distractions - updated

The history of BP starts in Iran:

The Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) was founded in 1908, following the discovery of a large oil field in Masjed Soleiman, Iran. It was the first company using the oil reserves of the Middle East. APOC was renamed Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC) in 1935, and eventually became the British Petroleum Company (BP) in 1954, as one root of the BP Company today. For half a century, profit from the company flowed into European hands. Not only did the British government own a majority share but revenue that Iran did receive was used to re-pay debts owed to European creditors, which earlier shahs had incurred. Other cheap concessions in Iran were also obtained by Europeans, to their benefit and Iran's cost.

The company, too, reneged on agreements to train Iranian technicians and engineers. It paid Iranians considerably less than foreigners and accommodated Iranian workers in sub-standard housing. The 1953 Iranian coup d'état, which supported the reigning Shah and removed an elected Prime Minister, was sparked by the company's nationalization. After the coup, a new contract was negotiated giving Iran a 50 percent share.

Iran's subsequent alienation from the West (beginning in 1979), which owes much to how the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company profited from exploiting Iran's oil over many years, can be attributed in part to the irresponsible way that a "game" was played in other people's territory, with little thought to what the consequences might be. The degree to which the prosperity of former colonial powers was gained at the cost of others is an issue that a world community of nations committed to justice and a fairer distribution of resources needs to address.

The Centenary of the First Oil Well in the Middle East

"2008 marks the 100^th anniversary of oil discovery at Masjid Sulaiman in southwest Iran (Persia), which ushered in a new era in the history of the Middle East. This is the story of the men who made this discovery."

^^^^^^^

PBS headline for Wednesday: BP prepares to plug leak; Clinton calls for response to N. Korea

So the two stories must be about the same importance, see?

An obvious, horrific environmental catastrophe (actual false flag?) vs a false flag cock up. I'm sure about the horrific, environmental catastrophe, and pretty sure about the false flag cock up too.

First off, Clinton visited Asia with Tim Geithner and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke. So they were there to talk about money and trade and economic issues.

Jane Lubchenco heads up NOAA. Her boss is Gary Locke.

Yesterday Jane Lubchenco said that it would be a couple of weeks before NOAA would know how much crude has spilled into the Gulf of Mexico.

New video provided by BP (BP.L) of its leaking underwater oil well should make it easier to calculate how much crude is spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, said NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco. "It's only been in the last couple of days that we have gotten video that was high enough resolution, long enough length and fast enough shutter speed to really do credible calculations," she told a House committee hearing on the oil spill. Lubchenco told reporters after the hearing that the new oil flow estimate would be ready within two weeks.

Oh yeah, TAKE YOUR TIME! No problem. We totally understand.

Seriously, in a million years, could you have ever possibly imagined  LESS URGENCY than the responses given by your representatives in the US government to this disaster? I cannot. The foot dragging is quite breathtaking. Just imagine telling your mortgage company that you will take a look at the mortgage bill in a few weeks, and then you'll need to study it, and actually you were planning on sending the whole amount but turns out you can only send a little bit, and you'll get to that just as soon as you can but first you've got to purchase a couple of items for yourself, like a new wardrobe. I'm sure they would totally understand and say TAKE YOUR TIME, right? Right.

Meanwhile, in Asia, Hillary Clinton demands a serious international response to North Korea's "unacceptable provocation."

In Seoul earlier Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the world must respond to the "unacceptable provocation" represented by the sinking of a South Korean warship, as Pyongyang engaged in blistering rhetoric against Seoul and Washington.

..."I believe that the Chinese understand the seriousness of this issue and are willing to listen to the concerns expressed by both South Korea and the United States," she said in South Korea. "We expect to be working with China as we move forward in fashioning a response." Tensions on the divided Korean peninsula have risen sharply since international investigators issued a report last week saying a North Korean submarine was likely responsible for the sinking of the Cheonan, a corvette patrolling the Yellow Sea.

...She praised the investigation of the sinking as "very thorough, highly professional" and "very convincing." She said both the United States and South Korea had offered China "additional information and briefings about the underlying facts of that event." "We hope that China will take us up on our offer to really understand the details of what happened and the objectivity of the investigation that led to the conclusions," she said. (via Huffington Post)

Aha so according to Hillary, the world MUST respond to the VERY CONVINCING report that the North Korean submarine was LIKELY RESPONSIBLE for the sinking of the South Korean warship, an act that REPRESENTED an UNACCEPTABLE PROVOCATION.

Good theory except for the wrinkle that North Korea does not use German submarines.

[Unless Russian-built submarines can fire German torpedoes, then the North could not have fired the fatal shot at a sub in the middle of a circle of US/S. Korean ships practicing anti-submarine warfare. SEE: North Korea Doesn’t Have German Submarines

Turkey, Greece and South Africa, Israel and South Korea use German submarines. Under the Diesel Electric Submarine Initiative, the US has been leasing German-built Type 209 submarines from Sweden and Peru for training purposes since 2005.]

So China has been somewhat reluctant, despite Hillary's arm-twisting, to go along with all this blaming North Korea. Understandably so.

Meanwhile there seems to be disappointment in some circles over the Chinese economic stance.

