What's The Worst Case Scenario Here?

With Tropical Storm Alex expected to strengthen in the Gulf and head right for the spill zone, what really is the worst case scenario here?  The answer is rather frightening:

Just when you thought the damages BP could cause was limited to beaches, marshes, oceans, people's livelihoods, birds and marine life, there's more.

BP's favorite dispersant Corexit 9500 is being sprayed at the oil gusher on the ocean floor. Corexit is also being air sprayed across hundreds of miles of oil slicks all across the gulf. There have been widespread reports of oil cleanup crews reporting various injuries including respiratory distress, dizziness and headaches.

It gets worse.  Should Alex gain hurricane strength and plow into the Corexit 9500-drenched water, it could suck up tons of the toxic dispersant and send it onto land and on to plant life.

It seems like damage brought by the oil gusher has spread way beyond the ocean, coastal areas and beaches. Collateral damage now appears to include agricultural damage way inland Mississippi.

A mysterious "disease" has caused widespread damage to plants from weeds to farmed organic and conventionally grown crops. There is very strong suspicion that ocean winds have blown Corexit aerosol plumes or droplets and that dispersants have caused the unexplained widespread damage or "disease".

In other words, hurricane plus oil plus Corexit 9500 = widespread environmental catastrophe across the southern US as a toxic junk cocktail is spread hundreds of miles inland and directly into the water table of pretty much everything east of the Mississippi.

Enjoy.

World Cupdate

The Round of 16 got underway today with two games, Uruguay at South Korea early and USA vs Ghana later.  Uruguay favored here in the match with their 1-3-2-4 attack featuring Luis Suarez at point, while South Korea countered with a 1-4-4 battle plan with Park Chu-Young at the head.  Things looked promising as Park Chu-Young got an early ripper off the post, but then went badly for the Taeguk Warriors as Luis Suarez then got an early chance for a goal and capitalized at 7.'  In a hole early, South Korea had to step up or go home.  The goal seemed to deflate South Korea through the first half and the game settled into a counter chess match, Uruguay more than happy to defend their early lead, and the South Koreans then looking to craft something off a set piece, playing an almost maddeningly patient game.  This continued for the rest of the half, South Korea advancing the ball with chess moves, then La Celeste countering in a blitz.  The second half was more of the same as the rain picked up in Port Elizabeth. The South Korean's patience actually starting to crack Uruguay's nerve a bit, and it paid off with a set piece header from Lee Chung-Yong at 68.'  Uruguay then tried to step up the pace with a number of shots taken on South Korean keeper Jung Sung-Ryong.  That culminated with Suarez again showing why he was the most dangerous man on the pitch with a dimension-warping bender off the corner kick at 80' that teleported to the side of the net and in.  Time now against the Taeguk Warriors and they moved up to try to get something.  That something was almost Lee Dong-Gook's shot that nearly howled past keeper Muslera in the rain-slick evening at 86'.  Three minutes stoppage wasn't enough, and Uruguay advances 2-1.  South Korea were the better team for 80 minutes, but Luis Suarez's two goals were the stat that mattered in the end.

Uruguay will then face the winner of the USA-Ghana game, and that started out an ugly affair, the USA bringing a 2-4-4 attack led by Jozy Altidore and Robbie Findley and the Black Stars taking in a 1-3-2-4 plan led by Asamoah Gyan.  But it was Kevin Prince Boateng who plain out beat keeper Tim Howard just five minutes in, and the Cardiac Kids were in an immediate hole once again as the Black Stars played for the hopes of entire African continent and it showed.  Ghana dominated the early game and the US looked like the team that was totally outplayed by Algeria and England for 80 plus minutes.  Maurice Edu was subbed in for Ricardo Clark at 31' and that finally seemed to boost the US team towards making some offense, but the Black Stars simply owned the USA in the first half.  The second half would require another miracle if the USA wanted to advance.  Bob Bradley went with Feilhaber over Findley and immediately sparked the Yanks' offense, but time was working against them as Ghana settled into a defensive/counterattack mode that kept the US honest, but that pressure led to a yellow card in the box on Jonathan Mensah and Landon Donovan's penatly kick was golden for the Yanks as they equalized at 62'.  The US then looked much better and suddenly Ghana were the ones looking stunned.  Boateng was subbed out for an injury at 78' and the USA had their chance to take the lead.  The USA pressure kept up by Ghana regrouped and blocked out the Yanks...taking us into extra time.

In extra time it was 30 minutes no matter what transpired.  Hercules Gomez in for Jozy Altidore but it was Ghana who took the lead right back at as Asamoah Gyan blasted it in at 93' and the USA was right back in the hole.  The USA recovered and mustered more than a few chances, but the clock was now the enemy for the Yanks. The second extra session was a struggle to see if the USA could find anything else in the tank to fuel a goal.  A few free kicks came close but the USA were clearly exhausted and Ghana just needed to survive.  Into final stoppage time and the USA threw every last ounce at Ghana...even Tim Howard out of the box and up at midfield...but no miracle today for the Yanks.  Ghana wins 2-1 and will face Uruguay, and the USA goes home in a heartbreaker...but you have to hand it to Ghana as they carry Africa's hopes forward.

Accidentally Speaking Moose To Power

Via the magnificent Rumpies, it seems somebody left the mic on for reporters after Moose Lady's speech this week at CSU-Stanislaus. KTXL-FOX40 sent it out...live.



