oil spill rant

[SarahFair]

Quote:
I think it's time the farmers & fishermen get together!

I agree...
Some people say they wont do it cause its too simple and too cheap

 

[patnjess]

hahahaha, warning inflammatory statement coming......

Here it is, you know why this oil spill, the dath of those people, or the flooding in Nashville isn't getting the attention and money needed?

Because we are sick society that we live in are driven by idiot stars like George clooney and them make their decisions on what to care about. You don't see any big stars stepping up, so it must not be important enough for anyone to notice

 

[SarahFair]

Quote:
I myself often wonder when this whole "What are the Celebrities eating, breathing, drinking, doing, buying, etc" is going to die down

 

[Melissakins]

I live 25 minutes from Mobile Bay which leads out into the Gulf. Hubby and I are in a fishing club that fishes inshore Salt water areas, including the oil rigs that dot the bay and dot the coast off Dauphin Island and Fort Morgan. Mobile has a huge shipping channel where ships from all over the world dock to either pick up cargo or drop cargo off and in most instances, both. It's very humbling to be in your bay boat and have to yield to these huge machines coming through the water towards you to be moored up river.

Pics I took a couple years ago while fishing.

The oil spill is a huge tragic event that took the lives of several men and injured others. What it's still doing is absolutely horrific. Over 200,000 gallons of oil a DAY is being spilled into the environment. Tar balls have washed ashore on Dauphin Island and have dotted the beaches there. The National Guard was called prior to that event to help with the placing of boom along the shores to help prevent oil from washing onto land. Thousands of people participate in cleaning up stuff that has been littered along the beaches to help make cleanup of oil should it wash ashore here (or Mississippi or Florida or Louisiana or Texas) easier because all the "crap" folks leave behind is no longer there to hamper them.

They've attempted dropping a 3 story dome they made in a weeks time over the spill, but dropping one that far down (5,000) feet had never been done before and their efforts failed as ice crystals formed over the hole that oil was to be siphoned from UP to a ship waiting on the surface. They're attempting another try at that with a smaller unit called a Top Hat - not heard yet how that's gone.

Hay has been dropped off on Dauphin Island to soak up any oil that makes its way ashore and hair/fur stuffed buoys have also been placed along the sand to soak it up too. One thing that has been done by folks of a higher power is to spray a dispersant that will break up the oil. Unfortunately it also has the potential to in effect sterilize the gulf. Think of the shore areas of the gulf as a Nursery or sorts. This is springtime and alllllllllll sorts of wildlife are hatching eggs, spawning, giving birth to live creatures like dolphins, etc etc. The Gulf is a HUGE ecosystem that is in a huge pile o' the brown word right now due to this mess.

This oil spill far outweighs what happened 21 years ago with the Exxon Valdez (which btw 21 years later oil is STILL being found on beaches etc up there). They've not stopped the spill, they don't have an ETA for WHEN they'll stop the oil from gushing out. Until then, thousands upon thousands upon thousands of gallons of oil are being spilled into the water that MILLIONS of people rely on for their very livelihoods: Shipments up the Mississippi River we've heard are being slowed because of contamination of oil soaked ships - they all need to be sanitized before going up river - well that halts goods from being delivered to consumers like me and you, Fishing Industries - you like shrimp? Oysters? Fresh Fish? Frozen Fish? Guess what? Commercial Fishing in areas where the oil is (HUGE area) have been halted. Shrimpers have been commissioned to deploy boom to help capture oil and to help oil from being washed ashore. This affects restaurants (revenue), tourism, etc. Last I heard from someone I work with who was to go on vacation to a condo was that 80% of the hotel/condo/bungalow reservations were canceled.

You're right, there is NOTHING good about this whole situation. It's Awful, Tragic, Horrific, etc etc.

It's downright scary. This situation will not be remedied in my lifetime.....this is a HUGE problem. MANY people are working on this to remedy what is to come, regular people like me and you.....right now that's what we can do.....I hope that SOON it can be contained and we can really focus our attentions on cleaning up the mess left behind.

ETA: Unfortunately, lots of people (including folks I work with) have no idea of the impact this has on us all......and that, is very sad.

