Thoughts on the Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

The news is reporting outrage growing over the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. They left the cleanup to the company running the drill! Of course, they used the cheapest means available. Ok, I’m not sure that they chose the cheapest means available; perhaps they only chose the cheapest minds available. Experts said their plan wouldn’t work and it hasn’t. The question now is why didn’t BP hire those experts? Why aren’t they working on the problem? The government should have regulated them better. This is what comes of indiscriminate offshore drilling. They wanted to end our dependence on foreign oil instead of ending our dependence on nonrenewable energy sources. It is as I have feared; Obama is all rhetoric and little action. I don’t know if Hilary would have done any better, but I doubt that she would have done worse.

This situation is not good. We need to harness the wind and sunlight rather than use oil to the extent that we have. As a species, we have been very short sighted. There are alternatives to oil; we have just been slow to utilize them. We need to get on the stick and move forward instead of dragging our feet. The car companies are on the right track with their hybrids, but we need them to spend more on the research and development. Unfortunately, they haven’t been doing all that well in the sales department, so that is where they must concentrate their funds.

What they need to tell us right now is that they have the best solutions for us, but they should also talk about their plans for the future. I’m not asking for details, just a hint that they will have an electric car engine that can rival the combustion engine soon. Something we can hope for, a goal we can cheer them on to reach.

We can do it, we just need to get off the damned couch and get going. We have people idle who could work. Why aren’t they buying cars and other luxuries? They are still worried about the day-to-day living expenses. What is the government doing about this? Arguing, that’s what they are doing. That’s why the oil spill is getting worse, because people are not doing enough to get it under control. The company responsible, BP, is likely stepping up their efforts now that it is reflecting on their company, but is it too little too late? How long can we abuse our environment before it comes back to bite us? The movie Furry Vengeance is just a comedic movie but it is also a warning. I wonder how many people will realize that the producers or writers and everyone involved are telling us, whether they mean to or not. Probably very few, there are too many people who are suspicious of environmental causes. This is not a good thing for our poor planet. Or perhaps I should say that this is not a good thing for our species. We may be triggering our own extinction. Extinction through stupidity seems like such an ignoble way to go out. We had such promise.