Jindal's Volcano Monitoring Criticism Comes Back To Bite Him Again

Gov. Bobby Jindal's much-maligned critique of stimulus money being put on volcano monitoring has once again placed him in an awkward spot.

On Monday, Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-LA, announced that half-a-million dollars in economic recovery funds would be sent to Louisiana for the purposes of upgrading flood-monitoring technology. The cash, which will also help the state improve streamgages and facility maintenance, comes from the same $140 million in Interior Department appropriations that Jindal once criticized.

During his response to President Obama's address before Congress, the Republican Governor ridiculed the use of $140 million in stimulus cash for "something called volcano monitoring." It was a nod to fiscal conservatism. But when Alaska's Mt. Redoubt erupted in late March, and officials on the ground noted that volcano monitoring helped prevent further catastrophe, Jindal stayed largely silent.

Now the issue of stimulus cash going to disaster preparedness is being brought directly to his home state and, once again, Jindal's office isn't talking. The BayouBuzz website could not get the governor's office to say whether or not it he would "accept the monitoring system."

It seems like an extremely difficult political move for the governor to turn down money for flood monitoring in a state whose coastline is under such great risk. Requests for comment from the Huffington Post also went unreturned.

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Comments

[larmar]

Ladies and Gentlemen give it up for Bobby "tall tales" Jindal. The Party of NO's rising star.

[vgirl1]

Someone should make a full length movie.....­..........­.

[timberdoodle]

The scary part is the news is full of Republicans and Conservatives talking down to the less informed or feeble minded people who aren't equipped to figure out just how dangerous their rhetoric would be if it was enacted.

These jokers are only a breath away from being back in power and finishing the job the Bush administration started. If that doesn't scare people nothing will.

[greatlardini]

Bye, bye, Mr. Lousianan Pi--------­------yuuu­uuuuush!

[A Meat Beetle]

You see, this is why it's a bad idea to let stew-pid moe-rons on national TV.

[JuliaS123]

Louisiana should not be allowed to get this money. It's long past time to start making politicians put their money where their mouth is. If Jindal, an educated man who surely knows better, wants to play the village idiot to pander to Republican voters, that's fine. That's his choice. But he should have to live according to those "beliefs." If he thinks monitoring for natural disasters is a waste of money for other states, then it is a waste of money for his own state, as well.

Same goes for the teabaggers. If they are that against taxes, then they should toss in their social security and Medicare cards along with those teabags today.

[ericmiami]

That's just such a dang cute story about how he got his name! When we need cute, Bobby, we'll let you know.

[Crowhaul]

Herein lies Jindal's fundamental and inescapable problem: He admits to having no problem with something called exorcism, but he does has something against the scientific measuring of potentially catastrophic ruptures in the earth's core. Go figure. What a piece of work this guy is....

[TheLearnedEnglishDog]

We must appease the volcano god. Everyone knows that is the only way to be sure you will be safe

[Fanboy615]

In that case, I think exorcism might not be Bobby's best option ... ;-)

[AddictedToHope]

Off to Waponi Woo with him.

Be sure to take lots of orange soda.

[Grunty1]

And everyone also knows that the only way to appease the volcano is to throw a good looking woman into the volcano. I guess Palin will have to do?

[tamparob]

This clown's the one that's being groomed to beat Obama in '12? Good grief, man. I could finance Obama's campaign with the 7 dollars in my pocket and he'd get 70% of the vote.

[kjstjohn]

Hurrah for the moderator! You were allowed to use the word "clown." I got zapped on another thread for calling a national Republican figure a "joker."

[greatlardini]

Try dolt--that one seems to get through all the time.

[PresidentRobertBooth]

This man, Piyush Jindal, actually believes he witnessed a human being being possessed by a demon.



Given that level of thinking, is it any surprise he doesn't understand the scientific principles behind natural disasters such as floods and volcanoes?

[Khirad]

They say there's no zealot like a convert. ... not to say Hinduism doesn't have it's fair share of demons (most inhabit the bodies of Sangh Parivar politicians).

[zanzig]

Oh I like that!

[Raleigh Dave]

Every time I hear a republican talk it renews my faith in demonic possession.

[Grunty1]

He was speaking himself at the time he joined the Rushpublican Party.

[FloridaBlogger]

I have a "Borowitz-style" satirical news site where I recently did a post about "Jindal vs. the Volcano." In this story Jindal claims the eruption of Mt. Redoubt was an Obama conspiracy created to politically embarass him.

http://markallenreport.blogspot.com

[NSeagle78]

Any repukekins that u study a little bit will look like him.

[gopSTEALSyourTAXmoney]

GO AWAY 'GRAVEYARD EYES'.

[helmboy]

I live fifty miles from Redoubt. I can and do literally see it from my front porch. Its kicked my asthma up and is a big assed nuisance. Suck it, Jindal.

[boycottrightwingthings]

Every time I see this little pinhead Jindal, I can't stop laughing. Pure comedy at the SIGHT!! His head is so small, how could any brains even fit in??

[lompe]

Dealing with floods is a biblical deed.

The Bible says nothing about Volcanoes (as far as Jindal knows)

[Terrence0258]

I'm sure he can just perform another exorcism and fix any problems that he faces.

[zanzig]

Actually there are several mentions of volcanoes in the Bible (not named as such, but unmistakable all the same). Here's one:

And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place. (Micah)