Thursday, June 24, 2010

One Paticular Harbor



Just a few thoughts as I finish off the last of the rum.
I took my vacation a little early this year in order to beat the oil to my favorite beach. The good news is that my wife and I had a great time on white, tar ball free beaches. The bad news is, well you know the bad news.
Even though the oil has not reached my particular harbor yet, it is well on the way. There is more than enough blame to go around, so I won’t bore you with that aspect. I just need to get this off my chest and I can’t think of a better way than writing about this disaster.
This catastrophe could have been averted if the proper safeguards would have been in place before the drilling commenced. The fact of the matter is that no company should have been allowed to operate anywhere without meeting that condition.
I have read some quotes by those who say that this spill is not that big of a deal and that the ocean is so large that the amount of oil released is insignificant in comparison. That my friends, is the most ignorant thing I have heard in a long time.
I understand our country’s energy needs and that deep water drilling is one way to fulfill those needs, but it must be done reasonably and safely.
Oil continues to be pumped into the Gulf of Mexico at an alarming rate. The consensus of opinion is that it will take at least until August before the relief wells can be drilled and the oil diverted in order to stop the flow into the gulf.
Experts have stated that the clean up will take at least 2 years. My hope is that we, as Americans can do something that is rarely heard of these days. That is to come together with a common purpose to ensure such a tragedy never happens again.

Thank you!