Who's In Charge Here?

Is this tomorrow's scandal today?  The Times front-pages the mystery of just how much oil is leaking from the Gulf well, but includes this:

The immense undersea gusher of oil and gas, seen on live video feed, looks as big as it did last week, or bigger, before the company sliced through the pipe known as a riser to install its new collection device.

At least one expert, Ira Leifer, who is part of a government team charged with estimating the flow rate, is convinced that the operation has made the leak worse, perhaps far worse than the 20 percent increase that government officials warned might occur when the riser was cut.

Dr. Leifer said in an interview on Monday that judging from the video, cutting the pipe might have led to a several-fold increase in the flow rate from the well.

“The well pipe clearly is fluxing way more than it did before,” said Dr. Leifer, a researcher at the University of California, Santa Barbara. “By way more, I don’t mean 20 percent, I mean multiple factors.”

Since the flow rate is not known, "Before" and "After" comparisons are speculative.  So let's speculate!  Is Dr. Leifer delivering the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, or were there government scientists predicting a "way more" increase in the flow even before the pipe was cut?  Were these pessimists over-ruled by a larger, more vocal, or better connected group of scientists arguing the "No worries" viewpoint?  Were they over-ruled by politicos who needed to say they were Doing Something?  Was the decision to cut the riser made by BP, the Coast Guard, the White House, or by whom?  This BP press release says the plan was reviewed by the Coast Guard and the DOE experts, but where did the buck stop? 

At his May 27 press conference, Obama claimed that every major BP step was US Government approved:

But make no mistake: BP is operating at our direction. Every key decision and action they take must be approved by us in advance.

Then make no mistake - the President had pessimistic scientists on his team who thought snipping the riser might dramatically increase the flow rate of the leaking well, or else he got advice from a group of erring optimists (or Dr. Leifer is an Erring and Lonely Pessimist).  If the pessimists were outspoken, presumably they were overruled by other Administration officials or scientists, not BP.

To take a step back, since we don't know the previous flow rate there won't be any real way to know whether or how much it increased.  But I have a strange feeling that neither BP nor the White House really want to know the new, true numbers.  Which would explain Obama's inability to target BP's derriere and get the numbers and equipment needed to find an answer.

BETTING SOMEONE ELSE'S RANCH:  The NY Times Deal Book thinks the unthinkable - a BP bankruptcy.  At current share prices BP has a market cap of roughly $100 billion, so it would take a monumental disaster and judgment to wipe them out (Deal Book throws out $40 billion as the current worst case).  However, the assumption that BP has the same incentives as the US government and the rest of us relies on the possibly flawed assumption that the cost of the disaster will not wipe them out.

For example - suppose (SUPPOSE!) that before snipping the riser and implementing the current capping plan BP did a bit of a study of their alternatives, with these results:

Plan A: Do nothing, wait until the relief wells are finished in August: At the pre-snip leak rate, the resulting damage will exhaust the company's equity, i.e., bankrupt it.

Plan B: Snip the riser, try to cap the well.  If successful, the reduced damage will allow the company to survive and the executive stock options to endure.  If unsuccessful, the flow rate will increase, thereby... what, driving the company into double-bankruptcy?  If they don't have nothing, they have nothing to lose.

It is remotely possible that an increased flow rate didn't worry BP since they may have calculated that they are financially doomed anyway unless they cap the well.  A group with essentially unlimited resources would weigh the expected net cost of successfully capping the well against the expected costs both of failure and of doing nothing before proceeding with a plan to snip the riser.  And BP may have done just that.  But in sufficiently dire circumstances, BP may have very rationally opted for the deep water equivalent of a Hail Mary pass.

I certainly don't know enough to say that is the case (and I would be surprised if it was), but if I were with Team Obama I would want to be very sure that it was not the case.

Comments

[Clarice]

Yipes!! But isn't it who's in charge. Or is this a play on Whose on First?

