For Christ's sake, you people ... it's just a bloody oil spill

I awoke this morning thinking the USA had suffered another Pearl Harbour ... or September 11th ... who would have thought anything else on hearing the words of the US President on the subject of an oil spill off their Gulf Coast ...

Thank God Almighty we over here don't have to suffer interruptions to our tv schedules and be forced to suffer Obama's windy rhetoric ... you'd honestly think he was addressing the Battlefield at Gettysburg rather than talking about a miserably mundane oil spillage ...

battle we’re waging ... assaulting our shores and our citizens ... we will fight ... our battle plan ... catastrophe ... epidemic ... fighting for months and even years ... disaster ... 30,000 personnel ... thousands of ships ... deployment ... 17,000 National Guard members ... servicemen and women ... activate these troops as soon as possible ... mobilization ... siege ... jeopardy ... wrenching anxiety ... crisis of the moment ... Secretary of the Navy ... disaster ... precautions ... explosion ... disaster ... safety ... take action ... hostility ... corruption ... new leadership ... sense of urgency ... lack of political courage ... consequences of inaction ... our way of life being threatened ... menacing cloud ... tragedy unfolding ... seize control ... unprecedented action ... seize the moment ... rally together ... act as one nation ... national security ... planes and tanks in World War II ... determination to fight ... faith that sustains ... Blessing of The Fleet ... obstacles and dangers ... the midst of the storm ... crisis America will face ... hard times ... our strength ... our resilience ... our unyielding faith ... summon the courage ... pray for that courage ... guide us through the storm ... may God bless the United States of America.

www.whitehouse.gov...

You guys need to get such a sense of perspective on this. It's just an oil spill, the fact it affects your own shores is unfortunate ... but you didn't worry about that when you were driving your ever so economic gas guzzlers and their 20mph fuel efficiency ... as US corporations were so polluting the environments of other countries ... countries which most of your own citizens still can't even name, let alone identify on a global atlas.

So far the consequences of this spill have been what, exactly ? A few dirty beaches ... that's a shame. Dead fish, dead birds. That's a shame. A bad odor on the coast ... well, pardon me ... go inland or close the windows.

At least you've got the comfort of knowing the relief wells will be drilled, the leak stopped, the clean up carried out and within a few years you wouldn't even know there'd been a spill ... there's people in this world who'll never have that comfort, their nations have been polluted ... permanently ... by the incompetence of US corporations. They'll never get their environments back, unless Mother Nature's long term healing over decades can somehow restore the balance.

And over 400 threads on this spill ... how desperately self indulgent some of you people really are, thread after thread of more and more apocalyptic doom, you've so taken over the forum with your incessant gibbering about this utter trivia you've even managed to get your own forum set up ... with a neat little "BP" badge to reinforce the message that it's the foreigners who are subjecting your poor little defenceless nation to so much harm. Nice one, they'll be pleased with that, great to be on message, huh ?

So get it in perspective, it's an oil spill, it's an accident, it's unfortunate ... do something about it, plenty of you seem to have so much time on your hands, volunteer to help clean up, help at a wildlife centre, make a charitable donation ... do something ... do anything ... but get over it ... and get over yourselves too.

lol

Whatever is going on why do you care what others think, its not harming you, lol.

Just heard the following: BP contractor is killed at Dutch refinery after wall collapses, spokesman for oil giant says. No news link yet.

Found a link: BP Contractor Killed in Construction Accident at Dutch Refinery

Pretty dangerous company. You folks that are still filling up BP might want to start wearing hardhats before pulling into one of their filling stations, cause folks are still dying because of this company.

[edit on 16-6-2010 by Divinorumus]

I wonder how much attention this would get if it occurred anywhere else but America...

Personaly i see your point with the rhetoric (sounds like post-911 garbage) but this thing could cause humanity and nature its biggest fall to date.

People are worried, and they have a good reason too.

The black stinky stuff is just hitting the fan, and TPTB are playing this like a game of bankers chess. It aint, its our world that is messed up by greed and whatever else they are hiding.

The simple fact that I live in New York state and I am still not far enough away to not have to worry about this makes it more than just a spill to me. The last time I spilled somethin big, it still never made it from LA, around FL, up the coast to NY. That is a long long long long long long way away to be feeling "just a spill."

Then again, maybe you are right and there is no problem at all, I will not be impactd half a country away and everyone will look silly. I am sure many will thank you for this then.

