Rick Raw: Kevin Costner Plans to Save Gulf Coast with Giant Centrifugal Oil Separator

By Rick Grant Commentary rickgrant01@comcast.net

The specter of movie stars dabbling in other fields, like starting rock bands, has always irked the people in the music business who think these movie stars are interloping on their territory and their efforts are ill-conceived to fulfill some vain rock star fantasy.

This time, however, movie star Kevin Costner, who sank $24 million into his giant centrifugal oil separators, has a viable invention that BP and the Coast Guard have agreed to test and use to help save the Gulf Coast.

Costner started working on the development of the oil separators when he was making his collossal bomb, "Waterworld," released in 1995. Costner says he’s
tested the machines and they do indeed work.

Essentially, these centrifuges are giant vacuum cleaners that suck up the oil tainted water, separate the oil and discharge it into a containment tank, with clean water discharging from a another outlet.

The huge stainless steel machines can handle large volumes of oil saturated water. If BP and the Coast Guard approve their use, Costner could sell them multiple units that would clean up the oil quickly. This of course, is contingent on BP capping the gushing oil at the bottom of the seabed.

After the Katrina debacle, Louisiana officials again criticized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for delays in approving an emergency plan to build sand islands to protect the bayous and wetland of Louisiana.

Now the oil has contaminated the bayous and wetlands so crucial to the ecosystem of the Gulf Coast. After all, there are 4,000 oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, any one of which could have a serious accident like the Deepwater Horizon, that would cause a catastrophic oil spill.

Actor/producer Stephen Baldwin is shooting a documentary about the oil spill and Costner’s centrifugal oil separator. Clearly, Costner is not seeking publicity, he is a serious conservationist who long ago foresaw a terrible Gulf Coast oil spill disaster.

Meanwhile, producer/director James Cameron, who invented high tech deep water submersibles for shooting the "The Abyss" and "Titanic" has offered his technology to BP and the Coast Guard who are definitely interested.

In addition to being a brilliant filmmaker, Cameron has invented new camera technology to shoot "Avatar" that allowed the cameraman to see the blue screen characters as real time finished characters against finished backgrounds, greatly enhancing the cinematographers viewpoint and speeding up the final cut.

So, Cameron and Costner are legitimate inventors who work to improve their art and are concerned about the environment. Yes, they’ve made big money in films, but they also crank big money into their inventions.

If all goes well with the Coast Guard and BP testing Costner’s separators, Costner plans to have as many as 26 machines spread out throughout the Gulf. The largest machine is 112 inches high and weighs 21/2 tons. It will clean 210,000gallons of oily water per day. By having all of Costner machines working simultaneously, they could clean over 2 million gallons of oily water per day.

Ah yes, this is a case of a filthy rich movie star putting his money where his mouth is to help the Gulf Coast. This is the largest oil spill in U.S. history, and will eclipse hurricane Katrina in long term harm to the ecology and economy of the Gulf Coast for many years into the future. And, worse yet, as of this writing, BP has not plugged the gushing oil.

Rick Raw: Gulf Oil Spill–Catastrophic Blow to Gulf Coast’s Sensitive Ecosystems
Disaster will Effect the Gulf’s Ecology and Economy far into the Future

By Rick Grant Commentary rickgrant01@comcast.net

The ongoing oil spill from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig will be a catastrophic blow to the sensitive ecosystems on the Gulf Coast for many years into the future, especially the wetlands where shrimp spawn and lay their eggs and crawfish dwell.

The magnitude of this disaster is only now beginning to sink-in to the millions of Gulf Coast residents, many of whom depend on the seafood industry in the region. Vast areas of the Gulf Coast fishing grounds have been shut down as a precaution to assure safety for the consumer.

It will take many years to restore the wetlands delicate ecosystem balance as the dark gooey crude seeps into the wet grass and marsh. It’s an unconscionable disaster that could have been prevented by the Deepwater Horizon operators, who had become complacent in doing preventive maintenance on the failsafe mechanism.

More significantly, if the oil plume gets sucked into the Gulf Stream loop, which would take it in a loop around the Florida keys and up into the Atlantic ocean, it could affect the Keys and the East coast of Florida.

This eventuality will kill Florida’s East Coast tourist trade. No one wants to look out of their hotel room and see oil washing up on pristine beaches. Ah yes, "I love the smell of petrolium in the morning."

