Yup, and then into the oil patch, only this one a topical one, drilling pipe not included.

But don’t worry, Barack H. Obama, teeth bared and loins girded for combat, vowed during his Oval Office address to make ‘em pay, yes sir, make those evil knaves from British Petroleum pay through the nose, or else…

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama vowed on Tuesday to compel BP Plc to pay the price for its “recklessness” in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and sought to harness public outrage over the disaster for a “national mission” to cut U.S. dependence on fossil fuels.

“We will fight this spill with everything we’ve got for as long as it takes. We will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused,” Obama said in a televised address aimed at restoring confidence in his handling of the crisis before it further tarnishes his presidency.

Obama’s stern message for BP, delivered in a solemn tone, was a centerpiece of his high-stakes speech on the oil spill, which threatens to distract from his domestic agenda of reducing nearly double-digit U.S. unemployment and reforming Wall Street.

How forcefully Obama responds to America’s worst ecological disaster will have implications not only for the British energy giant but for the future of U.S. offshore drilling and for any hopes he has for rejuvenating climate change legislation stalled in Congress.

While urging Americans to “seize the moment” to break their addiction to fossil fuels, Obama’s appeal offered no detailed prescription for getting there and lacked a timetable for passing comprehensive energy legislation.

“Now is the moment for this generation to embark on a national mission to unleash American innovation and seize control of our own destiny.”

I hate to be the harbinger of reproof, here, but… While George W. Bush was in office, all we seemed to hear from the left side of the aisle, between the ladies and gentlemen over there blaming Bush for everything under the sun, was of the vital need for America to drop everything and single mindedly concentrate on finding alternatives to fossil fuels before “it” was too late; Yet since the Democrats took over both the House and the Senate and got their fearless leader into the White House, there has been nary a peep about spending any money on that “vital” goal.

Instead, we’ve had unbelievable quantities of the taxpayers’ hard earned cash, much of it in debt instruments to be paid off by said taxpayers’ children, grandchildren and their issue and issue’s issue thrown at bank and brokerage bail-outs, the nationalization purchase of auto manufacturing companies and a “stimulus” bill that has stimulated nothing but the coffers of ACORN and various other friends of the Obama Administration.

Now, suddenly, as…

NEW ORLEANS – Scientists provided a new estimate for the amount of oil gushing from the ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday that indicates it could be leaking up to 2.52 million gallons of crude a day.

A government panel of scientists said that the ruptured well is leaking between 1.47 million and 2.52 million gallons of oil daily. The figures move the government’s worst-case estimates more in line with what an independent team had previously thought was the maximum size of the spill.

…comes to light, our dictator the president, who’s already stressing out under the pressure of two wars (he doesn’t acknowledge the war on terror, since that would mean also acknowledging that his friends and fellow Muslims are behind it), an inevitable, multi-state rout of DC Democrats, a pitched battle over illegal immigration (he’s for it, patriotic Americans are against it) and our collapsed economy, which includes rampant, depression era levels of unemployment, is striking out with a vengeance at the most visible target, BP, as though his onslaught might make the ongoing oil problem go away.

Speaking of unemployment, his infamous drilling moratorium and support of operations “elsewhere” is definitely “helping”, unfortunately not helping the taxpaying, voting Americans in Louisiana.

The six-month drilling moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico will cripple Louisiana’s economy and leave thousands of families without income, particularly in coastal Louisiana, where one in three jobs is related to the oil and natural gas industry.

In Louisiana, oil and gas production can be divided into three industries – oil and gas extraction, refineries and pipelines – which in 2005 supported more than 15 percent of the total household incomes earned in the state.

Okay, how about a statistic or two?

How much oil comes from the Gulf of Mexico?

Around 33 percent of domestic oil in the United States comes through the Gulf of Mexico;

Eighty percent of the Gulf of Mexico’s oil and 45 percent of its natural gas comes from “deepwater” operations that occur in more than 1,000 feet of water.

How many jobs does the oil and gas industry provide in Louisiana now?

