Capitol Hill Blue Forums Capitol Hill Blue Opinions Hal Brown The GOP, goop, and political Pop-tarts

The GOP, goop, and political Pop-tarts
By HAL BROWN

The Republicans want to score political points by entering familiar territory, Alice�s Wonderland. By their topsy turvy logic all ill that has and will come from the B.P. oil disaster is President Obama�s fault.

Put aside the fact we can count the number of offshore rigs built during President Bush�s administration, who can forget the �drill baby drill� mantra of the presidential campaign.

Let�s not forget the cozy relationship Republicans have had with big oil for years either.

Now, as Huffington Post headlines �Bad news is good news for GOP: Republicans jubilant about Gulf coverage: �You can�t �beg for a better package� �

The Republican�s hope to rally their base of blue collar workers by blaming President Obama�s moratorium on the kind of drilling that produced the worse oil spill ever for their losing jobs. By their reasoning desperate workers losing jobs dependent on off shore drilling won�t be able to buy Pop-tarts for the kids breakfasts.

Of course there�s no mention of the jobs that will not just be lost, but eliminated for years, in the towns where pristine beaches attract tourists and locals alike. They will be fouled by big oil�s goop. As the scientists keep telling us, nobody can predict with certainty where the goop will go. There�s speculation it could cover the Gulf beaches of Florida and then move up the east coast.

Big oil, do you remember them and their cozy bedfellows for decades in the Republican Party which is responsible for giving them carte blanche to do anything they pleased with years of deregulation? Remember all the Republican efforts to gut every health and environmental safety bill?

Obama is calling for a moratorium to allow engineers and scientists to fast track methods to both prevent future offshore oil disasters, and to deal with them if they occur. Somehow in GOP Wonderland, this in un-American.

Back to the Pop-tart Party.

Pop-tarts Poptarts have 210 calories, 5g of fat from hydrogenated cottonseed oil, only 2g protein, less than 1g of fiber, contain 20g sugar, high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors and flavors and no antioxidants.

Unlike Pop-tarts, the oil the GOP loves doesn�t come from cotton seeds.

Their ideas about offshore drilling make as much sense as the Madd Hatter. Their ideas about drilling are about as good for the health of American people as a diet of Pop-tarts.



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Fanned.

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John Tenniel was not just the first illustrator of Alice in Wonderland.

For decades, he drew many excellent cartoons for Punch magazine. I have always like the ones he did as commentaries on the American Civil War:

John Tenniel and the American Civil War

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Oh! I almost forgot!

Here is the cartoon that reminded me of the present relations of the Republicans and Democrats as they go about "saving" the country!

The "Sensation" Struggle in America

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