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When I passed on the call to protest in the preceding entry, there was a part of me that didn’t expect much to happen. But as I promised, I went.
This is what I found at Union Square North at 5:45 PM
.On the good news side, I did find this woman trying to organize something for June 2
Another good news: no vendors today of Obama paraphernalia.
But as far as activism – it’s gutted as planned 2 years ago.
For actuvusm before the times of Obama, just check the mast of this blog – it’s the 2 years anniversary.
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BP OIL SPILL – ORGANIZED PROTESTS – MAY 31 – JULY 4:
Today
San Francisco – Justin Herman Plaza
Portland OR – North Park Blocks by the Elephant
Washington DC – Dupont Circle
New Orleans – Jackson Square cathedral
Baton Rouge LA – LSU Memorial Clocktower
Lafayette LA – Parc Sans Souci, downtown
New York City – Union Square (north side)
Boston MA – Copley Square
Austin TX – UT West Mall (Guadalupe between 22nd & 23rd)
Minneapolis MN – Loring Park, by the fountain
Philadelphia PA – City Hall (west side)
Dallas TX – JFK Memorial (Main and Market)
Even the NY Daily News sees the urgency of this , while their beloved Bam is on vacation
.Stars and Stripes has a piece on the CIC-less Arlington today
.Back to the oil-kill, LA’s Advocate headlines the “summer of oil”
In Florida they fear the combination with the upcoming hurricanes and “LA FACES SLOW DEATH”
and back in LA, DESPERATION”
Ny Times features B0-less Arlington too
as does Moonie Times
Obama is in Chicago, voting “Present”
Obama Times has this headline
White House Tries to Regroup as Criticism Mounts Over Leak
.I swear, 5 minutes ago, the headline said “WH scrambles”, just like the first paragraph still says
The Obama administration scrambled to respond on Sunday after the failure of the latest effort to kill the gushing oil.
Anyway, the article mentions what different flunkies did as Obama is not involved in neither regrouping, nor scrambling. He is otherwise engaged, watching a game in Chicago, next door to Farakhan with the press in tow
A pool report noted that as a dozen reporters and photographers following Obama stood on the sidewalk in front of Farrakhan’s home,
The story chronicles the stand-off with Farrakhan’s goons then has a happy ending
The Blackhawks won the first game of the series around 10 p.m. — and Obama and his family were driven home at 10:43 p.m., the press bus in tow, ending the “stand-off.’’
And that’s how Obama never rested until the oil is contained. Yesterday. While “the White House was trying to regroup”
As for earlier PR efforts, a bit of reality here
At a White House press conference held about the same time, Obama indicated that he also believed the process was still taking place.
In fact, BP had suspended the process at about midnight on Wednesday, at least in part because it had run out of mud.
That would be – besides not knowing the barriers were approved and Birnbaum was fired.
Anger about the geyser in the Gulf and what some perceived as a lack of candor by BP and federal officials surged Sunday afternoon at a protest in the French Quarter that drew hundreds of people.
As for the revisionism in maintaining he was in control from the start, some memories from that tome
week one
Two days after the explosion on the rig—when a mobilization to stop the looming spill should already have been underway and with the fate of the 11 dead workers still unknown—the White House could not hide its indifference. When a reporter asked White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs if Obama had yet “reached out to anyone in Louisiana over the oil rig explosion.” Gibbs responded, “Let me check on that. I don’t believe so.”
week two
The second response, worked out over the next week, was to seize on the event to reiterate Obama’s call for a vast expansion of deep sea oil drilling. Several days after the blast, Gibbs declared, “I don’t honestly think [the disaster] opens up a whole new series of questions, because, you know, in all honesty I doubt this is the first accident that has happened and I doubt it will be the last.” At this time both the Obama administration and BP were insisting that the spill was relatively small.
The article has a few observations about the LA photo op too
As for Obama’s efforts to appear concerned—the White House is frightened of a Katrina-style public relations disaster—this was belied by the trip itself. Obama “interrupted his vacation,” the media constantly reminded Americans, in order to make a stop that lasted about as long as a baseball game.
The following was the president’s itinerary, as posted on the White House web site: “10:10AM THE PRESIDENT arrives New Orleans…12:10PM THE PRESIDENT attends a briefing by Admiral Thad Allen… 12:30PM THE PRESIDENT delivers a statement to the press…1:25PM THE PRESIDENT departs New Orleans, Louisiana.”
And now, that BP announces us like some contractor that they need to get some materials and we’ll be stuck waiting until August…Obama is on vacation.
No wonder than even M0Do starts to kick him again
For five weeks, it looked as though Obama considered the gushing that became the worst oil spill in U.S. history a distraction, like a fire alarm going off in the middle of a law seminar he was teaching. He’ll deal with it, but he’s annoyed because it’s not on his syllabus.
Well, at least she recalls the real timeline too.
And I will quote a B0bot’s wisdom (gasp):
NOT OBAMA’S KATRINA, BUT OBAMA’S HIROSHIMA.
Indeed, this underscores both the scope of the destruction as the fact that this is a man-made disaster, not a natural one, like Katrina.
And as B0bots keep raising the straw man “What do you want him to do? Dive in and plug the hole himself? at The Confluence, djmm has started a list
Could we put together an outline of “What the President Should Do”? Really, along with everything else, I think he is clueless. At least if we posted something it might get circulated and a few ideas picked up. Such as:
1) Declare this a National Disaster. Now.
2) Appoint General Honore to be in charge of the clean-up operation. He has dealt with disaster in Louisiana before — the people know him. Draft him if you have to, but it would likely just take a phone call from the President saying “Your Country needs you.”
3) Get every vessel capable of sucking up oil and every boom in the world that you can over to the Gulf and get ‘em going. (See number 2 — he can coordinate it.)
4) Start building as many sand barriers as possible. Cut the red tape — whatever damage there would be does not compare to the damage that will happen if they are not in place. Just get started. (Frankly, if I were the Governor of Louisiana, I would say Scr_w the feds and do it anyway. Let them try to stop us — I’d have the press there.) Get money to the states to do this.
5) Offer US citizens and legal aliens who are unemployed free transport and housing and $12/hour to start picking up the oil on the beaches. Now. The housing, food sales will help the local economies.
6) Get the National Guard there to help. Now. (General Honore can coordinate with their commanding officers)
7) Implement the best marsh clean up plan possible.
Burn oil slicks when practical.
9) It may take special training to clean birds, so get money and resources to those who can do it. Get as many of them as you can in to help — from all around the world. Get going.
10) Stop your vacation. Get off your bum and lead.
In Bobotlans some see it
This is not Obama’s Katrina, it is his Hiroshima.
.from an environmental point of view, is closer to Hiroshima than it is to Katrina.
President Obama needs to elevate the issue to an even higher plane.
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Pre-memorial Day, a few good headlines
and from Mo
Oil was seen through the live cam very early yesterday morning, but newspapers just got it.
Here’s The Daily News
and the NY Post
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and on a more serious note, from LA
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and one more from LA
and a descriptive headline from Miami Herald
For the usual mix, WaPot
and NY Times
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Not Your Sweetie 
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