The Louisiana Department of Economic Development estimates that the active drilling suspension alone will result in a loss of 3,000 to 6,000 Louisiana jobs in the first two to three weeks;

The ban could cost Louisianans more than 10,000 jobs within a few months;

The state risks losing more than 20,000 existing and potential new jobs during a 12 to 18 month period, if the federal panel takes longer than six months to do their reviews and write their reports;

Coastal Louisiana, where one in three jobs is related to the oil and gas industry, services around 90 percent of deepwater operations in the Gulf of Mexico;

The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources estimates that an average of two supply boats per rig work every day with rates of $15,000 to $30,000 a boat, which means that suspension of drilling activity will result in a nearly $1 million loss per day in supply boat rental income. Each drilling rig job supports four other jobs in local communities.

On the other hand, the moratorium does seem to be of great help to both Brazil and the “infamous” George Soros, to whom the Democrats, knowing upon which side their bread is buttered, pay homage.

Here at Hard Astarboard, while we make no bones about our solid opposition to those on the left and elsewhere whose politics threaten the liberty of all Americans and where we are quick to pounce when we become cognizant of same, we do endeavor to be fair (honestly, we do!).

With that in mind, in the aftermath of a typical incident on the part of a typical group of politically motivated, in this case stone-age, pro-terrorism Islamic agitators called Muslim Student Union at UC Irvine, we were pretty surprised and not a little pleased when the college administrators did the right thing, as opposed to taking the usual “progressive” approach, which is to say, silently applauding the deeds of garden variety miscreants, the “deeds” being the essential shouting down and therefore suppression of the right to register an opinion, of those with whom they disagree.

LOS ANGELES - A University of California, Irvine, disciplinary committee ruled that a Muslim student group should be suspended for at least a year because of a protest that disrupted a talk by Israel’s ambassador and led to the arrest of 11 students, according to documents released Monday.

The letter from a student affairs disciplinary committee to Muslim Student Union leaders said the group was guilty of disorderly conduct, obstructing university activities, furnishing false information and other violations of campus policy. University spokeswoman Cathy Lawhon said the committee’s decision will be a binding recommendation to the campus’ office of student affairs if a planned appeal by the group does not succeed.

MSU attorney Reem Salahi said the committee relied on evidence relied that was “inadequate and problematic” but declined to outline the group’s challenge in detail. She said the decision, if sustained, would leave Muslim students without an organization representing their interests. “It really does have very lasting constitutional implications,” she said. “It’s a chilling effect for Muslims on campus and their right to associate.”

Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren was repeatedly interrupted and called “murderer” and “war criminal” by pro-Palestinian students as he was giving a talk on the Middle East peace process in February. Eleven students were cited on charges of disrupting a public event after they were requested to refrain from heckling but did not. Orange County district attorney spokeswoman Susan Schroeder said criminal charges have yet to be filed and it was unknown if or when they would be. (Read earlier story: ‘Heckling of Israeli ambassador shameful’)

“Progressive” California universities, or so one would expect, would be the last institutions to interfere with the obstruction of the right to free speech of anyone whose doctrine didn’t agree with theirs or their Muslim love objects’ totalitarian ideals.

So, hats off to UC Irvine!

From One News Now.

Yeah, our incumbent POTUS is a talker, alright.

THEODORE, Ala. – In a newly optimistic tone, President Barack Obama promised Monday that “things are going to return to normal” along the stricken Gulf Coast and the region’s fouled waters will be in even better shape than before the catastrophic BP oil spill.

He declared Gulf seafood safe to eat and said his administration is redoubling inspections and monitoring to make sure it stays that way. And his White House said Monday it had wrested apparent agreement from BP PLC to set up an independent, multibillion-dollar compensation fund for people and businesses suffering from the spill’s effects.

He declared, “I am confident that we’re going to be able to leave the Gulf Coast in better shape than it was before.”

… Sure, yeah, right, of course… Before we vote you out in November, 2012, or before?

With Obama hoping to convince a frightened Gulf Coast and a skeptical nation that he is in command, he is marshaling the tools at a president’s disposal: a two-day visit via Air Force One, helicopter and boat in the region, a prime-time speech Tuesday night from the symbolically important stage of the Oval Office and a face-to-face White House showdown Wednesday with the executives of the oil company that leased the rig that exploded April 20 and led to the leak of millions of gallons of coast-devastating crude.

