Robert Gibbs VS. Birthers
The Birthers seem to be having a rebirth. Robert Gibbs at a recent press conference gave answers that will stimulate the movement to establish the true Constitutional qualifications of the President to hold that office.
Gibbs was asked by a reporter why the President uses a Social Security Number that is in a group reserved for applicants that are residents of Connecticut since there is no record of the President ever being a resident of that state.
Gibbs avoided answering the question by a giving a disparaging description of the reporters publication and it’s readers. He then slid into the birth certificate controversy with an answer that was not any part of the reporters Social Security Number question.
Gibbs shoved aside the question with an answer that he had published the Presidents birth certificate on the Internet He indicated, that was an answer to any questions related the Presidents Constitutional legitimacy.
It is a fact that Gibbs never placed a birth certificate on the Internet. He placed a Certificate of Live Birth from Hawaii on the net. It is the consistent claim of administration spokespersons on the issue of the Presidents birth that his Birth Certificate is published on the Internet The Certificate of Live Birth is not the document needed to put this issue to rest. I know that I would like the issue to go away but every time it is raised Gibbs give no answer that satisfies Birthers or the simply curious observer such as me. What is on the Net is not a long form certificate naming Doctor and hospital which is on a birth certificate.
We now have a Tim Adams former senior election clerk in Honolulu Hawaii now claiming that his function included full access to Obama’s records and he found no evidence of his birth in Hawaii. It will be interesting to see how creditable this individual turns out to be.
Adams currently teaches English at Western Kentucky University while working on a graduate degree.
There is no doubt that the questions of birth and background are being superficially addressed by Gibbs and administration officials. The early years of his life have been described by the President in his books and the description, by him, in certain areas do not seem to match factual records.
I have always believed that his hidden records of academic achievement and courses studied have more to do with some kind of embarrassment rather than Constitutional issues.
I wish he would be forthright rather than taking a Nixon strategy of denying rather than being open on these issues. Whatever is the case, eventually the “truth will out” and like Nixon he might face serious consequences that would be avoided if he was forthright with the public.
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Oil Cleanup
The extent of damage to the Gulf of Mexico fishery by the BP oil spill is yet to be determined. There is no doubt that is will be financially catastrophic to the Gulf Coast commercial fishing business.
The wetland areas where crabs oysters and various other species that are found in the bays and bayous will be especially damaged for a long time. There are many fish that live off shore as adults, start their life from a spawn that takes place in the marshy, shallow waters that line the Louisiana coast.
Tony Hayward is the CEO of BP and has made a strong commitment for his company to clean up the mess that the oil has made along the coast. He has said that they will stop the leak and clean the coast and will in addition compensate those who have been financially damaged
I watched a BBC interview where he was asked about his commitments to the coastal communities. I must admit that he was very convincing. He did not hesitate in describing the BP determination to right the wrong being caused by the thousands of barrels of oil that have been discharged in the Gulf from his well.
I am curious why there is only one tanker on the site collecting the oil that is being captured by the BP recovery effort. This effort is now working, although not yet recovering all the oil. There is expected to be a substantial increase in recovery when a second tanker arrives to replace the one now on the site. The current tanker does not have a oil/water separation capability. That is a curious situation. I would have expected that a vessel with full capabilities would be on site by now. I understand that there is a four day turn around for the tanker to head to shore and discharge the oil/water mix and get back to sucking up the oil from the spill.
Concentration on the shore and wetland protection needs to be the focus now that the oil discharge is coming under control. The shoreline needs more that the President’s occasional visit in a windbreaker to pick up a few tar balls and then look for someone to blame. Rather than wandering along the beach with reporters and TV cameras in tow he should be back in DC assembling our marine biologist community to structure a clean up to save the fishing industry upon which many of America’s restaurants and markets rely upon to make a living.
The crabbers, oyster fishers, as well as the head boats with no tourists lining their decks all need immediate relief as well as a restoration program in the area of their livelihood. I know many individuals that fish for a living. Few of them are the type of individuals that seek or feel comfortable needing charity to live. We must concentrate on saving the wetlands for them and the rest of 
America that enjoys the product of their efforts.
Blame can be the political game later, once the important cleanup effort is in full strde
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Obama’s Management Style
The President is demonstrating management techniques that defy understanding by anyone who has managed a difficult project.
