BP: why aren't they under heavier attack? why are we not doing anything?

[fundayz]

SNIP

First of all, I am not American either, as i mention in a previous post. Second of all, while there isn't a perfect government, that doesn't mean we can't try to minimize the amount of damage big corporations do. It just means it will always be an uphill battle.

Also, it would have to be captain planet at least. But since neither of them exist we can with a close second. A collection of international delegates and independent experts and leaders is disaster management would pretty darn good. Perfect? no, but at least more competent that's for sure.

And yes alot of companies fuck up, but not at the frequency of BP or the magnitude of this oil spill. This is the largest oil spill caused by any modern corporation. In fact, it is the third biggest oil spill short behind the Persian Gulf spill caused by iraqi forces and the Lakeview spill in 1910, which was on land and therefore more contained.

Last thing, that video was a joke. literally. it doesn't prove anything.

In other words, they were fined 25% of all their annual income. That's a lot, especially for a corporation BP's size.

Yet it doesn't even begin to fix all the problems they caused. A fair amount is the amount it takes to turn everything back to normal, which is in of itself impossible.

And just to add insult to injury those people who made the decisions leading to this catastrophe are the ones leading the clean up operation. It is completely ridiculous. Oh and don't think they have or are at least pretending they've learned their lesson; as I mentioned and linked to sources in my opener BP is using the oilrig workers as a scapegoat and greenwashing the waffle out of this disaster. Just look at their site.

Just as insight as how well BP is running the clean-up:

BP's leaders are still making decisions that are harming innocent people: http://www.georgewashington2.blogspot.com/2010/06/bp-tells-cleanup-workers-theyll-be.html

BP tries to block and discourage media access to the clean up(cleary discourages workers to talk as well): http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/ybenjamin/detail??blogid=150&entry_id=65649

BP hiding evidence of oil spill(even if it means dumping toxic chemicals into the ocean): http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/05/dispersants-might-be-increasing-damage.html

 

[fundayz]

Sorry posted instead of editing

 

[Last Bullet]

BP reminds me of a real-life Black Mesa. Thank god they aren't researching portal/teleportation technology, huh?

What do you think is under all that oil? Think about it. Isn't the Bermuda Triangle somewhere near there? Think about it. Then stop thinking about it, because they will find you.

On a more serious note, I seriously don't get it. I haven't been following it, mainly because it's so goddamn depressing, but I'm still blown away "top minds" of any group can't figure this crap out.

In fact, BP's leaders are still making decisions that are harming innocent people: http://www.georgewashington2.blogspot.com/2010/06/bp-tells-cleanup-workers-theyll-be.html

Please, God, let this be BS. Please?

 

[Thedayrecker]

We should invade the moon!

It won't help, but welcome to capitalism. Unless you can buy at least 2 countries in Africa, your opinion doesn't matter

 

[Kurokami]

The government is demanding $20bn from BP to compensate families in the area.
Hardly a slap on the wrist.

In general though the whole thing sums up my sole beef with capitalism: money.

I love money,

They should take more.

 

[Funkysandwich]

BP isn't an american company, so I'd hardly blame corruption in the US government on the lack of effort, even if if the government is corrupt.

BP is actually a British company, so America can't actually order them to do anything. Given the heavy damage the spill has done AND the lack of effort in stopping it or cleaning it up, I would say that we could probably call the whole ordeal an act of terrorism, as BP knows that America is being hurt badly by the spill and refuses to help out in any way. Perhaps we should march on over to Britland (<--Joke, I know it isn't called Britland) and try some martial enforcement. It'd technically be self-defense, if you stretch it a little.

BP is 60% American owned. So Britain should invade you for slander.

 

[SextusMaximus]

i find it hard to sympathize with these oil barons who are just getting around to spending their billions that they made 20 years ago

That is perhaps the most uneducated statement I've heard in this thread. It probably would seem like they're oil barons to you, but they are one of the major money makers for Britain, owning the largest percentage of Gas Stations throughout the country and providing resources to Britain.

 

[Seatownstriker]

We seriously need to start relying more on other sources of energy. But this won't happen till we drain the planet dry. Thanks to human greed.

 

[Plurralbles]

TL: DC(Don't care)

Basically, I think the reason no one is really doign anything is that they are sick and tired of dealing with disasters so want to just ignore it, the price at the pump hasn't skyrocketed, for some reason, and a lot of people understand that a mile down and dealing with a lot of pressures coming from above and below sucks balls and is a complete nightmare. I do feel that they aren't getting enough reparations to the businesses though that are getting royally fucked over this.

 

[DanDeFool]

What can the average person really do about it?

Stop buying petroleum-based products? You'd have to forgo everything from plastic sandwich bags to roofing tiles, not to mention electricity and any kind of powered transportation (with the possible exception of a solar-powered golf cart (which probably uses petroleum products in its other components anyway).

Tell your congressional representatives to vote to kick BP out of America, shut down all their wells in our waters and ban their imports? Yeah, keep in mind that you're not the one who's funding their reelection campaign, or (possibly) paying for their $100,000/hr escorts.

This is the problem with representative government. Once a representative is elected, you have to trust them to take care of these things for you; you give up your direct influence on specific situations in exchange for having a specialist do things for you.

Personally, I think the $20bn fine and getting BP to cover the losses of the people affected by their managerial malfeasance is about as much as we can reasonably expect from this situation. Of course, if it turns out the cleanup/bailout costs more than $20bn, BP should have to pony up.