 

[ArizonaNessa]

Quote:
maybe there familys didnt want the info released

You are right. Maybe the families don't want the names released and I can respect that. I still think that they could at least give them a memorial or some sort of acknowledgment. It just boggles my mind that a company so huge didn't think past the end of their noses.

 

[Gonzo]

I can't stand it! All the way around, it makes me sick to my stomach! I don't like watching the news about it either, I just get mad and sick! I wish I could go down there and help, in any way I could. Either helping clean up the mess, or saving wildlife. Whatever.... There needs to be a tent city for folks to stay in that wants to come in and help. I would be there! I think BP should float the bill 100% and be held responsible.

 

[cmjust0]

Can I just point out that this rig and well were owned by a FOREIGN COMPANY.. If the spill itself isn't enough to make folks question the wisdom of expanded offshore drilling, just consider for one second what the "B" in BP stands for..

It ain't Boston..it ain't Burbank..it ain't Bakersfield or Baltimore, either.

BRITISH petroleum...they suck our oil out of the ground and put it back on the global market so that we, the American people who OWNED that oil, can compete for it with India, China, and everybody else.

And all the while, BRITISH Petroleum gets rich. Or Shell (Dutch).. Or Total SA (French)...

Think about that next time you hear someone chanting "drill, baby, drill!"

 

[Ridgerunner]

Quote:
You certainly may. Transocean, the owner of the rig, was founded in Louisiana and the stock is traded on the US stock exchange. The principle office is located in Houston, Texas but the company itself is now incorporated in Zug, Switzerland. Their board of directors certainly has an international flavor (Brits, French, Egyptians, etc), but I think you will find that most received their college degrees in the US and were born Americans. I’d tend to call them international with a strong American flavor instead of foreign, but you can certainly call them foreign if you wish. I think you will find that a vast majority of those working on the rig were Americans.

The well is technically owned by you and me through our federal government, but it is indeed leased to an American subsidiary of British Petroleum.

May I point out that Chevron and Exxon, the two big American oil companies that are left, are drilling and producing in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America, including British waters for sure and I believe they are also working in Dutch waters but I am not sure of that. (The Dutch sector is pretty small and mainly natural gas.) I'm pretty sure the French do not have any significant offshore oil fields to develop. The foreign oil companies that are drilling and producing in US waters are required to follow US laws and regulations, put a lot of Americans to work, use a lot of American resources and goods, and pay taxes and fees. American oil companies working overseas are also required to follow the laws of the nation they are working in, hire a lot of locals, use as many local resources as they can since it is usually cheaper and is also usually required by local law, and certainly pay a lot in taxes and fees to those foreign governments.

I think I’d look at them as international instead of foreign, since that is the nature of big oil, but you can certainly call them foreign if you wish.

 

[Iowa Roo Mom]

While I do agree that this is a tragic and far-reaching event....

I am not in the oil business but frankly this whole thing could have been prevented with a little thought and common sense don't ya think?

Might I remind you all who consumes the most oil? The only real prevention, 100% fool-proof prevention, will come when we, as people, no longer need or use oil. And I do not foresee that happening in my lifetime... Just sayin'.​

 

[Q9]

And now it's time for... IRRITATING CYNICISM!!! *Cheers from adoring crowd*

Today on Irritating Cynicism, Q9 looks at the oil spills in the Gulf.

*Q9 speaking*

Quite frankly, the men who died in the explosion and the jobs and economic benefits lost are vastly more important than sea turtles and waterfowl. The fish should be fine. I have no problem with helping the harmed animals, but BP is already spending massive cash to contain this spill. For heaven's sake, they're using robotic subs and all kinds of hi-tech stuff. The fact that they're sending even small aid to the families of those who lost their jobs is very impressive.

What people need to realize is that humans are above animals, whether you come from a Darwinian or a Judeo-Christian perspective. Human needs come first and foremost, not animals or some abstract "environment."

I hereby close this post to prevent an otherwise inevitable rant.

EDIT:

Of course we won't get off oil soon. People need to get it into their heads that, at the moment, there is no viable alternative. (Don't you dare say biofuels, I WILL go on a rant. Please spare everyone.)