Sometimes I just sit back, shake my head, and wonder what people are thinking.
The oil gusher in the Gulf--tragic almost beyond comprehension. Unconscionable. I think no sane person can watch it happen and not feel anger, even rage, that it is happening.
Who is culpable? BP? Yes, but does anybody with a brain think that they WANTED this to happen? That they wanted to incur expenses that could bring them to financial ruin? Were they irreponsible or careless in the name of profit? The hearings should sort that out eventually.
The Obama Administration? It was his inspector who waived some of the usual checks and balances? Irresponsible or careless in the name of expediency? Maybe. The hearings may or may not ever sort that out.
The Bush Administration? They allowed the lease to be issued. Irrresponsible or careless in the name of energy production? Maybe. If there is any way to hang it on them, the current Administration/Congress surely will.
So now enters the protestors. Outraged. Indignant. Environmentally infuriated. Make them pay. Boycott their products. Bring them to their financial knees.
Really? Who with a brain would seek to bankrupt the company who is going to have to pay for the plugging of the blown well as well as the cleanup? And if they bring BP to its financial knees, which apparently won't be difficult at that point, then who do they look to shoulder that expense.
Sometimes you just have to see the idiot fringe for what it is.
The oil gusher in the Gulf--tragic almost beyond comprehension. Unconscionable. I think no sane person can watch it happen and not feel anger, even rage, that it is happening.
Who is culpable? BP? Yes, but does anybody with a brain think that they WANTED this to happen? That they wanted to incur expenses that could bring them to financial ruin? Were they irreponsible or careless in the name of profit? The hearings should sort that out eventually.
The Obama Administration? It was his inspector who waived some of the usual checks and balances? Irresponsible or careless in the name of expediency? Maybe. The hearings may or may not ever sort that out.
The Bush Administration? They allowed the lease to be issued. Irrresponsible or careless in the name of energy production? Maybe. If there is any way to hang it on them, the current Administration/Congress surely will.
So now enters the protestors. Outraged. Indignant. Environmentally infuriated. Make them pay. Boycott their products. Bring them to their financial knees.
Really? Who with a brain would seek to bankrupt the company who is going to have to pay for the plugging of the blown well as well as the cleanup? And if they bring BP to its financial knees, which apparently won't be difficult at that point, then who do they look to shoulder that expense.
Sometimes you just have to see the idiot fringe for what it is.
BP Protests: Do They Hit the Right Target?
June 14, 2010
Mary C. Curtis
CHARLOTTE, N.C. Do protests against the company involved in America's worst oil-spill disaster hurt BP's excess or independent businesses? It's a question being asked as conditions on the Gulf of Mexico worsen and worldwide frustration with BP and its chief executive, Tony Hayward, grows.
On Saturday, protesters targeted BP stations across the country, a scene that also played out on a Charlotte street corner. Separated by a few feet -- with occasional harsh words passing back and forth -- stood members of the Action Center for Justice and a vocal supporter of the station owner.
David Dixon is co-coordinator of the center, part of the International Action Center. As he held a sign that read "BP Has Bad Record" and "Unsafe," he said the protesters want station owners to stop buying BP gas and to get out of their contracts. Until then, they are "complicit in BP's crimes," which are "not just destroying nature ... People are being killed." Dixon said.
A friend of station owner/operator Ron Rybacki said he was not there as a member of any group and had never protested anything before. "Independent businesses have nothing to do with the oil spill," said Sam, who didn't want to give his last name. "Yes, it's a disaster of Biblical proportions, but I don't think anybody understands it has nothing to do with this gentleman here."
Sam brought a sign that said of the protest: "Endorsed by ACORN, manned by useful idiots (a reference to Soviet sympathizers in the West). He said later they were "fomenting unrest" Other supporters held signs that said: "I love my local BP!"
Placing blame isn't easy. In 2008, the London-based BP announced it was leaving the retail gasoline business because margins were lousy, according to CNN. Today, the 11,500 U.S. gas stations that carry its logo are owned by independent franchisees. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, purchasing gasoline from a company does not even mean the gasoline was produced by that company's refineries.
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BP Protests: Do They Hit the Right Target?