BP and America and you are welcome../Regards Sweden

[ToBad]

Prior to Katrina, the U.S. had never accepted aid from foreign countries, so two months ago, Sweden offered to send aid and assistance in the form of three brand new Swedish Coast Guard vessels built for dealing with a major oil spill cleanup. But the help that was offered was rejected by the US authorities. But yesterday, two months later the US authorities accepted our help.

Each vessel has a capacity to collect nearly 50 tons of oil per hour from the surface of the sea and can hold 1,000 tons of spilled oil in their tanks. Only yesterday, the U.S. authorities to accept the Swedish aid.

Only one country that the U.S. would refuse the vessel which hosts the best and most efficient oil recovery system just because it was not owned by Americans. But now the oil has reached beaches in Texas, so now you are forced to accept help from other countries.

I am so proud of my country Sweden that we can come and help out (for free).

[Coup]

As an America who isn't (completely) retarded I thank you Sweden.

[Kiopa_Matt]

50 tonnes per hour? You sure about that? Seems a bit high. That's over 100,000 pounds an hour.

Nonetheless, kudos to Sweden then, I guess.

[Adam_M]

Well done Sweden and a huge WTF to the US for saying no the this help months ago!

[Brent 3dSexCash]

Prior to Katrina, the U.S. had never accepted aid from foreign countries, so two months ago, Sweden offered to send aid and assistance in the form of three brand new Swedish Coast Guard vessels built for dealing with a major oil spill cleanup. But the help that was offered was rejected by the US authorities. But yesterday, two months later the US authorities accepted our help.

Each vessel has a capacity to collect nearly 50 tons of oil per hour from the surface of the sea and can hold 1,000 tons of spilled oil in their tanks. Only yesterday, the U.S. authorities to accept the Swedish aid.

Only one country that the U.S. would refuse the vessel which hosts the best and most efficient oil recovery system just because it was not owned by Americans. But now the oil has reached beaches in Texas, so now you are forced to accept help from other countries.

I am so proud of my country Sweden that we can come and help out (for free).

We could have used your help during WWII as well

[chupachups]

You are welcome!

[ToBad]

50 tonnes per hour? You sure about that? Seems a bit high. That's over 100,000 pounds an hour.

Nonetheless, kudos to Sweden then, I guess.

It is true, almost 50 tonnes per hour.

[DateDoc]

The least you could do since the Chairman of the BP Board is Swedish! All kidding aside, we'd love any help we can get cleaning this mess up.

[epitome]

Thanks, Sweden! You have now given us three great things ... help with this terrible disaster as well as...



and...

[charlie g]

the coughdrops are Swiss....

[epitome]

Oh shit they even say from Switzerland. My bad.

[charlie g]

heh, 2 out of 3 aint bad. But the hot blondes are way better than the candies ;)

[Jensen]

yesterday?

Published Wednesday, 30 June 2010:

The United States will accept offers from 12 foreign countries to help clean up and contain the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, officials said on Tuesday.

Offers of boom to contain oil and collect it off the surface of the water have been accepted from Canada, Mexico, Norway and Japan, said a spokeswoman from the Unified Area Command, an entity headed by the US Coast Guard that is coordinating with BP on the oil spill response.

[LongBG]

That's good news and good move by Sweden.

Oh and nothing is for free. Maybe not paid for with $, but either way there will be some
form of payment....

[EliteWebmaster]

Thanks, Sweden! You have now given us three great things ... help with this terrible disaster as well as...



and...

And Ikea

[ottopottomouse]

Who gets to keep the skimmed off oil?

[MaDalton]

Switzerland <> Sweden

[Caligari]

heh, 2 out of 3 aint bad. But the hot blondes are way better than the candies ;)

the ricola are cough drops, the swedish babes are the candy;)

great job swedes! i am amazed considering 2x now the US has turned down to amazing offers from the Dutch-
1)to recreate the levees in new orleans to make them impervious to storms/floods, because the dutch are the levee masters. apparently the US decided 2 billion was too much to pay...bunch of idiots seeing as we are talking about protecting one of the greatest cities in the US.

