Our Gulf

BP. Douchebags! You know, for the longest time I didn't get gas at BP because I was still pissed about them buying Amoco. Why do we have a British company coming here to buy an American company? Anyway, as time passed and I learned that BP did not buy any oil from the Middle-East, I thought, well, might as well get my gas here instead of those who support the Middle East..... or Venezuela (Citgo). Now, I am thinking I need to either have some Jed Clampett luck and find me some Texas Tea OR start investigating something electric. Lord forbid I would have to start riding my bike!


Okay, this isn't really about finding alternative energy. Although, that SHOULD be near the top of a number of government lists. This is more about how effed up this whole situation is. As I am starting this blog, we are in Day #53 of the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. The pictures of the "sheen" on the Gulf, the oil covered birds and fish, the poor fishermen who cannot leave port are all hard to take.


Whose fault is this? Well, as we hear more about the actions (or inactions) that led up to the rig explosion, we are seeing at least two groups responsible. First, we cannot deny that our federal government has failed us again. Rules are often made to keep us safe. It sounds like that blowout preventer was not working and proper timely inspections should have discovered that - at least that's what I think. I work in the construction industry (more indirectly than directly) and I have seen/heard how payoffs and other unethical actions can help get quicker approval from the City. I know that not everyone is honest. And I know that a lot of people in positions of power are VERY lazy - what is the minimum I can do to get this job done?

"Hey buddy, did you follow the codes when you built this?"
"Yes."
"Do I need to go take a look? I'd really rather not as I want to leave early today to go to the ballgame."
"No, it's fine. Trust me."
"Approved."

This explosion and subsequent massive oil leak is not ALL the fault of our government inspectors (and the inspection program itself), it is very much the fault of BP or someone else involved with the operation of that rig. They said that there were signs something was wrong some 5 hours prior to the explosion. I was talking with my Dad who worked offshore for a couple years. He said that they should have evacuated that rig and that 5 hours should have been plenty of time to get everyone off the rig. What does that mean? If he is correct, that means not one single person should have been killed in the explosion! Say it with me and say it loud.... YOU MOTHER FUCKERS!!! You mean to tell me that you KNEW there was something wrong and that you had time to get EVERYONE off that rig?!?!?! NOBODY had to die?!?!?  Fucking BP!!


So, what's happening now to take care of this problem? Here are the things I have read, heard and think.....

1. Addressing the American people - BP got one of their spokesmen to start being the voice of the company in this crisis. Sure, BP is a British company. But, they are smart - get a smooth talking chap with a British accent to talk to the American people. Just because this guy has an accent gives him credibility. I hope not EVERYONE is snowed by this. Keep your eyes AND ears open! Listen to the arrogance.
2. Stopping the leak - It is pretty apparent that BP (and possibly NO ONE ELSE) ever gave thought to a rig exploding and there being an uncontrollable oil leak some 5,000 feet below the surface. First idea was to put a 4 or 5 story house on top of it and then collect the oil through the top. Turns out that the methane gas crystallized and filled the hole at the top. Nice! Next, they tried a normal blowout cure - pump that sucker full of mud and then fill it with concrete. I don't know much about this stuff; but, I would think that rather than pumping in SOME mud and waiting to see if it held before pouring concrete, I think I would have pumped that sucker as full as I could and then do the concrete thing. Regardless, it didn't work. Looks like we are dealing with some big time pressures coming out of the earth. Lastly (so far), they tried to make a clean cut of the pipe for some reason - I think to install a new valve. Oh mannnnn, the saw stuck. Dude, that's gonna take like 12 hours to remove! Shit! So, here we sit, collecting a little oil but the leak is still uncontrolled. Well done, BP. Assholes!
3. Payouts- So, BP is making payments to some of the out-of-work fishermen. It seems that it is set up so that a fisherman contacts BP, tells them he cannot fish because of their oil and then they cut him a check. Sounds simple. These folks have to deal directly with BP - no attorneys or anything! Would you trust them? I sure the hell wouldn't! I had heard that fishermen showing up with attorneys were sent to the back of the line. I found this Bloomberg article that explains how this works. Please take a look - Bloomberg - BP Spill Claims Process Inadequate, Fishermen Say (Update1).
4. Help - Everything I have heard is telling me that BP wants to handle this on their own. You know, they are the ones who got us into this! Sometimes the right thing to do is to ask for help. We'll try this today. We have to wait a few days to see if it worked. Nope. Okay, we need a few days to think of another idea. THIS is how time is wasted - a week or two per try is unacceptable. If I felt they were TRULY doing everything they could think of to fix this, I would be quicker to forgive. But, for now.... FUCK THEM! BP- Fix this! Pay who needs to be paid! Clean this shit up! And get the fuck back across the ocean! We'll let you know if we need you for anything.

I had other things to include but totally forgot. I pray to God that this leak is stopped soon and that the illnesses being seeing by workers out there (on the Gulf) AND all the folks on shore can dissipate, that the birds and marine life can stop dying and that this oil stops spreading and does not make it to other coastal areas, especially those on the east coast. Does anyone have a solution? If so, contact your Congressperson STAT!