From an enormous waterside staging facility here, one of 17 where cleanup crews ready themselves and equipment to attack the spill, Obama mixed optimism about the ultimate result with warnings that the recovery could take a while.

“I can’t promise folks here in Theodore or across the Gulf Coast that the oil will be cleaned up overnight. It will not be,” he said, after encouraging hard-hatted workers as they hosed off and repaired oil-blocking boom. “It’s going to be painful for a lot of folks.”

Ya’ think?

As the sentiment is expressed in an editorial in DeKalb County, Alabama’s Times Journal:

Right now, words are easy. And, in the wake of so many who are suffering from this tragedy, words do little to return Alabama’s beautiful beaches and critictal fishing industry to the norm.

Words, however, and words alone, are the sum total of the Obama product…

This one comes courtesy of the National Association for Gun Rights.

It describes exactly the kind of thing “progressives” force on us that makes my blood boil.

Thanks to Chicago’s gun ban, an 80-year-old Chicago man may face charges after shooting an intruder.

The Supreme Court is currently hearing McDonald v. Chicago, which could repeal Chicago’s longstanding handgun ban. But justice may come too late for an elderly Korean War vet who was simply defending his 83-year-old wife and 12-year-old grandson.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that this man had been robbed at home “a couple of months ago” by “three intruders.” Afterwards, he “bought a gun and vowed never to be a victim again.”

Around 5:00 this morning, 30-something Anthony Nelson broke into the home by breaking out a back window that leads to the elderly couple’s unit. There was a confrontation between the home invader and the homeowner, and the invader shot at the elderly man with his revolver. The homeowner shot back with his handgun, killing the attacker.

Good for him!

WGN interviewed Nelson’s mother, who of course extolled his virtues:

“Lenora Nelson said her son loved to draw and build things. She said he obtained his GED in jail and had just signed up for an online carpentry program. “He could fix almost anything,” she said.

Nelson was supposed to start a new job next week for a company that cleans out homes before they’re remodeled, his mother said.”

WGN balanced this out by reporting that Nelson “was on parole after being sentenced to three years in prison for a 2009 drug conviction,” and “had a criminal record that includes a number of other drug or weapons convictions going back to 1998.”

ABC reports that the man may be charged under Chicago’s current law, which bans handgun ownership.

Lenora Nelson was probably one hell of a parent. Yessiree, raised her one fine criminal, the kind of scumbag who preyed on senior citizens and, in his case, has thankfully been taken out of the gene pool.

Mayor Daly believes shoving a rifle up a reporter’s buttocks might save his life.

And if escaped convicts bother him at his Michigan vacation home, his private security detail stands ready to hold them at gunpoint.

Meanwhile, an elderly couple awaits the arrival of another set of armed robbers, courtesy of Daley’s “law and order” crew.

This is one of the features of “progressivism” that most ticks me off: These wealthy elitists sit there in the safety of their well guarded estates or gated communities, immune to the tragic consequences of the laws they impose on the common man, and aren’t the least bit perturbed at the misery they cause others through their misguided and usually not un, but anticonstitutional doctrines.

Let’s say this 80+ year old Korean war veteran, his wife and grandchild had been murdered by Nelson because there wasn’t a weapon in the house, what then?

How about, “Oh, well, at least the oldster didn’t break the law by owning a handgun.”

Thankfully, the case is also drawing attention of the right kind.

Update: Joe Brodsky announced his willingness to take this case pro bono, if Daley charges the victim under the handgun ban.

Said Brodsky: “Self defense isn’t just a right, it’s a duty. If this man is prosecuted for saving his own life it’s not just a travesty, its justice turned inside out.”

If this man is prosecuted for saving his own life it’s not just a travesty, its justice turned inside out.

That’s for damn sure…

There are a number of good links in the NAGR article, which can be read here.

Don’t blame me, that’s One News Now’s phrase, but it does fit, according to what we outside the boundaries of “progressive” ostrichity already know and what is described in this column by Peter Heck.

