Gagging order on scientists probing dolphin deaths as U.S. builds criminal case against BP

[wordpix]

Source: Daily Mail

Scientists probing the deaths of baby dolphins in the area affected by last year's BP oil spill have been ordered by the government not to speak about the project.

Wildlife biologists who have been contracted by the National Marine Fisheries Service to investigate a huge rise in dolphin mortality this year must keep their findings confidential.

The gagging order was imposed because the review of the deaths is part of the federal criminal investigation into last year's BP disaster.

snip

One biologist, who has been tracking dolphin deaths for more than 20 years and does not want to be named, said: 'This throws accountability right out the window. We are confused and angry because they claim they want team work, but at the same time they are leaving the marine experts out of the loop completely.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1370016/Gagging-order-scientists-probing-dolphin-deaths.html#ixzz1HlTQkmdv




Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1370016/Gagging-order-scientists-probing-dolphin-deaths.html

---

Also says dolphin deaths being treated as evidence, like a murder case. BP needs to pay for its crime

[eowyn_of_rohan]

1. it had BETTER be because there is a federal criminal investigation into BP-nt

[liberation]

23. I doubt it, the only party benefiting from this gag order is BP.

I don't know about you, but any criminal investigation in which the prosecution is helping the accused is suspect in my book.

If there was not only a case, but an actual trial. The gag order would make sense. This study would actually making a case much easier if published, gagging the study implies that the prosecution is not interested in the process of bringing the charges being an easy/popular one.

In any case, I am sure they will be have plenty of legal justifications. But for such an administration who parroted so much all those talking points about "transparency" it seems a bit "unbecoming" to issue a gag order on a scientific investigation on an ongoing disaster. Esp. since a lot of people live in that region and have a right to be informed properly.

[indepat]

27. Hear! Hear! That only BP benefits should be perfectly obvious.

:applause:

[Uncle Joe]

30. I agree on all counts, liberation.

You nailed it.

[defendandprotect]

53. Agree -- this is solely for protection of BP -- and to keep further questions from being asked ...

about Gulf and what is really going on!!

Huge damage to humans and animal-life -- and we barely know what the long

term effects on the Gulf and other oceans will be --

OIL has been made a national security issue -- which puts BP in the safety box!

They will have the protection of Obama and whatever else it takes --



Not to mention COREXIT -- which will dissolve plastics!!!

[Poll_Blind]

2. Call me a cynic but here's how I imagine this sort of thing would go down:

The scientists are gagged for 2-3 years, all the while the U.S. government "investigates".

U.S. stops investigating 2-3 years from now, deciding not to bring charges against BP.

That's it. There is no punchline.

PB

[wordpix]

3. your scenario more possible if a repuke wins the WH

[Webster Green]

5. Why?

The current administration, including the US Coast Guard and EPA have assisted BP in their cover-up since the beginning of the incident.

[wordpix]

7. not a big supporter of O at this point BUT

I will hold my nose and vote for him if he's the nominee. At least his DOJ is investigating, which I doubt a repug admin would bother to do because "accidents happen." (My repug bro's comment about the blowout).

[Webster Green]

8. I suppose I will be doing the same.

It's been infuriating to watch this administration compromise on everything, however we don't have any choice but to vote Democratic.

Obama's handling of the Gulf disaster really pissed me off, but he's pissed me off hundreds of times since then, so.......whatever.

[CountAllVotes]

13. Criminals!

[xxqqqzme]

44. Holding our votes hostage

AGAIN!

[tabasco]

48. LOL

Idiocy.

[defendandprotect]

55. You might as well be saying that they are holding your "conscience" hostage -- can they?

My conscience won't permit me to vote for Obama again -- not after

Dems/Obama supporting these Bush wars since '06 --

See Pelosi morning after '06 election -- on video --

"Democrats were elected to end the war!"

[pocoloco]

51. Why should he or any of the other repug enablers change

as long as enough voters "hold their nose"?

[defendandprotect]

54. You mean you agree with Emmanuel ... "Dems have no place to go" -- ????

How about, for one, we draft Sen. Bernie Sanders for president --

and find another strongly anti-war candidate -- maybe someone like Tom Hayden?

It could be anyone -- we have tons of democrats who can run on the Dem ticket --

better not to have someone pre-bribed and pre-owned in the Dem Party --

Let's find out what's left of this party and pick it up and walk away with it -- ?????


Been rereading a book by Wm. Greider -- written in '92 -- "Who Will Tell the People?" --

Grieder makes clear that Democrats have been collaborating with Repugs -- especially in

regard to tax code to benefit elites since 1978!! At that point elites benefited by

36% -- This was long before Reagan.

I'm still trying to get together a little report on this book -- but haven't had the time

yet --

[liberation]

24. Technically Bush's DOJ did investigate too. Remember Scotter Libby?

No need to fish for such lowered expectations to justify denial IMHO.

[alfredo]

57. Keeping the scientist quiet is to keep the scope of the

investigation quiet until they are ready to indict. The less BP knows at this point the better. It keeps them guessing.

