Gov. Perry, annoyed, defends 'act of God' comment

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http://blogs.chron.com/texaspolitics/archives/2010/05/gov_perry_annoy.html

Gov. Rick Perry appeared decidedly annoyed when asked today about his mention of "acts of God" when answering a question in Washington yesterday concerning the BP PLC oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. He defended his comments this way:

"Here's what I said, and I think it's an interpretation issue with one reporter, is what I think. If you will go look up the definition of 'act of God,' we've used it in legal terms for a long time in this state and the -- Nobody knows what happened, and I said that in my remarks, that there were you know a lot of speculation -- it could have been an act of God, it could have been you know, who knows?
"And I think to speculate at this particular point in time, which is what I said in my remarks, and there are those that would rather focus in on one statement without -- either not understanding which I hope they're teaching better than that in journalism school -"

He was interrupted by another question. Then, when I asked him what he meant by "act of God," he said:

"Here's what I want you to do. I want you to go look it up , the definition, in the dictionary. I meant exactly what Webster's says by that. It's something that no one can put their finger on, and it may be an accident it may be something else. I do think it is very intriguing that those of you in the media have focused in on one statement when the clear definition of that is pretty easy to get your hands on."

Here's the definition from Merriam-Webster online:

Main Entry: act of God Date: 1783 : an extraordinary interruption by a natural cause (as a flood or earthquake) of the usual course of events that experience, prescience, or care cannot reasonably foresee or prevent.

UPDATE: Democratic candidate for governor Bill White, seizing the opportunity, released an analysis of what may have gone wrong with BP's drilling operation and suggested ways to prevent catastrophic spills in the future.

(The press release is subtitled, 'Energy expert explains situation and path forward' and it notes his work in the oil and gas business)

"It is important that we know both the causes and means to prevent this kind of disaster as quickly as possible," White said. "We cannot afford an energy policy that is based on either wishful thinking or irrational fear. Claims by those in public office or the industry that somehow this tragedy was unavoidable or some 'act of God' are not helpful to reasoned discussion."

White's camp also targeted Perry for saying that BP "historically had a very good safety record from my perspective," citing the deadly BP refinery explosion in Texas City.

I guess goodhair will blame Merriam-Webster next? It is never his fault.

[sonias]

1. Depends on what the definition of "God" is, right?

I posted Burka's definition on another thread. And note that Paul Burka is a Perry lover too. Just saying...

http://www.texasmonthly.com/blogs/burkablog/?p=6897">Burka Blog 5/4/10
Is the BP disaster an act of God?

That was a weird comment for the governor to make. He can’t possibly substantiate his statement. Is he so anti-litigation that he is trying to protect the perpetrators? In any event, Black’s Law Dictionary defines an act of God as "An act occasioned exclusively by violence of nature without the interference of any human agency." It is hard to imagine how the explosion and resulting oil spill could qualify as an act of God. The drilling and operation of a well is most definitely the result of human agency. What kind of act of God could have caused the explosion? An undersea volcano? An as-yet undetected earthquake? No one has suggested that there is any cause for the oil spill rather than the obvious one — human negligence.

Perry is Sarah Palin crazy. :crazy:

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4. LOL!

Aren't the wingnuts the self-proclaimed party of "personal responsibility?" Funny how everything they do or say is never their fault.

[sonias]

5. "personal responsibility" stops at your door not theirs

It's never their fault, they never take full responsibility, and they hardly ever apologize for anything (and really mean it). And if the voters keep electing them, they keep doing the same insane thing over and over again. Truly they are delusional.