In Federalist #2, Founder John Jay addressed the dangers of foreign force and influence. In the course of the essay, he celebrated, “With equal pleasure I have as often taken notice that Providence has been pleased to give this one connected country to one united people — a people descended from the same ancestors, speaking the same language, professing the same religion, attached to the same principles of government, very similar in their manners and customs.” Jay understood that perhaps America’s greatest protection against the threat of foreign manipulation was our overriding sense of unity as a people.

That’s why Jay and the other Founders insisted that immigrants be willing to embrace and adopt our values and principles. George Washington wrote, “By an intermixture with our people, they, or their descendents, get assimilated to our customs, measures, laws: in a word soon become one people.”

Unfortunately, in the name of political correctness, we are trampling this very notion of unity in deference to the sacred cow of “diversity.” No clearer can this tragic reality be witnessed than in our developing societal embrace of Islam.

Well put. To truncate:

When Dr. Daniel Shayesteh (the former co-founder of the Islamic terror group Hezbollah) appeared on my radio program, I asked him whether true adherents to Islam could peacefully assimilate into American culture and embrace constitutional law and order. He responded, “It is impossible for a person who follows Mohammed and says, ‘I am a Muslim’ and follows the instruction of the Koran to align himself with other laws and cultural values. That’s impossible, because everything other than Islamic culture and principle is evil.”

That chilling admission should set off warning bells. Yet, despite this plainly stated position, Americans continue to suffer the foolishness of political correctness that tells us we should celebrate the growth of Islam here in America. Let me ask a hypothetical question: would you vote for someone who ran on the platform of obliterating U.S. sovereignty, discarding the U.S. Constitution, subjugating women, and executing homosexuals and executing?

The “chilling admission” hasn’t set off any warning bells with our PC politicians or the mainstream media.

What’s new? Nothing ever does, the result being that the citizens our politicians are supposed to serve are forced to weather tragedy after tragedy that could have been averted, such as the price we are now paying for their decades of ignoring the growth of illegal immigration in America.

The entire article.

Once again, Arizona is proving to be the only wet-back infested state in the nation that’s thinking with anything other than its nether regions.

“Anchor babies” isn’t a very endearing term, but in Arizona those are the words being used to tag children born in the U.S. to illegal immigrants. While not new, the term is increasingly part of the local vernacular because the primary authors of the nation’s toughest and most controversial immigration law are targeting these tots — the legal weights that anchor many undocumented aliens in the U.S. — for their next move.

Buoyed by recent public opinion polls suggesting they’re on the right track with illegal immigration, Arizona Republicans will likely introduce legislation this fall that would deny birth certificates to children born in Arizona — and thus American citizens according to the U.S. Constitution — to parents who are not legal U.S. citizens. The law largely is the brainchild of state Sen. Russell Pearce, a Republican whose suburban district, Mesa, is considered the conservative bastion of the Phoenix political scene. He is a leading architect of the Arizona law that sparked outrage throughout the country:

Senate Bill 1070, which allows law enforcement officers to ask about someone’s immigration status during a traffic stop, detainment or arrest if reasonable suspicion exists — things like poor English skills, acting nervous or avoiding eye contact during a traffic stop.

But the likely new bill is for the kids. While SB 1070 essentially requires of-age migrants to have the proper citizenship paperwork, the potential “anchor baby” bill blocks the next generation from ever being able to obtain it. The idea is to make the citizenship process so difficult that illegal immigrants pull up the “anchor” and leave.

This issue is serious business; Using childbirth as a means to evade the law of the land and its acceptance as such by authorities is the kind of affair that should leave, at the very least, a bad taste in the mouth of any thinking individual.

It’s just as pitiful that the pro-amnesty/pro-illegals crowd, using the usual left-handed tactic of laying guilt trips, defends the acceptance of anchor babies by claiming that sending the parents back to “the old country”, wherever it may be, will divide families.

However, it doesn’t have to, does it? Simply deport the cute little tyke in the company of his/her parents. Problem solved.