[emilyg]

14. Yes. +1

[Frisbee]

21. Don't you mean stays in the WH? n/t

[naaman fletcher]

35. You need to get out of the Dem-GOP way of thinking

There is only one party. It supports endless war, bank bailouts, and the oil industry.

This one party divides itself into the Dems and GOP for debating abortion, gay rights, etc. And of course here we come down on one side, at freak republic they come down on another side,

but to the one single party that is all just a diversion so what we ignore the endless war, bank bailouts, and sucking up to the oil industry.

[chervilant]

37. Picture

a bunch of fat cats stretched out comfortably in tastefully worn leather easy chairs in a cozy, wood-paneled library, smoking Cuban cigars and sipping single malt scotch. One of them chuckles with deep satisfaction, and says, "as long as the hoi polloi believes in the two party system, we've got 'em by the short hairs!" Everyone else is nodding and laughing derisively...

[Raksha]

42. I can picture that scenario very easily--too easily.

[wordpix]

60. Actually, I'm hoping Bernie Sanders will run ---although he's older, he's a great leader

afraid people won't vote for him b/c he's "too old"

[blackspade]

4. We have a winner!

Tragically.

[ArcticFox]

9. Exactly

Modus operandi.

I don't care who's in the White House.

[glinda]

10. Tragically true I am sure. Am sick of this crap from them.

[truth2power]

12. Exactly what I was thinking before I even got to your post...

Why should I believe the US govt. is investigating anything? I think it's more likely that they don't want anyone talking about dolphin deaths. The next half-dozen atrocities or so have already occurred, and the Gulf issues are circling the drain.

Criminal charges against BP? Ever? Don't make me laugh! :rofl:

[BobbyBoring]

29. When people are dying

That worked on the Gulf clean up and all the Exxon Valdez clean up workers are dead, what's a few dead dolphins?

Just another crime scene, nothing to see here~

[USBlues]

22. Exactly...

Its all about controlling the information. Just like during the days of the spill when the administration was working hand in hand with BP to control the information. This is the governments favorite way to hide shit...throw an "investigation" around whatever it is and claim all information is secret. Remember, the corporations control the government in America...not the other way around so nothing will happen to BP.

[leveymg]

41. That's the way this normally works. If they wanted to bust BP, they could have done it last year.

The system of justice in the US is criminal.

[IDemo]

50. Congress creates legislation declaring dolphins a terroristic species

and any effort to protect them aiding and abetting.

[McCamy Taylor]

6. "Federal criminal investigation" equals "cover up of corporate crimes"

[polichick]

28. Unfortunately that's about what it amounts to - justice be damned!

[austinrick]

39. Just one more reason I no longer recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

[alp227]

11. I never knew the Daily Mail could do a serious enough story like this to be frontpaged

but in case you won't click on a tabloid here's a real news source (Reuters): http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/25/us-dolphins-gulf-idUSTRE72O3JO20110325

Still great news!

[midnight]

15. Those poor scientists...

[RKP5637]

16. The gov. wants CYA, probably these scientists wouldn't go along with an outright cover-up. n/t

[Michael J]

17. Corruption

The government does not want the people to blame them for the spill. British Petroleum's lobbyists bribed a bunch of congressman and federal regulators. Joe Barton apologized to the now-former CEO.

[avaistheone1]

18. k&r

[aquart]

19. THIS DOJ is investigating BP?

I feel faint. Quick, slap my wrist!

[indimuse]

20. KNR!

We have been SOLD OUT!

[xchrom]

25. what kind of 'investigation' is going on?

is it a criminal one?

and investigation to find out if there's been a crime?

how high up the ladder is this investigation going?

will it investigate government officials who helped lie about the severity of the spill?

[fasttense]

26. There they go looking backward at all those dead dolphins. n/t

[pam4water]

38. ROFL! K&R

[felix_numinous]

31. I guess corporations get to curtail free speech

-their 'Super-citizen' status allows them to create their own alternative universe. The rest of us now have "Sub-citizen' status, and have to shut up and go along with the program. I've about had enough of this bullshit.

[bengalherder]

32. Said scientists should leak info.

Wikileaks is still about as well as several anon leak sites.

Frankly, it is the ethical thing to do.

[Corruption Winz]

33. This, realistically, can only mean one of two things...

Either, this is the government really trying to crack down and gather all information, while keeping it concealed. This way, when they finally come out with all the information, it's all in tact and they can hit BP with this all at once.

Or.... this is the government coming through with another form of a bail out for BP.

Why do I feel that it's "B"?

[davidthegnome]

36. Experience and intelligence

That's why you feel that it's B.

Of all the damned sick things taking place in the world... this one really gets to me. Dolphins are noble, innocent, they are... pure in some way that I cannot put into words. I guess it makes sense that life's most cruel and malicious life form is destroying (and has destroyed) so many of them. Humanity.... really, I'd rather be a dolphin.

[felix_numinous]

34. ooops wrong thread!!

[femrap]

40. May a shark bite

an appendage off all of those who are denying transparency.

What are we....the United States of Corporations????

