SAR #10161

Political structures exist to transfer wealth to the leadership.

Changing of the Guard: The world's largest petroleum producer is now Russia, where production rose 1.5% last year to eclipse Saudi Arabia – which experienced a 10.6% decline in production.  Nothing to see here, move along.

Out of Sight...   BP has ordered its contractors (which is pretty much anyone working in the Gulf) not to let anyone take pictures of dead sea life, especially dolphins and pelicans.   BP quickly whisks off dead and injured wildlife to inaccessible buildings and offshore ships, knowing that the ocean will eventually carry most of the dead out to sea.  Louisiana residents have been required to sign non-disclosure agreements.

Sneak Attack:  As if IEDs were not dangerous enough, it is now claimed that the Taliban are burying hypodermic needles around their bombs, hoping to infect the EOD personnel with HIV or hepatitis.  They were all out of smallpox-infected blankets.

More PR Stupidity: Seems that BP has had hi-def video of the oil leak for quite some time, while denying any such thing.   Now that they can see the leakage clearly (instead of the jerky, fogged up stuff BP palmed off on the public), scientists are confident that the leak is closer to 100,000 bpd than the ludicrous 1,000 bpd BP would like us to believe.

Holding Hands:  France has joined Germany in the fight against speculators.  The financial press reports this as though it were a bad thing.

Define “Legitimate”:   BP has said it will do everything it can “to make it right”, but the boast they would pay for all the damage is turning out to be... optimistic.  And “right” will be a lot less than the $40 billion now estimated as the all-inclusive cost.  Apparently BP's team of litigation experts trying to stop the money leak is larger than the bunch of engineers they've got trying to stop the oil leak.

For Sale:  Meg Whitman spent $71 million of her own money to ante into the California governor’s race, and plans to spend that much again in the election in an attempt to buy a used Governor’s mansion in the fall.  It's all about the honor of serving the public.

Medicine:  Economists advocate harsh cuts in social programs and government budgets in order to convince people that they are serious individuals in a solemn and scientific profession.  Poppycock.  They are playing up to the right wing, which is pretty sure there is someone, somewhere, drawing public funds and not suffering sufficiently – and want to find that person and inflict some well deserved pain on them.

Conspiracy, Conspiracy: There is speculation that it was an American mine, not a North Korean weapon, that sank the Cheonan.

Clip and Save:   "I can say right now -- and I'm really pleased about that -- it's good news in that we haven't found any large concentrations of oil below the surface."  BP COO Doug Suttles.

Clues:  What country 1) has a secret nuclear-weapons program, 2) is run by religious fundamentalists doing God's work, 3) uses its secret police to kill perceived enemies both at home and abroad, 4) is deaf to reason and indifferent to pressure from outside, and 5) isn't Iran.

Porn O'Graph:  Made in the USA, since 1950.