(Artist credit: Sky_19 @ Deviant Art)
Did you watch Obama's speech last night? I did and I have mixed feelings about it.
While I appreciate that he finally addressed the nation on the oil spill disaster, I do not feel he said enough or offered up any information that we don't already know. I also do not feel that he came across as reassuring, encouraging, or as positive as he could have been.
I'm cynical when it comes to politicians.
That said, I have to be nit picky about a couple of things here.
Obama said: " Scientists and researchers are discovering clean energy technologies that will someday lead to entire new industries."
We've had these technologies around for ages. The reason why they haven't been made public is because it's not profitable. Take away our dependence on oil and move to free energies, you take away billions of dollars in profits and taxes to a lot of powerful people. It's all about money.
"Already I have implemented a six month moratorium on oil drilling." No offense, but that's not good enough. We should have a permanent ban. I don't care how many safety features they add, the oil spill in the Gulf has proven that (1) our sea floors are fragile and drilling into them creates further disasters and (2) we'll never get off oil as long as we continue to allow new drilling.
This takes me back to the free energy, clean energy, alternative energy, etc. It exists. It's been proven to be out there. It's obvious why they aren't currently being used on a wider scale.
Obama also talked about accountability of the oil companies and basically learning a lesson now from the Deep Horizon explosion. That's also not good enough. It's also been proven that for at least the past decade, reports have existed of various problems on various rigs around the world. This is not the first accident that has happened and it certainly won't be the last. It's happening now in Venezuela, Alaska, the Amazon, etc. Please stop insulting the intelligence of good people everywhere.
I'm no expert and I'm the first to admit it. So some solutions I've been reading about, to a layman, certainly make a lot of sense.
(1) Kevin Costner's oil clean up machines. We've heard they've been bought by BP. But we have not heard if they've been used yet.
(2) Bio-remediation. Spill Fighters details how this works and it appears to me to work better than that stupid environmentally dangerous dispersant BP is currently spraying over the miles and miles of the Gulf ocean. These dispersants have been proven to cause more harm to the water, the wildlife, and to the people living in the region.
(3) Seize BP assets, holdings, cash, etc right now and tell them to get lost. Have someone independent take over the clean up. BP has proven thus far to be completely incompetent and to care more about maintaining their profits than the damage they are doing to the environment, the wildlife, and the people living along the Gulf states.
(4) Stop keeping things tight to the vest and start being more transparent about everything that's going on. Just a reminder, Mr. President. One of your campaign promises was that the government would be more open and transparent. It's another insult to good people everywhere that we are not being 100% informed of what is going on out there. And let people help. If Florida wants to take charge of protecting their own shores, then let them. Stop the bureaucracy and get it together. Time is of essence.
(5) If you're thinking you're going to get away with taxing more people on the climate bill and/or the Cap and Trade, you'd better re-think that Mr. President. People are being taxed to death enough as it is. We are trillions of dollars in debt as a country. Who's fault is that? The politicians in D.C. The American people are sick and tired of bailing out corporations, banks, politicians, etc for every bumbling poo poo they make without regard for the consequences. It's got to stop now.
Like I said, I'm no expert. I freely admit some or all of these ideas have their pros and cons. But politics and business as usual just isn't going to get it done.
Obama said: "..for decades, we have failed to act with the sense of urgency that this challenge requires. Time and again, the path forward has been blocked - not only by oil industry lobbyists, but also by a lack of political courage and candor."
Please remember your words Mr. President and act on them. Again, time is of essence.
In the meantime, if you believe in the healing power of vibrational light energy, then please take a moment to look at this video and participate:
Share Visualization for Healing the Gulf
Way to bring some strong opinions, dolphin (sorry, don't know your real name). Doesn't matter if you aren't an expert. You think and feel, so therefore your opinions are valid and worth expressing.
ReplyDeleteThank you Mick! I really appreciate your words!
ReplyDeleteYou make a very strong point about BP not having any credibility left - they should be on trial in an international court that actually has some teeth!
ReplyDeleteQ Smith: My apologies for the delay in posting your comment. I have not been around for awhile to update here.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your statement :-)
Thank you for stopping by and taking time to leave a comment! I really appreciate it!
I totally agree with you dolphin! It IS all about money. So many people throughout history have proffered all sorts of alternatives to oil. None have made it passed the money grabbers. If they can't make money out of it they don't use it. The oceans are suffering so the rich can get richer! How sad.
ReplyDeleteAnnie: Yeah, it is sad. Breaks my heart. I wish more people would stand up and say "Enough! We're not going to take your BS any more!"
ReplyDeleteI don't mean to sound cynical, but it often feels like the vast majority of humanity is more concerned about their immediate sphere of influence or reality ... not realizing that something like this happening, even if it's not directly in their back yard, has the potential to be catastrophic for the world.
But then I try to remember what Margaret Mead once said: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."