Every time I think I have seen the US system bottom out, something comes along to remind me, that we have yet to see the bottom layer. From McClatchy: Judge blocks deepwater drilling ban; Obama to appeal

WASHINGTON — A federal judge Tuesday struck down President Barack Obama’s six-month ban on new deepwater drilling, siding with oil companies that argued that it would harm their businesses, eliminate jobs and weaken the economies of Gulf Coast states.

While the White House said it would immediately appeal the decision, environmental groups launched a quicker salvo, publicizing financial disclosure forms that showed that the judge in the case, Martin Feldman of the U.S. District Court in New Orleans, owns or has owned shares in several oil and gas firms. According to Feldman’s 2008 disclosures, he held up to $15,000 in Transocean, the owner of the ill-fated rig at a BP well that’s pouring oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

Legal experts said the revelation of a potential conflict of interest would bolster the Obama administration’s case, but appealing the decision puts the president at odds with many Gulf Coast residents, who rely on the deepwater oil industry for tens of thousands of jobs.

We have a judge who is an investor in the oil industry making decisions about that industry without any apparent concern about what that says about him or the Federal bench. With what will probably be the worst environmental disaster in the United States taking place almost on his doorstep, he doesn’t understand why anyone would want to stop and make sure that we can prevent this from happening again, before we tempt Fate. It doesn’t bother the judge that all of the oil companies have admitted they don’t have a plan to deal with this situation. It doesn’t bother the judge that everything that is available is already in use, with nothing available if another well blows out.

This bit really ticks me off: “appealing the decision puts the president at odds with many Gulf Coast residents, who rely on the deepwater oil industry for tens of thousands of jobs.”

What about the hundreds of thousands of people who rely on a healthy and oil-free Gulf of Mexico for their jobs?

Final Round

Group A:

France 1-2 South Africa
Mexico 0-1 Uruguay

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Group B:

Greece 0-2 Argentina
Nigeria 2-2 Republic of Korea

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Update: For those new to Football/Fußball/Fútbol here are the official FIFA Qualifying criteria.

If South Africa had scored more points against France, they would have gone through rather then Mexico.