In the last two weeks Obama has initiated a criminal investigation of the people working on solving the oil leak in the Gulf. He has followed up by indicating his primary current activity is seeking help in finding targets whose “ass to kick” is his next move.
He has then followed up by announcing that if he was Tony Hayward’s (CEO of BP) boss he would fire him immediately.
I have said in the past that Obama doesn’t have the experience to hold any job with management skill requirements. His actions have convinced me that he doesn’t have the skills needed to run a miniature golf course on the boardwalk in Wildwood NJ.
Tony Hayward is currently no ones favorite CEO, but for the President of the United States to make such a statement is outrageous. He can’t fire Hayward but what he can do is drive down the value of BP Stock which is part of many ordinary folks retirement plan.
For Obama to threaten the people who are working to stop the oil leak with criminal prosecution is unbelievable. Does Obama think this is a positive motivation tactic?
While they are waiting for criminal investigations to take place Obama has come up with an interim motivational strategy and that is to find some “asses to kick”.
My mind was in such a whirl over these Obama management techniques I thought I had better review Maslow’s Theory of Human Motivation and his Hierarchy of Needs. Maybe I missed the chapter Obama is using in managing the oil leak workers to stimulate their best efforts.
I couldn’t find any mention by Maslow as to arresting the work force or “kicking ass” as useful tools in getting the best from the talent working on a problem.
Since Maslow did his work in the 40’s I thought maybe there were new motivational techniques that Obama had decided to use. Maybe Jack Welch* had some more recent comments about threatening the workforce with arrest and “ass kicking.
I couldn’t find Welch advising any use of such techniques to motivate a work force to produce positive results.
My review of expert, successful management techniques used by people who know what they are doing clearly indicated that Obama has never done the reading in addition to having no experience. Some one should slip some of Maslow’s work and Welch’s practical lessons into the Obama teleprompter. That apparently is the only time he reads.
Obama has shown that he is an absolute dunce when it comes to basic management skills.
He may not be a total dunce on all subjects (I know he is a skilled body surfer).
In handling our current national crises, he has demonstrated that after body surfing, his skills are not visibly evident…
* Jack Welch- John Francis Welch, Former CEO of General Electric
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Summer Story
I read the news today-”O’Boy”! I decided it is time to reflect on happy and positive memories once in a while.
To kick off the summer season here is chapter 1 of my Summer Story/ Harold’s Big Ball of String. About once a week I will share a chapter of my Summer Story which may be a brief relief from the tragedy in the Gulf and other events, not pleasant. Regular commentary will continue with other posts.
My Summer Story
Harold’s Big Ball of String
Chapter 1
When I was a kid June was an exciting month for more reasons than school ending . Our family headed to our summer home on a barrier island where we knew nearly all the summer residents and the beach and bay were our playground for the next 70 days.
The summer when I was nine or ten years old was special since that would be the summer when I could cross the streets without having my parents supervising. I would be able to go to the town dock and swim in the bay with all the other kids, unsupervised. Everyone at our beach community could swim like a fish several years before reaching the age when they could cross a street without parental supervision.
My service that school year as a school crossing guard gave me the credentials that assured my street crossing freedom to either the bay or to the beach. Thiswas a summer of crossing the streets and many adventures. It included one special event that is a memory of six decades, vividly recalled every year when the days lengthen and the temperature starts to warm up the ocean.
There was a start of the summer ritual with all the kids who spent their summer sailing, swimming, crabbing and body surfing in the ocean. On that first real summer weekend when all the kids from Philly were arriving for the summer there was a quick change into a bathing suit, shoes were shed and a dash was made down the road to the beach. It wasn’t exactly a dash since everyone still had winter feet and a little caution was needed on that first trip to the beach. A few weeks of barefoot seashore walking was needed to convert to summer feet.
There was no trouble finding our summer friends, since that first day at the beach involved tip toeing into the still cold Atlantic up to about ankle level with exclamations describing how cold it was. The gathering crowd of kids were hesitant to make the conversion from winter city dwellers to wave riding beach kids too quickly. There was always one kid who decided it was time to really start the summer by dashing into deeper water and diving into a wave. The traditional report to the more timid tip toe’rs was “ come on in , it’s not bad once you get wet.
Everyone followed and summer began.
