Joe Barton

On 6/17/2010 BP chief executive Tony Hayward being questioned by Congress received a strange suck-up from Texas Representative Joe Barton; he stuck his foot in his mouth when he referred to the president’s securing of 20 billion dollars damage fund for damages accrued by the oil spill as a “shake down.” In his attempt to attack the president, it left many of us asking which side he is on; the American people or BP’s side? In my opinion, Representative Joe Barton is a disgrace to the Republican Party. He is the epitome of a bitter out of touch republican.

Bring those responsible for spill to justice

The following letter was published on June 5, 2010 by
The Cape Cod Times
Cape Cod, Massachusetts

I suspect at some point the oil gushing from the ocean bed through the busted well will eventually be stopped. In the meantime, a helplessness seems to be gripping the U.S. by the many failed attempts on the part of BP to stop the spill.

It is clear the U.S. government does not have the expertise to stop such a spill as in the Gulf; and it is also clear BP did not have a real backup plan to handle such an emergency.

When the spill is stopped and criminal negligence is found, civil suits will flood the courts, and BP will likely pay a large settlement. This would certainly help the human equation in this manmade disaster; however, the only closure for the suffering and death of marine life and other creatures is when those responsible for the spillage are brought to justice.