[rse (JOM's Panhandle correspondent)]

When they thought it a success two nights ago they added that the cap had been placed "under the federal government's supervision".

When I checked last night's update, it no longer said that.

However, the currents have taken back over and are pushing what's out there westward.

The manatees, sea turtles, and schools of rays are more numerous than usual and all headed eastward.

[lyle]

Um...Al Haig?

[hit and run]

Obama is looking for Whose ass to kick - so,naturally,Whose in charge.

[daddy]

An interesting question to Chu over TM.

[Even Palin's cooled on hanging Obama with the 'big oil' tag.]

The ironies abound. I'm amused by Beyond Petroleum goring Obama's ox, I'm stricken by what this may do to offshore drilling and energy independence.
===============

[Pofarmer]

It seems to me, that without the scrutiny and political pressure, they would have simply done the best they could and waited on the relief wells. Surely we aren't suggesting that allowing politics to overcome the normal decision making process has made things worse.

[narciso]

I don't know about that, she's certainly tweeted up a storm on how Obama and Heyward
have not been in contact for 50 days, in a
perfect world, it should be like Iran and Iraq, why can't they both lose, but we don't live in that world, and BP seems to be the
onyl experienced one in this deal, from the LUNed panel, I think they really could have benefited from that Dr. Katz

[Clarice]

Code Pink just kicked Pelosi's ass ..Oh, let's see, whose support is more useful to the party Medea and Hugo's or Hollywood's..Decision 2010.The creaky left wing coalition shows signs of a catastrophic rift.

[Wright Truesdell]

Sorry -
WHO’S/WHOSE
“Who’s” always and forever means only “who is,” as in “Who’s that guy with the droopy mustache?” or “who has,” as in “Who’s been eating my porridge?” “Whose” is the possessive form of “who” and is used as follows: “Whose dirty socks are these on the breakfast table?”

But clearly, no-one is in charge.

[Danube of Thought]

His not having talked with the CEO since this happened is flabbergasting.

At some point somebody's going to do a tick-tock about just who the hell he has been talking to, and when.

[matt]

this isn't a drip, drip, drip of incompetence, it's a gusher....

[Thomas Collins]

Warning! Totally Not Safe For Work! Left on Left (as in Code Pink on Pelosi). See LUN. :-))

[PaulL]

It's nice to think that Ibama could lose left support, but . . . no way. Does anyone think lefties'll vote Republican instead?

[Janet]

droopy mustache, porridge, dirty socks on the breakfast table?...what do these examples tell us about Wright Truesdell? :)

[bgates]

Paul, they don't have to vote Republican to hurt Oilslick Barry. They just have to do what he does: sit on their hands when it's time to act.

[Clarice]

Wright never saw "Whose on First?" with Abbott and Costello.

[Janet]

Maybe too busy raising kids to watch old comedy routines.
droopy mustache - Yosemite Sam (I think Appalled brought up his name recently)
porridge - reading the 3 bears recently
dirty socks on the table - well, that just screams kids.

Either that or Wright is a down on his luck bachelor with an advanced degree in grammar!

[Rob Crawford]

For some reason, the office smells like chocolate cookies. Burning chocolate cookies.

No one seems to be panicking, so I'm going to wait and see what happens.

[Wright Truesdell]

Who's on First? by Abbott and Costello

One of the most famous baseball comedy acts to ever take place was the following humorous exchange between Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. The words alone cannot do it justice, but it is still quite funny to read. The skit was originally done on the radio live (each & every time) until the legendary duo later included it on The Naughty Nineties compilation.

(from Baseball-almanac.com)

[Janet]

LUN Democrats propose further tax hike on offshore oil.

When Dems don't know what else to do they raise taxes....well, pretty much that is what they do ALL the time.

