New Media and Politics - A Weekend In The Gulf

A couple of months ago a weekend spent in the Gulf would probably be part of a pretty desirable vacation package. Now it's a nightmarish thought and getting worse every day. Word Saturday afternoon is the "top kill" procedure absolutely failed and so now it's on to other things.

While it's been a simple and obvious thing from our vantage point here at NM&P to question BP's candor - it's taken the government far longer to come around to the exact position we took three weeks ago: BP has been grossly underestimating (lying) the amount of oil pouring into Gulf waters and media stenographers have been only too happy to go along. Admittedly we had help from the sources we regularly rely on in the blogosphere and even certain MSM outlets.

This morning President Obama calls the leaking volcano "enraging," ...an assault on the people of the Gulf Coast region, their livelihoods, and the natural bounty that belongs to all of us." While BP is making plans for another attempt at stopping the gushing oil - amidst the heartbreak and fury of Gulf residents - there are increasing calls for Obama to use the authority he has and take over the operation from BP to staunch the flow of oil from the wellhead.

And extra kudos to BP for continuing to behave like the biggest arses in the world with their obvious dog and pony show yesterday with 400 bussed in workers for Obama's visit to the Gulf coast.

Go here to see Rachel Maddow does some great investigative reporting that takes us back to the Ixtoc 1 spill 31 years ago and the parallels would be laughable if they weren't so tragic. Same old, same old, comes to mind.

In the end you might ask yourself why are the sources I chose better, more reliable than what the government and many media outlets decided to run with? Everyone has the same information in front of them - in fact MSM outlets have inside sources on top of what's available to you and me, and yet they come up with the wrong answers time and again. If you come to the conclusion it's deliberate and they're just peddling corporate propaganda, I think you might be on to something there. Staying properly informed is now subversive.