Larwyn wrote:I too feel a great loss at what is happening to the Gulf. It could well be one of the most widespread disasters for Americans in our lifetime and it makes me very sad. But;
You would think that BP intentionally set out to destroy the Gulf of Mexico. It also sounds like everybody thinks they knows better than BP, how to clean up the mess. If everybody who has never tried to remove a drop crude oil from a tub of seawater would shut up, get out of the way, and let the peopled who know what they are doing do it the way they know how to do it, everybody would be better off.
If someone actually has a better way of handling the situation, I'm sure BP would not stand between them and that well. In fact, I'm sure they would be happy to pack their bags and go home, just let Obama, the press, the angry public and Rosie O'Donnel fix the situation. I think there's a better chance of John Wayne coming back from the grave, paddling out to the well in a birch bark canoe, calling the leak "Pilgrim" and then sitting back with a bottle of whisky while laughing and watching all that oil retreat cowardly back into the earth from which it came before the sun has fully set.
I have never before noticed a time when so many who knew so little about a subject were so critical of those who do know. They are beating the very ones who can help the most into the ground. If you really want to know who is ultimately responsible, it is each and every one of us who own anything with a gas tank on it, or plugs into the wall. Do not even mention solar, wind, coal and hydro power, none of them could exist as we know them without the petroleum products used during production and actual operation.
Whether the spill was due to procedure failure, equipment failure, system failure, or whatever, it was not some evil plan by BP. If you can help or take over and do a better job, get out there and do it, if not, why not just stay out of the way of those who can?
More than once, I have been in an electrical substation during a power outage, for the sole purpose of restoring power as soon as possible. Standing there with a multimeter in one hand and a telephone in the other with an angry city manager, utility director, or some other self important "big shot" demanding that I get the power back on right NOW. My standard answer was always; "Well, unless you know what the problem is, I am not going to be able to fix it while I am on this phone." I always found "angry encouragement" more of a distraction than an aid in getting the job done.
These are just my thoughts on the situation, I am not trying to change your own.
I actually agree with you, Larwyn. We don't do that very often.
BP definitely messed up. I think we all can agree on that. And, their "plan" to deal with a spill in deep water turned out to be inadequate. But BP didn't do this intentionally, and I do believe they are trying as hard as they can to deal with a situation that they were clearly not properly prepared for.
As bad as this thing is, the people working to stop this thing are the best option we have, IMO.
At this point, all I can do is hope they can stop this leak soon, and hold BP to their promise to pay for the mess.
If somewhere in the ranks at BP, someone put pressure on those below him to cut corners, those people should be punished. That's fair and just. But some of the things I hear about taking over BP or sending the CEO to prison are over the top and premature. I'd like to at least know what happened before handing out prison sentences.
Also, like Lawryn said, every one of us uses oil, and wants cheap gasoline. We can't have the oil we want, without some risk of environmental damage. Every time I drive my car, I am mindful that there are consequences to that action. So, over the last few years, I've made an effort to drive fewer miles -- like consolidating errands and planning ahead when shopping to cut cut a few trips to the store.
Anyway, I'll have to mark this day on my calendar -- Lawryn and I agreed today.
CD
