Clinton Library Opening of Emergency Preparedness: Hurricanes and eathquakes

I was invited to the opening last night and was pleasantly surprised by the whole affair. Former Senator David Pryor and our current Senator Mark Pryor with their spouses as well as several notables of whom I never was fortunate enough to meet were in the audience. Former FEMA Director James Witt was the guest speaker. What an enlightenment! When someone REALLY cares about the people, we get the kind of government we can believe in and support. Witt discussed the philosophy and the results of his term as director under Bill Clinton. Many funny stories and some that just made you glad we have the memories of a time when sanity and reason ruled the White House.
I cornered Senator Mark Pryor immediately after and asked him what he was going to do as our representative to see that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico never happened again. I would not let him go even though he looked a might uncomfortable with my questions. I figured it was cheaper than flying to Washington to see him so I might as well take advantage of the situation.
I explained that I had many years experience from the early '80s through the 90's with the oil industry working in exploration, worldwide and domestically. I told him that I went to many OTC (Offshore Technology Conference) meetings in Houston. The industry was seriously working to protect the environment and to prove that they could drill in deep water safely. Since then, the impetus for that research had dried up (as BP stated that the technology they were using was at least 20 years old).
I asked him to please instigate and put forth the legislation that would return those safeguards to the industry and even toughen them up in light of the BP fiasco. He said the first thing was to get the oil flow controlled at the well. I countered with that was a given, we needed legislation NOW to keep it from happening again. He said he would do that. I guess being put on the spot and having witnesses to his response was the cause of his look of discomfiture.
I've never had the opportunity to do that before and I just hope everyone will contact his office and tell him to keep his word and protect the US from greedy opportunists. We can't let him believe that I'm the only one watching him.
After all his years as a "Washington Insider", I was a little surprised at his candor.
It's a little hard to believe the man is a member of The Family and proud of it.