Have ye no shame? BP CEO, Tony Hayward, recently told commented to a news reporter, "I'd like my life back" and "it's a big ocean." After looking into it, I'd like Tony's lifestyle, too. One that includes sailing through the tropics, skiing in Vail, no working weekends and all Holidays off, just to name a few - and all this is supported by his $4.6 million dollar salary. Gee, I can see how this whole Deepwater Horizon thing could be a real inconvenience.
He wants his life back? Well, as many others have already said, I imagine the families of the 11 people killed in the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon would like the lives of their loved ones back as well.
Folks, it's the ego and attitudes of men like this that are going to do us all in. Why do we follow them? Why does society revere them? Why do we listen to them? Men of power that is. Why do we automatically assume that because they're powerful and that because they're men - they're also smart and of pure intention, with everyones best interest at heart? The reality is more like this. Men of power, as admirable as they are, also have their demons like all humans do. Only powerful ones can be worse -bigger, greedier, wealthier. Greed, power, money, ego, control - it's a breeding ground of evil and evil intent.
If you want to grow evil, folks - plant those 5 seeds and stand back.
The most troublesome aspect of this is that many big business CEO's and top executives seem to develop this unsympathetic and egotistically driven mindset once they've reached a position of supreme power. From oil company executives, to health care industry executives, to pharmaceutical executives, and on down the line. I'm quite sure chaps like this have left many a deep wound on people's backs clawing their way to the top.
Don't think evil is present? Let's take a look and ask ourselves, "Why is this happening? How could a country as advanced as this be so stupid and blatantly careless with human life and the environment we depend on?" To begin to find the answer, let's look at the Bush Administration - particularly Vice President, Dick Cheney. As many of you know, Dick Cheney once led the worlds second largest oilfield services corporation as CEO of the organization from 1995 to 2000. After becoming Vice President, he claimed to have severed all ties with the corporation. However, a report by the Congressional Research Service saw things differently and uncovered an ongoing relationship with the Halliburton Company. The report said that "a public official's unexercised stock options and deferred salary fall within the definition of "retained ties" to his former company." As it turned out, according to Cheney's 2001 financial disclosure report, his Halliburton benefits included three batches of stock options comprising a whopping 433,333 shares, a deferred compensation account valued at between $500,000 and $1 million, and generated income of $50,000 to $100,000.
Now, let's look at the politics preceding this event - particularly, reckless deregulation and corruption under the Bush administration. It appears that Dick Cheney’s private energy meetings and his "running interference" with the Department of Minerals Management Service led to lax regulations, increasing annual profits, tragic environmental destruction, loss of animal life and human life. It was ultimately determined that the one thing that could've prevented such a catastrophic event - and acoustic trigger - was "not recommended because they tend to be very costly." How costly you ask? What is too high a price to pay for human lives and clean oceans teaming with life? That price would be approximately half a million dollars ($500,000 USD). That number, however, seems but a drop in the bucket when you see the astronomical profit numbers in comparison, "BP fourth quarter of 2009, before non-operating items and fair value accounting effects, was $4.4 billion – an increase of 70% on the same period in 2008."
Ironically, "The National Energy Policy Development Group was a group, created by Executive Order on January 29, 2001, chaired by Vice President, Richard Cheney. The group, commonly referred to as the "Cheney Energy Task Force," produced a National Energy Policy report in May 2001. In a cover note to George W. Bush, Cheney wrote, "we have developed a national energy policy designed to help bring together business, government, local communities and citizens to promote dependable, affordable and environmentally sound energy for the future." ~ SourceWatch
George W. Bush wrote, "America must have an energy policy that plans for the future, but meets the needs of today. I believe we can develop our natural resources and protect our environment."
Oh really? Seems to me that if they really cared, they would've put their money where their mouth was. They would've tightened things up and put their focus where it belonged - not on profits, but on people and the environment - for the good of all. If they really cared it would've been a no brainer to put a plan B in place instead of the deregulation they both pushed for that led us to where we are today. If they really cared, cost wouldn't have been such an issue when compared to profit. The value received would've been worth the initial expense.
And then there's the company itself, BP, British Petroleum. At first, they reported only 1,000 barrels per day spewing from their debacle and not surprisingly - their main concern was recapturing their gold. As that number slowly crept up, scientists began looking into the matter soon realizing that somebody was attempting to pull someones leg here. It took over a month for BP to release grainy video footage for inspection and it wasn't until last week, some 50 days after the disaster, that they finally released the high definition footage they've had all along to scientists so that they could better determine how many barrels per day are poisoning our ocean. The exact flow is still undetermined, in part, because BP has refused to allow independent scientists to perform accurate measurements. Some are now even speculating, after reviewing the high definition footage just released, that the spill rate could be as high as 20,000 - 40,000 per day. That's a big difference from the miniscule 1,000 barrels that BP first reported.
