By Claver T. Kamau-Imani
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Ohio Two Fridays Ago ...
I had to fly to Tampa Florida for a connection. I know. Ohio by way of Florida the horror of todays commercial air travel. But I digress ...
This weird route afforded me the chance to actually fly over the Deep Water Horizon oil spill site. The captain tilted the plane from one side to the other so that the passengers could get a good gander.
As we took off from Houston and it was evident that we would be flying over the Gulf of Mexico I began peering out of the jets little porthole to the surface of the gulf.
I was looking for the evidence of the spill. I wanted to see it.
At some point within the flight I began to see a reddish color streaking with the blue waters below. And sure enough my suspicions were confirmed when the jet actually floated by the actual site of the blowout the scene looking exactly as depicted by the news media video including the flames burning off the spilling gas and oil.
The reddish water was vast. It appeared to me to be worse than reported and very close to shore. This closeness includes the beautiful beaches of Florida.
And as the jet began its descent into Tampa I wondered if those recreational boaters enjoying the blue waters off the coast understood how close the spill was to their playground? Just on the other side of a quaint barrier island nestled just off of Tampa Bay stands palatial homes that touch the white sands. How are those residents going to feel if that ugly goo starts washing up in their backyards"?
Who should ultimately be responsible for the protection of our precious beaches and those expensive houses lining the coast of Tampa Bay?
The Great Chicago Fire
The Chicago fire burned for three days in October of 1871. A maximum estimate of 300 lives were lost.
Nearly a full four square miles of the city was destroyed. About one-third of the cities valuation was destroyed about $222 million.
It was one of the nations largest and most tragic disasters of the 19
th Century.
The story that Mrs. OLearys cow was the cause of the fire is generally thought to be a myth. But what is not debated is that the fire could have been contained early if the Chicago fire department had responded quicker. And once they did respond their efforts were hampered by mis-communication and disorganization.
The Chicago mayor resorted to calling for assistance from other municipalities in the
area and their fire departments.
Its NOT Bushs Fault ...
... its Barack Obamas fault!
If a fire were to breakout at your home you may initially attempt to put it out through your own efforts. More than likely youre going to call a governmental entity called the fire department!
Why? Because youre not a firefighter and you want minimal damage done to your home. Even more important you dont want a Great Chicago Fire repeat. A fire in a Baltimore City row house or a Washington D.C. townhouse could result in an entire city block going up in flames.
Once the government entity the fire department has done its job and put the fire out then its time for an investigation into the cause of the fire. Was it faulty wiring installed by the builder during construction? Was it arson? Was it your five-year-older attempting to cook breakfast for the first time? Legal recourse can then be contemplated based upon the conclusions of the investigation.
But issue one is: Put out the fire!
Barack Obamas number one issue should have been from day one: Clean up the oil! But they didnt respond.
Instead they passed the buck to British Petroleum and mandated
them to clean up the spill. Thats like you calling the fire department when your house is ablaze and the 911 operator responds by saying
You put it out!
You started it!"
Doesnt make sense does it?
Pundits and politicos have been more apt to compare the Gulf oil spill to Hurricane Katrina and label the spill as Obamas Katrina. Arguments can and have been made about what W. could have or should have done.
Arguments are being made about what Obama could have or should have done 90 days ago. But let there be no debate about this: there is a governmental role in protecting lives and property. Conservatives should be able to agree on this.
All Americans should be able to agree on this: Barack Obama couldnt run a fire department why is he ruining excuse me I mean running the United States?
By Claver T. Kamau-Imani
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Ohio Two Fridays Ago ...
I had to fly to Tampa Florida for a connection. I know. Ohio by way of Florida the horror of todays commercial air travel. But I digress ...
This weird route afforded me the chance to actually fly over the Deep Water Horizon oil spill site. The captain tilted the plane from one side to the other so that the passengers could get a good gander.
As we took off from Houston and it was evident that we would be flying over the Gulf of Mexico I began peering out of the jets little porthole to the surface of the gulf.
I was looking for the evidence of the spill. I wanted to see it.
At some point within the flight I began to see a reddish color streaking with the blue waters below. And sure enough my suspicions were confirmed when the jet actually floated by the actual site of the blowout the scene looking exactly as depicted by the news media video including the flames burning off the spilling gas and oil.
The reddish water was vast. It appeared to me to be worse than reported and very close to shore. This closeness includes the beautiful beaches of Florida.
And as the jet began its descent into Tampa I wondered if those recreational boaters enjoying the blue waters off the coast understood how close the spill was to their playground? Just on the other side of a quaint barrier island nestled just off of Tampa Bay stands palatial homes that touch the white sands. How are those residents going to feel if that ugly goo starts washing up in their backyards"?
Who should ultimately be responsible for the protection of our precious beaches and those expensive houses lining the coast of Tampa Bay?
The Great Chicago Fire
The Chicago fire burned for three days in October of 1871. A maximum estimate of 300 lives were lost.
Nearly a full four square miles of the city was destroyed. About one-third of the cities valuation was destroyed about $222 million.
It was one of the nations largest and most tragic disasters of the 19th Century.
The story that Mrs. OLearys cow was the cause of the fire is generally thought to be a myth. But what is not debated is that the fire could have been contained early if the Chicago fire department had responded quicker. And once they did respond their efforts were hampered by mis-communication and disorganization.
The Chicago mayor resorted to calling for assistance from other municipalities in the 
