ello' mate!

I watched some of the Tony Hayward (BP's CEO) congressional testimony on the "telly" today. He presented as a calm, collective, methodical individual if you were to ask me (he did everything but request a martini, shaken not stirred). And it was in stark comparison to the arm flailing, rabies foaming, politicians whom were questioning him. They berated him up and down. The entire affair smells of a Rham Emanuel scheme - directing the Party hacks to make sure Hayward came off as the villain of the piece, thus deflecting Obama from assuming that role.

I suppose their wasn't much else he could do but appear calm. It's impossible to overcome the images the oil spill produces. I haven't seen that many dirty birds on my screen since the ex brought home a British porno.

What's particularly disturbing about the government response is the President's sense of urgency about passing green energy legislation seems to far surpass that of containing the leak. In addition this "summoning" Tony Hayward to the Oval and "informing" him that he will set aside $20 billion - does that not bother anyone else? I mean don't we have a system in place, called litigation, to handle this? Typically (and by typically I mean always) either a judge/jury award damages or the two private parties come together and agree on a figure. So the next time there's an industrial accident is the President to simply step in and demand funds by divine right? May I ask, whom gets the interest in this $20 bil account? If there is no interest is BP to take what they would have made in interest, were the funds left in their accounts, off the top? And do the plaintiffs honestly think it easier/more efficient to claim monies from the government then they do a private company? Am I to believe after the Katrina aide fiasco (gov debit cards used on strippers, etc) and the endless cadre of bloated and mismanaged federal programs that the fraud and waste of 20 billion dollars will be less when put in the hands of our government?

Look, I want BP to pay every cent they're liable for. But my Spidey sense goes off at the thought of the government naming a figure, demanding the money, and then precluding the company from which they take it, from participating in dolling it out - no courts, no ruling, no opportunity for appeal, just executive "decree." And with this precedent set what of the next enviromental accident? Skip the judicial proccess again? Why stop there? How about murder?

Two things are certain in this life: 1.) My ex wife is proof that the devil can assume pleasing forms, and 2.) the government rarely returns the power it takes.