Louisiana congressman cries discussing spill

"The Gulf oil disaster has provided a slew of indelible images: puddles of oil in the ocean, coated birds, blackened shoreline. But there have been few human faces that capture the enormity of the crisis, until now.

In a House subcommittee meeting on the spill, Louisiana Rep. Charlie Melancon, who represents much of the coastal area being directly affected by the spill, broke down in tears while delivering his remarks.

"I'd like to remind my collegues ... that the recovery phase is just as critical as the response phase," he read. "Everything that I know and love is at risk."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20100527/pl_ynews/ynews_pl2300

All of us, every one of us, need to band together now and fight like hell for the future of the planet. If ever there was a giant warning kick in the ass from mother nature, this is it.

http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2010/05/12/melancon-told-so/

"Melancon has returned the favor, praising big oil as “a clean industry, a good industry,” voting for drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and supporting the “Drill Baby Drill” campaign to end the moratorium on offshore drilling on other parts of America’s coastline."

He also voted against health care reform. I have no idea why he calls himself a Democrat.

Hypocrisy carries a high price sometimes. The real tragedy is that other coastal folks who have to endure the consequences of stupidity may not have supported deregulation or off-shore drilling.

NOW, he's seen the light. So typical.

We need a national study on why fat old white men never think anything can go wrong. Maybe it comes with white privilege. And of course, when something does go wrong, they can always blame God. Or the government. Forgot to add, or women and minorities.

because they are a red state or some of their politicians supported off shore drilling.

Well, my dear, Obama support offshore drilling too.

What does that make you?

He can get as emotional as he likes, but he is still part of the problem and not the solution.

But still even though I think Obama's policy sucks re off shore drilling, I don't think that just because he supports it that the people of LA deserve should just go pound sand.

It is not the time to be doing this. It is wrong, and it is craven.

My heart goes out to all of the people of the Gulf and especially those that have been directly affected by this to date. The reality is, all humans are going to be affected.

here.

BP should be fined for 40 years.

:sarcasm:

could watch that without feeling the pain of this disaster. The reality is beginning to surface.

Seize BP's assets!! This is so horrific!

too. :cry:

for Louisiana. Look at the map of all those rigs... Tides come in, and bring everything with them. Big spill, big mess.

Louisiana was betting on their luck holding out, and instead, it ran out. For decades, they have wanted it both ways.. oil/gas AND seafood/recreation. Guess which prevails? One CAN (and did) ruin the other.

Louisiana should be spitting mad at their politicians who have been selling them out for decades, and setting them up for this very big fall.

Tears and angry words will solve nothing at this point. Only time and mother nature can "fix" this mess, and there can and probably will be another spill in the future because oil wells leak, machinery fails, big oil is greedy. they BUY politicians so they can rape & pillage, and if some villagers get oiled or even killed, so be it.. It's a cost of doing "biddnes".:(

your trenchant and truthful thoughts should be heard more widely. You've said it all. Rep. Melançon's tears may well be genuine in the moment, but where was he in the deep-water drilling debate? Deep in big oil's lucrative pocket, that's where. SG