GOP Congressman Chastises Park Ranger in DC "The Park Service Should Be Ashamed of Themselves", the Latest Act of Lunacy

While accompanying a group of veterans to the World War II memorial in DC, knowing that it was closed due to the government shutdown, Congressman Randy Neugebauer (R-TX) chastised a park ranger for doing a job that she was forced to do because of him and his party.  In front of a large crowd, many of whom were yelling at him for his part in the shutdown, demanded that the female park ranger apologize to him and the vets for refusing them access to the memorial.  The park ranger stood her ground; she responds with a simple "I am not ashamed." 

Watch the video captured by NBC Washington and read the original report by Gawker here:

This is the most recent example of hypocrisy coming out of Washington this week.  Since the shutdown, a number of republicans have gone on record stating that those that have been furloughed - such as a number of park rangers, employees of the Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, and Fish and Wildlife Service - and the closure of all national parks are simply "non-essential" employees and "non-essential" agencies and departments of our government.  Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) stated that the term shutdown is inaccurate and opted to instead label the current debacle a, "temporary partial suspension of non-essential government functions." Ironic, to say the least, considering these "non-essential functions" maintain and run 13 national parks in his home state and provide a number of jobs for Texans. They certain seem anything but "non-essential."

Yet it is these same government entities that Republican members of congress rely on in times of crisis.  The National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have had to furlough a large portion of employees as Tropical Storm Karen hones in on the Gulf Coast.  FEMA is already beginning to recall some of its furloughed employees to prepare for the storm, which may cause intense flooding and damage in areas of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and the Florida Panhandle.  But let's not forget, these are all "non-essential government functions," right Senator Cruz? 

The events taking place on are disturbing, to say the least.  Those responsible for the shutdown are simply turning their backs on people that have voted for them, that are government employees, and that rely on the government for everyday services.  Congressman Neugebauer's remark to the park ranger at the WWII memorial epitomizes the lunacy taking place.  It is sad, but as President Obama has said time and time again, this shutdown did not have to happen.  Our national parks did not have to close.  A park ranger did not have to be publicly ridiculed by one of this nation's leaders for doing her job, a job that he and his colleagues forced her to do.  Our national security, which is currently threatened by tropical storms, drought and flooding, has no line of defense.  We are vulnerable in many aspects.  Some of those that voted for this shutdown are now attempting to play the blame game by pointing their finger at someone else, just as Congressman Neugebauer did. The dysfunction of the U.S. political system has gotten to the point where it has become embarrassing on an international level.  The U.S. has become a nation that closes the gates of war memorials on veterans of those wars, prohibits American's from enjoying and exploring nature, and most importantly, sends the employees that help maintain our nation, while our "leaders" cannot, home.  Welcome to the United States, the Land of Hypocrisy.  

865,200 Gallons of Fracked Oil Spilled onto North Dakota Farm in Pipeline Leak

The latest environmental disaster in the United States has taken place in North Dakota.  On September 29, a wheat farmer near Tioga discovered the spill while harvesting his crops.  The spill was traced to a nearby pipeline owned and operated by Tesoro Corp., an oil company based out of San Antonio, TX.  The 20-year old pipeline had a quarter-inch size hole in it.  It has been reported that over 20,600 barrels – or 865,200 gallons – of oil were spilled.  The spill is spread across 7.3 acres, nearly seven football fields. 

State environmental geologist Kris Roberts claims that the spill is fully contained and that none of the spilt oil has contaminated any underground or surface water.  Of the more than 20,000 barrels, only 1,285 have been recovered.  Roberts also noted that there is a 40-foot thick layer of natural clay underneath of the spill site that is prohibiting the oil from contaminating underground water. 

Tesoro has issued a statement for the spill and claim full responsibility.  They have estimated that the spill will cost them $4 million to clean up.  While they are investigating the cause of the hole in the pipeline, Tesoro claims, “There have been no injuries or known impacts to water, wildlife or the surrounding environment as a result of this incident.”  CEO Greg Goff stated, “Protection and care of the environment are fundamental to our core values, and we deeply regret any impact to the landowner…We will continue to work tirelessly to fully remediate the release area.” 

This spill is almost three or four times the size of the April 2013 Pegasus pipeline (owned by ExxonMobil) leak that spilled 5,000-7,000 barrels of tar sands oil into a residential Arkansas neighborhood. 

In July 2010, an Enbridge Energy pipeline ruptured in Michigan spilling anywhere from 877,000-1,000,000 gallons of diluted bitumen (tar sands oil) into the Talmadge Creek, eventually flowing into the Kalamazoo River.  The spill resulted in oil impacting over 25 miles of shoreline.  Unfortunately, thousands of gallons of oil sank in the water column and was not removed.  In March 2013, the EPA ordered Enbridge to return to the river to continue the clean-up process.  To date, it is the largest on-land oil spill in U.S. history. 
There has also been another disturbing development stemming from the state government.  State officials waited 11 days to inform the public of the spill, claiming that they originally thought the spill was smaller than it actually was.  That could certainly be a justifiable delay by the state, however many argue the state not informing the public has become business as usual for many issues.  Don Morrison, executive director of the Dakota Resource Council, believes that "There is a pattern in the current state government to not involve the public."  Kris Roberts stated that the state is not required to inform the public of any oil spills, a trait all too common in the nation's oil producing states.  North Dakota is the number two oil produce behind Texas.
The public were not the only ones left in the dark.  Brian Kalk, chairman of the North Dakota Public Services Commission - a state organization that has been regularly updated on a spill of any size, claims that the commission found out about the spill when the public did--11 days after.  Kalk says, "I'm upset that we didn't find out until yesterday." 

These spills have become a common occurrence.  These are only three of a number of oil spills that have occurred within the last few years.  It must be noted that Tesoro’s statement that there has been “no known impacts to…the surrounding environment” is simply not true.  There is still over 860,000 gallons of oil in a farmer’s wheat field, and although the state claims that everything is contained, there is reason to believe that this oil is beginning to seep into the soil.  The owner of the wheat field says that his crop had "disintegrated, you wouldn't have known it was wheat," and went on to say that he would not be able to plant crops on the land for the next few years.  In addition, in the early stages of the clean-up process, workers were the burning crude oil on the surface releasing high-amounts of toxic pollutants into the local air and atmosphere. This alone discredits Tesoro's deluded statement. 

North Dakota has been a vocal supporter of the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline.  State and federal senators and congressional representatives have vigorously lobbied the Obama administration to approve the pipeline.  If anything, the increasing incidences of pipeline oil spills should make everyone even more skeptical of the Keystone XL pipeline.  This spill certainly does not help the pipeline proponents' case that KXL would be safe and good for this country.  There is simply no way to ensure a pipeline’s safety.  The ecological impacts are already being noticed, but the long-term effects of the North Dakota spill have yet to be seen.  However, I presume that they may unfortunately resemble those of the Gulf Coast, Kalamazoo and Arkansas.