Checking Facts on the Gulf of Mexico Oil Disaster

The April 20 explosion that started oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico has prompted a slew of claims and counterclaims about the disaster. What caused it, how it’s being handled, the history of drilling accidents in the area – all are subjects ripe for false or misleading statements by politicians and others.

We keep track so you don’t have to. Some of the lowlights so far, in no particular order.
* Some Republicans falsely claimed Obama was slowing the cleanup by not waiving the Jones Act, which actually doesn’t apply to the cleanup operations.
* Obama said he issued a six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf. Not quite. Much drilling continues.
* A Republican governor keeps saying the spill is the first big blowout in the Gulf, failing to note a 1979 disaster that continued for 10 months, and numerous smaller blowouts.
* A DNC ad claimed that a GOP lawmaker spoke for his party when he said BP deserves an apology. But that apology had already been rejected by other leading Republicans.
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There are plenty more where those came from. See our “Analysis” section for a roundup of the oil-spill whoppers we’ve encountered.

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A Couple of Cartoons

It speaks for itself:

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Does the Blame Really Matter Right Now?

Dirty Wave Washes Ashore

Crude oil from washes ashore in Orange Beach, Alabama, where swimming is banned

As oil continues to spew into the Gulf of Mexico, I continue to follow coverage informing us that the quantity estimated to have been released has doubled and of the damage it is doing to people whose livelihood is dependent on tourism, fishing or other industries affected by the spill; the devastating impact it is having on the already fragile ecosystem and species found only there; the as yet not fully understood impact on the health of cleanup and containment workers and area residents; and who knows what else.  All of these seem like huge issues that need immediate attention.

And yet the other thing that repeatedly comes to mind is a few lines from the Stephen Sondheim musical Into the Woods.  In one scene the giant’s wife from Jack and the Beanstalk has come down from the clouds looking for her husband’s killer.  She is destroying everything in her path and makes it clear she won’t stop until she has the boy, Jack.  He is in the company of several other fairy tale characters who are protecting him, and they are arguing about who is responsible for the giant coming down and being so angry.  They refuse to give him up, and instead just argue about who is at fault for the giant coming down to begin with.  Finally the witch hushes them all and sings these lines that I keep hearing in my head when the accusations and recriminations start in relation to the disaster in the Gulf.
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