Naturally, the supporters of illegal immigration and of amnesty for those felons who have swum the ol’ Rio Grande or come across the border in a dryer context will lay guilt trips, the only weapon of the “progressives” that is second to accusations of racism, distorting a Constitutional law to fit their scenario:

The question is whether that would violate the U.S. Constitution. The 14th Amendment states that “all persons, born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.” It was intended to provide citizenship for freed slaves and served as a final answer to the Dred Scott case, cementing the federal government’s control over citizenship.

But that was 1868. Today, Pearce says the 14th Amendment has been “hijacked” by illegal immigrants. “They use it as a wedge,” Pearce says. “This is an orchestrated effort by them to come here and have children to gain access to the great welfare state we’ve created.” Pearce says he is aware of the constitutional issues involved with the bill and vows to introduce it nevertheless. “We will write it right.” He and other Republicans in the red state Arizona point to popular sympathy: 58% of Americans polled by Rasmussen think illegal immigrants whose children are born here should not receive citizenship; support for that stance is 76% among Republicans.

Anchor babies spring forth from illegal aliens. Illegal aliens are illegal.

You know that, I know that and the illegals know that. So do the Democrats and their far left “progressive” masters, yet they continue to insult the intelligence of the American people by remolding laws to suit their agendas, expecting citizens to emulate simpletons and go unquestioningly with the program…

The rest of the article.

You can’t say the same about most California cops anymore, they’re too busy performing the “kiss where the moon don’t shine” on far left politicians who see their come-one-come-all policy toward illegal immigration.

If they gave a damn about anything more than just having a job, like maybe enforcing the law, they would let the courage of their convictions take them down a different road, up to and including going to other states and getting on the cops there.

Maybe that’s just me, perhaps I just believe that a man needs to stand for something.

Like Arizona cops.

From One News Now:

PHOENIX - Sheriff’s deputies raided two Sizzler steak house restaurants in Phoenix on Saturday, arresting nine employees who are suspected of being illegal immigrants and using fraudulent documents to get jobs.

The raids were part of a yearlong investigation into whether the operators of the two Sizzler locations broke a civil law by knowingly hiring illegal immigrants, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Brian Lee said in a statement.

Deputies were looking for 23 suspects wanted for identity theft, Lee said. Authorities believe one of the suspects was deported three times and has been hired back by Sizzler each time he returned.

The sheriff’s office received a tip from a former Sizzler manager who claimed he had been fired for his refusal to hire employees without the proper documents, Lee said.

“This is another example of a case where desperately needed jobs are being occupied by illegal aliens who have disregarded our laws and our borders,” Sheriff Joe Arpaio said in the statement.

Arpaio, known for pushing the bounds for how local law enforcement agencies can confront illegal immigration, frequently raids workplaces in the greater Phoenix area for people in the U.S. illegally.

A message left at one of the two restaurants wasn’t immediately returned Saturday afternoon. A manager at the other restaurant declined to provide his name and publicly comment on the raid.

Hats off to Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Lt. Brian Lee, for doing what a law enforcement officer is supposed to do: Arresting criminals.

Earlier, I came upon a sidewalk Lyndon LaRouche stand on a street corner that bore colorful abstract banners that said:

Save NASA, Impeach Obama!

The workers there were attempting to acquire signatures and cash donations to support the impeachment of the president.

“Never happen,” I said.

“If we work hard and get the support we need…” A worker told me.

“No, it won’t.” I insisted. “I’d love nothing more than to see that corrupt commie bum get the boot, but the reality is, it just ain’t gonna happen. Even if it did, then what? Biden’s next in line, then Pelosi, the fate worse than death, and then, if the country’s still around, Hillary.”

“Oh, we’ve got a plan for that.” he assured me. “We let Biden know that if he doesn’t get it right, he’ll be next, then Pelosi –”

“Keep dreaming.” I said.

As I was about to leave, he handed me a flyer with some LaRouche politics on it, which I took with me and subsequently read.

The narrative on one side ended with:

“Anyone who is not moving for Obama’s ouster is not for real. The disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is one more demonstration of why Obama must be expelled from office on an emergency basis. If you want to save the nation, he has got to go. Either he goes or civilization goes.”

I kid you not! Either he goes or civilization goes.

