I Wasn't Going To, But This Is Ridiculous

I was going to keep my comments to myself about the oil spill, and not go on a social activist rant.

Then I read a news article on msnbc.com, wherein some extremely ignorant comments were made.

I'm starting to wonder if England is working hard to stick it's collective foot in it's mouth.

First, some days ago (not in the above article), Tony Hayward so very sensitively commented that no one wants this disaster over more than him, as he said "I would like to have my life back."

Really? So would the 11 dead oil rig workers, and their families, and the thousands of people on the Gulf Coast affected by this spill, not to mention the dead and dying oil-soaked wildlife. So sorry you've been so terribly inconvenienced, Tony.

But he was lambasted enough for that in the press, and actually tried to apologize.

But today I read the msnbc.com article, where:

Richard Griffith, an analyst with Evolution Securities (in England) says "given the overwhelmingly hostile nature of the U.S. government ..." BP may be forced to suspend payment of dividends. (emphasis mine).

Overwhelmingly hostile?? Because we're demanding accountability for the worst oil spill in US history?

A little further on, London Mayor Boris Johnson said BP is paying a "very, very heavy price for an accident." (emphasis again mine)

Really? An accident? He says this as if it was a mere fluke, like they dropped something in the water - "oops!".

If I decide to drive my car down the interstate at 65 mph wearing a blindfold, when I wreck, can I claim it was all an accident, and not be held responsible?

If I'm having a back operation, and the surgeon slips and slices my spinal cord and leaves me paralyzed for life, should that surgeon be allowed to say, "it was an accident, so sorry" and send me on my way, and not be held responsible?

Of course this was "an accident" in that no one planned it or made it happen intentionally. But to imply they are being overly burdened with responsibility because it was 'an accident' and, presumably, 'not their fault' is ludicrous.

So, I'd like to know how Griffith and Johnson would feel if this was washing up on their shores, putting thousands of coastal Britons out of work, poisoning their seafood supply, and slowly and painfully killing their wildlife?

Let's see - why don't you try this on for size.

Second - define 'accident.' BP already has a "years-long history of legal and ethical violations"

That article goes on to say: "Over the past two decades, BP subsidiaries have been convicted three times of environmental crimes in Alaska and Texas, including two felonies. It remains on probation for two of them."

There seems to be good reason for an investigation into the cause of this disaster, and while I realize nothing is definite yet, based on BP's past practices and some information that has come to light so far, it's awfully hard to believe this was an unforeseeable and unpreventable accident, just blindsiding poor, innocent BP out of the blue.

Yeah, they're going to pay heavily - they and others involved in drilling that well - because they screwed up and are wrecking our coastal environment and population (both human and wild), with the potential for the destruction to travel much farther than it is now (if it gets in the Gulf Loop).

BP's 'response plan' for this very drill site claimed they absolutely could handle a 'worst case scenario' spill. Obviously they have very tiny imaginations.

Mayor Johnson claims to be hearing a lot of "anti-British rhetoric" coming from the US. Well, I don't know what he's listening to, but I've been following news of this oil spill pretty intently, and I've yet to see anyone say anything the least bit negative about the UK or Britons ... unless he's taking negative comments about "British Petroleum" way out of context.

But he may begin to hear a lot more of it if people like Hayward, Griffith and the Mayor continue to exhibit these symptoms of foot-in-mouth disease. I don't know why they are panicking, but I agree with one thing Mayor Johnson said - there do indeed need to be much cooler heads - but on the other side of the pond.

Update:

This explains a lot.

I still think it's ludicrous, but it explains a lot.