Yes, there were plenty of memoranda of understanding and a total of eight agreements reached, while the Chinese press lauded the talks as a success and Mrs Clinton bravely insisted they had yielded “concrete results”. However, it is difficult to see what these results are, and harder still to believe that those in the US calling for punitive measures against Chinese imports in retaliation for China’s currency policies will be satisfied....Mr Geithner, in his closing comments, may have welcomed China’s commitment to reform its exchange rate mechanism as it looks to increase domestic consumption, but China’s statements are not even close to the timetable for appreciation that some Americans would like to see.

And at the same time, Russia is urging calm about the situation with North Korea.






The international investigation team represented Australia, Canada, South Korea, Sweden, the US and UK. I'm sure you can see that it would be totally impartial (cough). Russia is sending it's own investigators. 

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Igor Lyakin-Frolov today said that Moscow needs "100 percent proof" that North Korea sank the ship. (source)

So to cut right through, it looks like some people possibly represented by Hillary Clinton and Tim Geithner would like to see a confrontation with North Korea. Some arrangements were made? Regrettably some people died. Very serious. North Korea is blamed after an international investigation of controlled parties. Predictably, and helpfully, Kim Jong Il plays tug-of-war against Hillary and Tim, and threatens to be a crazy whack job. And all of this very helpfully taking place at the same time that the Gulf disaster unfolds.

How distracting.

^^^^^^^

Meanwhile, the "top kill" effort at "ground zero" remains in limbo for another 24-48 hours.

Obama says the federal government is "in charge" and open to any and all ideas about the spill.

One person, Elizabeth Birnbaum, head of MMS, was fired.

And BP, facing over 100 lawsuits so far, is asking courts to place every pre-trial issue into the hands of one man.

That judge, U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes, has traveled the world giving lectures on ethics for the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, a professional association and research group that works with BP and other oil companies. The organization pays his travel expenses.

Hughes has also collected royalties from several energy companies, including ConocoPhillips and Devon Energy, from investments in mineral rights, his financial disclosure forms show.

...The company wants all of the oil spill lawsuits — at least 98 as of May 21 — to be heard in Houston because that's the home of BP's American headquarters, where many witnesses and records are located, and where many of the suits have been filed. BP is facing suits in at least seven different courts in five states, including Florida.

...For the past two years, Hughes has served as a "distinguished lecturer on ethics" for the American Association of Professional Geologists, a Tulsa-based organization representing 35,000 geologists around the world, most of whom work in the oil and gas industry. During that time, the judge has given 13 speeches for the organization, from Texas to Cape Town, South Africa.

Judge Lynn N. Hughes

Member Council of Foreign Relations

Read about him at The Robing Room: Where Judges are Judged.

• Thinks he's charming and cute, but he's pompous and arrogant. He does not follow the rules of civil procedure, particularly with respect to discovery. He calls counsel into chambers, picks sides early, and then allows only limited discovery (sometimes just against one party). His "targeted" discovery steers everything toward the summary judgment outcome he desires. If he picks the other side, you better try to dismiss quickly. 
• Very goal-oriented, he will get the result that he wants regardless of the law. He proudly believes that he is the ultimate in legal writing and often creates confusion.  
• Very opinionated. Appears to be goal oriented in his decision making process. I concur with the "monumental ego" comment. 
• "Abandon hope all ye who enter here" - this judge is a poster child for black robe syndrome. Needlessly arrogant toward parties and counsel, he doesn't follow the law or procedure as detailed by CTA-5, and is actually proud of his pompous refusals to do so. Absolute nadir of SDTx judges, and among the worst federal judges I've seen. anywhere.  
• This judge is mean, nasty, outrageous and obviously biased toward corporate defendants, particularly banks. Has a limited ability to think and reason, hidden by nasty screaming personal attacks on lawyers and tirades. 
• Avoid Judge Hughes at all costs. Despite a high intellect, he has a complete disregard for civil statutes and precident. He chooses "his side" early and does everything possible to make the other side's life miserable irrespective of the facts. Plaintiffs beware! One of the more reversed Judges on the 5th Circuit. As the saying around town goes: "Sometimes you just get Hughesed."  
• Probably the meanest, rudest judge I've ever dealt with. If he hates your client the criminal defendant, he will go out of his way to attack both you and your client. I will do all I can to avoid Judge Hughes in the future. Mean, nasty, and highly petty. I've heard he's better in civil cases, but hopefully I'll never have to find out for myself. 

There were some more positive comments, but I looked into his eyes, and I saw his soul, and that arrogant smirk on his face, and I'm going with my gut instinct on this one. Hey it was a good enough standard for George W. Bush, so it's a good enough standard for my damn blog.

UPDATE: Karl Rove says that this is Obama's Katrina, and goes on to make many excellent points, the same kinds of points that we pesky bloggers have made, not heard in corporate media, then suddenly in the Wall Street Journal, and credited to Karl Rove.

Isn't that great?

Except he doesn't compare it to 911. He forgot that part.

Karl, you forgot the part how this is so much like 911. How could you miss that one?

 So happy.

Karl Rove just got divorced, wrote a book, and opened the Orange County, CA GOP headquarters, 

so I guess he needs some great exposure in the WSJ

to help him make lots of money.