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2. BP "historically had a very good safety record from my perspective"

says Perry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BP#Texas_City_Refinery_disaster

Texas City Refinery disaster
Main article: Texas City Refinery (BP)
One of BP's largest refineries in the USA exploded in March 2005 causing 15 deaths. The fall-out from the accident continues to cloud BP's corporate image because of the mismanagement at the plant. There have been several investigations of the disaster, the most recent being that from the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. It was preceded by the Baker report and BP's own internal investigation.<42>

A large column filled with hydrocarbon overflowed to form a vapour cloud, which ignited. The explosion caused all the casualties and substantial damage to the rest of the plant. The incident came as the culmination of a series of less serious accidents at the refinery, and the engineering problems were not addressed by the management. Maintenance and safety at the plant had been cut as a cost-saving measure, the responsibility ultimately resting with executives in London.<42>

On 30 October 2009 the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) imposed an $87 million fine on the company for failing to correct safety hazards revealed in the 2005 explosion. The fine was the largest in OSHA's history.<43>

[sonias]

3. I wonder what BP's record is in contributions to Perry

That's the real record that counts with Perry. :shrug:

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8. Great question. Here's what I found:

http://capitolannex.com/2010/05/03/perry-has-full-confidence-in-bp/

snip-

Perry’s praise for BP should come as no surprise. The company’s BP North America Political Action Committee gave the governor $5,000 in his 2006 race against Democrat Chris Bell and independents Carole Keeton Strayhorn and Kinky Friedman. In 2002, the company gave Perry $2,500 according to the Texas Ethics Commission.

Although Perry is not, by far, the largest recipient of BP largesse in Texas, the company–through its associated PACs has given more than $284,000 to Texas politicians since 2000. A spreadsheet outlining the contributions is below.

[sonias]

9. Thanks

I figured BP had to have "paid" for a few Republican politicians. There are some Ds in there I know, but the vast majority is for Rs.

:fistbump:

[sonias]

11. Texas Watch on BP's record

Texas Watch Consumer Buzz - May 06, 2010

In the wake of the catastrophe currently unfolding in the Gulf, Governor Rick Perry was asked this week about BP's track record as a corporate citizen. He said the company has "historically had a very good safety record from my perspective." Of course, we all know this just isn't true. We remember the Texas City explosion in 2005 that killed fifteen workers and injured scores more. And that is just the beginning of BP's well-documented safety lapses.

In an effort to help him better understand the truth about BP's record and the need for strong workplace safety reforms, Texas Watch sent the Governor a letter with a sampling of the many news articles that have been written in recent years about BP's safety failures. Click here to read the letter in its entirety.

Now Governor Perry needs to hear from you too. Tell him to support strong workplace safety standards to ensure that others who put Texas workers in harms way are held fully accountable. Click here to take action now!

You can also check out our new Texas Workplace Safety Project page on our website that contains more information and resources on workers' safety in Texas.

Thanks for your support,

N. Alex Winlsow
Executive Director
Texas Watch

Texas Watch 5/6/10
BP’s Ungodly Safety Record

Largest Workplace Safety Fine in History


A History of Safety Violations


Ongoing Defiance of Safety Standards

Lots of details on the Texas Watch site

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12. Done!

Thanks for the link!
:hi:

[sonias]

13. Lone Star Project YouTube on BP's safety record

Tips to Burnt Orange Report on this one

Rick Perry and BP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4AbJzhdwXE

:kick:

[sonias]

6. Perry’s critics pounce on "act of God"

AAS First Reading blog 5/5/10
Perry’s critics pounce on ‘act of God’
(snip)
Democrats pounced Tuesday. Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie said in a fundraising letter, "I know you share my disgust over the Governor’s offensive and completely absurd statement."

Matt Angle, the Texas Democratic Party’s most influential political consultant, said, "Rick Perry’s point of view is bizarre and disrespectful. Would he claim that God oversaw coal mines in West Virginia, inspected brakes at Toyota or manned the bridge on the Exxon Valdez? There is no understanding, no compassion and no accountability in Rick Perry crassly calling the BP oil disaster deaths and environmental ruin as an 'act of God.'"

