"we are getting closer to knowing the name of one of the guys on the rig most responsible...

[gristy]

for the catastrophe."

Meanwhile, hearings into what caused the April 20th explosion proceeded today, and we are getting closer to knowing the name of one of the guys on the rig most responsible for the catastrophe. The Times reports that a chief mechanic for the Deepwater Horizon rig "testified that he witnessed a 'skirmish' between an official of BP, which leased the rig, and Transocean, the owner and operator, on the morning of the explosion."

The mechanic, Douglas H. Brown, described a “skirmish” or “slight argument” on the rig between the BP well site leader (whom he referred to as “the company man”) and Transocean officials, including the offshore installation manager, or O.I.M. The exact details of the argument were not known, but it followed BP’s decision to replace heavy drilling fluid with lighter saltwater before the well was sealed with cement plugs.

“The driller was outlining what would be taking place, whereupon the company man stood up and said, ‘No, we’ll be having some changes to that,’ ” Mr. Brown said. “The O.I.M., tool-pusher and driller disagreed with that, but the company man said, ‘Well, this is how it’s going to be,’ and the tool-pusher, driller and O.I.M. reluctantly agreed.”

http://gothamist.com/2010/05/26/bp_company_man_brushed_off_concerns.php
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/27/us/27rig.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2620669020100526?type=marketsNews

[ShortnFiery]

1. Yes, it's the corporation - personhood - according to SCOTUS named "BP" eom

[FreeJG]

14. Two guys don't make up what we are witnessing today...Corporate fascism...there i said it

And they made a cozy deal to be allowed in our waters on the cheap. Via Vice Preznit Cheney and his secret meetings. Why have the tankers not sailed here...it's been a month. They could skim the water and trade it on the market as they did in Saudi Arabia when they had a large spill. They cleaned up 85% that way. Where are they? Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Shell, Conoco...why are you not here? Somewhere, Obama and others are making decisions...and it has nothing to do with Mother Earth and her people. Wake up!

[bluestateguy]

2. Is he still alive?

nt

[midnight armadillo]

3. Of course he is

Mr. BP, the corporate entity considered a person under US law, is alive and well, and will be for eternity.

[rucky]

4. He took off in the last escape pod.

[Arctic Dave]

5. Yeah, he is still alive.

All the top guys got off the rig.

Other then the driller, the company man and the toolpusher rarely go on the rig except during inspections. They monitor everything on a live feed in their offices.

[William Z. Foster]

6. oh goodie

A scapegoat!

We can frog-march him, and all will be well.

[pinboy3niner]

11. One "rogue actor" can be flogged publicly

And all will be right with the world.

[SaveOurDemocracy]

16. Everyone loves a parade. Frogs would be fun.

Might have some trouble keepin them in formation, tho.

[blue neen]

7. So, Dick Cheney won't take any blame again?

It's like the time Cheney shot his friend in the face and the friend apologized for being in Cheney's way.

[Go2Peace]

8. So we will have our "person" to blame and distract us from the greater issues

How muc you want to bet. Fox will beging laying blame on the individual and God Bless the corporation

[flamingdem]

9. He's hiding out in Paraguay along with Dr. Mengele nt

[supernova]

10. My next job as ante they will pin it on the already dead workers

[Kalun D]

12. Watch the 60 Minutes Piece

It's BP company policy, disregard for safety to increase profits. It's company wide. It still continues on their other rigs in the gulf.

There was 5 different things wrong with the B.O.P. It was all ignored and they removed the mud to speed up the process and the poorly maintained B.O.P. failed. They probably knew it would fail because it had already failed negative pressure tests.

BP needs to be broken up and the CEO's put in prison. It will never happen because the corps own Obama and the government.

[DBoon]

13. "give me the head of willie the mail boy"

Blaming the person with the least power and status is such an embedded corporate ritual that it has been mocked in Dilbert

[SaveOurDemocracy]

15. Yeah. How pathetic is that? n/t

[William Z. Foster]

17. not just BP

What we are seeing is standard operating procedure for corporations, which is to say for capitalists.

[Merlot]

18. oh pleezzzzee...not the "one bad apple" theory

like it hasn't been years of cost cutting and many, many decisions and lies to get to this point?

[KonaKane]

19. Surely it has to be Obama's fault.

Just trying to keep it real, you know.

[lpbk2713]

20. Cheney gave Halliburton a wink and a nod.

To let them bypass those annoying and costly safety precautions.
Which is why Unca Dick hasn't been saying much lately.