2)apparently the US rejected the Dutch again on the oil spill clean up. leave it to the US gov to wallow in their own ignorance.

[ShellyCrash]

Oh and nothing is for free. Maybe not paid for with $, but either way there will be some
form of payment....

Who gets to keep the skimmed off oil?

Agreed. I doubt the vessles were initially refused solely because we're all John Wayne assholes who don't want no help from nobody. I'm sure there is some catch (just as I am sure US Aid comes with strings as well).

As a gulf coast resident I really don't care who gets the oil, and as they are resorting to burn off methods maybe BP is finally starting to realize they can't keep trying to hold on to all the "black gold" they are poisining the waters with for themselves.

Based on happenings I would guess that the boats were probably initially refused because of BP's refusal to work in conjunction with any outside clean up effort. I think it's a mistake the way it was handled, but untl recently everything with the clean up effort was run through BP for their approval. BP's response seemed to be that any separate entity not under BP orders and control would further complicate the situation and distract important BP company resources from their own clean up efforts- in a nutshell BP's line has been that they're the experts in the field and anyone else will just fuck it up. If you have something to bring to the table, don't offer it to the US government, offer it to BP and they'll pick and choose who they allow to do what (and under strict BP supervision of course).

[sperbonzo]

Agreed. I doubt the vessles were initially refused solely because we're all John Wayne assholes who don't want no help from nobody. I'm sure there is some catch (just as I am sure US Aid comes with strings as well).

As a gulf coast resident I really don't care who gets the oil, and as they are resorting to burn off methods maybe BP is finally starting to realize they can't keep trying to hold on to all the "black gold" they are poisining the waters with for themselves.

Based on happenings I would guess that the boats were probably initially refused because of BP's refusal to work in conjunction with any outside clean up effort. I think it's a mistake the way it was handled, but untl recently everything with the clean up effort was run through BP for their approval. BP's response seemed to be that any separate entity not under BP orders and control would further complicate the situation and distract important BP company resources from their own clean up efforts- in a nutshell BP's line has been that they're the experts in the field and anyone else will just fuck it up. If you have something to bring to the table, don't offer it to the US government, offer it to BP and they'll pick and choose who they allow to do what (and under strict BP supervision of course).

Actually there is strong evidence that the outside help was refused by the government because the US Unions didn't want outside non-union workers coming in. The government was just pandering to it's union cash contributers.

.

[Phoenix]

oh and thanks for all the hot chicks too

[Slick]

I never understood the US never wanting to accept help. I know they gotta act like the big brother country, so strong that they never need help, but fuck, it is nice to get help once and a while, especially when we're always the one ALWAYS there to help out everyone.

[react]

[dyna mo]

Prior to Katrina, the U.S. had never accepted aid from foreign countries, so two months ago, Sweden offered to send aid and assistance in the form of three brand new Swedish Coast Guard vessels built for dealing with a major oil spill cleanup. But the help that was offered was rejected by the US authorities. But yesterday, two months later the US authorities accepted our help.

Each vessel has a capacity to collect nearly 50 tons of oil per hour from the surface of the sea and can hold 1,000 tons of spilled oil in their tanks. Only yesterday, the U.S. authorities to accept the Swedish aid.

Only one country that the U.S. would refuse the vessel which hosts the best and most efficient oil recovery system just because it was not owned by Americans. But now the oil has reached beaches in Texas, so now you are forced to accept help from other countries.

I am so proud of my country Sweden that we can come and help out (for free).

is there any news report on this? i can't find anything other than right wing blogs spinning this from a story from weeks ago.

Actually there is strong evidence that the outside help was refused by the government because the US Unions didn't want outside non-union workers coming in. The government was just pandering to it's union cash contributers.

.

and i can't find ANY info backing this up. are local labor unions so powerful and organized in 2010 that they can come together, make a few calls and have the entire gulf region wiped out to save a few thousand worker's jobs for a while?

