege”.

That can’t be illegal, unconstitutional, dictatorial, or any other silly thing people keep bringing up, because all he is doing is exactly what Bush did, in the very same, and related court cases.

Is he defending Bush? Hardly.
1. He’s doing it because both parties only care about one thing: the collection and use of power.

2. He intends to use all the precedents set by Bush to carry on the very same things, and add to it. So will the next guy, and the one after him, if we make it that far. So far, it looks like the people are going to settle for this, too.

3. He is also covering for all the Democrats who, along with the Republicans in Congress, knew damned well it was going on then.

I got a rude awakening to the way of things long ago. T’was then I quit the Republican party, and began calling for impeachment. I finally wrote about what happened to my partner and I almost two years ago, to the day (one version is here).

From that post:
It was May of 2003. My partner, who lives some 50 miles from me, awoke at 6 AM to a knock on the door, and a crowd of FBI agents standing on his front lawn. They picked him over me, simply because he was only a mile from where our servers were housed.

They took him into “custody” and escorted him to the servers. He was only released after the entire contents of our servers were successfully copied off onto a system of their own. No search warrant, no paperwork whatsoever was displayed. Simply, “give us a copy, or go to jail and we’ll take a copy.”

Without warrant they walked off with:

• The online business records of at least 3 companies,
• Their business email.
• They also took away all our files on the server and
• The personal email of some 25-30 other people.

All this required a warrant (then), unless they said the secret word “terrorism”. The unconstitutional Patriot Act allowed this, whithout giving us, or anyone else, proof of same or recourse if it wasn’t. Even back then, a “National Security Letter” was required! There was none, meaning what the FBI did was completely illegal.

“Isolated case?” In fact, between 2001, and 2005 the FBI broke the law in this manner some 30,000 times, by government’s own admission. How many FBI agents went to jail over this? None.

The only reason I don’t go to jail, for even mentioning it happened, is the fact they did it illegally. I kept my mouth shut for 2 years, afterward, because it took that long to find out, they’d broken the law, not us! The result from the people I knew, still clinging to the fake party of “limited government”? Not one comment. Not one statement of outrage, ever.

The NY Times held onto the story for over a year, that Bush had been illegally spying on us. When they finally ran it, Mr. Gonzales, then Atty. Gen. threatened to prosecute. At that point, we were so far down the rabbit hole that our government was actually telling us, “It’s a crime to report a crime”. All in the name of “good order”.

Meanwhile, everyone from the FBI, NSA, CIA, even the Pentagon were spying on “terrorist groups” like Catholic Workers, Greenpeace, ACLU, and even the Quakers. The damned Quakers!

Seems no one wants to believe the notion of a “slippery slope”, so long as they think they’re safe in their spot at the top of the hill.

And yet, none of this is Obama’s fault, or Bush’s fault. This is 100% the people’s fault!  The American people have walked away from their job as citizens, and “revolutionaries“, leaving the government they own to the vultures.

Trusting the man, instead of the law, always comes back you. And you never back a law you wouldn’t want your worst enemy to have, and use however they see fit. Sooner or later, they will.

Back At It

I pretty much stopped blogging here. Two reasons:
1. Spam:This site was getting about 1 comment a month, and as many as 1,100 spam attempts a week. About 3 months ago, the act of clearing out all the spam attempts created such a spike in site traffic, my web host sent me a message that I had been hacked.

About 3 weeks ago, I installed new software then waited, and watched. The spam has stopped, completely.

2. Rampant Ennui: A serious funk descended upon me, when I realized I had chosen to blog on a topic of absolutely no interest. The Constitution.

The best indicator of this was the manner in which the press, and more importantly, the people treated the only candidate for President remotely qualified for the job; Ron Paul. Instead, last November, the people gleefully replaced one farce for another. Dr. Paul Craig Roberts was right when he said:
“It may be that the American public is no longer educated, or interested enough to sustain a free society.”

I question the word “may”.

So, what prompted me to start up again is that, whether anyone reads this or not, I still have the interest. While I haven’t stopped writing on Constitutional issues, and neither have I seen any genuine renewed interest, posting here instead of all over the Net, will be easier for me.

I still have doubts that this country will be here in 5 years. I am still skeptical that this can be turned around within the current political process.

Perhaps one day.

The Last Election

It makes me weep for my grandchildren. The NY Times solicited questions for Ron Paul from their readers. They received over 400 questions, and have split up the answers into two parts. Part one is here. This section of questions didn’t get too far afield, and his answers were typical of his good sense approach to government, or the lack of it.

Where it got real sad, real quick, was the comments section of the post. I don’t think I made it passed 9, or 10 of them before I understood exactly why we will probably not escape the serfdom being applied to our lives by the four-faced machine that is Democrats, Republicans, the press, and the kelptocracy. They have done a proper job of dumbing down the populace beyond the capacity for thought.

I must here point out that it seems Dr. Paul Craig Roberts was prophetically correct a couple years ago when he said:

“I may be that the American public is no longer educated, or interested enough to sustain a free society.”

If I had to sum up our last election, I would have to say that I now believe it was just that; our last election.

Jonothan Turley On CIA Tape Issue

This is Jonothan Turley, a professor on Constitutional Law appearing on Keith Olbermann’s Countdown about the implications of the C.I.A. erasing evidence.

R.I.P. Bill Of Rights

On this day in History, December 15 The United States Bill of Rights became law after Virginia ratified it in 1791.

How soon we forget, then lose what’s precious.