Sarcasm! Considering BP put the money in without a fight and considering the cost of cleaning up the oil spill is going to cost who knows how much, it only makes sense that a Texan would apologize to the company that caused the oil spill.
That $20 billion in an escrow account? It’s a shakedown. A SHAKEDOWN, motherfucker. And you’d be a fool and communist to think otherwise.
Look, we’re not saying that Joe Barton is crazy (he’s fucking crazy), but when John Boehner, who looks like he tans with oil, disagrees with you openly, you’re really on the shit side of correct.
Here’s Joe Barton’s fucknuts statement. Even for a guy from an oil baron state, this is bananas. Oh and there’s video, too! This is really one of those only-in-America things.
I’m speaking now totally for myself, I’m not speaking for the Republican Party, I’m not speaking for anybody in the House of Representatives, but myself. But I’m ashamed of what happened in the White House yesterday.
I think it is a tragedy of the first proportion that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown, in this case a $20 billion shakedown, with the Attorney General of the United States, who is legitimately conducting a criminal investigation and has every right to do so to protect the interests of the American people, participating in what amounts to a $20 billion slush fund that’s unprecedented in our nation’s history, that’s got not legal standing, and which sets I think a terrible precedent for the future.
If I called you into my office and I had the subcommittee chairman, Mr. Stupak, with me, who was legitimately conducting an oversight investigation on your company, and said if you put so many millions of dollars in a project in my my Congressional district, I could go to jail. And should go to jail.
Now there is no question that British Petroluem owns this lease, there is no question that British Petro– BP, I’m sorry, it’s not ‘British Petroleum’ anymore — that BP made decisions that objective people think compromised safety. There is no question that BP is liable for the damages. But we have a due process system where we go through hearings, and in some cases court cases, litigation, and determine what those damages are and when those damages should be paid.
So I’m only speaking for myself, I’m not speaking for anybody else. But I apologize. I do not want to live in a country where any time a citizen or a corporation does something that is legitimately wrong, is subject to to some sort of political pressure that is, again, in my words, amounts to a shakedown. So I apologize.
/Approves
Are you kidding me? Joe Barton is a real piece of work. Another apologist for the oil companies. I’ll be brief but what the President did was nothing short of heroic. Saving literally 100s of millions of dollars in trials costs and making those who were hurt by this not have to wait decades for a small settlement. Let’s check out the history here…Union Carbide Bhopal India…Those poor people are still dealing with the issues of an accident that happened almost a quarter century ago. How about the Valdez? The town is gone and you can still find oil on the shore there..only after 21 years. I mean come on people..how long is everyone going to keep drinking the corporate cool aid? Multinationals have been pressing their advantage for over 50 years. Ike warned us about it. and oh yeah..he was a General and a historic member of the GOP. Just look at who benefits from the rhetoric. Multinationals control more than you think…and because of the Supreme Court are going to control alot more.
[...] Joe Barton – the same guy who apologized to BP after they destroyed the Gulf of Mexico – is gunning to take over the chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. All he [...]