The BP oil spill catastrophe did not have to be this bad. It’s one thing to gush millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. It’s quite another to disrupt the lives of millions of Americans – needlessly.

Obama Gaffe

Merriam Webster’s Dictionary defines gaffe as a social or diplomatic blunder. At freedictionary.com, gaffe is defined as a clumsy social error.

Many news organizations and web sites have concentrated on gaffes made by BP such as lying about the amount of oil blasting into the gulf or BP CEO Tony Hayward wanting his life back, etc. You’ve read and seen many such faux pas. (Note to students: the spelling of faux pas does not change between singular and plural usage but the pronunciation does. "Fo Pa" is singular; "Fo Pas" is plural. Synonyms would be blunder, foul-up or whatever slang you choose to describe it.)

The Obama Administration made the supreme gaffe, and it could very well change the outcome of the 2010 elections if something is not done fast. It may be too late, already. (continued below)

Compare the photo at left to the one above. This is what Americans want…and expect. We want a clean beach, not a closed sign. You see, the Washington elite have no idea about what Main Street Americans do when planning a vacation.

We’re not rich. We don’t have the luxury of taking off on a moment’s whim. We, the small people, work for a living and must plan our vacations precisely. A friend of mine must put his name on the vacation list each October for the following year. That requires advance planning. Do you have any idea what it’s like to plan a Florida beach vacation nine or ten months in advance, cut discretionary spending to save for that vacation, and show up to see a Beach Closed sign?

Vacations mean something to us "small people" who have been working with little or no increases in our salaries because the inflation rate is good, if you don’t count gasoline and groceries. That’s exactly what we spend a great deal of our money on – gasoline and groceries. We’re not paid enough to have brokerage accounts so we invest what we can in 401K plans; and that went to hell-in-a-handbasket in 2008. Many of us have seen our retirement goals delayed or destroyed. At least we can take a few days away from it all and take a nice vacation. Oh, wait!!!

The biggest gaffe, Mr. President, occurred when our beaches were not protected at all costs. Yes, hotels and restaurants on the Gulf Coast have been affected. Fishermen have been affected. Many have lost, are losing or will lose income. Yes, BP has pledged to help these people out by helping them recover lost income. But, Mr. President, you cannot help us "other" Americans recover a lost vacation.

Uncle Brice Supporters

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Home Business Opportunities is a site that has never been more in demand. You can find legitimate ways to earn money from home as well as a lot of information about Internet marketing, writing, building traffic for your website, and more.

The owners of Online Little Rock have a mission in life to teach everyone about brain injury. They have two websites that have hundreds of pages of information, including visitor-submitted Brain Injury Stories. The sites are Brain Injury Online and Brain Injury Guide.

Beth’s Brain Injury Blog is a favorite in the brain injury community. She writes about the good, the bad and the ugly of brain injury and how you must maintain a sense of humor to live successfully whether you are the victim or a caregiver.

The Louisiana wetlands of Plaquemines Parrish are dying as a result of suspected malfeasance at the Deep Water Horizon oil platform that has caused what might go down in history as the worst ecological disaster.

Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser is the voice of American frustration. On Wednesday, his voice was one of several as James Carville and Mary Matalin toured the area in an airboat. Nungesser said, "The same oil that’s been out there two weeks ago is still out there, and nothing is being done. The marsh is dying. It’s dead."

Nungesser is clinging to hope that President Barack Obama’s visit to the region on May 28 (tomorrow) will result in much needed changes. He said he wants the President to support plans wanted by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal for the Environmental Protection Agency to issue dredging permits so that a berm can be constructed to protect the state’s threatened marshlands.

Anderson Cooper’s coverage of the Louisiana wetlands that aired Wednesday night should be a wake up call to America and to Congress, in particular. It’s time to quit squawking about the spill itself and get on with the clean up. British Petroleum is dragging its feet on providing sufficient resources, and its time for the President to read them the riot act. (continued below)

What Needs to Happen

Billy Nungesser and Bobby Jindall need to be given authority to hire whoever is necessary to do whatever is necessary to protect the wetlands from further damage and also to begin an earnest effort to clean what can be cleaned.

British Petroleum is responsible to pay for everything, so turn Nungesser and Jindall loose. For the time being, forget environmental studies. Those Louisiana guys don’t need anyone telling them how to clean their backyard. Just get out of their way, and let them get it done.

Republicans Need to Step Up

Republicans need to stop blocking legislation that would force British Petroleum to pay for everything – regardless of how much it costs. They need to realize this is one of America’s great resources and, for just a few moments, climb out of Big Business’s bed and do what’s right for the American people.

Voters Need to Pay Attention

This is serious stuff. It’s time to REALLY take names and kick a few butts. Any member of Congress who stands in the way of resolving this issue and who causes a delay of one minute more than what has already happened needs to be voted out of office, no matter what!

I don’t care if your Congressman or Senator stops by to wash your car and mow your yard, if the dude or dudette stands in the way of making the Gulf Coast whole again, and as quickly as humanly possible, bring ‘em home. Period.

James Carville told Anderson Cooper of CNN that he hoped President Obama would look BP in the eye and say, "I’m yore daddy," right before he tells them what will be done. Well, it is our responsibility as American citizens to look at our politicians and follow Carville’s advice.

All together now, "Who’s your daddy?" "I’m yore daddy, and this is what I expect you to do."

Uncle Brice Supporters

Say Hey to the Good Folks that make this blog possible:

Online Little Rock.com is where Uncle Brice got his start. There’s a ton of information on this site about Arkansas, Little Rock, dining, dancing, shopping (and shopping online). It’s also a high-trafficked Civil War information site. You can even find out stuff about all the colleges and universities of Arkansas.

Home Business Opportunities is a site that has never been more in demand. You can find legitimate ways to earn money from home as well as a lot of information about Internet marketing, writing, building traffic for your website, and more.

The owners of Online Little Rock have a mission in life to teach everyone about brain injury. They have two websites that have hundreds of pages of information, including visitor-submitted Brain Injury Stories. The sites are Brain Injury Online and Brain Injury Guide.

Beth’s Brain Injury Blog is a favorite in the brain injury community. She writes about the good, the bad and the ugly of brain injury and how you must maintain a sense of humor to live successfully whether you are the victim or a caregiver.