 

[theSovietConnection]

And going off on a different tangent here, if we're talking about BP getting off lightly, I'd refer you to the case in Bhopal in India, in which a plant owned by American company Union Carbide, had so many glaring saftey issues and ineviatbaly exploded, showering the surrounding city in all kinds of chemicals.

Now I'm going to do a little comparison here:
Compensation for the BP oil spill: $20 billion.
Compensation for those affected by the Bhopal explosion:$470 million.

Deaths caused by the BP oil spill: 11
Deaths caused by Bhopal explosion and fallout: est. 16,000

Presidential visits for BP oil spill: 4
Presidential visits for Bhopal: 0

And not to metion it's taken over 20 years for the owner of Union Carbide to revice any form of punishment, and so to adress OP's statement: you think BP got of lightly?

Exactly. If we're going to drive BP into the ground, drive Union Carbide right in alongside it. Far more catastrophic then the BP spill.

 

[Saerain]

okay the nuke idea is completely crazy and heres why

http://www.helium.com/items/1882339-doomsday-how-bp-gulf-disaster-may-have-triggered-a-world-killing-event

Whew, look at all that logic and all those sources!

Oh, wait. [http://www.helium.com/items/1889326-fear-mongering-rife-around-the-gulf]

 

[FieryTrainwreck]

BP isn't under greater assault for two reasons:

#1) It's the fourth largest corporation in existence, which means there are only a small handful of nations with greater worldwide influence. America happens to be one of those nations, but even we are treading lightly. BP is, after all, a very successful capitalist enterprise, and we're not usually one for coming down hard on big business. Also, they've got gobs of money. We owe gobs of money. Doesn't exactly put us in a position of power.

#2) The GOP is more interested in winning back Congress than holding this corporation accountable for its actions. Republicans would rather shift the blame for this entirely man-made disaster on to the Obama administration, which seems a little odd when you consider we know the men who made it. Still, that's the power of today's right wing media. They can misinform like no one else - save, maybe, North Korean or Middle Eastern media.

Anyways, I don't get it at all. This corporation, in its reckless quest for profit, ignored warnings and created an unprecedented environmental disaster. There's a very good chance they've irreversibly altered the entire ecosystem of that area. Why should the world today, along with future generations, have to bear that cost when the profits are always private? It's the hypocrisy of big business, and it's having real fucking consequences now. Maybe we should think about pumping the goddamn brakes on capitalism just a bit, huh?

Of course, that involves some socialist measures, and we can't have that, can we? Why, we'll be communist Russia overnight, we will!

Retards.

I mean that literally, btw. These people must have sub-75 IQs.

 

[mezmerizer02]

Don't forget to blame the US Government and Obama, especially that piece of shit. Japan has professional oil cleaning ships and crews on stand-by and has since the beginning of May they were willing to send us for free, and that twat has refused help every step of the way. He's a bigger dick cheese than Bush ever could be. A Lameass no good pile of shit that would rather do nothing than something. Fuck him, fuck our slow moving government, and fuck BP.

 

[FieryTrainwreck]

"It probably would seem like they're oil barons to you, but they are one of the major money makers for Britain, owning the largest percentage of Gas Stations throughout the country and providing resources to Britain."

My second post, just to tear this apart.

They've started airing BP ads in my area that feature local BP station owners talking about their families and the people they employ. It's an obvious ploy designed to inspire sympathy for the brand using real, local faces as the bait.

I drive right past these stations whenever I need to fill up. Don't even think twice.

You can't give a giant corporation any free passes just because they've managed to stick their tendrils into the everyday lives of a significant number of good people. There has to be accountability for these businesses even if the consequences end up hurting entire populations. Otherwise, you're openly admitting that some entities are entirely above the law.

The important thing to remember is this: if millions lose their jobs, and tens of millions lose their pensions, it's still on BP. It's their fault all of this is happening, and they should be the ones paying through the nose to fix it for everyone affected. End of story.

 

[smallharmlesskitten]

All caps doesn't make anything true.

11 killed on oil rig leased by part British owned BP resulting in 4 presidential visits, a $1.6bn clean up and establishment of $20bn compensation fund in 2 months

15,000 + killed in accident at Bhopal plant owned by American company Union Carbide resulting in 0 presidential visits, no clean up and $470m compensation in 25 years

We'll cut you a deal.

1:1 ratio for the Bhopal stuff. K?

 

[Kron_the_mad wants to be deleted]

okay the nuke idea is completely crazy and heres why

http://www.helium.com/items/1882339-doomsday-how-bp-gulf-disaster-may-have-triggered-a-world-killing-event

Whew, look at all that logic and all those sources!

Oh, wait. [http://www.helium.com/items/1889326-fear-mongering-rife-around-the-gulf]

would you like some more study material?

heres some just about methane
http://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/features/200409_methane/

http://www.falw.vu/~renh/methane-pulse.html

http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0620-kozloff_methane.html (this one is a bit simpler summary of what the others get at)

This one is about the Gulf of Mexico specifically and it has a nice long list of references
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dk-matai/gulf-of-mexico-danger-of_b_619095.html

from a risk management agency not necessarily the best of sources but better than anonymous conspiracy nuts
http://www.mi2g.com/cgi/mi2g/frameset.php?pageid=http%3A//www.mi2g.com/cgi/mi2g/press/030710.php

Of course if you were interested in the topic rather than declare everything from a site invalid becuase the odd idiot will fudge the facts you could have just looked for other information it's surprisingly easy.
Admitedly the scientific papers and recent studies on buble size are a little hard to come by but so far things do look worse than just an oil spill and a nuke with any significant methane deposit would be extremely bad considering the amount of seabed that would be displaced. The whole thing could easily trigger massive tsunamis.