The tragedy that is currently going on in the Gulf of Mexico is going to haunt this country for more years then I care to think about. It is startling to me how many of my fellow citizens fail to understand the absolute catastrophe that this is. Perhaps it is because our press is treating the situation pretty lightly, probably because they are all corporately owned, and if the media isn't hysterical then Americans don't think they have much to worry about.
I can only imagine how freaked out we would all be if a TERRORIST had blown up the oil well in the Gulf that was destroying an eco-system stretching thousands of miles. We would be out for REVENGE! But because it's just another friendly, corporate oil company and because we all realize that we brought it on ourselves we're kind of patting ourselves on the back and calling it a sad accident. Speaking of sad.
And, yes people, this is another chicken coming home to roost from the Bush administration's laissez faire behavior with corporate America. In case you ever wondered what would happen if we allowed the oil companies to pen the United States' energy policy, well wonder no more! Dead miners and dead oil rig workers are just a small price to pay for such enormous profit.
It would be best if we Americans just kept in mind at all times that corporations are sociopaths that our Supreme Court chooses to regard as people! Here are the traits they have in common with human sociopaths who don't have one millionth of the power to inflict hurt:
1. Repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest.(In 2005 BP blew up an oil refinery in Texas City killing 15 people and injuring 170 others).
2. Deceitfulness, repeated lying, use of aliases, conning others for profit. ("Nobody could have anticipated an oil rig accident in the Gulf")
3. Impulsivity or failure to plan ahead. (I think it's called a simple shut off valve that most SANE countries require oil riggers to use - but when the oil companies wrote our energy policy it must have slipped their minds.)
4. Aggressiveness (Wait until the we're so sorry commercials come out and encourage you to buy more gas from them.)
5. Reckless disregard for safety of themselves or others (no need to say more here)
6. Consistent irresponsibility, repeated failure to honor obligations.
7. Lack of remorse, indifference to the suffering of others (within 24 hours had workers sign waivers saying they wouldn't sue.)
Every time you watch a commercial you should keep all of these things in your head, especially #2. Thanks to Pam's House Blend blog for the list of sociopathic tendencies.
While our environment is taking such a beating all the rest of us should do everything we can to keep our own individual impact as slight as possible. No factory farmed meats, reusable grocery bags, etc. Also you should support those that are supporting the people of the gulf coast. Eat Gumbo!