[jvc]

Dateline: March, 2017 It was five years ago this month that the Atlantic Ocean was officially declared dead, a victim of an uncapped oil well that eventually spilled 562 million barrels of crude oil into the open sea. No signs of sea life were detected up to 1000 km from both the American and European coasts after nearly two years of uncontrolled oil spread. U.S. government officials announced last month the formation of their 18th blue-ribbon panel to assess the damage and begin the process of ass-kicking and neck-booting on what is left of a once-thriving oil industry. The hammer will likely fall on BP and its 840 remaining employees, though that is cold comfort to the more then 240,000 fisheries workers who are now entering their 5th year of government subsidized unemployment. For millions of Americans, seafood and Atlantic beaches are just a distant memory.

[Danube of Thought]

Charlie Rangel weighs in:

“I don’t think the administration has the slightest clue. We’re bringing in experts now, in and outside of government, to see whether or not BP will do more. We should have had the answers to that long before we even drilled. Now we’re trying to find the answer after the problem. The potential danger was always there.”

[narciso]

I think he first sentence is the only part we need to consider, you realize he was the largest single recipient of BP funds in the House

[Rob Crawford]

eventually spilled 562 million barrels of crude oil into the open sea

The Atlantic Ocean itself is 77.6 million cubic MILES of water. Each cubic mile is more than 10^12 (that's a one followed by 12 zeroes) GALLONS. In short, that 562 million gallons is not even a drop in the bucket.

More importantly, IT'S FREAKING ORGANIC. It will be eaten by bacteria, broken up by sunlight, and will eventually disappear.

Is it good? No. Will animals die? Yes.

But seafood and Atlantic beaches will not be a "distant memory". Odds are the impact will, at most, be a minor increase in prices. Heck, I bet this place won't even notice.

[matt]

I dunno's on third (or in the Oval Office).

[Rob Crawford]

Charlie Rangel weighs in:

Who cares? Rangel should be in prison.

[peter]

Thomas collins, that video link of left on left reminds me of the fall of Romania. LUN

[PaulV]

Whose on first video LUN

[Janet]

I agree with Rob.
LUN Haley Barbour: Media's Oil Spill Coverage Exaggerating Facts, Harming States' Economies

[bgates]

Further to Rob's point, let's suppose the leak is 20 times the size of the current high-end estimate of 30,000bbl/day, and the leak keeps going for 100 years. That would be a total leak of 2.6 cu kilometers (and a convincing rejection of the peak oil theory).

To visualize that volume of crude in the Atlantic, dump a tablespoon of motor oil in an Olympic pool. That's what the leak would look like if it continued for 100 years (and it won't) and it was gushing much faster than anybody thinks (and it probably isn't) and none of it degraded (though it will).

[narciso]

Well we want the spill capped off for many reasons, ecological, economical, for the simple reason that's an awful waste of oil, our concern is very little seems to directed
to that goal.

[Perspective changes everything.]

James Delingpole has a nice article about the way the Greens are lapping up this catastrophe and includes an insight from one of his commenters; the sinking of tankers during WWII released more oil daily than this spill, and the spilling went on for four years.
=====================

[narciso]

"Fire in the whole" in the LUN

[Rob Crawford]

Oh, there are plenty of reasons to want the well capped. The lost oil is a huge waste. The dead animals are a huge waste.

But it's not the end of the world. It's not even the beginning of the end of the world. It's a bad thing, but as bad things go, well, there are bigger bad things.

MOSTLY I'm sick of the Age of the Drama Queen. An oil spill that MIGHT rate #3 ever is not the end of life in the Atlantic. The enforcement of US immigration laws is not the reinstatement of the Nuremberg Laws. Industrial civilization is not going to turn the Earth into another Venus.

Get a grip, people. Grow up, get a sense of perspective.

[Rob Crawford]

I do wonder -- what about spreading emulsifiers on the oil? Would we get a great big blob of crude oil mayo?

[BobDenver]

Not too late to set it afire. Imagine the great photos!

