Day: May 4, 2010

Fox 8 is reporting subpoenas have been served on NOLA 1st City Court and Sonja Spears Updated

This is certainly related to our earlier post.  There is nothing up yet on the Fox 8 website so I highly recommend those so interested tune in at 10 via Tee Vee or the internet.

I think we know what Lee Zurich has been up to since he left WWL.

Update:

The story is now up at Fox 8:

Sources tell FOX 8 News New Orleans First City Court received a federal subpoena today asking for records regarding First City Court Judge Sonja Spears. Continue reading “Fox 8 is reporting subpoenas have been served on NOLA 1st City Court and Sonja Spears Updated”

Sources are telling us major news is fixing to break regarding the NOLA court system

This is a rumor and I hope we’re not being punked but the source is well placed so here goes:

The media and the U.S. Attorney are about to expose alleged judicial corruption in New Orleans City Court, Civil District Court and The Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal.”

Time to pop some popcorn and see what comes down the pike.

sop

Slicked – $249,813,232 spent lobbying Congress since 1990 – Slabbed

Someone needs to produce a list of contributions from the oil industry to Federal lawmakers.

Someone has, Sock Puppet – and the contributions from the oil industry to Federal lawmakers are an Open Secret!

Though former oilmen George W. Bush and Dick Cheney occupied the White House for eight years, the oil and gas industry could not win support for repealing bans on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. However, Congress voted in 2008 to lift a ban on offshore drilling. These companies are also wary of cap-and-trade climate change legislation, such as the measure Democratic President Barack Obama supports. Yet Obama still received $884,000 from the oil and gas industry during the 2008 campaign, more than any other lawmaker except his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

In contrast to former President Bush’s largely pro-industry stance on energy and environmental issues, the Democratic-controlled White House and Congress will probably grant these companies fewer favors. Bush consistently rolled back Clinton-era restrictions on commercial uses of federal lands—including nature preserves, national forests and national monuments. To the oil and gas industry’s delight, he got one step closer in March 2005 when Senate Republicans passed a budget resolution containing a filibuster-proof provision to allow for drilling in ANWR.

Oil and gas companies are always among the industries to spend the most on lobbying, pouring $132.2 million into these efforts in 2008 alone.

SLABBED thanks the Center for Responsive Politics for making political contributions an Open Secret .  The chart below shows total contribution from the oil and gas industry by Congressional election cycle.  Visit the site for information about contributions to the members of Congress who represent your district.

Continue reading “Slicked – $249,813,232 spent lobbying Congress since 1990 – Slabbed”

The "fix" was in before the spill as Slabbed introduces its readers to the Oil Pollution Act. (Formerly titled "Class action? BP wipes its ass with class action.") Updated

OK boys and girls, courtesy of a reader, I’m happy to illustrate why I ran that Alexander Pope quote in yesterday’s fishing story post in the Oil Pollution Act. As per normal it is the fishermen that cut to the heart of the matter so lets hit Rod and Reel and join the discussion as user BMiller enlightens the board:

In response to concerned,

You are correct. Under OPA, there is a 75 Million dollar liability cap which does not include clean up costs (they still have to pay that). So claims of charter captains, fisherman, property owners who suffer economic loss will be affected by the cap. It makes me sick. What happened is the oil industry lobbied to have that put in when it was being passed after Valdez. Scum bags considering they make billions quarterly. Continue reading “The "fix" was in before the spill as Slabbed introduces its readers to the Oil Pollution Act. (Formerly titled "Class action? BP wipes its ass with class action.") Updated”

Slicked and Slabbed News Miscellany: Pressure grows on BP. Changing "our way of life even more profoundly than anything we have seen before, even the great storms."

Dambala over at American Zombie has taken to the streets, or in this case the bayou with video camera in hand documenting the impact of the oil spill on the fishing community in Barataria. He takes BP to task for those self-serving settlement agreements:

I spent Saturday interviewing (video) some folks in Barataria whose livelihood is about to be wiped out. One of the shrimpers I spoke with showed me this agreement and told me what happened at the BP Meeting last Friday when BP tried to push this asinine contract on our fisherman.

Stay tuned for Dambala’s footage which he says will be posted here around Wednesday.

Editilla over at the Ladder is all over the unfolding disaster. Having gained a second to think this morning I took his friendly advice and hiked over to Firedog Lake and this article by the Scarecrow on a Halliburton presentation from last year which explained the challenges of sending concrete “down the hole” in the deepwater environment. Continue reading “Slicked and Slabbed News Miscellany: Pressure grows on BP. Changing "our way of life even more profoundly than anything we have seen before, even the great storms."”