So why all the nefarious behavior on the part of BP attempting to betray the people? That's easy - because they're going to be fined on a per barrel basis. With any luck, this catastrophe will force the corporation into bankruptcy. A deserved end if you ask me.
And for those of you who will claim that we are just as responsible for this as our leaders and powerful corporations, due to our high demand for the oil - remember this: they've given us no other viable options. The powers that be have MADE us dependent, addicted. Everyday we're rolling up our sleeves and slammin oil. They could've began developing other viable forms of energy 30 years ago - but they didn't. Nor did they see the value in exploring other options or such things as "plan B." Why? Because it wasn't going to make everyone as much money as all of us being dependent on oil did.
That, folks, is certainly evil and evil intent.
It's clear, to me at least, that evil was and IS present in this situation. And while all of this shuckin and jivin is going on . . our ocean is being poisoned, it's life forms are perishing, human lives have been lost, livelihoods are being lost . . . how much loss are we going to stand for? You know, this is our planet too. How much more of this are we going to listen to? How much more of this are we going to take?
Folks, the ramifications of this could be disastrous, depending on when or IF they get this gusher under control. Just because they're powerful doesn't mean they can manhandle the earth. Talks are now pushing things back to August of 2010. That will be four solid months of pollution as we work, eat, sleep and dream flooding into our waters. It's already making it's way to our beaches and our coast lines, it's being found as far away as California . . . and it could even make it's way into our freshwater eventually. If it does - where do you think that leaves us?
And for all of you who see absolutely no value in the prophecies surrounding the year 2012 . . . you may want to rethink that. Hurricane's, Tsunami's, floods, fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, changing weather - and now poisoned water. Poison water leads to poisoned life forms and poisoned crops - something that the web bot has actually predicted. And according to the web bot, the year 2011 seems to be a climax of sorts to these events, leading us right into the year 2012 - the peak of this transformational (not apocalyptic) energy. (Have you seen the newly released movie, "The Road?" You may want to check that out for a glimpse of what could come if plant, animal, and ocean life on this planet were to perish in large quantities and all at once.)
Our power is in our numbers. Leaders are few, followers are many. Will you follow the leader - or will you become one?
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." ~ Margaret Mead
Remember, it's the squeaky wheel that gets the oil. Peace. And as John Lennon sang, "Power to the People" . . .
4 Comments:
Great post. Yes more & more people are seeing the light, seeing the corruption taking place up high. Change is gonna come!!
This disaster saddens me so very much, it hurts my heart. People are upset, but in my opinion, they are not nearly as upset over this as they should be. People should be marching in the streets right now. People should be storming Washington, picketing, marching and DEMANDING ACTION NOW. No more talks, no more BS - ACTION. It's time for people to stand up and TAKE ACTION. Take control and make demands. And for those in Washington that cannot fill the demands of the people - GET RID O'THEM. It's time to clean house and it's time that the people of this country pull their heads out of thier butts (and ipods, computers, cell phones) and demand action and take back control. As the Mirror of Aphrodite said, our power is in our numbers . . . and none of us are currently taking advantage of that fact. We need to light a fire under the powers that be and apply the pressure necessary for them to HEAR US.
It's time. It's time to organize, gather in numbers and march the streets calling for action - no more talk. (Excellent post)
I'm so disgusted with the current state of affairs and how man is so very arrogant with regards to nature and the environment. Just watched a special last night on how muck fields (farming) poisoned an entire lake which brought about the mass destruction of its alligator population. They found that the nutrients (fertilizers) from the muck field farming leeched into the lake, caused poisonous algae to bloom, which in turn ended up being a neuro-toxin that affected the brains of the gators. They couldn't walk, swim, use their legs. It was a horrible death and equally horrible to witness a species suffer so as a human being. Especially knowing we did that.
All of this arrogance, greed, capitalism and constant "consume, consume, consume" is going to destroy us - and everyone will be too busy on their iPods to notice until it's too late.
We can and SHOULD live in harmony with nature. Its the only way our species will survive. And for those of you living near muck farm fields - DO NOT DRINK THE WATER - neuro toxins.
We continue to reward arrogance, and greed (profits). Unless the rules somehow change, I believe this trend will sadly continue. We all want a higher paying job with a profitable company. Its not all the top exec's faults. We are all partially responsible. Our extreme thirst for oil as a country, and as a people is what makes this possible...
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