Just before the Gulf oil spill, President Obama was promoting big oil drilling off the Florida Coast. Of course, that came back to bite him on the ass. These massive oil drilling platforms are designed to have safeguards, but when you factor in crew complacency, then anything can happen.

Today, 45,728 square miles are now off limits to fishing. NOAA is working with the Food and Drug Administration to "realign its assets to implement a broad-scale seafood sampling plan." Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said he had seen oil coming ashore on the Louisiana coast when he toured the region by helicopter last Tuesday.

Hell, New Orleans and the Gulf Coast are not yet over the Katrina disaster. Now, they’ve been hit with a giant oil spill that will wreck the wetlands and kill birds, shrimp, crawfish and other animal life in the region. It’s the double whammy that has performed the coup de grace on the Gulf Coast’s ecology and economy. They can’t take another hit.

"We saw heavy oil coming into the wetlands," Jindal went on to say. Presently, the main oil plume is about 50 miles from the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Millions of gallons of oil have been spewing from the ruptured underwater pipe into the Gulf of Mexico.

The lawsuits are already being filed against BP by restaurants and seafood wholesalers in Louisiana and Florida over the Deepwater Horizon spill. The law firm overseeing the lawsuits says that the businesses are covered by the Oil Pollution Act and is asking the court to clear the way for appropriate claims.

All well and good, but lawsuits will take time to work their way through the courts. Meanwhile, the businesses will have to file bankruptcy to survive. At this rate, seafood will be a luxury menu item. One shrimp will cost $10.00 bucks.

After this disastrous oil spill, we should speed up the use of energy alternatives such as, wind and solar power as well as building more nuclear power stations. Sure, nuclear energy also has risks (remember Three Mile Island) but with new safeguards in place, nuclear power is clean and no threat to the environment. We definitely do not want more oil rig platforms off the coast of Florida or any other state. It’s just too risky.

Unquestionably, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill will eclipse hurricane Katrina or any other recent disaster in scope and the many years it will take to clean it up. The volume of oil makes the Valdez oil spill look like a puddle by comparison. And, it took years to clean that up.

But that spill didn’t ruin any wetlands, like this massive spill. The wetlands ecology may never recover unless they rip out the grasses, clean up the oil, and replant the wetlands ecosystem which could take twenty years to regenerate the delicate eco-balance.

We have the resources to stop offshore oil drilling. So, let’s do it, before our beaches will be smeared with smelly oil.

Rick Raw: Women on Submarines–Navy’s Last Female Gender Barrier Dives into The Deep

By Rick Grant Commentary rickgrant01@comcast.net

The grizzled old warriors of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCOS) are now ordering doubles at their Washington watering hole. Yes, they are still reeling over the eventual repeal of "Don’t Ask Don’t Tell." Head of the JCOS, Admiral Mullen has finally endorsed allowing gays to serve openly in the military. Well, he was under orders from his boss, Bill Gates, Secretary of Defense.

Now, before the hubbub over the openly gay issue has died down, it was announced May 1, 2010 that 11 women who are graduating from the Naval Academy have been selected to be the first female members of the elite Silent Service Submariners.

Submarines were the last bastion of male only service. Women now serve on all classes of Naval vessels. However, the special circumstances of serving on nuclear submarines, that spend six months or more submerged, had always been a tough barrier to break through.

Even on the larger Trident and new class of attack subs, crew quarters are cramped. Privacy is non-existent, and other issues were bantered about as discouraging allowing women aboard these high-tech vessels.

The Naval Academy has chosen these 11 female pathfinders for their high functioning intelligence and their superior technical knowledge. Yes, "the times are a changing" in the U.S. Military which has always been slow to institute social change happening the rest of society.

In 1948, President Truman integrated the U.S. Military by executive order. But it was years before the racial tensions were resolved. Now with an all-volunteer service, the last female gender barrier has finally fallen. Women are still not allowed in combat, but they end up in firefights because of the guerilla tactics of the enemy. Anywhere in Afghanistan or Iraq is a potential battle zone.

Traditions die hard in the military and having women aboard or captains of Naval vessels has been fraught with problems. One female captain was relieved of command for abusing and humiliating her junior officers. In other words, she was fired for being a raving bitch.

Accommodating women aboard submarines will be difficult. Some interior design changes will have to be made, like separate latrines for women. But because of room limitations, it will not be impossible to provide separate sleeping areas for females. So, adjusting to having women aboard a sub for many months will be tricky.

However, these 11 female submariners have been trained to be leaders and endure the sacrifices that are required aboard submarines.