[Overseas]

43. Oh No! An ounce of compassion might seep into the equation !

We've gotta put a gag order on those dolphin photos! Waves of compassion might overcome our people! Oh no! That's what I thought at first. They're probably arguing-- too cute! highly prejudicial!

Didn't realize that their greater fear was that the dolphins increased mortality rate would also serve as a deeper question to the public -- how much are we willing to give up in allowing such a reckless pursuit of oil?

We've been subsidizing billions of dollars of R&D with the tax breaks we've given Big Oil, and all we got were sham safety reports by and large. Cut & paste jobs. Reckless disregard for all life. No improvements to clean up technologies for decades. I was embarrassed to see how the BP disaster was handled.

We paid billions for that and Big Oil doesn't want us taxpayers to see that their cost cutting on safety, in spite of our generous subsidies, were shifted into the Quarterly Profit pocket and for that

we are losing thousands of beautiful, intelligent creatures beloved for millennia.

They don't want us to ask if it was worth it-- for safety money to have been diverted to increase private wealth while taking so many species from our planet's shared ecosystems. Our focus has been distracted from those questions many times over already, as more and more iconic species drop in numbers.

Highly prejudicial? Of course. And it should be. Giving up dolphins is a major choice to make.

Do the majority of US taxpayers believe we should continue to subsidize companies that are so brazenly making irrevocable decisions on our behalf, merely to help them become the most profitable companies in the history of Earth, by skimping on safety?

It is not a matter of To Drill or Not To Drill at all. It is To Drill Recklessly or Not To Drill Recklessly. We have been paying Big Oil all along to proceed with much greater care.

[truedelphi]

49. Excellent thoughts on the matter.

Both yours and those of the OP writer.

Kucinich made the point that a mere 1.5 billion was captured as royalties by our government for all of the drilling the big oil (and not so big oil) companies do on the Gulf. Companies that are making tens of billions of dollars on a national resource, and they pay a percentage of a penny per dollar of profit!

[wordpix]

61. +1 meanwhile, the blowout preventers used by all the drillers don't work

that's the latest report

[OwnedByFerrets]

45. This makes me so fucking angry.

[Cetacea]

46. It SHOULD be treated like a murder case. They are our aquatic equals.

And they got here first. I rather see corporate rights removed and given to dolphins. AT least dolphins don't kill people and actively work at destroying the planet.

[chervilant]

47. hmm...

I suspect this will carry the same gravitas as "The Cove," for about as long.

We humans are manifesting a level of mental disease that is both frightening and corrosive. Far too many of us are in react mode, driven by inchoate fears and resentments. Far too many of us are willing to pollute our spirits with negativity, eagerly engaging in name-calling and other forms of vilification. Far too many of us are willing to glorify violence or resort to violence, often just for entertainment or personal gratification!

We seldom acknowledge the import of overpopulation, but Calhoun's research with rats has proven that when a critical level of overpopulation occurs, the outcome isn't pretty. With rats, abnormal sexual behavior, hyperaggression, eating their young, and increased mortality are a few of the problems that occurred. With humans, well...isn't it past time we acknowledge that our species has passed a critical tipping point?

When I was younger (and naive) I thought our species was in its adolescence--obsessed with sex, drugs, and all other forms of self-gratification, especially as regards our economic behaviors. However, a thoughtful analysis of the 'dis-ease' of overpopulation has shone a bright light on the consequences of this macro-level manifestation of our species' hedonism. Regardless of how much energy we devote to denying the ravages of overpopulation, they are writ large by our increasingly sophisticated, increasingly corrosive socio-cultural and technological constructs--the very same constructs we use to remain in denial, and to externalize responsibility for our collective hubris.

Bearing this in mind, I feel overwhelmed with disappointment about the choices we (as a collective) have been making, because we seem to be moving inexorably back into 'balance' on a planetary scale. The inevitable consequences of our hedonistic overpopulation and denial of personal responsibility promise to be extreme.

Perhaps we need to stop bickering like a bunch of WATBs, and get busy finding ways to save our species whole planet.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

52. Will they also demand that BP stop it's PR ads?

Both tamper with the jury pool.

[crim son]

56. Criminal because dolphins are dying or because dolphins dying

proves something else? I love dolphins and believe their deaths warrant an investigation but what about human illness? I keep hearing that these aren't really happening. Or am I just being obtuse? (there's a good chance)

[Macoy51]

58. Thank Goodness for Cheap Thumb-Drives

Can’t leak the information, that would risk jail time. However; if I was one of the scientist, I would safeguard my information on multiple thumb drives. But being careless, I am sure I would ‘lose” a drive or two.


Macoy

[nalnn]

59. Locally

Meanwhile...

Anytime a dead dolphin washes up and is recovered. It is shipped off (someplace out of state).

[wordpix]

62. very important that locals take photos, get video before evidence shipped off

Don't want official dead dolphin files to get "lost" with a "computer hacker" problem.

[nalnn]

63. Good advice

To anyone near anything like this. I always have my camera handy whenever I go down there (about once a week). Also, search 'dead dolphins', or dare I say, 'dead dolphin babies' and you will see the evidence. Many of the local news sources have chronicled this.