While i agree partially that yes, this obviously a result of our dependence on oil, we are made to be dependent on oil precisely because these bastards have a monopoly on it,

this isn't just a 'spill' that would be spilt from a carrier or whatnot, this is a leak, the knock on effect for the whole planet could be horrific, we still have no idea yet as it hasn't come close to actually being stopped,

and no, I'm not a yank!

So your saying there are too many BP threads and yet you decided to add one yourself?

Yes the POTUS has to do something to appear that he is involved in finding answers. It is what he didn't say, that you will find in these threads.

Everyone uses oil in one form ot another, look around you, how much plasticware do you own? I dont own a car, do you? I do help in community programs occasionally do you? All I hear is a senseless complaint.

reply to post by Chadwickus


Imagine if a company called USAPetrolium, had the same accident off the shores of the UK. destroying the Cornish Coast line We Brits would be burning American flags and effiggies of Obama. There would be so much anti American sentiment compared with what us Brits have recieved.

I was listening to an interview with a park ranger from Valdez, who said on a hot day you can still smell the oil that came from the Exxon spill which was nearly 20 years ago.

Just imagine the lasting effects of this disaster. I believe the disaster deserves its own section in ATS.

reply to post by Ulala


I guess you haven't been reading the threads here on ATS because this is MORE than just an oil spill! When 60,000-120,000 bbl/day of oil is leaking out into the gulf and no one knows how to stop it.. it is MORE than just an oil spill! When fisherman and oil workers loose their jobs.. it is MORE than just an oil spill!

reply to post by SciChosis


Yeah i agree... while we can attribute some of the blame to everyone who encourage the oil industry by using oil based products and petrol... and while it is fair to say that many other environmental disasters have been ignored by the wider media... to call this "just an oil spill" is naive at best...

although i get the feeling that the wording was used specifically to provoke a reaction!

Like you, i agree with some points made in the OP, but feel that it is being too blasé about a massive catastrophe!

Ur absolutely right dude, but at the same time it happen to be the biggest spill that ever happened, and also, there maybe some other reasons than a bad innocent error behind all this. it's nice to know the real reason why things like this happens, all around the world.

u may found people self indulgent with all the talk about it on here but i think this site is based in USA... so it pretty normal to see a lot of people talking about their country and what's really happening behind the wall since it's pretty close by.
It's right to say though that this is a little too much, after seeing that speech and how some people are just crying and not doing anything...

reply to post by Ulala


Devils advocate ?
or
Just plain confrontational ?

Either way if something along these lines had occurred off the coast of Finland (i assume Finland because your avatar) then you might be a little upset with the fact that there would be

NO MORE WHALING
and
NO MORE PICKLED HERRINGS

Just a thought !!

reply to post by Ulala


Just a bloody Oil spill?

True, it's not like there's depleted Uranium being spread around, but judging by Peoples reaction to it being used in Iraq, you'd think Oil is more lethal.

reply to post by redeyedwonder


It's not a senseless complaint to any extent whatever. Come back to this forum in a few years time when the latest oil spill happens in some third world nation ... start a thread about it ... your thread will die within a few posts. Your thoughtful contribution about the plight of some poor people will largely go unread, your thorough examination about the causes of the spill, the role of corporations will be treated with total indifference.

No-one will care. Because it doesn't affect USA.

That's a terrible indictment about Americans, perhaps people in general. They don't care about what's happening in someone else's backyard. But there's more to this than that.

Something's happened with the USA over the last month or two. The USA has now passed from being a superpower ... to being a victim, I sense that in what Obama says and what many American contributors say here too. No nation now exceeds the capacity of the United States for promoting its grievances, it's sense of injustice about being beat up ... and when the perpetrator just so happens to be a multi national oil company, excuse me for not laughing up my sleeves.

There's nothing more nauseating, to the rest of the world, than this newly found victim status of the United States.

reply to post by Ulala


This is a global problem.

It is spelled greed.

And while I'm inclined not to argue with you because you really write well.

I think your wrong and making general assumptions is dangerous.

My husband and I share one car and it is a small one and gets very good gas mileage. Our one car is ten years old.

Yes going to work, most Americans about 50% on any given day drive around one person per hugh SUV Monster machine.

But, American's are learning - and this incident will further shape future thought processes the world over.

I can't defend my fellow Americans because compared to the rest of the world we have been more spoiled but that is also changing as our middle class is being dismantled.

And while Americans do currently consume more oil then the rest of the world India and China both still a have hugh population problem. If they become "spoiled" with consumerism fever I shutter to think the effects this will have planet wide.

This "oil spill" could very well mean disastrous consequences, far reaching and very serious.

It's just not any old common oil spill.

We have hit an artery.