:kick:

[sonias]

7. It may take an act of God for Rick Perry to admit he was wrong

Off the Kuff blog 5/5/10
It may take an act of God for Rick Perry to admit he was wrong

Governor Perry is being questioned about his silly "act of God" comment regarding the BP oil leak in the Gulf, and he’s apparently a mite touchy about it. Look, we all know – clearly Perry does – that "act of God" is a legal term that would have enormous financial implications if it were true in this case. Even I have a hard time believing that Perry truly thought this was the case when he first said it. It’s much more likely that he was just trying to come up with some explanation that wasn’t politically dicey for his worldview, and in doing so said something silly. I’m as happy to pounce on him for it as the next guy, but if he’d just say that he misspoke and talk instead about how vital it is to try to figure out so that we might hopefully be able to prevent these catastrophes from happening again, I figure most people would just move on down the road. Seems to me that by continuing to insist that "act of God" means what he says it means, he’s prolonging the story and will ultimately make himself look like an even bigger idiot than usual. Not that I’m complaining, mind you. I’m just having a hard time fathoming how he fails to recognize the position he’s in.

In the meantime, if you’d like to hear what someone who actually knows what he’s talking about has to say about the BP disaster, http://www.scribd.com/full/30896764?access_key=key-mmf7w5rlv9savq70i9x">read this from Bill White. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a Governor who can understand stuff like this and make sense of it?

Good job Kuff! :applause::applause::applause:

[sonias]

10. The Most Outrageous Reactions to Gulf Spill

Perry's made another list! Another bad list that is.

Huffington Post
Gulf Oil Spill (PHOTOS): The Most Outrageous Reactions

The Gulf of Mexico oil spill has not only sparked discussion on the dangers of offshore drilling, but it's also sparked some, er, interesting statements. We've compiled some of the most eyebrow-raising comments that have been made since the spill occurred. Take a look, and vote for the most outrageous.

(snip)
Texas Governor Rick Perry (R) speculated that the spill may have just been God's doing: “From time to time there are going to be things that occur that are acts of God that cannot be prevented."

Perry is coming in at #3 behind loon balls Rush Limbaugh and Michael "Heck of Job Brownie" Brown. :crazy:

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14. Lone Star Project has put out a video about this!

I posted it in videos:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x463359

[tanyev]

15. Wow. Three LTTEs in the Dallas Morning News slammed Perry for his comments.

Even more surprising, only one of the eight letters about the oil spill blamed it on Obama.


What is God really saying?

Re: "Perry: Too early to point blame for oil spill -- He says offshore areas should stay open to drilling, defends BP," Tuesday news story.
I'm glad that Gov. Rick Perry has informed us that the disastrous gulf oil spill is an "act of God."
My only question: Is God telling us that he is opposed to offshore drilling or just any program supported by Perry?


This disaster is man-made

Gov. Rick Perry recently described the Gulf of Mexico oil spill by saying, "From time to time, there are going to be things that occur that are acts of God that cannot be prevented." This puzzles me.
I'm pretty certain that men and women built the rig, towed it to sea, started pumping, and then neglected to deploy safeguards that might have prevented this catastrophe. This is mankind's folly, governor. God had nothing to do with it.


Forefathers wouldn't approve

I pity our grandchildren and their children for having these so-called leaders, Gov. Rick Perry and the political establishment, serve themselves instead of us. We are mostly to blame for having our own heads in the sand by electing and continuing our support of them.
The only way I see to break from this continuum of having major industries control our lives is to exercise our democratic power at the voting booth, vote out all incumbents and get real lobbying reform by our new representatives. This can eliminate the absolute power of mega-industries like BP and other industry "leaders" who are too numerous to name here.
It is now up to us. Our leaders are essentially captives and in the pockets of these industries.
If we don't act now, we can expect things to remain the same with continuing environmental, political and security disasters for us, plus the mega taxes to pay for these mistakes. Remember this during the next few years at the voting booth, or else just keep your heads in the sand and forget your grandchildren.
Our forefathers would not be happy with our voting record.


http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/05/ont-he-oil-spil.html

[sonias]

16. Good - no one should give him a "pass" on this

Only 1 in 8 blamed Obama? Wow that is good!

Rick Perry = Slick Rick (he loves his oil)