Once we worship at the feet of the Golden Idol Greed, all else is swept aside. Greed will conquer all. Greed has become our world's dominant religion. in America, greed. is the very backbone of our great power. Not only does Greed drive us to expand and conquer, but it builds its own massive defense system. .
Greed does not simply over power other religions and cultures. Greed cleverly infiltrates them, twisting them and corrupting them until they are absorbed into Greed.
So of course those who worship at Greed's Golden Alters will believe that Greed can buy their way out of anything. They just find their opponents price, pay it and from then on Greed has them in its pocket.
Now if we might turn to page 106 and sing, "A Mighty Fortress is Our Greed".
And we'll close with, "Just a Closer Walk with Greed."
Curious Carl
***********
BP And Halliburton Try To Buy Off Government Officials Investigating Spill
by Alex Seitz-Wald
AlterNet, June 3, 2010
http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/06/03/bp-and-halliburton-try-to-buy-off-government-officials-investigating-spill/
This post originally appeared on Think Progress.
Facing possible jail time for their roles in the largest oil spill in
American history, BP and Halliburton are building high-powered legal teams
with "deep Department of Justice and White House ties." But the companies
are pursuing other means to defend themselves as well.
Halliburton's campaign donations have spiked as it tries to curry favor with
key members of Congress investigating the disaster. The company donated
$17,000 in May, making it "the busiest donation month for Halliburton's PAC
since September 2008," Politico reports. Thirteen of the 14 contributions
from May went to Republicans, while seven went to members of Congress who
are "on committees with oversight of the oil spill and its aftermath":
block quote About one week before executive Timothy Probert appeared before
the House Energy and Commerce's investigative subcommittee, Halliburton
donated $1,500 to Ranking Republican Joe Barton's reelection effort. It was
Halliburton's second-largest donation of the month -- topped only by $2,500
to former Rep. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), who is running for the Senate.
In the Senate, Idaho Republican Mike Crapo, who serves on the Environment
and Public Works Committee, Georgia Republican Johnny Isakson, who serves on
the Commerce Committee and North Carolina Republican Richard Burr (N.C.),
who serves on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, all got $1,000.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) also got $1,000.
block quote end
Meanwhile, a Hill analysis found that primarily during the Bush
administration, BP and other oil companies " paid for dozens of trips and
meals for officials " from the Department of Interior, the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), and the Department of Homeland Security -- agencies
deeply involved in the regulation of oil exploration and spill cleanup. BP
had the "highest tab for gifts to government officials" of all oil and gas
companies:
block quote BP and its affiliates -- BP America and BP Exploration -- show
up in the gift reports at least 16 different times, paying for meals as well
as for oil and gas industry seminars and tours of oil facilities. The cost
of the gifts totaled more than $7,200.
block quote end
Only two industry-funded trips took place during the first nine months of
President Obama's administration. In 2004, BP paid for a group of Interior
officials to visit an offshore rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The group
included then-deputy secretary J. Steven Griles, who later went to prison
for his role in the Jack Abramoff scandal. In 2005, BP paid for travel and
meals for then-Interior Secretary Gale Norton and then-Minerals Management
Service (MMS) Director Johnnie Burton to attend the dedication ceremony of
another offshore rig in the Gulf. BP also paid for officials from the EPA
and the Fish and Wildlife Service to visit Prudhoe Bay, Alaska over a period
of several years. A recent Interior Inspector General report covering 2005
to 2007 found a " culture of lax oversight and cozy ties to industry."
Since January of 2008, BP lobbyists have spent $30 million to influence
legislation, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Some coastal governors have benefited from BP as well. BP and other oil
companies gave Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) $1.8 million dollars for
his campaign, and since the spill, he's been aggressively downplaying the
disaster and encouraging people to visit his state's oily beaches. Virginia
Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) traveled to a BP-funded conference in Houston last
month "to lobby aggressively to drill for oil and natural gas without
delay." Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) dismissed potential BP
negligence by calling the spill an " act of God " at a trade association
conference funded by BP in May.
_______________________________________________
Blind-Democracy mailing list
Blind-Democracy@octothorp.org
http://www.octothorp.org/mailman/listinfo/blind-democracy
by Alex Seitz-Wald
AlterNet, June 3, 2010
http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/06/03/bp-and-halliburton-try-to-buy-off-government-officials-investigating-spill/
This post originally appeared on Think Progress.
Facing possible jail time for their roles in the largest oil spill in
American history, BP and Halliburton are building high-powered legal teams
with "deep Department of Justice and White House ties." But the companies
are pursuing other means to defend themselves as well.
Halliburton's campaign donations have spiked as it tries to curry favor with
key members of Congress investigating the disaster. The company donated
$17,000 in May, making it "the busiest donation month for Halliburton's PAC
since September 2008," Politico reports. Thirteen of the 14 contributions
from May went to Republicans, while seven went to members of Congress who
are "on committees with oversight of the oil spill and its aftermath":
block quote About one week before executive Timothy Probert appeared before
the House Energy and Commerce's investigative subcommittee, Halliburton
donated $1,500 to Ranking Republican Joe Barton's reelection effort. It was
Halliburton's second-largest donation of the month -- topped only by $2,500
to former Rep. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), who is running for the Senate.
In the Senate, Idaho Republican Mike Crapo, who serves on the Environment
and Public Works Committee, Georgia Republican Johnny Isakson, who serves on
the Commerce Committee and North Carolina Republican Richard Burr (N.C.),
who serves on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, all got $1,000.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) also got $1,000.
block quote end
Meanwhile, a Hill analysis found that primarily during the Bush
administration, BP and other oil companies " paid for dozens of trips and
meals for officials " from the Department of Interior, the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), and the Department of Homeland Security -- agencies
deeply involved in the regulation of oil exploration and spill cleanup. BP
had the "highest tab for gifts to government officials" of all oil and gas
companies:
block quote BP and its affiliates -- BP America and BP Exploration -- show
up in the gift reports at least 16 different times, paying for meals as well
as for oil and gas industry seminars and tours of oil facilities. The cost
of the gifts totaled more than $7,200.
block quote end
Only two industry-funded trips took place during the first nine months of
President Obama's administration. In 2004, BP paid for a group of Interior
officials to visit an offshore rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The group
included then-deputy secretary J. Steven Griles, who later went to prison
for his role in the Jack Abramoff scandal. In 2005, BP paid for travel and
meals for then-Interior Secretary Gale Norton and then-Minerals Management
Service (MMS) Director Johnnie Burton to attend the dedication ceremony of
another offshore rig in the Gulf. BP also paid for officials from the EPA
and the Fish and Wildlife Service to visit Prudhoe Bay, Alaska over a period
of several years. A recent Interior Inspector General report covering 2005
to 2007 found a " culture of lax oversight and cozy ties to industry."
Since January of 2008, BP lobbyists have spent $30 million to influence
legislation, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Some coastal governors have benefited from BP as well. BP and other oil
companies gave Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) $1.8 million dollars for
his campaign, and since the spill, he's been aggressively downplaying the
disaster and encouraging people to visit his state's oily beaches. Virginia
Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) traveled to a BP-funded conference in Houston last
month "to lobby aggressively to drill for oil and natural gas without
delay." Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) dismissed potential BP
negligence by calling the spill an " act of God " at a trade association
conference funded by BP in May.
_______________________________________________
Blind-Democracy mailing list
Blind-Democracy@octothorp.org
http://www.octothorp.org/mailman/listinfo/blind-democracy
check out my blog
www.curiouscarlscorner.blogspot.com
www.curiouscarlscorner.blogspot.com
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