The disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has just got to STOP. It is torture to watch on a daily basis - the looks on the faces of the locals who are losing their businesses, the fishermen who have no livelihood now, the innocent animals covered in sludge. An even greater torture is watching the smug little weasel CEO for BP Oil appearing before Congress. Why is Congress wasting time and resources to lay blame now - there is plenty of time after this disaster is resolved to litigation, speculate or negotiate.
I do not believe BP Oil is the company to do it. It has proven since day one, on April 29, 2010, that where it has not been incompetent, it has been criminal. Giving it time to drill a relief well is just asking for a second disaster.
The United States government has got to step up - by construct of whatever law, be it sovereignty, eminent domain, Marshall law or breach of leasing contract - and take charge of the cleanup and cap off of the well or wells leaking oil into the Gulf. BP Oil needs to stand by with checkbook in hand.
One person needs to spearhead the effort, with all the crazy government agencies reporting - and deferring to - that person. I think either General Colin Powell or General Norman Schwarzkopf should be pressed back into service by Executive Order - either soldier has the heart and experience to get the job done, and the incentive would be that he could then return to obscure retirement! We cannot rely on those who make their living from politics or big business to get this job done. It's like watching the pelicans covered in sludge - we're covered in the sludge of multi-agency bureaucracy and politicians who are more concerned with their own careers than getting the job done. The governors of the surrounding states have more than they can handle keeping their own beleaguered economies from tanking under the weight of this additional injury.
The first step is to stop the flow of new crude. This is probably best accomplished by blowing the well shut. I know there are weapons that blow up things under the earth - why can't they be harnessed to a torpedo on a submarine and shot into the pipe? I'm sure we have the technology available to blow up the well without blowing up the Gulf of Mexico along with it.
The second step is to clean ALL the sludge up. There's microbes that have been developed for such a purpose - www.spillcontainment.com - they apparently eat the oil, release clean water and then die when there is nothing left to eat. I think they should be placed in one of the tankers that is handling the cleanup, maybe with some shrimp and other creatures at the bottom, and given a trial run before they are released unchecked into the Gulf. Along with the cleaning tanks in place and on order from Kevin Costner's company, as well as any other system that is viable and will not do more harm than good.
The third step is to send the ENTIRE bill to BP Oil, even if it breaks the back of the company. It wasn't even a year ago when gasoline shot up to almost $5.00 a gallon, breaking the backs of the American people, while Big Oil continued to make phenomenal and obscene profits. We are not responsible for this spill, and we should not have to pay ONE RED CENT toward its cleanup.
The fourth step is to assess blame to prevent this from EVER happening again. Who authorized the oil leases in the first place, where and when was that faulty apparatus identified, what checks and balances were not attended to, what environment impact studies were not in place, and why was there no immediate disaster intervention? Who was in bed with whom that allowed this to happen?
The fifth step, the most vital step, is to get away from fossil fuels YESTERDAY.
I do not believe BP Oil is the company to do it. It has proven since day one, on April 29, 2010, that where it has not been incompetent, it has been criminal. Giving it time to drill a relief well is just asking for a second disaster.
The United States government has got to step up - by construct of whatever law, be it sovereignty, eminent domain, Marshall law or breach of leasing contract - and take charge of the cleanup and cap off of the well or wells leaking oil into the Gulf. BP Oil needs to stand by with checkbook in hand.
One person needs to spearhead the effort, with all the crazy government agencies reporting - and deferring to - that person. I think either General Colin Powell or General Norman Schwarzkopf should be pressed back into service by Executive Order - either soldier has the heart and experience to get the job done, and the incentive would be that he could then return to obscure retirement! We cannot rely on those who make their living from politics or big business to get this job done. It's like watching the pelicans covered in sludge - we're covered in the sludge of multi-agency bureaucracy and politicians who are more concerned with their own careers than getting the job done. The governors of the surrounding states have more than they can handle keeping their own beleaguered economies from tanking under the weight of this additional injury.
The first step is to stop the flow of new crude. This is probably best accomplished by blowing the well shut. I know there are weapons that blow up things under the earth - why can't they be harnessed to a torpedo on a submarine and shot into the pipe? I'm sure we have the technology available to blow up the well without blowing up the Gulf of Mexico along with it.
The second step is to clean ALL the sludge up. There's microbes that have been developed for such a purpose - www.spillcontainment.com - they apparently eat the oil, release clean water and then die when there is nothing left to eat. I think they should be placed in one of the tankers that is handling the cleanup, maybe with some shrimp and other creatures at the bottom, and given a trial run before they are released unchecked into the Gulf. Along with the cleaning tanks in place and on order from Kevin Costner's company, as well as any other system that is viable and will not do more harm than good.
The third step is to send the ENTIRE bill to BP Oil, even if it breaks the back of the company. It wasn't even a year ago when gasoline shot up to almost $5.00 a gallon, breaking the backs of the American people, while Big Oil continued to make phenomenal and obscene profits. We are not responsible for this spill, and we should not have to pay ONE RED CENT toward its cleanup.
The fourth step is to assess blame to prevent this from EVER happening again. Who authorized the oil leases in the first place, where and when was that faulty apparatus identified, what checks and balances were not attended to, what environment impact studies were not in place, and why was there no immediate disaster intervention? Who was in bed with whom that allowed this to happen?
The fifth step, the most vital step, is to get away from fossil fuels YESTERDAY.
I drive a 16-year old truck that runs just as tight as the day I bought it, gets 30 miles to the gallon. I recycle. I haven't run my dryer in so long spiders have moved into it. I am going without air conditioning in my house (window units) this summer to keep the utility bills down. I won't drive when I can walk, and I take public transportation when it is feasible without being dangerous.
I don't know what else I can do as a good citizen to keep my energy consumption as minimal as possible. I am tired of not having alternative energy choices. I am tired of the sludge of red tape. I am tired of watching innocent animals die. I am tired of watching the good people of the Gulf lose their livelihood (the "small" people I believe some BP suit incorrectly stated). I AM TIRED.
THIS IS MY OPINION.
THIS IS MY OPINION.
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