Now, this came off an oh - fish - ial Lyndon LaRouche hand-out. I looked around on-line to try and find it in one linkable place or another, since many might find it difficult to believe that someone with so many followers wouls actually print up something like that, and this is the only one I found.

If what this guy was saying and the editorializing on the letter size, small print flyer are core LaRouche (pure frantic alarmism, well beyond even the more dramatic rants one hears on the right, mixed with a heavy dose of paranoia), we are one lucky republic that the man never made it to the White House.

What’s still frightening, though, is the number of people who take him seriously.

There’s some hope when an opinion coming out of California disagrees with those of the usual suspects on the left.

From One News Now:

A California based lawyer is dismissing claims by many that the Arizona law aimed at cracking down on illegal aliens amounts to racial discrimination.

Brad Dacus, founder of the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI), does not think opponents of Arizona’s immigration bill have a real argument. He notes that all attempts to dismantle the measure are merely political.

“If Arizona was caught in violating basic due process rights — if they were pulling people over without cause — then that would be one thing,” he contends. “But the law is indisputably constitutional, and any contentions against it are purely politically based.”

Last week, the Los Angeles Unified School District voted against the Arizona law and sought to place a dent in the state’s economy by ending funded employee travel to the neighboring state. The school district also pushed for history and civics classes to discuss the measure “in the context of unity, diversity and equal protection for all.”

The city of Los Angeles, which had more than $26 million in contracts with Arizona this year, showed its disapproval of the bill by proposing a boycott against the state, calling for actions like ending pension and municipal bonds. Gloria Molina, the city’s supervisor, called the immigration bill unconstitutional. She believes it goes “too far” and says she must defend the Constitution.

Dacus argues that the Arizona law is constitutional, and he does not think that actions against the state have legal basis.

“This boycott by the city of Los Angeles is purely political and has no legal foundation to support its legitimacy,” he explains. “The law passed by Arizona is a duplicate of the federal statute. The only difference is that the federal government isn’t enforcing their statute. This law is to explicitly prohibit any issue of race as a basis of pulling someone over.”

The boycott would end contracts with Arizona-based companies and would demand review of other contracts with the state that may be canceled.

Yes, I know. On the other hand:

Gloria Molina, the city’s supervisor, called the immigration bill unconstitutional. She believes it goes “too far” and says she must defend the Constitution.

Right, right. The Constitution. This Molina moonbat indicates, in her statement, that she wouldn’t know the Constitution from an aging Moose.

Remember, we’re talking the L.A. area, here.

To demonstrate the general state of “out there” in L.A., when the “progressives” here began their crusade to boycott the State of Arizona, large numbers of air-headed lefty Los Angelenos made great hay about no longer buying beverages from Cincinnati-based AriZona Beverage Company.

In many ways, living in southern California among the Molinas of this world is similar to living inside a cartoon.

As anyone who’s been visiting Hard Astarboard for a long time knows, The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is one of Seth’s “pet peeves”.

Well, before he began his temporary absence from these pages, he made it known among friends that he supports the nomination of John Pistole to head up the TSA, himself registering surprise that the Obama Administration was actually able to produce a nominee who doesn’t seem to have any legal or ethical baggage to bring with him.

Since Seth, da boss hereabouts, is concerned both professionally and patriotically with security, I figured we should post this article from Homeland Security Today:

FBI Deputy Director John Pistole impressed members of the Senate Commerce Committee in his first of two confirmation hearings Thursday with his knowledge and experience with terrorism concerns in his bid to become administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

His long career at the FBI left such a positive impression on lawmakers that even Republicans seeking an outright declaration of opposition to collective bargaining rights for TSA screeners–which they did not receive–were left acknowledging they would support his nomination.

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), who derailed the nomination of Obama’s first pick to become TSA chief earlier this year over the issue of collective bargaining, again raised it Thursday.

DeMint insisted that officials at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must question how collective bargaining rights for TSA screeners would improve security. He was unsatisfied with an earlier reply from Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano that security and collective bargaining weren’t mutually exclusive.

“When the secretary of homeland security can’t tell us how something would improve security, it should stop us in our tracks,” DeMint protested.