[bunkerbuster]

Easy to see why teabag conservatives are made so unhappy by news reporting and require daily re-edification via unopposed commentary a la talkradio blather, Fox News blowharding and WSJ opinion-page screed.
It's because events on the ground, ie hard news, are always one-step ahead of the poor teabaggers' rhetoric. Just when they decide that styling themselves as Constitutional purists, along comes the Arizona anti-Mexican law to make them admit that, well, its find to bend and push on the Constitution if it's brown-skinned people you're trying to suppress.
Just when Big Government is the bete noir, along comes a massive environmental crisis that demands, without exception, swift, sure action from Big Government. The reaction teabaggers can come up with is to attack the government for not reacting in a big enough way. Hilarious...
And then there's all those "Drill Baby, Drill'' T-shirts and bumper stickers. Maybe some enterprising liberal activist will buy them up at at pennies on the dollar...lol
Where would teabag conservatives be without a ubiquitous commentariat to spin events for them?

[Rob Crawford]

along comes the Arizona anti-Mexican law

See? Age of the Drama Queen.

I bet the 'tard thinks he's being witty, too.

[NK]

Hey TM--

Disagree. I don't think BP is behaving that way. What may be going on BP is setting up their defense to punitive damages. How could BP have been wreckless when as fearless Leader said back on 5/27, your government is in control?! When the lawsuits come, BP will still be in Bid'ness, and when BP files its motions to dismiss punitive damages, what is Your Government gonna say? Maybe that works for BP, maybe it doesn't, if it doesn't, then bankruptcy becomes a real option -- the Code may bar Chap 11 from covering environmental damages, bankruptcy Code experts will have to help with that one-- or maybe BP's Board are just fans of irony and they want to see the Obamaniacs deal with this legal pickle. We shall see.

[bunkerbuster]

Drama? you want drama? Check the comments on this blog for daily hyperventilations about Obama single-handedly "destroying" America.

[BobS]

Good to see that college kid turfsters haven't forgotten about us. It seems the only smart thing that the administration has done is to send a retired admiral down to be the front man. Still, there is no leadership coming from the president. The members of his cabinat have not been helpful. Lisa Jackson and Ken Salazar have been good at hysterics, but their departments have hindered efforts.

[Rob Crawford]

Still, there is no leadership coming from the president.

There are entirely too many people who think "leadership" means calling a meeting.

[matt]

CNN had some of the rig workers on Cooper today. A number of them are now suing BP, Transocean, Halliburton, and anyone else they can think of.They had their lawyer present, from the report I read. So now we'll surely get to the truth.

[bunkerbuster]

``too many people who think "leadership" means calling a meeting.''
And a wingnut whine festival that can't identify, even vaguely, what it is they expect from the Big Government they're demanding, right after they were demanding Small Government...

[RebeccaH]

According to tonight's newscasts, BP is claiming that they are capturing significantly more of the oil that previously. Evidently they mean it to reassure people, but to me it says that the well is gushing considerably more.

[BobS]

Narisco....I'll bet I just lost several of my New York lib friends on Facebook after I shared that. The only thing that Democrats have left is name calling. Republicans are going to be able run as "Not Obama". What makes it worse for them is that unlike George Bush, Obama actually HAS a devastating record to run on and not just some mantra. Sadly Obama and the Democrats can still do alot of damage over the next two and a half years.

[Gmax]

Naww that aint it. We learned the rules quite well. Natural disaster hits, blame the President. If the President says anything at all, twist it and use it as a club to bash him with it. "Heckuva job Brownie" becomes " Have you plugged the damn hole yet?"

But why do I have the sneaking suspicion that we would be doing no worse if it were Malia in charge?

[narciso]

Hey BobS, Admiral Allen is the only one that gives any degree of confidence in this crew,
I don't know if it's simple incompetence or studied malice, probably a little of both,
that is driving this operation

[Gmax]

But bunkie the ass to be kicked follows Zero everywhere he goes. Seems like the American people have the distinct impression that Zero could not find it with both hands, a flashlight and a global positioning device!

