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Below, I have linked to and quoted from two relevant and conflicting news stories that exemplify our society’s insane desire to demand “political correctness” over desired results in a time of crisis. Basically, a leading scientist was appointed to a commission to help solve the Gulf oil leak disaster and then removed from the commission for prior writings that expressed thoughts critical of homosexual activities and questioning the “racism” of diversity efforts on our society. Suppose this guy would actually have the best solution for stopping the oil spill and/or preventing such disasters in the future? Is the sensitivity to the gay community or the offense to a minority group more important than saving the Gulf Coast and the lives of all those affected by this disaster? President Obama is sending his “top” people to oversee the crisis and provide solutions. Imagine how their efforts will be hampered by trying to avoid any speech or action that might be perceived as offensive in the public eye. I hope that whatever solution is proposed to mitigate the situation doesn’t offend someone because of their sexual preferences or racial/religious hyper-sensitivity.
Political correctness in times of crises will be the death of our nation!
Obama to meet spill probe leaders as oil heads north
The spill, which has eclipsed the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster as the biggest in U.S. history, entered its 43rd day as BP Plc prepared a new and untested plan to use a dome to funnel oil gushing from a well a mile beneath the sea to a tanker on the surface.
Obama, criticized by Louisiana officials for being slow to react to the spill, will hold his first meeting with co-chairs of an oil spill commission he established to make policy recommendations about U.S. offshore oil drilling.
The commission will be similar to those that looked into the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986 and the Three Mile Island nuclear accident in 1979.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will meet with federal prosecutors and state attorneys general in New Orleans. It will be Holder’s first trip to survey the damage before what legal experts believe will be a criminal investigation into the disaster.
BP’s stock has lost nearly a quarter of its value since the oil spill started six weeks ago, wiping nearly 29 billion pounds ($42 billion) off BP’s market value, according to Reuters data.
Although Louisiana’s wetlands and fishing grounds have been the worst hit so far by the spill, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said moderate southerly and southwesterly winds this week may start moving oil closer to the Mississippi and Alabama coasts.
“Model results indicate that oil may move north to threaten the barrier islands off Mississippi and Alabama later in the forecast period,” NOAA said in its 48-hour prediction on the expected trajectory of the huge oil slick.
The slick has spread over 100 miles of Louisiana’s fragile coast but Mississippi and Alabama have escaped lightly so far, with only scattered tar balls and oil debris reaching its coasts.
But the NOAA forecast was a sober reminder that oil from the unchecked spill, broken up and carried by winds and ocean currents, could threaten a vast area of the U.S. Gulf Coast, including tourism mecca Florida, as well as Cuba and Mexico.
HURRICANE SEASON
The public anger and frustration over the spill poses a major domestic challenge for Obama, who has been forced to admit publicly that the U.S. government and military do not have the technology to plug the leaking well and must leave this to BP and its private industry partners.
Obama, who made his second visit to the Gulf disaster zone on Friday, is sending three of his top energy and environmental officials back there this week. He is trying to fend off criticism that his administration acted too slowly in its response to the spill.
In Venice, known as “Tuna Town” for its booming fishing business, the spill dampened business over the U.S. Memorial Day holiday when charters are normally in high demand.
“Just since about last Wednesday, we probably lost 150,000 (dollars) that we didn’t take in, you know, fuel, ice, bait,” said Bill Butler, co-owner of Venice Marina.
U.S. government and BP officials warn that the blown-out deepwater well feeding the catastrophic spill may not be shut off until August, when BP expects to finish a relief well.
Scientists estimate the well is leaking 12,000 to 19,000 barrels (504,000 to 798,000 gallons/1.9 million to 3 million liters) of oil per day.
Raising the stakes even higher, Tuesday is the official start of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, which U.S. forecasters say may be the most intense since 2005, when Hurricane Katrina ravaged the region and disrupted offshore oil and gas production.
A hurricane churning through the Gulf could drive more oil ashore and force BP and the U.S. government to suspend cleanup efforts.
After two previous attempts to plug or contain the well failed, BP is preparing a containment cap to place on top of a lower marine riser package, a piece of equipment that sits atop the failed well blowout preventer on the seabed.
BP said it will deploy the system this week, and has a plan to boost the amount of oil and gas the device can capture at the seafloor and funnel to the surface, which might be ready in mid-June.
(Additional reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky and Matt Spetalnick in Washington; Pascal Fletcher in Miami, and Chris Baltimore in Houston; Writing by Chris Baltimore; Editing by Eric Beech)
By JIM SALTER
Associated Press Writer
A St. Louis scientist who was among a select group picked by the Obama administration to pursue a solution to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has been removed from the group because of writings on his website, the U.S. Energy Department confirmed Wednesday.
Washington University physics professor Jonathan Katz was one of five top scientists chosen by the Department of Energy and attended meetings in Houston last week.
Though considered a leading scientist, Katz’s website postings often touch on social issues. Some of those writings have stirred anger in the past and include postings defending homophobia and questioning the value of racial diversity efforts.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu was not aware of Katz’s writings before selecting him for the panel, spokeswoman Stephanie Mueller said. It was not immediately clear how the department became aware of the writings.
“Dr. Chu has spoken with dozens of scientists and engineers as part of his work to help find solutions to stop the oil spill,” a statement from the Energy Department said. “Some of Professor Katz’s controversial writings have become a distraction from the critical work of addressing the oil spill. Professor Katz will no longer be involved in the Department’s efforts.”
Katz did not respond to a phone message and e-mail seeking an interview. The extent of work he performed on the oil spill recovery effort was not immediately known.
In a website posting titled “In Defense of Homophobia,” Katz wrote about the AIDS epidemic.
“The human body was not designed to share hypodermic needles, it was not designed to be promiscuous, and it was not designed to engage in homosexual acts,” he wrote. “Engaging in such behavior is like riding a motorcycle on an icy road without a helmet. It may be possible to get away with it for a while, and a few misguided souls may get a thrill out of doing so, but sooner or later (probably sooner) the consequences will be catastrophic. Lethal diseases spread rapidly among people who do such things.”
In another posting, Katz questioned the value of diversity efforts.
“The diversity movement is racist at its core,” he writes. “When dealing with people we should be concerned with intellect, talent, character and accomplishment. People aren’t dogs or cattle; race matters only to racists.”
A.J. Bockelman, director of PROMO, a St. Louis-bases advocacy group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, applauded the decision to remove Katz.
“It’s disappointing at a time like this that when all Americans need to come together and focus on relief efforts and recovery efforts in the Gulf, someone divisive was placed in a position of power,” Bockelman said.
A spokeswoman for Washington University declined comment. The university said in a statement that its guidelines allow personal pages by students, graduates, faculty or staff members as long as they comply with the law and do not involve copyright infringement, constitute libel or harassment, or contain illegal materials.
