The Reaction to the Huge Oil Spill Seems ALL Wrong...

The plastic garbage patch is the great hoax of the environmentalists - where is it - I see themn scooping up plastic bottles in nets - believe it you want

Amy:  I think the anger is fine if it is the catalyst that sparks the action needed to clean up the mess.  And then, that same energy can be further used to do all we can to make sure this does not happen again.

People get angry when something like the current mess affects THEM.  And when it affects them NOW.  If you tell someone that what they are doing will ruin parts of our planet in ten years, or twenty years... they are not concerned.

Or... if we are shown something like this monstrous collection of plastic... well, it isn't floating along the Florida coast.  Or up the Potomac River.  So... as they say, out of sight, out of mind.

Studies are done, and then folks like Nicholas in comment # 2 call it a "great hoax of the environmentalists."  If it isn't affecting him, or costing HIM money... it is either a hoax, a lie, or just simply not all that important.

Amy -- Thanks for your post. I agree that the reaction is all wrong. I am not fully in agreement that BP is not to blame. From what I heard, Schlumberger, a competitor to Haliburton was scheduled to run a Cement Bond Log to determine the integrity of the Haliburton cement job. This is a routine inspection that is done to assure that the cement job went as planned. It is also my understanding that the cement bond log was not done. Because of the depth of the water and the severe conditions of the well, the cementing job itself was risky. I count it as foolhardy to skip the bond log. The blowout preventer and everything that is done to contain the well depends on having a good cement job.

I too grew up in the oil fields. I even worked as a roughneck (not a "rough necker" as my little sister once said) on wells in OK. I also spent 13 years at Haliburton in research and development.

The biggest problem I see with the reaction is that the Obama Administration all the way up and down the chain of command is blaming BP rather than responding by organizing and expediting the clean up and containment of the oil. The economic loss to the gulf region and to the oil industry is staggering. The losses are greatly aggravated by the pathetic response of the administration.

I believe we have a problem with discarded plastic, but I agree with Nicolas that the video greatly exagerates the issue.

There HAS been a disaster, and the President is certainly NOT looking for the right asses to kick.  To begin with, WHT are we drilling in the deep and dangerous places, rather than in shallower water that is much easier and safer?  Look to the environmental movement for the answer to that.  They have sought to close off areas that were safer to drill (like ANWR). 

Look to the reaction to the rig explosion.  There WERE plans in place that were pre-approved in order to deal with the spill... and those plans were aborted because of concerns from the administration... the burn was one of them. 

By the way, as someone that studies marine biology, you should be familiar with the fact that millions of gallons of crude oil seep up from the floor of the ocean.  Proper drilling actually reduces pressure and slows that seeping.  This is certainly affecting wildlife and the ecology of the oceans and surrounding coasts... but the oceans WILL recover. 

And since the administration has shut off the spigot of many of the drilling rigs in the area, we are left with the MORE DANGEROUS option of shipping oil from other places around the world... from people that hate us and will use the money looking for ways to kill us... 

This IS  a tragedy, but the reaction has made it MORE of a tragedy than it had to be.

Amy, It is so sad and it is even sadder that we see people using it for political advantage.  I'm from Kansas and am shaking my head that they are interviewing someone at a gas station in Kansas.

What is sad is that the technology exists to remove the spill while it is in the water.  They have a chemical used in the military to pour into the oil, and it mixes and gets agitated by the waves and the oil turns into tar balls and sinks.  It doesn't harm the environment, and makes clean up easier and faster.  They are not using it for politcal reasons.  The government wants to raise taxes.  Period.  They have to have a disaster to justify the tax increase with the people, even though the incident in the gulf was explorative oil, and not factored into production.  Soon we will be payng $5 a gallon at the pump like Obama promised in his election campaign. 

Michael:  It just mystifies me that you actually BELIEVE the stuff you come out with.  Yeah, right.  They are not using it... for political reasons.  How totally silly.

And... to AMY:  It appears to me that there is a concerted effort going on here in the comments of YOUR post... to hi-jack it... and turn it into something you did not originally intend.  It is really too bad... because your initial post was meant as being pro-environment... and your efforts are being BASHED.  They are turning it into a right-wing pinata.  If something like this was being done to one of their posts... they would be screaming !

Amy - I have been aware of the plastic garbage patch in the gulf for years - it's why I pick up every loose plastic bag I see (sometimes even pulling over in my car to do so!)  I live near Lake Michigan and I know that somehow everything ends up in the oceans.

Plastic trash is everywhere - here's my photo from the California desert this past January:

.....so Barry via the Coast Guard gives BP a 48 hour notice * then what?  Barry takes over and deducts the cost from his rent?  This is so silly - let ANYONE who has a solution try it and let's see what WORKS!!!