[mikke]

And Ikea

also volvo

[sperbonzo]

is there any news report on this? i can't find anything other than right wing blogs spinning this from a story from weeks ago.


and i can't find ANY info backing this up. are local labor unions so powerful and organized in 2010 that they can come together, make a few calls and have the entire gulf region wiped out to save a few thousand worker's jobs for a while?

They aren't just local unions. All unions are interconnected now in the US, and they throw MILLIONS around in campaign contributions....mostly without any oversight from campaign laws.

here is some info:

this is a congressional report.... not a blog.

for some reason MSNBC and CNN haven't picked up on this....



http://republicans.oversight.house.g...l_Clean-up.pdf


It's an interesting read if you are really interested.


.

[dyna mo]

They aren't just local unions. All unions are interconnected now in the US, and they throw MILLIONS around in campaign contributions....mostly without any oversight from campaign laws.

here is some info:

this is a congressional report.... not a blog.

for some reason MSNBC and CNN haven't picked up on this....



http://republicans.oversight.house.g...l_Clean-up.pdf


It's an interesting read if you are really interested.


.

thx for the link, i did take the time to read it, there's nothing in that re: your claim that "the government" pandered to union people and let the oil flow to save union jobs. in fact, it rips the obama admin for the drilling moratorium claiming 40,000 jobs are lost due to that.

also, i'm not going to go so far as to state that document is baloney, but it is filled with misleading information designed to paint the dem white house in a bad light.

[Raf1]

We could have used your help during WWII as well

your country's help was a few years late and the war boosted your country's economy for many years. I guess you have no need to complain, really...

[rage3]

We could have used your help during WWII as well

hahaha, no shit.

[Rochard]

We could have used your help during WWII as well

That's what I was going to say!

[dyna mo]

what exactly is it y'all think switzerland could of done to change the tide of ww2?

[Tom_PM]

Oh I'm sure Obama said fuck you to everyone trying to help and jammed giant handfuls of union and bp cash into his pockets while puffing on a fat cigar with his pimp hat on.

Because, you know, Obama is a illegal kenyan who hates america and is destroying it.

[charlie g]

Long before internet porn and even before vhs my main source of fap material came from swedish erotica on 8mm. My old man had tons of that shit in the 70's. So I have a hard place for sweden already... but saving the baby seals and penguins and kangaroos is good too!

[charlie g]

your country's help was a few years late and the war boosted your country's economy for many years. I guess you have no need to complain, really...

Maybe the US should have entered the war earlier, and maybe they should have sat on the sidelines. The fact is that thousands of US servicemen lost their lives to "free" Europe. If not for those American's sacrifice, most of you would be sprechen deutsch.

[GrouchyAdmin]

[ToBad]

We are few in sweden but good! Just look at this youtube movie about Swedish Submarine in US water torpedo USS Reagan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoMj1TjNTFw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1UPG7XwhWw&NR=1

[cykoe6]

Here is a good article on why the Obama administration refused to accept help from European countries until it was too late. The incompetence involved is truly staggering. G-d help us all as long as this idiot is in charge.

http://www.financialpost.com/news/Av...808/story.html

Some are attuned to the possibility of looming catastrophe and know how to head it off. Others are unprepared for risk and even unable to get their priorities straight when risk turns to reality.

The Dutch fall into the first group. Three days after the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico began on April 20, the Netherlands offered the U.S. government ships equipped to handle a major spill, one much larger than the BP spill that then appeared to be underway. "Our system can handle 400 cubic metres per hour," Weird Koops, the chairman of Spill Response Group Holland, told Radio Netherlands Worldwide, giving each Dutch ship more cleanup capacity than all the ships that the U.S. was then employing in the Gulf to combat the spill.

To protect against the possibility that its equipment wouldn't capture all the oil gushing from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, the Dutch also offered to prepare for the U.S. a contingency plan to protect Louisiana's marshlands with sand barriers. One Dutch research institute specializing in deltas, coastal areas and rivers, in fact, developed a strategy to begin building 60-mile-long sand dikes within three weeks.

