* Suspend the Jones Act: The Unions be damned!

According to  an John Hofmeister author of Why We Hate the Oil Companies  and a former Shell Oil executive on The Charlie Rose Show tonight, no one is responding to the Gulf  oil crisis by "going to scale".  Similar spill crises in Africa and Arabia have been solved by using super-tankers and barges to "susck up the oil."


When asked by Rose "Why aren't we doing that?"  Hofmeister answered: Because we have a Jones Act which says you can't use foreign ships you can only use U.S. ships in such a crisis.


"Why not declare a national crisis and  suspend The Jones Act ?" was the next question,


Hofmeister answered: "Because it would offend every union member in America."


And so, on a cross dripping with oil, we will crucify the American shoreline from Texas to possibly the Carolina's (if not New England) with the 60,000 barrels (2.5 million gallons) of oil which have been spilling into the Gulf every day ?


Suspend the Jones Act and the Unions be damned!


PS: Just for an experiment, pour four quarts of motor oil on your kitchen floor and try to clean it up. (Hope that your dog and cat don't get into it first.)