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Obama’s Saw Stuck in the Pipe
The President announced in his press conference that he was totally engaged and in charge of the mitigation effort concerning the oil spill disaster in the Gulf.of Mexico.
I was skeptical since I have never seen anything about oil drilling in his resume.
That doesn’t mean he hasn’t worked n an oil rig in his past. That experience might be like his scholastic achievements, hidden from public scrutiny.
At any rate, the way things are going, I now believe he is fully in charge of the activity in the Gulf. The President has taken a new tactic of motivation concerning the BP efforts to plug the oil leak. Obama has promised to search for criminal intent on the part of BP causing the leak and has directed Attorney General Eric Holder to leave no stone unturned in searching for criminal activity in BP operations.
It is a sure bet that BP will look forward to their oil spill strategy meetings with Obama representatives now that it has been announced that not only is Obama going to make them pay for everything involved, but is also going to try to send them to jail. Obama will be lucky to get anyone from BP to attend the meetings. Everyone at BP that is not out in the Gulf working will be too busy shredding documents to attend any meetings.
The Obama is really in charge now and the hourly announcements clearly indicate that fact
The current Obama approved strategy is to send a saw down 5000’ to cut the pipe from which the oil is gushing. A new containment structure will direct much of the oil into a pipe that will take it to a waiting surface tanker for separation from the sea water.
I will give the President a bit of credit since he must now be reading my blog. I suggested a similar solution several days ago. I did not include the cutting of the pipe in my post. The Presidents secret oil drilling experience must have included a pipe cutting seminar.
The new problem is that the President’s saw has gotten stuck in the pipe. I wonder if he is going to send Eric Holder down to examine the saw to check for criminal intent on the part of BP in getting the saw stuck.
Stay tuned to news reports from the Gulf. It is such a relief to know that the President is fully in charge in directing and approving every effort taking place to stop the flow of oil.
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Sestak-Spector, Bennet-Romanoff- Felonies Here?
When Congressman Joe Sestak decided to challenge Arlen Specter in the Democrat Primary race for the Pennsylvania Senate nomination the White House thought that was a bad idea.
According to various reports Rahm Emanuel asked Bill Clinton to call Sestak and discuss a job offer with the Obama Administration if he agreed not to challenge Spector. Sestak turned down the job and defeated Spector
In Colorado Andrew Romanoff former Speaker of the Colorado House announced his intention to challenge Senator Michael Bennet in the Democrat Primary. Bennet was appointed to the Senate seat by Governor Ritter when Ken Salazar resigned as Senator to accept Obama’s appointment to Secretary of the Interior
Romanoff has said that he was offered a job in the Obama administration if he agreed not to challenge Bennet in the primary. Romanoff has refused details of the offer but is challenging Bennet.
The Denver Post has reported that the offer of a job was made to Bennet by Jim Messina the Deputy Chief of Staff to President Obama.
The President announced that nothing improper took place with the Clinton offer to Sestak and we should all forget about it. He has not yet addressed the Romanoff offer.
An offer of a benefit to a potential candidate to dissuade their candidacy is potentially a felonious action. The President announcing that nothing wrong happened here is not quite enough. There are two potential felonies having been committed. Both cases seem to trace directly back to the White House.
Where is the media questioning and a cry for an independent prosecutor to be appointed?
Why isn’t a House committee scheduling hearings on these incidents?
Have we reached a stage where when Obama says all is well, there can be no questions?
To repeat for emphasis: We are talking of two potential felonies that can be directly traced to actions of the White House.
Where is the outrage and serious investigation?.
Is America expected to shrug this off as a new version of the “too big to fail” philosophy being applied to the Obama Administration.?
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What Crisis Will Excite Obama into Action?
The President came into office without enough experience to get hired to a major management position with most companies. Every national crisis demonstrates his lack of experience combined with a detached arrogance as a vivid symbol of his enormous ego without real substance involved.
He sounds good when proclaiming his dedication, commitment and innocence in the Gulf oil tragedy. I remember my water spill incident vividly from my early days with some minor responsibility for project management.
As a young employee of a very major company I was assigned the project management of a natural gas installation to a large facility that the company was using as a spare parts facility. Major renovations were needed to bring the facility to company standard. The new gas line was one minor activity that was assigned to a project manager with equally minor experience-Me.
