This act was passed to ensure only US citizens operate maritime services, trade, cargo, ships and the rest. It requires everything transported by water between U.S. ports be carried in U.S.-flag ships, made in the United States, owned by U.S. citizens, and crewed by U.S. citizens.
This relates to the oil spill in the Gulf. Going back a little to the inaction of the Obama administration, there was no response for a week, even though the president knew of the seriousness of the spill by the second day. Governor Bobby Jindall requested 'hard booms', millions of feet, to protect his coast line and didn't get a response for two weeks. He still, approaching the two month mark of the disaster, has not gotten the request filled. He also asked to build sandy berms to protect the shore line. Nothing was done because there had to be an environmental impact study first. Say what? The worst environmental disaster in US history, and there has to be a study to before dealing with it? The clean up people wanted to burn some of the slick off. Nope, not environmentally sound. Say what? They wanted to throw some dispersant chemicals on it. Nope, not environmentally sound. Say what? This is the WORST ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER IN US HISTORY!
The Coast Guard admiral in charge was asked about a guy in Maine that was producing 80,000 feet of boom per day, and had made several appeals to the government to send the booms down. The admiral had never heard of it. Say what? Hello? This is where the Jones Act come in. There a hundreds and hundreds of ships that could be skimming the slick up, but there aren't. There are four hundred. Three days after this horrible accident, the Dutch said they had ships ready to help skim and lay booms. They also had to ability to build sand berms. Obama said no. Thirteen countries have offered to help. Obama said no.
Asked about the Jones Act in relation to this, EPA head Carol Browner said they “not received a request from the Coast Guard to waive the Jones Act.” Hello? Anybody home? “If we have one, obviously we'll respond to it. We talk to Admiral Allen every single day – many, many times a day. He is not shy in asking for what he needs. And so if that's what he needs, he will get an answer.” You knucklehead! Your administration that stated "we're in control of everything" and "we've been on this since day one" is waiting for a request from someone hired to manage the response to this disaster? Hello?
The admirals response? “If we have a reason to consider a waiver of the Jones Act, we certainly will do that.” His name by the way is Thad Allen. “ None has been presented to me.” A devastated Gulf, shoreline, dead sea life, thousands put out of work, and he needs a reason? Hello?
Fred McCallister is a Texas businessman. He's offered to bring 25 boats to skim. He's gotten no answer. Hello?
Here's something even more ugly. The Jones Act protects unions, which is a core constituency of Obama and the Dems. The maritime unions don't want foreign ships helping out. Is this a motivation for the Obama administration's inaction getting skimmers out there? I'm certainly wondering why they haven't responded to McCallister's request. Then again, Texas is a pro-capitalist, pro-business, Conservative state, so in the view of the Obama administration, it's a foreign country. Apply the Jones Act to them too. Remember Katrina, and Dems and Statists, and race baiters were saying Bush didn't take any action because he wanted to kill black people? Turnabout fair play. Maybe Obama doesn't take any action because a bunch of white Christian conservative crackers are down there in the South.
The Jones Act, in a state of emergency, can be waived by the Dept of Homeland Security. Has anyone heard a peep out of Napalitano? Hello?
Good grief. Anyone with any sense would have everything that floats down there. Anyone with any sense would have met with the CEO and executives of BP. Obama has yet, coming up on two months, met with these guys. Anyone with any sense would have met with any oil clean up specialists from any country and any company in the world. These kind of accidents have happened before, and there are experienced people that have gotten it fixed quickly and efficiently. Obama has not spoken to one of them.
Obama did say he wants to know who's "ass to kick", and "put a boot on the neck of" and sent lawyers down, and filed law suits. He had a couple Wednesday night parties at the White House, done some fund raisers for Democrat candidates, took a vacation to Chicago (insulting the military by not attending Arlington ceremonies), shut down all drilling (the moratorium could cost Louisiana $2.97 billion in revenue and 7,590 jobs in the oil industry alone),and played several rounds of golf. Dude! This is the real world! This is a mega emergency! Hello?
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