[Jeff McCabe]

"along comes the Arizona anti-Mexican law to make them admit that, well, its find to bend and push on the Constitution if it's brown-skinned people you're trying to suppress. "

Who do you know is saying that? Better yet, how is this bending or pushing on the constitution? (I assume you are trying to say the law is unconstitutional? How so?)

[BobS]

It's actually kind of sad that an entire political party can be brought down by it's collective insanity. First, it nominates an ideologue and passes him off as a moderate to the nation. Second,they failed to take into account his lack of experience. Third, it turns out the party mislead an entire nation about it's candidate and their party's true agenda. Fourth - and likely not to be last - they've continued to justify their disaster by still blaming the last administratio.

[Danube of Thought]

BP is looking at huge civil damages no matter what.

Just heard Obama explaining why he hasn't spoken to the BP CEO. Something like "I know when you talk to a guy like that [like what?] he's gonna say all the right words. I'm not interested in words, only in action." I could detect no irony in his voice.

[Clarice]

OT

In his confession, Joran said he killed the girl because she was looking up stuff about him on his computer. His computer was on him when he was arrested. Let's hope that like most serial killers he's kept a record and the Holloways may finally find out what happened to their daughter and if he committed more murders, the families of those girls will put their searches to rest.

[Jane says obamasucks]

In 50 days Ear leader has gone from cool to toast. Stick a fork in him - he's not coming back -

unless ...

We take the house or the senate, force him into moderation and the people suddenly ignore the incompetence.

All I want in November is the party of "NO"to stay the party of "no".

[matt]

my thoughts on good fences and good neighbors. We can add Mexican Presidente Calderon to the assclown club. LUN.

As to Joran van der Sloot, I think they may find more victims. If they are calling him a serial killer that would normally tend to mean more than two.

[Danube of Thought]

Ah yes. Remembering Helen:

As other media outlets have given Helen Thomas the kid glove treatment in light of her "trailblazing" career, media consumers may be forgiven for assuming that Helen Thomas's anti-Israel, arguably anti-Semitic comments were an aberration in an otherwise unblemished career of assertive but fair journalism.

To his credit, Washington Post's media reporter Howard Kurtz made note of other incidents, such as the time Thomas blamed Israel for inspiring "99 percent" of terrorism and the time in 2002 when she exclaimed "Thank God for Hezbollah," the Iran-backed terror group that murdered 241 U.S. servicement in 1983 and has plagued Israel for decades.

[Danube of Thought]

Just voted. Low turnout statewide. No need to show ID; all you have to do is sign your name.

[narciso]

OT, Weaselly Wiegel is using that bogus ABC poll, and Ponnuru is agreeing in part to
try to argue that the Tea Party has lost steam

[Pagar]

Gateway Pundit says the entire spill problem solution is setting (has been setting) in this company's warehouse and no one is even asking for It.

If this is true, someone really needs to get fired.

[Jane says obamasucks]

I just read about the tea party losing steam too narciso - and they say especially among young people.

I don't buy it. If we lose steam it will because our gains have made people more comfortable, but at this point I'm not buying that either.

[Clarice]

Luckily , neither of those guys is a biggie to the tea partiers.

[Clarice]

I'm excited--both my kids are voting on the Ca Republican ticket. Couldn't believe it of my DIL

[Stephanie knows of a butt that could plug the damn hole]

My experience (though, granted, I got the message loud and clear during the campaign that my executive experience managing the fastest growing community in the state, and then running the largest state in the union, was nothing compared to the experiences of a community organizer) showed me how government officials and oil execs could scratch each others’ backs to the detriment of the public, and it made me ill. I ran for Governor to fight such practices. So, as a former chief executive, I humbly offer this advice to the President: you must verify. That means you must meet with Hayward. Demand answers.

In the interview today, the President said: “I don’t sit around just talking to experts because this is a college seminar. We talk to these folks because they potentially have the best answers, so I know whose ass to kick.”