The Dutch know how to handle maritime emergencies. In the event of an oil spill, The Netherlands government, which owns its own ships and high-tech skimmers, gives an oil company 12 hours to demonstrate it has the spill in hand. If the company shows signs of unpreparedness, the government dispatches its own ships at the oil company's expense. "If there's a country that's experienced with building dikes and managing water, it's the Netherlands," says Geert Visser, the Dutch consul general in Houston.

In sharp contrast to Dutch preparedness before the fact and the Dutch instinct to dive into action once an emergency becomes apparent, witness the American reaction to the Dutch offer of help. The U.S. government responded with "Thanks but no thanks," remarked Visser, despite BP's desire to bring in the Dutch equipment and despite the no-lose nature of the Dutch offer --the Dutch government offered the use of its equipment at no charge. Even after the U.S. refused, the Dutch kept their vessels on standby, hoping the Americans would come round. By May 5, the U.S. had not come round. To the contrary, the U.S. had also turned down offers of help from 12 other governments, most of them with superior expertise and equipment --unlike the U.S., Europe has robust fleets of Oil Spill Response Vessels that sail circles around their make-shift U.S. counterparts.

Why does neither the U.S. government nor U.S. energy companies have on hand the cleanup technology available in Europe? Ironically, the superior European technology runs afoul of U.S. environmental rules. The voracious Dutch vessels, for example, continuously suck up vast quantities of oily water, extract most of the oil and then spit overboard vast quantities of nearly oil-free water. Nearly oil-free isn't good enough for the U.S. regulators, who have a standard of 15 parts per million -- if water isn't at least 99.9985% pure, it may not be returned to the Gulf of Mexico.

When ships in U.S. waters take in oil-contaminated water, they are forced to store it. As U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, the official in charge of the clean-up operation, explained in a press briefing on June 11, "We have skimmed, to date, about 18 million gallons of oily water--the oil has to be decanted from that [and] our yield is usually somewhere around 10% or 15% on that." In other words, U.S. ships have mostly been removing water from the Gulf, requiring them to make up to 10 times as many trips to storage facilities where they off-load their oil-water mixture, an approach Koops calls "crazy."

The Americans, overwhelmed by the catastrophic consequences of the BP spill, finally relented and took the Dutch up on their offer -- but only partly. Because the U.S. didn't want Dutch ships working the Gulf, the U.S. airlifted the Dutch equipment to the Gulf and then retrofitted it to U.S. vessels. And rather than have experienced Dutch crews immediately operate the oil-skimming equipment, to appease labour unions the U.S. postponed the clean-up operation to allow U.S. crews to be trained.

A catastrophe that could have been averted is now playing out. With oil increasingly reaching the Gulf coast, the emergency construction of sand berns to minimize the damage is imperative. Again, the U.S. government priority is on U.S. jobs, with the Dutch asked to train American workers rather than to build the berns. According to Floris Van Hovell, a spokesman for the Dutch embassy in Washington, Dutch dredging ships could complete the berms in Louisiana twice as fast as the U.S. companies awarded the work. "Given the fact that there is so much oil on a daily basis coming in, you do not have that much time to protect the marshlands," he says, perplexed that the U.S. government could be so focussed on side issues with the entire Gulf Coast hanging in the balance.

Then again, perhaps he should not be all that perplexed at the American tolerance for turning an accident into a catastrophe. When the Exxon Valdez oil tanker accident occurred off the coast of Alaska in 1989, a Dutch team with clean-up equipment flew in to Anchorage airport to offer their help. To their amazement, they were rebuffed and told to go home with their equipment. The Exxon Valdez became the biggest oil spill disaster in U.S. history--until the BP Gulf spill.

[L-Pink]

Who gets to keep the skimmed off oil?

I would think salvage laws would give ownership to who ever reclaims it.


.