No amount of money can justify or redeem us from judgment with respect to what is happening in the Gulf today. And when I say “us” I mean “us.” Not one of us can honestly claim no responsibility for having caused or allowed to happen this criminal act which is resulting in unfathomable damage to our environment. Can you watch a Pelican trying to come up out of the water, weighed down with a thick coat of black tar without feeling responsible? Have you seen the turtles covered with the “black death?” The dolphins struggling to survive?
After the tears comes rage. How could we . . . how could we . . . how could we?!
B.P. can keep throwing money at us, but nothing, NOTHING, can make this right. Our government failed us, BP failed us, WE failed us. We have continued to demand our big, high-powered cars and every energy-driven convenience that the advertisers have convinced us we “need” and exhibited very little interest in pursuing alternative sources of energy. Greed has been the driving force of the Petroleum Industry and being re-elected has been the driving force of our government leaders. Self-gratification has been the driving force of the American people.
Our economy will eventually recover. The fishing industry will eventually recover (but who knows how long it will take). The tourists will return to the Gulf. We’ll be eating fish again (if any survive). B.P. will survive and probably thrive. But how many Pelicans will have died? How many Porpoises; how many turtles, how many fish? How many people will be sickened by this as they try to clean up the mess? Will the Gulf of Mexico ever be returned to its healthy “before B.P.” beauty? Only God knows how much permanent damage will result from this shameful man-made catastrophe. This is truly a crime against humanity.
I am sincerely afraid of what the long-term ramifications of this disaster will be. I wonder what kind of world we will be passing on to our children and grandchildren. Can’t we overcome our greed and self-centeredness long enough to see beyond the end of our lives? We need to rise up and demand that the environment TOP THE LIST of priorities when it comes to every kind of industry. Strict regulations need to be in place to prevent man-made disasters like this. Call it “Big Government” if you must. We obviously don’t do well when left to our own devices.
No amount of money can justify or redeem us from judgment with respect to what is happening in the Gulf today. And when I say “us” I mean “us.” Not one of us can honestly claim no responsibility for having caused or allowed to happen this criminal act which is resulting in unfathomable damage to our environment. Can you watch a Pelican trying to come up out of the water, weighed down with a thick coat of black tar without feeling responsible? Have you seen the turtles covered with the “black death?” The dolphins struggling to survive? After the tears comes rage. How could we . . . how could we . . . how could we?!
B.P. can keep throwing money at us, but nothing, NOTHING, can make this right. Our government failed us, BP failed us, WE failed us. We have continued to demand our big, high-powered cars and every energy-driven convenience that the advertisers have convinced us we “need” and exhibited very little interest in pursuing alternative sources of energy. Greed has been the driving force of the Petroleum Industry and being re-elected has been the driving force of our government leaders. Self-gratification has been the driving force of the American people.
Our economy will eventually recover. The fishing industry will eventually recover (but who knows how long it will take). The tourists will return to the Gulf. We’ll be eating fish again (if any survive). B.P. will survive and probably thrive. But how many Pelicans will have died? How many Porpoises; how many turtles, how many fish? How many people will be sickened by this as they try to clean up the mess? Will the Gulf of Mexico ever be returned to its healthy “before B.P.” beauty? Only God knows how much permanent damage will result from this shameful man-made catastrophe. This is truly a crime against humanity.
I am sincerely afraid of what the long-term ramifications of this disaster will be. I wonder what kind of world we will be passing on to our children and grandchildren. Can’t we overcome our greed and self-centeredness long enough to see beyond the end of our lives? We need to rise up and demand that the environment TOP THE LIST of priorities when it comes to every kind of industry. Strict regulations need to be in place to prevent man-made disasters like this. Call it “Big Government” if you must. We obviously don’t do well when left to our own devices.
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p.s. I dropped your name on Gina's post, Barb. ;)
thank you so much Lisa, that helps a lot. I know he tried to blame me for so much stuff, but like I told all of his family and mine none of that added up to a divorce. I do realize it's his needs, it just hurts so bad to think how many years he's
We are on the same page today! I just wish I could feel better, even after “writing” it out. My biggest hope is that our ultimate good will come from this and that we as a nation will make a turn and begin to actually practice the word alternative.
Whoa Guitar Grandma: Your sticking it to some of us a wee bit rought aren’t you? For example:
1: I stopped carrying plastic bags almost 20 years ago.
2: I downgraded my SUV to a small economy car 10 years ago.
3: I’ve been volunteering at a city organic garden for several years.
4: I unplug all power bars in my home and office, daily.
5: I gave up paper towels because it takes 7 million trees a year to keep the world supplied in paper towels.
6: I gave up most cleaning products at least 10 years ago and can’t keep a cleaning lady because of it.
7: I bought myself a bike and a pair of roller blades 6 years ago and use them often.
8: I am currently volunteering at a Healthy Home Exhibit to promote green technologies.
9: I am currently in the process of acquiring extensive green certification programs in my industry.
Some of us have made efforts to live responsibly in our environment. I find your repeated comments using aggressive language like greed, self centeredness, judgement, rage, blame, all of them counter productive to your message. Some of us have been paying attention for a very long time. And do what we can on a daily basis to promote health and peace and harmony in our personal worlds, professional worlds and societies we reside in.
So no. I will not use my personal energies to rage, nor blame, nor point fingers. I will use my personal energies to the very best of my ability to live in a way and in a world I am comfortable in.
And I agree that this man made disaster is a wake up for a lot of people. And hope we all find a purpose in our living so that it will never happen again.
Deep sea oil drilling laws need to be reformed. Deep sea oil drilling will never stop. Reality Check. It won’t. However that does not mean that government reform can not happen and will happen. World Wide.
Wow! But, of course, you know, NanaCatherine, that you are one in a million! Many of us do a little bit – but many more do nothing. Congratulations to you for being so very conscientious. My hope is that each generation coming along will respond like you have and do more and more to help our environment. But they will inherit a mess that we have made . . . (most of us) . . . and their work will be cut out for them.
I doubt I am one in a million. And that is not the point. The point is how wisely can I use my personal energies to promote health and well being in my home and my community.
And millions and millions of us have learned over the last 20 years a gradual awareness and do indeed practice environmental efficiences. So I embrace the progress we have made and celebrate and nurture it.
Did you watch Anderson Cooper in CNN last night? He had a wonderful panel of scientists on who all said that we are very very close to having the technology available to clean up these oil spills.
Responsibility lies squarely at the feet of BP as far as I’m concerned. They have been excluding the world brain bank of scientists and other experts in favour of their own agendas. This is clear enough for anyone to see.
So exactly how do you plan to use your energies in light of this catastrophe?
Yes, BP is undoubtedly to blame, but who allowed them to “roll the dice” and make the decision to move forward without adequate safety measures in place? BP, like any other red-blooded American corporation, has its eye on the profit margin and environmental concerns take a back seat.
How will I use my energies? A good question. Let’s put it out there and see how each of us will use our energies moving forward in light of this catastrophe.