Please, sir, for the sake of the Gulf residents, reach out to experts who have experience holding oil companies accountable. I suggested a few weeks ago that you start with Alaska’s Department of Natural Resources, led by Commissioner Tom Irwin. Having worked with Tom and his DNR and AGIA team led by Marty Rutherford, I can vouch for their integrity and expertise in dealing with Big Oil and overseeing its developments. We’ve all lived and worked through the Exxon-Valdez spill. They can help you. Give them a call. Or, what the heck, give me a call.

Verify... hmmm... where have we heard that before?

LUN

[Sue]

LOL. Sarah spanked him http://www.facebook.com/sarahpalin?v=app_2347471856&ref=ts>again

They can help you. Give them a call. Or, what the heck, give me a call.

[Bill in AZ sez it's time for Zero to resign]

"LOL. Sarah spanked him again"

more like kicked his ass

[Stephanie knows of a butt that could plug the damn hole]

Did she or didn't she? More pictures can be posted, if needed, for further analysis.

LUN

[Clarice]

I don't think she did..She's just wearing a very thin t-shirt.

[Susanne wants to kick obamas ass]

I don't think so either...the yoke and the gathers are going to emphasize those attributes, as is the thin t-shirt.
But, even if she did - she looks like a woman who could kick some ass.

[Extraneus]

I could detect no irony in his voice.

But can you just imagine all the withering during the determination of whose ass to kick?

[Stephanie knows of a butt that could plug the damn hole]

I don't either. In the two sports pics she's probably in a sports bra and those tend to uh... smash em in place to reduce bounce; whereas, a nice properly fitted bra from Intimacy will accentuate the positive.

I saw the story and wanted to post some pics of an attractive woman who should be in the white house as opposed to the usual Moochelle frights, that I find.. good Karma v bad Karma offsets as it were.

[Ann]

Another Party Extravaganza at the White House tonight:

Mr. Kick Ass can't even handle BO!

[Palin's gonna clean his clock. Sign up Bolton, quick.]

Well, I like that dress, Ann.
===============

[Jane says obamasucks]

Congrats Clarice - you have done well!

[BobS]

Clarice: I saw your comment about Code Pink. When doing some posts on undocumented students, I discovered that Code Pink's primary blogger also manages a site that supports the activities of undocumented students. She also posts at other sites on immigrant affairs. It reminded me of the links between all leftist groups that Andy McCarthy has been writing about.

Nikki Haley's blowing out the competition in SC and now has 47%. Gonna have to go to the run-off. Closest opponet has 23%.

Steven Strasberg struck out 14 in his debut. wow.

[Janet]

I haven't seen Jim Ryan around...wondering how he thinks Hurt(R) will do against Perriello(D) in VA 5th district in Nov.? Perriello has some $$$

I voted today to decide the Republican challenger for Moran...We will need a miracle no matter who wins the (R) nomination. Scandal won't be enough...Moran is already a corrupt, drunkard, fist fighter, antisemitic, cussin SOB...

[Clarice]

Code Pink is a commie outfit working for Chavez and Cuban puppet masters.

I think few things outrage taxpayers more than free or in-state tuition for undocumented students.

[Sue]

Good grief, the people over at Wonkette's are nuts. And crazy to boot. Who cares if she had breast implants? She. Is. Not. Wearing. The. Horrible. Outfits. Worn. By. FLOTUS.

[BobS]

I'm just amazed that there are countless organizations that award scholarships without SSNs. And how-to's on getting a driver's licence?? This particular blogger sports one of those California seperatists flags on her Facebook.

Haley's got a chance to get 50%. Only 11 of 46 counties have reported.

[Pagar]

Haley needs to get that 50%. We need to get the ugly out of the headlines in SC.

[Janet]

Steven Strasberg struck out 14 in his debut. wow.

