# Conservative response to BP spill: unwad your panties **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 2, 2010, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-response-to-bp-spill-unwad-your-panties/538035 "2010-05-02T15:34:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2010, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-response-to-bp-spill-unwad-your-panties/538035/81 "2010-05-04T18:59:01Z")
I looked at the URL for that, and what a surprise that was! Not. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-response-to-bp-spill-unwad-your-panties/538035/82 "2010-05-04T19:11:51Z")
> [@Creole\_Tomato](#): > > So you didn’t bother to read the thread, but instead dismissed it with a kneejerk response because you figured it would be unflattering to conservatives. In the process, you managed to ignore all of the evidence which contradicts your theory. Although there were numerous posts that corroborated that this viewpoint _is_, indeed, what many conservatives think, you chose to ignore that and go on the offensive. > > I feel like I’m being set up; this is the biggest straw man trap ever. :rolleyes: The fact that someone started a thread aimed at conservatives based on a couple of conversations is a knee-jerk panty twisted reaction unto itself. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-response-to-bp-spill-unwad-your-panties/538035/83 "2010-05-04T19:13:59Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > The fact that someone started a thread aimed at conservatives based on a couple of conversations is a knee-jerk panty twisted reaction unto itself. So, just supply a few links to _intelligent_ opinions of the BP Disaster! ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-response-to-bp-spill-unwad-your-panties/538035/84 "2010-05-04T19:31:22Z")
The Wall Street Journal has this: > [@](#): > > Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.), announced Monday that Republicans on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform would investigate whether the MMS has pushed for regulations necessary to ensure the safety of offshore operators in the Gulf of Mexico. Citing a report in The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Issa expressed concern in a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar that the MMS “may have sidelined regulatory efforts that would have brought the U.S. oil industry in line with prevailing industry safety standards.” > > The Journal’s article revealed that the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, which caught fire and sank into the Gulf in April, didn’t have a remote-control shut-off switch used in two other major oil-producing nations as a last-resort protection against underwater spills. So we have a California Republican starting to blame the Administration for not following all regulatory rules. Add in The Governator changing his mind about pushing for more drilling off the coast of California now. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2010, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-response-to-bp-spill-unwad-your-panties/538035/85 "2010-05-04T20:19:47Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > So, just supply a few links to _intelligent_ opinions of the BP Disaster! Opinion is based on information and I’ve yet to receive much of any of it. I would start by asking why the 1994 protocol wasn’t acted on. There are something like 100 offshore rigs and we don’t have a single fire-boom set up? This is Katrina all over again. There was a specific plan in place and it wasn’t followed. By not following it the event was made exponentially worse. We already solved the problem, we just didn’t bother to implement it. Considering the threat of earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes it’s just a matter of time before crap happens. I expect there to be a method of capping a run-away well-head and a method to clean up the spills prior to capping it. If the cap requires a pre-made object I expect that object to be made in sufficient numbers to deal with a natural disaster capable of taking out multiple well head. Is that too much to expect from both the government and the oil companies? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2010, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-response-to-bp-spill-unwad-your-panties/538035/86 "2010-05-04T20:38:01Z")
See, there’s the trouble with conservative types, always looking to pile more and more burdensome regulation onto the back of business… ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2010, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-response-to-bp-spill-unwad-your-panties/538035/87 "2010-05-04T20:46:47Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > See, there’s the trouble with conservative types, always looking to pile more and more burdensome regulation onto the back of business… :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-response-to-bp-spill-unwad-your-panties/538035/88 "2010-05-04T20:52:51Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Opinion is based on information and I’ve yet to receive much of any of it. I would start by asking why the 1994 protocol wasn’t acted on. There are something like 100 offshore rigs and we don’t have a single fire-boom set up? This is Katrina all over again. There was a specific plan in place and it wasn’t followed. By not following it the event was made exponentially worse. > > We already solved the problem, we just didn’t bother to implement it. Considering the threat of earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes it’s just a matter of time before crap happens. I expect there to be a method of capping a run-away well-head and a method to clean up the spills prior to capping it. If the cap requires a pre-made object I expect that object to be made in sufficient numbers to deal with a natural disaster capable of taking out multiple well head. > > Is that too much to expect from both the government and the oil companies? OK. I found [your source](http://vnboards.ign.com/outpost/b22180/113016764/p1/?4). Well, maybe not _your_ source. Here’s a[better one](http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7115273.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=797093), but it’s still short on details. I can find studies of _in situ_ burning-many done in Alaska. And all relating to oil “spills”–in which a finite amount of oil needs to be cleaned up. But I haven’t found The Official Protocol. ---
