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Growing concerns over US oil leak (BBC News) (1 Viewer)

All of this is very interesting. Much of it is on the "money."

Yes, we are all responsible to some degree, but to paraphrase George Orwell, Some are more guilty than others. Since Reagan, the US has been run by and for the benefit of the Corpocracy. Even before that, have a looksee how American Fruit ran our foreign policy and military/intelligence apparatus vis a vis South America. Both Bushes and all their cronies were oil people. Even Obama was willing to go back on his promise to disallow drilling in the gulf to appease Big Oil.

People love to prattle on about democracy and how we have the franchise of the vote, but when you lift the cover of things, money always talks and big money talks loudest. I can't personally do anything about this state of affairs, it's pretty much been that way since we climbed out of the trees.

All I can do, on a personal level is: LIVE SIMPLY THAT OTHERS MAY SIMPLY LIVE.
 
Today AP is reporting that the MMS has just approved another permit for drilling in the Gulf. I knew the companies and the politicians who work for them were venal, stupid and greedy, but now it seems that they are completely insane.
 
longbow said:
All of this is very interesting. Much of it is on the "money."

Yes, we are all responsible to some degree, but to paraphrase George Orwell, Some are more guilty than others. Since Reagan, the US has been run by and for the benefit of the Corpocracy. Even before that, have a looksee how American Fruit ran our foreign policy and military/intelligence apparatus vis a vis South America. Both Bushes and all their cronies were oil people. Even Obama was willing to go back on his promise to disallow drilling in the gulf to appease Big Oil.

People love to prattle on about democracy and how we have the franchise of the vote, but when you lift the cover of things, money always talks and big money talks loudest. I can't personally do anything about this state of affairs, it's pretty much been that way since we climbed out of the trees.

All I can do, on a personal level is: LIVE SIMPLY THAT OTHERS MAY SIMPLY LIVE.
Click to expand...

Exactly!:clap:
 
I saw similar footage tonight on PBS. It is absolutely heartbreaking. I wish there was something concrete I could do with this sadness and its attendant rage.

On the newscast I saw, they said there are 5000 oil platforms in the Gulf, and oil accounts for 17% of Louisiana's economy. Much of the discussion was given over to how this economic activity could be sustained and how even fishermen and others directly impacted by the spill are worried that drilling might be curtailed.

Seems like even a disaster of this magnitude will not change much.

I wish all the folks who think off shore oil production is such a dandy idea could spend just one day completely covered in this thick, toxic, stinking, evil material. Wait: Maybe a month or two.

We have given the earth to the internal combustion engine and the oil to run it. Not to mention our unyielding addiction to power. Oil may well yet be our collective doom.
 
longbow said:
Oil may well yet be our collective doom.
Click to expand...

If you realise how many responses this thread yielded, it's clear that our smalltalk cannot cope with true issues like these; and then to consider that oil is only one out of a few more bright innovations that entered our daily living.
Makes one think: The same colours of the rainbow, given as a promise that the world would not be destroyed by a big flood of water, those colours are recalled in this filthy substance..and this is one for Science:.. not excluding that next time the world will be cleared with fire.
Darn, I don't want to hear this Word so eagerly, which true objective mind can hear it!! Hypocrisy can't take the full load of it.
 
Yeah, I think our 'threat assessment' ability has definately been raised. Before the gulf oil disaster, we took oil rigs for granted, and mostly complained about them being 'eyesores' to beachgoers, but realized there was a profit in the risk we were taking. Wow! Talk about a worst case scenario. Now we know the true price one pays for oil...you can't swim in money, no matter which currency you use.
 
It is interesting to make a comparison between this oil spill on American soil and what happened at Bophal. Seems we work under different rules for first world countries and third world countries. Before US politicians blow a fuse at BP they should consider casting the mote out of their own eye especially in terms of decent compensation and getting those to blame in front of the right court.

James
 
I've not been visiting the BirdForum lately, so hadn'tnoticed this thread. Remember, though, that BP hasn't stood for BRITISH Petroleum since they merged with AMOCO (the AMERICAN Oil Company). And Americans hold something like 31% of the stock.
 
Interesting Dave

Fingers crossed. The cap is in place and no more oil leaking into the Gulf at the moment
 
Noticed a strange bit of news on BBC Scotland news (first item) tonight, something relating to the alleged Lockerbie bombers early release being linked to this disaster. Same day I came across BP's environmental awards, from 7 years ago in BW !

G
 
Naturally I'm with you guys in hoping this is the end of this act of this particular episode. What gets me is that already, if you read between the lines, it's seems obvious little will change.

Even now, on PBS news tonight, the spinn merchants are at work. Bunch of crap about how the wildlife have come through much better than expected, doing alright, no biggie.

Interesting link about BP's involvement in the Lockerbie case. When, in conversation, I aver that the big corporations run things, I'm looked at like a hysteric. This story is just the tippiest tip of the ice berg but is a nice illustration.

I also got a kick a month ago out of the Mississippi governor and others yelling about how the gulf needs the oil industry and how the drilling moratorium was eville. Even fishermen and the like are saying this. How bad does it have to smell before people quit peeing in their own bathwater?

I really am beginning to think like James Lovelock that there is now very little chance that we, as a global society, have any prospect of averting environmental disaster. I pray though that I am wrong. Just wish there were a few more people with real power who were willing to say that the emperor is naked.

Anyhow, this is good news.
 
The longer this goes on, the more the U.S. stinks of hypocrisy - again US Congressional committees jumping on the bandwagon, trying to forward measures that would ban 'any company with poor safety records' responsible for more than 10 deaths, i.e. BP, from new offshore drilling for seven years .

Sure nothing wrong with this, but remember US, your companies have shown blatent disregard of safety issues in third countries, have left many thousands of people dead (not 10!) and land polluted to levels that still poison the populations to this day. Sweet f all has been done to clean up after the accident, compensation has been an insult and where are the sanctions against US members of the management? Where is the US Congress outcry?


Na, BP is simply a convenient scapegoat, the oil exploration will continue, nothing will change, but hey it's a good opportunity to kick out foreign companies. This accident could equally well happened to any company, US or otherwise - what was the nationality of the last major oil company to pollute your waters through pure neglect of safety issues?
 
G Anderson said:
Noticed a strange bit of news on BBC Scotland news (first item) tonight, something relating to the alleged Lockerbie bombers early release being linked to this disaster.
Click to expand...

Quite, this has absolutely nothing to do with the oil disaster, but as the US's number one perceived villain, why not hit it with another plank. Given it was the UK government, not BP, that actually decided to release this gentleman, then I assume those calling for it to be another reason to kick out BP are also calling for diplomatic relations with the UK to be cut. Somehow, I think that little crucial element of the equation will be forgotten.
 
Far as I'm concerned the politicizing of this horrible event is just smoke and mirrors to cause the great unwashed to take their eyes off of the central issues. It should be no surprise.

This will soon morph into blatant and overt propaganda that it is unpatriotic not to support the oil industry. You know, 'national security depends on domestic oil' and 'if you stand against any oil-based industrial activity, your taking jobs away from hardworking American taxpayers'
 
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