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Politics : President Barack Obama -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mac Con Ulaidh who wrote (77092)	6/3/2010 1:49:10 AM
From: stockman_scott	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 149317

What would a hurricane do to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill? wunderground.com

To: Mac Con Ulaidh who wrote (77092)	6/3/2010 10:01:04 AM
From: Wharf Rat	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 149317

Here's a Drum followup to Rock's post The world has discovered my little Drum. They had to get a new server. widelyred on June 3, 2010 - 12:12am Rockman, you've done an excellent job all along on this site and I applaud you for it. 30 years ago I was a roughneck, but a world of change has happened since then and I was just happy to get away from it. Per your note about a "top hand". I worked with a driller from Texas and there was a problem with the mud pump in a huge mud pit. He was standing next to me and handed me his hard hat and proceeded to DIVE into the pit! One of the other hands rushed up to me and asked where he went and I said, "I think he just committed suicide"! About a minute later, we see the submersible pump jump around a bit and it starts working again. Then we see the driller follow the power cable / guy wire assembly holding the pump hand over hand as he worked his way out of the pit. Astonished doesn't begin to describe what I was feeling. When he got back, looking like a creature from the brown lagoon, with slimy bentonite dripping off him I said, "What the hell were you thinking?" He replied that he'd never ask a hand to do something he wouldn't be willing to do himself, and he didn't think asking any of us to do what he'd just done would have even worked, we'd have probably died. THAT was just to keep circulation! What people lurking here don't realize is just how slick drilling mud is. He essentially dived into quicksand and his only hope of survival was to find the pump and use it to get back to land. He may not have been the brightest bulb, but he had more heart than I could ever muster in that profession. He knew how to be a "top hand". If he'd been on that DW rig, I don't doubt for a second he'd have tried to "get er done" no matter what. I too suspect BP cut one too many corners, but for all these folks beating them down, remember that BP acquired multiple companies along the way, including the so-called merger with Amoco. Amoco should have been the dominant company but BP has whittled them down over the years in political in-fighting. There are still a lot of Amoco hands left who are dismayed at what has become of their once proud heritage. I know one who is resigning over this, I'm sure there are more, they weren't involved at all but are ashamed of what has happened. Remember, fish rots starting at the head.