I met with my excavation contractor to review the ditch location he was to dig and drove back to my office several miles down the road, stopping for a coffee break along the way. When I got back to the office and headed for my desk I was intercepted by my excited boss who wanted to know what I had done at the site to cause such a disaster. Water was squirting into the air and flooding the main highway to the airport and was the hot news item on the radio and TV. I turned around and headed back to the site with trepidation since I realized that the next few hours would determine my future employment status.
Driving down the highway I soon saw a fountain of water shooting high into the sky.
The flooded site and highway had people running everywhere trying to find a shut off of the main water supply for the industrial site that had been broken by my contractor when he started to dig. Five minutes reviewing the situation I realized that we were using a plan that was a reverse, mirror image of the actual “as built” situation. In a short time we had the water turned off. I took a deep breathe and thought I was in the clear when approached by a distinguished looking executive who, with authority, asked when the building would have water. My smart answer was that I just got the water shut off so couldn’t he give me a minute to catch my breath. His answer was, “I just gave the order for 1500 people on this shift to go home for lack of sanitary facilities and in 30 minutes I will need to cancel the second shift if I have no sanitary facilities.” Looking at me with daggers he said :. “Do you know how much that is going to cost the company because of your screw up, JUNIOR”?
I said without hesitation bring in your second shift I’ll have you in business.( Oh, the arrogance of youth) At that moment I didn’t have a clue what I needed and how that would happen. With the help of all the talent I could round up and with a borrowed helicopter the repair equipment needed was on site in two hours and a temporary fix was in place by mid afternoon.
My job was important to my young family and I was highly motivated. I wonder why Obama has not demonstrated similar motivation when thousands of lives are going to be severely damaged by the current crisis in the Gulf.
An interesting part of this experience was that in the time when the water was shooting into the air flooding the highway and almost shutting down the airport no one was particularly interested in fixing the blame. All attention was focused on fixing the break in the pipe. I got big league help from various contractors and a military buddy who decided to test a, just built, helicopter in the area where the needed parts were located, 75 miles from the site.
My yearly review produced a very big raise and a promotion beyond expectations.. I don’t think Obama will get the same results from his Gulf strategy concerning a leaking pipe. I hope not.
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Obama’s Oil Spill Explanation
Today was the first Obama Press conference in 300 days. We have been subjected to his TV appearances so frequently that I was amazed that he actually hadn’t had a press conference for such a long time.
His conference started with a statement designed by Rahm Emanuel which is to “:never let a serious crises go to waste”. Obama opened with the announcement that he was shutting down all applications for offshore drilling everywhere until his experts reviewed the safety issues thoroughly. He then went into a hard pitch for legislation supporting his agenda that would foster the creation of clean alternative energy sources.
The first question was invited by Obama to a female reporter sitting in the first row.
The obvious soft ball question allowed Obama to defend his personal response to the Gulf Oil Crises.
The President described his early and continued deep involvement in the attempts to mitigate the problem and it’s effects on the lives and economy of those living on the Gulf Coast in Louisiana and adjacent states
It was mostly politically designed blather. The Obama response has been without serious direction.. The Administration is still moving more equipment into the area designed to protect the coast from oil. This response is about six weeks later than when it should have happened.
Obama is taking a trip to the Gulf Coast area tomorrow designed to show his concern. There is little doubt that his primary concern is his growing performance disapproval rate in the polls. His administration skills are revealed to be not sufficient to meet major challenges such as the oil spill.
He really doesn’t have an idea or concern about the dimension of the tragedy taking place in the lives of so many ordinary people because of this oil spill. The focus of his actions are clearly designed to deflect blame rather than concentrating on solving the problems created by the spill.
Those coastal folks are livid concerning the dithering done by Obama and his administration over providing the oil booms and other equipment needed to protect the coast. Why hasn’t the government recruited every available oil tanker to move into the area and pump the oil into their hold and then separated from sea water as has been done in many other oil spills? Not a permanent
solution, but a possible help to the beaches and Louisiana wetlands.
Obama placed large blame on the Mineral Management Service which has been under his control for 16 months. Their deficiencies were blamed on Bush and his administration and he said that Salazar was working to correct the problems. As a demonstration of the Obama firm grasp on the situation he was asked about the removal of Elizabeth Birnbaum as head of the Minerals Management Service. Obama was not aware of her removal and said he didn’t know whether she was fired or resigned but would check on that after to press conference. This seems to be less than serious engagement by our President in the oil spill issue and its cause and consequences.
