Imagine what it would be like to live in a country where

[Duer 157099]

instead of spending trillions on a military budget, that money was spent on scientific advancement and instrumentation so that if BP poked a hole in the ocean floor and oil started gushing out, our government would be ready and able to respond quickly and effectively.

Wouldn't that be nice? But I guess it's all just pie-in-the-sky unrealistic wishful thinking. We are NOT a can-do country.

[leftstreet]

1. But who would protect us from our freedoms?

er...wait

K&R

[dkf]

2. How's about making sure bp tests properly and

Has the necessary safeguards?

This is a failure of federal government oversight same as the need for the wall street bailout.

Everybody relies on the government to take care of their lack of planning. It's a worldwide epidemic.

[stray cat]

3. of course we are - we came up with a technique to drill one mile underwater

where even subs get squashed by the pressure.

[BR_Parkway]

4. You'd think with all that we spend, the military would have something

that could blow that hole closed like they do when an above ground well is out of control.

Oh, wait - BP would lose money if we did that. What the hell was I thinking?