Needless to say, they're scrambling to apologize.  Sort of.

First, FOX40 News was the only station streaming a live signal from CSU Stanislaus during Sarah Palin’s presentation. Friday, we were told by officials organizing the speech that we were not permitted to beam a live signal direct from the dining hall where Sarah Palin was presenting; instead, we were offered the opportunity to aim a FOX40 camera at a projection screen inside a room for assembled media down the hall from where Sarah Palin was due to speak. We were cautioned by the organizers of the event that there was an ongoing audio situation. We were faced with two decisions—to not carry a speech of local and national importance due to the low-quality methods we’d be forced to transmit, or to provide a signal by any means necessary. It was with the public interest in mind that we opted for the latter.

Second, following Sarah Palin’s address from CSU Stanislaus, several reporters could be heard making comments about the speech that some viewers considered inappropriate and unprofessional. Day by day, television, newspaper and radio reporters are asked to cover stories involving mayhem and misery, and occasionally off-color comments slip out on-air and online. Honestly, it’s happened on FOX40 News and on FOX40.com in the past during live presentations of news and events.

It's still quite hysterical to actually hear our media not trying to score points with Teabaggers by saying that Sarah Palin is, you know...not that bright.  Terribly unprofessional.  But very, very funny.

By The Time I Get To Arizona, Part 8

Republicans actually still wonder why Latinos don't like the GOP.  Maybe it has to do with statements like this by Arizona Republican Gov. Jan Brewer:

"Well, we all know that the majority of the people that are coming to Arizona and trespassing are now becoming drug mules," Brewer said. "They're coming across our borders in huge numbers. The drug cartels have taken control of the immigration.

"So they are criminals. They're breaking the law when they are trespassing and they're criminals when they pack the marijuana and the drugs on their backs."

When pressed, Brewer explained that many are simply coming to the United States to look for work but "are accosted, and they become subjects of the drug cartels."

T.J. Bonner of the National Border Patrol Council told CNN that Brewer's claims were "clearly not the case." Bonner said that some undocumented immigrants caught by border patrol agents have drugs on them, and that they sometimes blame pressure from the drug cartels.

But, he said, those claims have little credibility because drug smugglers are typically transporting much larger quantities of drugs. And besides, he said, if what Brewer said were true, there would be many more prosecutions for drug smuggling.

Brewer's comments, Bonner said, don't "comport with reality -- that's the nicest way to put it."

But Republicans are never, ever racist bigots, there are no racists in the Republican Party, and anyone who tells you differently must be a racist themselves for bringing it up.  Just because you're saying it about folks crossing the border doesn't make it any less racist, Jan.

Sanity Check

At some point you have to say to yourself two things:  GOP Rep. Louie Gomert of Texas really is an honest-to-goodness elected Member of Congress, and Louie Gohmert is also completely friggin' insane.

"I talked to a retired FBI agent who said that one of the things they were looking at were terrorist cells overseas who had figured out how to game our system. And it appeared they would have young women, who became pregnant, would get them into the United States to have a baby," said Gohmert. "They wouldn't even have to pay anything for the baby. And then they would turn back where they could be raised and coddled as future terrorists. And then one day, twenty, thirty years down the road, they can be sent in to help destroy our way of life. 'Cause they figured out how stupid we are being in this country to allow our enemies to game our system, hurt our economy, get set up in a position to destroy our way of life."

That's right.  Latino women are getting pregnant to have "anchor babies" that will grow up as terrorists and KILL EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US in 20 years.  This is an elected Member of Congress.  Saying this.  In Congress.  On television.

Now keep in mind Gohmert is a hero among the Tea Party right, and that isn't even the most offensive thing he's said this week.

There are millions of Americans out there who are cheering Louie Gohmert on as the future of American politics.  That should scare the piss out of you.

The Mask Slips Again

GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham slips and tells the truth about his own energy bill.

"I will work with the president, Democrats and Republicans to come up with an energy policy, but I'm not going to it in the middle of an oil spill when the political environment doesn't favor what I want," he told WVOC radio in South Carolina. "I'm not going to do it between now and November when the oil spill dominates the politics and headlines."

"Screw my own energy legislation!  I can't get more offshore drilling right now!  What, you thought I gave a damn about the environment?  I'm a Republican, you asshole!"

The best part is that Republicans admitting they will let their own legislation die because they were never, ever negotiating in good faith and never intended to, the reality being they will stuff the bill with the opposite of whatever the Dems are trying to do in order to scuttle it...that's not even really news anymore.

If he doesn't get 100% of exactly what he wants, he lets his own bill die and he blames the Dems.  That's GOP "negotiation" on legislation.  And Dems allow it to happen.  No wonder Congress has an approval rating somewhere down around "recreational tile grouting".

StupidiNews, Weekend Edition!

• Tropical Storm Alex continues to lurk near the Gulf of Mexico's oil geyser with the potential to cause chaos with recovery operations.
• The mayor of Orange Beach, Alabama has a few choice words for BP.
• Missouri GOP Gov. Jay Nixon has signed the state's "stripper bill" into law, and the adult entertainment industry is already preparing their legal challenge.
• President Obama is hoping the deal reached on financial reform will give him more clout at this weekend's G20 summit in Toronto.
• ICANN has approved Chinese character domain names for international use for web sites.