He has no clue as to the real dimensions of this crisis. The problem extends far beyond the Gulf Coast. While he is beating on BP as the main villain in the event, the fisherman and those they supply are left in a never-never land of an unsure economic future.
When I am going to DC I fly into BWI for one main reason. It is close to The G&M Restaurant which has some of the best crab cakes in Maryland. When heading back to Colorado a big take out order is my carry on luggage. When I am in Philadelphia I try to schedule a visit to Dinardos restaurant in Philly or the one in Wilmington because of their great crabs.
Everyone thinks that the crabs come from the Chesapeake. Not any more. The primary source of crabs for these and other great seafood restaurants is Louisiana. What will happen to these businesses is a real worry for the owners and employees that are a thousand miles from that oil flowing into the Gulf.
The disastrous effect will string across the country even to my mountain home in Colorado. The Obama mismanagement of the situation will cause various levels of economic and personal distress in a wide range across our nation. BP is at the core of the problem but the government in full action has been missing. Obama cannot ride a PR campaign out of his responsibility and the lack of timely and meaningful effort by his administration.
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OIL-Admiral Thad Allen- Head of the Disaster Response Team
Admiral Allen of the Coast Guard was questioned by reporters as to whether the government was preparing to replace BP as the lead in trying to stop the oil disaster in the GulF of Mexico.
Admiral Allen dismissed such a notion by answering ”replace them with what?”
The Admiral unlike Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Secretary of Homeland Defense Janet Napoloitano showed some common sense. Salazar and Napolitano have been expressing doubts as to whether BP was making a sincere effort to stop the oil flow.Salazar indicated he was going to be watching BP closely. I wonder what he is watching.
BP has admitted that they are frustrated by the failures to stop the oil flow. They have some4 of the best brains in the oil business working on the problem with little progress. The administration is apparently more interested in political posturing than attacking the problem.
Salazar should be on the site offering whatever government resources to BP that might help stop the oil from flowing. Pointing fingers is simply stupid at this time but is a typical administration reaction to crises. They are totally committed to political posturing rather than digging into the problem as a contributor to solution creation.
This is a full blown disaster with no structure of action by the Obama administration designed to help solve the problem. Get the oil stopped should be the single goal of BP , and the government agencies. Blame and payments can be argued later after the situation is resolved .
Admiral Thad Allen understands where the talent resides that will eventually come up with an answer and it is not in Salazar’s or Napolitano’s offices
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Calderon’s Visa Revoked
I don’t know if Mexican President Felipe Calderon needs a visa to enter the U.S. but if he does it should be revoked. His critical comments on the Arizona Immigration Law were outrageous. For a guest to criticize the meal being served would be crass behavior, but while a guest of our country to be critical of our law in Arizona is beyond crass.
For Obama to follow Calderon’s statement with agreement would be astonishing if I hadn’t been prepared by Obama’s constant apologies for all kinds of American actions. I have come to recognize our President’s basic animosity to almost everything American. His commitment is to eliminate our borders which will then insure his promotion from a mere presidency to a leadership of a regime of his making.
We are in deep trouble and being taken deeper by this administration. A significant majority of America agrees with the Arizona action. This fact means nothing to Obama. He is prepared to end America as we know it in order to insure his continued position of leadership. What he will be leading will not resemble the United States we have known.
Why in the world would any American President be interested in governing advice from Mexico and its President. Mexico is a country with abundant natural resources and a hard working family oriented population. Lack of opportunity in their own country, and a corrupt government sends 1 ½ million of them illegally entering the U.S. each year. They are seeking a way to escape the grinding poverty of their lives in Mexico and find a better financial environment for the families that are so important to them.
Neither Calderon or Obama have demonstrated any evidence of normal civility and how basic relationships between neighbors should transpire. Unbridled arrogance in statements and actions is a common thread between these two leaders.
If when you were young, you went with the family to dinner at a neighbors house and during the visit you made disrespectful comments about the neighbors family, what would happen when you got home? I know what would happen in my house and it wouldn’t be pleasant.
Since my Mother is not around to administer correction for their actions I have a suggestion. Calderon should be put on the no fly list on any plane heading for America as a response to his comments. Obama’s comments should be mightily responded to next November.
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