Collective bargaining for TSA screeners “would have a direct negative impact on security” by applying a 19th century industrial era model to a 21st century information age environment, DeMint argued. Transportation security officers (TSOs) could jeopardize national security if they demanded changes in their workplace, through the use of collective bargaining, that restricted rapid redeployment or changes in work schedules due to threat information, he said.

Pistole acknowledged that Napolitano asked him to conduct a review of the issue if he is confirmed. That review would involve collecting as much information as possible from relevant stakeholders to make an informed judgment or recommendations.

As the FBI has no unions or collective bargaining rights, Pistole emphasized that he was “attuned to safety and security issues” as a priority.

DeMint warned Pistole that he would face intense political pressure to grant collective bargaining rights to TSOs. While DeMint endorsed Pistole’s credentials to lead TSA, the senator said he would question his competence if he caved to that pressure.

“If we see you yielding to political pressure, that would suggest to us that priorities have changed,” DeMint stated.

DeMint was visibly disappointed by Pistole’s position on the issue, however.

Although Pistole said collective bargaining would not work at the FBI because it would impair the agency’s ability to surge resources and to deploy people worldwide at a moment’s notice, he could not commit to the same status at TSA because he had not yet conducted his review of the issue.

Lacking a firsthand knowledge of how TSA managers work together, Pistole could not say for certain if TSA would benefit from a third party such as a union facilitating discussions. He also declined to promise that his review of collective bargaining would be made available to the committee.

Despite those positions, DeMint conceded, “I will trust your judgment until proven otherwise.”

Other issues

If confirmed, Pistole said he would immediately examine intelligence to assess soft targets that may provide attractive opportunities to al Qaeda and other terrorists seeking to strike the United States.

Successful attacks in Europe and India against rail networks and a thwarted plan to attack the subway system in New York City have demonstrated terrorist interest in hitting passenger rail systems because they are not protected as well as airports, Pistole said.

Security at general aviation airports also requires a second look, Pistole said, as the spring attack on a federal building in Austin, Texas, underscored the vulnerabilities involved with privately owned aircraft. Fiscal restraint may restrict how much attention those airports receive from TSA, however, he said.

As for aviation security, Pistole vowed to be guided by threat information to ensure the best use of the “latest intelligence, latest training, latest techniques, and latest technology” at TSA.

To that end, Pistole endorsed the use of advanced imaging technology (AIT) at US airports, saying it was the best means to detect the sort of sophisticated explosive carried by suspected Christmas Day bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.

Pistole provided some of the most detailed public comments to date on the bomb allegedly carried by Abdulmutallab, noting that it used an initiating charge of acetone peroxide (TAPT) with a main charge of pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN).

PETN also was the explosive used by shoe bomber Richard Reid in his attack on a US-bound airliner in December 2001, Pistole noted, but Abdulmutallab carried almost twice as much PETN as Reid did.

Reid’s PETN would have caused a manhole-size hole in the airplane had it detonated, so Abdulmutallab’s charge “would have caused catastrophic damage” to Northwest Airlines Flight 253 had it worked, Pistole noted.

Given the level of the threat, TSA must continue its rollout plan of AIT and strive to engage foreign partners to adopt standards similar or better to the United States for aviation screening, Pistole said.

Pistole identified his top priority at TSA as making certain that TSA has the latest intelligence and threat information. The major failing of the Christmas Day bombing attempt was that information sharing did not occur in a fashion timely or robust enough to trigger a visa revocation or watchlisting for Abdulmutallab, he commented.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), chair of the committee, predicted that Pistole would receive Senate confirmation as early as next week in a vote to occur after his second confirmation hearing June 16 with the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Soon after, Rockefeller revealed, the Commerce Committee will unveil a TSA authorization bill as well as a port security bill, both of which will have a great deal of impact on TSA operations.

Of course, given that we’re dealing with the Obam/Pelosi and Reid trimvirate, one never knows what ulterior information might be concealed beneath Deputy Director Pistole’s publicized personna, but from the looks of the man’s background and from what he says, he gets the benefit of the doubt here at Hard Astarboard.