"I am not doing this to be a trailblazer. I see us being just like our male counterparts, and I think we’ll be accepted the same way," says Marquette Ried one of the chosen 11 Naval Academy graduating class.

All well and good, but in reality, the Silent Service is a tight community and those who cannot hack it are booted out. In contrast, serving in subs opens doors for ambitious officers who go on to be promoted to high ranking positions.

These women will be under tremendous pressure to perform as well as, if not better, than their male counterparts. Clearly, there will be tension–sexual and otherwise. Estrogen will flow through the air ducts along with testosterone and oxygen.

Young horny guys hunkered down in tight quarters will be tempted to establish emotional and sexual relationships with the female crew members. Putting males and females together for six months or more trapped in a steel tube could end up with little submariners. Of course, as on other vessels, female Naval personnel who get pregnant while at sea are discharged.

Sexist speculation aside, all eyes of the Navy brass will be on these brave women. Not only will they have to continually meet the high standards of submarine service, but they’ll have to put aside their feelings so this can work. The young men serving with them will have to tow the line and not get involved with the female crew.

Ah yes, but human nature is at work here, and hormones will be in the air. Having a coed crew under these circumstances will test the professionalism of the personnel–both male and female. "Dive, dive" may take on another connotation. (sexist pig) Anchors away!

Rick Raw: Arizona’s Immigration Law Overreaction to Illegal Alien Crisis

By Rick Grant Commentary rickgrant01@comcast.net

Arizona’s controversial new immigration law underscores the state’s bigoted past. It was the last state to make Martin Luther King a holiday. The state gave in only when the boycotts and lack of government funds hurt the state’s economy.

"Okay, you win we’ll make Martin Luther King Day a holiday but we think that Negro was a rabble rouser," the then Governor could have said.

And I thought Florida was the bastion of right wing conservatism. Yes, Florida is a dumb state, but Arizona’s Govenor takes the prize for the most bonehead move by signing this unconstitutional law that allows the police to decide who to stop anyone without probable cause and ask for their legal immigration papers.

This knee jerk reaction by the Arizona legislature expresses the deep frustration in our inability to properly police our borders. The truth is: Illegal aliens are pouring across the border with only token efforts to stop them. The undermanned U.S. Border Patrol is impotent to stop the massive influx of illegal aliens swarming like locust into the U.S.

Drug smuggling is also an unstoppable juggernaut caused by the insatiable demand for Mexican product (marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine) in the United States.

People are going to get high come hell or high water. Prohibition proved that. We’re all taking legal or illegal drugs for our anxiety or depression. In the case of illegal drugs, getting high is the motivation–a brief respite from the daily BS we all have to take. It’s like having a few beers at happy hour.

In previous commentary, I’ve advocated legalization as the only way to stop this multibillion dollar business currently controlled by the ruthless Mexican cartels. There is so much money involved, the cartels have more money and resources than the government.

In fact, today there is so much corruption in the Mexican army and police, the cartels call the shots. "They say, gold or lead?" meaning take the money or you are dead! So, everyone takes the money–usually hundreds of times more than what they legitimately earn working for the government.

A high percenage of the illegal aliens come here to find work that pays much more than they could earn in Mexico. Many farmers depend on this transient labor to get their crops picked and processed.

These illegals don’t mind working hard at jobs that Americans refuse to accept. These undocumented workers are not hurting anyone and when they earn enough money, they go back to Mexico to their families.

This system has been in place for many years. Granted, there seem to be many more illegals in the heartland and the East and West Coasts, over-staying their welcome.

Common sense dictates that there should be a system in place to help them get documented without penalty. But the anti-immigration lobby uses the drug smugglers as an excuse to rally opposition proselytizing fear of hardened criminals coming across the border in droves.

The misconception that illegal aliens are coming across the border and stealing American jobs is overstated by mass hysteria. Sure it happens in some construction firms, but it is closely watched by the immigration police, ICE. The economic apocalypse of 2008 is to blame for our massive unemployment and lack of new jobs.

Yes, it’s human nature for people get all worked up when they see Spanish speaking people moving into their neighborhoods. However, we must remember that America was founded by immigrants and the same is true today. Other cultures add diversity to our culture and make America a more interesting place to live.

It’s time for new thinking about the immigration issue using common sense with respect, dignity, and humanity to people who are trying to better their lives, just like the original immigrants who came here and braved the harsh conditions for freedom to seek their own destinies.