My daughter wrangled tickets to the game through a friend that is disabled & gets priority tickets to sporting events. He took a whole pack of friends. My little Imelda Marcos shoe addict has figured out the new rules in America...if you are not one of the chosen victims...then be sure and have friends that are.

[BobS]

Here's the link to SC for all you other junkies.

[Janet]

in-state tuition for undocumented students.

Yeah, Naomi got into U.of TX & wanted to go but we couldn't swing out of state tuition. TX is one of the states that offers in state tuition to illegals. We thought about dropping her off in Mexico and having her swim the Rio Grande but decided against it.

[narciso]

She's one third of a percent short of 50, which 16/46 precints reporting, that's .33
for those in NY State

[Soylent Obamacare]

But, even if she did - she looks like a woman who could kick some ass.

Fake, real...who cares? What I want to know is when Sarahcuda is going to start giving out motorboats.

[BobS]

she just went over 50

[Clarice]

wouldn't Haley's winning over 50 be wonderful! C'mn , girl!!

[Danube of Thought]

Dorothy Rabinowitz absolutely nails this clown, and I mean she nails him.

[hit and run]

I think TM shoulda stuck with Whose.

Obama went in search of Whose ass to kick,and when he found Whose,Whose kicked Obama's ass.

Whose,In Charge Here.

[BobS]

Clarice: I thinks she's got it. Usually when someone gets to 50, they dont come back.

[narciso]

She's back short of 50, but the other candidates are down by at least 20 points

[bunkerbuster]

Jeff McCabes asks "How" Arizona's anti-Mexican law is unconstitutional.
Karl Manheim of Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and Erwin Chemerinsky of UC Irvine Law say the Arizona law is unconstitutional and ``dead on arrival.''
It appears to be “facially unconstitutional,” Manheim said. “States have no power to pass immigration laws because it’s an attribute of foreign affairs. Just as states can’t have their own foreign policies or enter into treaties, they can’t have their own immigration laws either.” States have long attempted to regulate immigration and in some instances the federal government successfully challenged state laws in court, including in the 1800s, Manheim said. In 1994, for example, California voters passed a law designed to deny social services to undocumented aliens. The law was challenged by private litigants and struck down by a federal court.
A lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Arizona's new immigration law SB1070 has been filed today in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona. The Complaint alleges violations of
• the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment,
• the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment,
• the speech clause of the First Amendment,
• the Fifth Amendment,
• the Fourth Amendment,
• and of preemption (see our analysis here) and unauthorized or supervised federal immigration conduct.
The plaintiff, Martin Escobar, alleges he is "Hispanic" and "is employed as a permanent Police Officer with the City of Tucson for the Tucson Police Department."
Details here: http://tinyurl.com/2vkfxfh

[bunkerbuster]

Dorothy Rabinowitz: ``He is the alien in the White House, a matter having nothing to do with delusions about his birthplace cherished by the demented fringe.''

Demented fringe delusions! nailed, indeed.

[Clarice]

Well, if Erwin Chemerinsky says so ! LOL

He was laughed out of Court on the Solomon Amendment case and the Plame/Wilson lawsuit.In fact, I cannot thin of a case where Erwin hitched up his loincloth to do battle that he didn't end up in the ditch.

[BobS]

I wonder if Reuters gives two-day seminars on photoshop and cut-and-paste.

[narciso]

Yes, I was going to bring that up, Clarice,

[BobS]

I think that Haley will get to 50 Narisco. Her home county-Lexington has not reported yet.

[Janet]

Or like Captain Hate said,"It must be 'use the internet' day at the halfway house.".
LOL!

[His allegiance is not to this country.]

Heh, bb. Dorothy's bit about 'alien' is just exactly one of the reasons the whole 'birther' thing has legs. He is just exactly the sort of person the founders worried about when they came up with 'natural born' American.

And it ain't the birthplace, it's the cover-up.
========================

[Clarice]

**thinK of a case****