**Author:** ![Creole\_Tomato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@Creole\_Tomato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creole_Tomato)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2010, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-response-to-bp-spill-unwad-your-panties/538035/89 "2010-05-04T21:00:02Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > The fact that someone started a thread aimed at conservatives based on a couple of conversations is a knee-jerk panty twisted reaction unto itself. Either you’re being deliberately obtuse, or you’re desperately trying to change the subject. If it’s the latter, I don’t blame you. I’d attempt to divert attention from the fact that conservative pundits believe the oil spill is “natural,” too. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2010, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-response-to-bp-spill-unwad-your-panties/538035/90 "2010-05-04T21:38:48Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > OK. I found [your source](http://vnboards.ign.com/outpost/b22180/113016764/p1/?4). Well, maybe not _your_ source. Here’s a[better one](http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7115273.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=797093), but it’s still short on details. I can find studies of _in situ_ burning-many done in Alaska. And all relating to oil “spills”–in which a finite amount of oil needs to be cleaned up. > > But I haven’t found The Official Protocol. I can [find](http://blog.al.com/live/2010/05/fire_boom_oil_spill_raines.html) news stories referencing it but I can’t find the source. 2 weeks into the event and there is little actual news regarding the events. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-response-to-bp-spill-unwad-your-panties/538035/91 "2010-05-04T21:44:43Z")
Quoth **Euphonious Polemic** : > [@](#): > > How’s that drilly spilly thing workin’ out for ya? \ I am so stealing this one. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2010, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-response-to-bp-spill-unwad-your-panties/538035/92 "2010-05-04T21:56:16Z")
Too late! Mine! Back off! ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-response-to-bp-spill-unwad-your-panties/538035/93 "2010-05-05T01:05:33Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > To summarize, a “liberal?” is posting a thread about a conversation with a couple of “conservatives”. This is followed by more liberals (with telepathic powers) explaining how conservatives think. If ever a straw man was walking around with twisted panties it would be this thread. Actually, I DO have telepathic powers. My powers tell me that conservatives will blame liberals for spilling the oil and for pushing for drilling. Then they’ll paradoxically say we need to do more drilling because we can’t let terrorists win Remember! I have powers! This is already reality, we’re just waiting for time to catch up! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-response-to-bp-spill-unwad-your-panties/538035/94 "2010-05-05T02:02:29Z")
> [@Creole\_Tomato](#): > > I’m going to have to buy some bigger panties. ☹ Bobby Rush to the rescue, with some [Big Ol’ BP Panties](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_EvidBzQ_PMs/SvDSyKoiyoI/AAAAAAAABe0/ol6Sk8Qv2Co/s640/BigGirlPanties.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-response-to-bp-spill-unwad-your-panties/538035/95 "2010-05-05T03:09:28Z")
So… liberals will cough up some places to find their views discussed. **RTFirefly** and the 60’s provide faces for the DFH position (with which I’m pretty sympathetic if it isn’t obvious). But the usual go-to’s: Limbaugh, Fox… conservatives don’t want to own them. Or anything else too specific. Me, I think the conservative position is not so much a position in the traditional sense. They mostly ‘market’ ideas- they aren’t sincere. They aren’t principled in the way that makes for a stable and clear system of thought. Why? They are trying to make some people rich, not create a just world. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-response-to-bp-spill-unwad-your-panties/538035/96 "2010-05-05T03:20:46Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > The fact that someone started a thread aimed at conservatives based on a couple of conversations is a knee-jerk panty twisted reaction unto itself. Is the website of an organization quoted in the OP that was founded and is run by Newt Gingrich, an actual working in the trenches conservative politician, somehow not a valid view of conservatives? If we liberals can’t trust Newt Fucking Gingrich to reflect the view of conservatives, what people and organizations do reflect that view? Just, y’know, for my information. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-response-to-bp-spill-unwad-your-panties/538035/97 "2010-05-05T13:34:35Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I can [find](http://blog.al.com/live/2010/05/fire_boom_oil_spill_raines.html) news stories referencing it but I can’t find the source. 2 weeks into the event and there is little actual news regarding the events. Yes, that blog was one of the less reputable sources I found. They all refer to a 1994 Protocol, involving the Federal government, for dealing with oil spills. But none of them\* link\* to any more specific information. Upon searching, I located this [Protocol Concerning Cooperation in Combating Oil Spills in the Wider Caribbean Region; Done at Cartagena de Indias 24 March 1983; Entered into force 11 October 1986](http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/entri/texts/acrc/Caribbprot.txt.html). It’s an international agreement for exchanging information–not the protocol referred to in all those secondary sources. And it’s dated years earlier. Surely, a more recent protocol would have some kind of web presence. Or is referring to this Phantom Protocol indeed the Best Conservative Response to the BP spill? (Still feeling the sting of Bush’s Katrina Debacle, years later? No, this is _not_ the same situation.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-response-to-bp-spill-unwad-your-panties/538035.md?page=4)