my reaction to the first round of hearings on the oilspill

i took in some the c-span rewind this morning before work...the industry folks were well-prepard to answer and not answer all the key questions.

what emerged for me is the rhetoric of "best practices" has become worn out and meaningless.

everyone says it all the time now...without ever there ever being a need to define this in each instance.

okay....so we won't have guys who are dead on the emergency response team...and ensuring all our people are actually alive is now going to be a best practice.

one exec came clean (no pun intended, my fellow pelicans) and stated that the clean-up process is basically incidental, because the amount of oil escaped and escaping is so tremendous that there is no process known to man that can save our environment.

so...as long as we have to have big trucks and suvs...with big engines...and do not embrace mass transit...folks should stop crying.

if you want to pay less than five bucks a gallon at the pump...then just shut up and deal with it.

you cannot have it both ways...a shrimp poboy for less than $20 bucks...or a gallon of petro for less than three bucks.

i think we can effectively shut down our gulf coast to tourism and residents east of the river.

all the commercial fishermen should be compensated based on current earnings and life expectancy.

the great wall of louisiana should be built that would serve two purposes:

a. keep the oil from coming inland
b. serve as our new hurricane protection barrier.

install a gate so that shipping can continue...and work your way east to negotiate settlements with our neighboring states.

but louisiana first, because we do business here...this ain't about a bunch of folks sitting on the beach getting a tan.

we are where the drilling and processing of oil and gas happens.

we are the nation's third busiest port...and the key to trade with central and south america.

our tradition for good food will be fine...it just won't be gulf seafood-based anymore.