I was in nursing and once you get someone in ER that has hit an artery, time is precious and if you can't stop the bleeding death follows.

Same analogy, we have hit a deep artery, the jugular vein if you will.

I have a feeling that if this isn't stopped soon, it's going to spread, whats more, if there is a serious fracture on the ocean floor, we could end up with a cauldron the size of about half our country.

Why the many threads on this "simple oil spill".

It's not your common ordinary "oil spill".

The possible consequences, most people are just now starting to get a inkling of what could and might very well happen.

This all could have been prevented, it did not have to happen but it did because we, the common person allowed profit and greed to rule us.

And this isn't just America's problem, this is a global problem, both the oil when the Gulf current carries it further up near where you are probably located.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/8f60ec718960.jpg[/atsimg]

One thing the map above doesn't show is that the currents intermingle at various points so eventually this gunk is going to cross over into other currents.

Get over it.

No, sorry my planet, my home my mother has been violated.

This did not have to happen and closing windows isn't going to help.

While you are very well written, you are insensitive, heartless and do not see the big picture.

This is not a simple oil spill.

From a geological aspect this could very well be a significant event.

Time will tell and my gut feeling since day one has been a bad one.

They're not going to plug up this sucker or clean this up anytime soon. I won't even go into the loss of sealife, there's not enough time or space here.

This "event" will affect all of humanity for awhile, if we're lucky.

Why are so many people upset?

Things must change and soon or we risk becoming another extinct species.

We have got to figure out cleaner alternative methods for energy and we must learn to share and not allow a select few to sit down at the table and cut themselves 3/4 of the pie, leaving 1/4 for everyone else to fight over.

People are starting to wake up and realize if humanity is to survive, he must grow up and right now, time is not on our side.


[edit on 16-6-2010 by ofhumandescent]

reply to post by Ulala


From a GEO-Polictal standpoint I fully understand your position and I think that you are probably correct in saying the USA is moving from a superpower to a victim.... Maybe a little humility will happen in time.....

However your sentiment from your initial posting is a little INSENSITIVE to the individuals and wildlife being destroyed in that area.......

Like having all your shrimps destroyed, having NO pickled Herring would be an outrage in Finland..

reply to post by ofhumandescent


For the record .....

I think you could easily argue against Ulala from la la la land.

Good post especially the analogy of a patient with irreversible bleeding..

I too work in the heathcare sector and your view of the planet as a poorley patient is spot on...

reply to post by Ulala


Last time I checked BP was still the logo for BRITISH PETROLEUM.
YA Just checked it again. You just got the crap scared out of you, huh?
You woke -up and thought you heard that we had declared war on your asses, huh? I can't wait til Germany is pounding at your door again.
Be funny to watch who ever has to come gravaling across the pond again.

Maybe he'd just get on his cell." Ya hey is this America? lol ya I know.
Well they're prolly still bitter over that Boston thing. Well I'm sure you've
seen the papers? Thank you ,Thank you Mr. President. I knew we could count on you.
Naturally we'd do it all over again. Because we love you guys, no matter
how much depication you throw at us. Randyvious

[edit on 16-6-2010 by randyvs]

Originally posted by Ulala
reply to post by redeyedwonder

 

It's not a senseless complaint to any extent whatever. Come back to this forum in a few years time when the latest oil spill happens in some third world nation ... start a thread about it ... your thread will die within a few posts. Your thoughtful contribution about the plight of some poor people will largely go unread, your thorough examination about the causes of the spill, the role of corporations will be treated with total indifference.

No-one will care. Because it doesn't affect USA.

That's a terrible indictment about Americans, perhaps people in general. They don't care about what's happening in someone else's backyard. But there's more to this than that.

Something's happened with the USA over the last month or two. The USA has now passed from being a superpower ... to being a victim, I sense that in what Obama says and what many American contributors say here too. No nation now exceeds the capacity of the United States for promoting its grievances, it's sense of injustice about being beat up ... and when the perpetrator just so happens to be a multi national oil company, excuse me for not laughing up my sleeves.

There's nothing more nauseating, to the rest of the world, than this newly found victim status of the United States.

It would seem that BP is screwing up around the world and it takes a major screw up to get it noticed.

I agree third worllds dont get the headlines enough, but now maybe they will. Places like Bhopal. But to say the US is the only country in danger is false. What about Mexico, South America, Cuba, and other Island nations that this is spreading to?

This high disregard for safety in the name of greed has got to stop everywhere. This is the biggest disaster to happen to mankind. We have not seen the problems yet to come that this "spill" will cause.