Upstream | May 25, 2010 | 13 comments

America's Response to the Cataclysmic Gulf Oil Catastrophe Is Pathetic -- Where's the Outrage? | | AlterNet

source: http://www.alternet.org/story/146979/america%27s_response_to_the_cataclysmic_gulf_oil_catast...

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Monkey_Films
Shame on us.

A calamity is unfolding before our eyes - the greatest oil spill in history - and America's response is little more than a big yawn.

Bob Herbert writes:

The vast, sprawling coastal marshes of Louisiana, where the Mississippi River drains into the gulf, are among the finest natural resources to be found anywhere in the world. And they are a positively crucial resource for America. The response of the Obama administration and the general public to this latest outrage at the hands of a giant, politically connected corporation has been embarrassingly tepid. ... This is the bitter reality of the American present, a period in which big business has cemented an unholy alliance with big government against the interests of ordinary Americans, who, of course, are the great majority of Americans. The great majority of Americans no longer matter. America is selling its soul for oil.

Where is the outrage? Where are the millions marching in the streets, where is the round-the-clock roadblock coverage tracking every moment of the crisis, every effort to plug the leak, every desperate attempt to mitigate the damage?

Where is the White House? Where are Republicans? Where are Democrats? Where is the left? Where is the right? Where is the "fierce urgency of now?"

Prominent oceanographers [are] accusing the government of failing to conduct an adequate scientific analysis of the damage and of allowing BP to obscure the spill's true scope. The scientists assert that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other agencies have been slow to investigate the magnitude of the spill and the damage it is causing in the deep ocean.

In the movies, pretend heroes like Bruce Willis and Will Smith save the planet while the whole world watches with breath and belief suspended. In real life, a global catastrophe is treated like a mere annoyance, mismanaged by a rapacious oil company, while drill-baby-drillers double down on their folly and the White House puts out defensive fact sheets about how they were on it from "day one."

Is this really the best we can do?

America is capable of greatness -- but our reaction to this unprecedented event is anything but great.

In some parts of the country, the sight of oil drifting toward the Louisiana coast, oozing into the fragile marshlands and bringing large parts of the state's economy to a halt, has prompted calls to stop offshore drilling indefinitely, if not altogether. Here, in the middle of things, those calls are few. Here, in fact, the unfolding disaster is not even prompting a reconsideration of the 75th annual Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival. "All systems are go," said Lee Delaune, the festival's director, sitting in his cluttered office in a historic house known as Cypress Manor. "We will honor the two industries as we always do," Mr. Delaune said. "More so probably in grand style, because it's our diamond jubilee."

Granted, some scientists are telling us the truth, some reporters are digging up unpleasant facts, some citizens are rising in anger, some federal agencies are doing what they are tasked to do. People are working to fix this. But by and large, America's collective response to this crisis is disproportionately anemic.

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13 comments // America's Response to the Cataclysmic Gulf Oil Catastrophe Is Pathetic -- Where's the Outrage? | | AlterNet

  • nursediesel
    • 0
      nursediesel  

    • I think this mess is caused by multiple incompetencies. No one is working together to fix this thing. And with all the government regulations no one will allow the right corrective action to occur. Blatant incompetence in this domino effect...

    • 2 years ago
  • UtopianSky
    • +1
      UtopianSky  

    • I'd say that I'm not outraged, because true outrage requires shock and disappointment.

      After the Exxon Valdees, and I'll include the space shuttle Chalanger's O-Rings in this, we are used to individuals making mistakes that go completely unchecked by large lazy bureaucracies.

      I guess with Challenger I was outraged.

      With Exxon, I was disappointed.

      Now with BP, It's just pitiful.

      It's hard to be outraged when you are not shocked.

    • 2 years ago
  • Almibry
    • 0
      Almibry  

    • This makes me incredibly sad. I was born in Florida. I grew up here. I have a deep love for the ocean, rain, swamps etc and I'm ashamed of myself. When I first heard about the spill, I was angry but I really had no idea how bad it was, I thought "Well, it's a mess but we've had them before and it'll be cleaned up soon." I was so wrong.
      Now I know...
      And I'm so ashamed.
      No one is talking about it (I've heard more about "Lost" than the leak, ironically enough). No one is doing anything. I want to abuse my family members, neighbors, I even resent the fact that my cat doesn't seem to care (but I don't want to abuse her, she's just too cute). I want to go to the coast and do something but what can I do? Everything I can think of may only make things worse or get myself killed. I'm ashamed of the fact that I'm too scared of being poisoned to go out in the rain. I'm ashamed of the fact that I still get enjoyment out of listening to the frogs, gators, crickets and birds knowing that they are in so much danger. I'm ashamed of all the generations before me for not being more careful and I'm ashamed of my generation for not getting off their asses to do something now. And I'm ashamed of the fact that I'm still here talking nonsense when I could be finding a way to help, so I'll see you later.

    • 2 years ago
  • Almibry
    • 0
      Almibry  
    • Almibry:

      For people who would like to help with clean up of the oil spill, British Petroleum’s Houston office has just activated a volunteer hot line. There’s work for anyone who wants to pitch in. If you have technical expertise, are in the construction business and have supplies, if you have a boat, if you are willing to prepare and serve food, rescue and clean wildlife, or man phone lines, call 866 448-5816.

    • 2 years ago
  • Almibry
  • Toobizy
    • +1
      Toobizy  

    • I have had it with politicians and my own party. I am quitting my party, and I will never forgive them for selling out. I live in Florida & went to the beach today, and even though there aren't any tar balls yet, it will never, never be the same. I am sick in my heart. Let's bring Kucinich back--or Nader. or somebody!

    • 2 years ago
  • NotHippie
    • +1
      NotHippie  

    • Did you ever think because of how fat and obsessed we are with celebritites and who they pretend to be makes us blind to see whats really going on around us. To see the real world. Dont get me wrong I would love to do something about all the BS that's going on around us but I can't because no one listens nor cares. it's quit depressing actually.

    • 2 years ago
  • Monkey_Films
    • +1
      Monkey_Films  
    • NotHippie:

      Complete agreement. I am very political and have been told many times to enter the 'arena' and run for office. I'm beginning to wonder, sadly, if this public deserves my service. I could work my ass off and nobody would pay attention until one of my opponents tried to dig personal stuff up about me in grade school. We're lost. We've lost.

    • 2 years ago
  • Almibry
  • NotHippie
    • +1
      NotHippie  
    • Monkey_Films:

      I don't necessarily think you should give up. I mean when there's a will there's a way you just need to think out side the box and make people listen. The question is what to do. I mean giving up on the people is like giving up on all humanity. The only thing I'd say is you should get into politics and try to find away to make people pay attention the only problem with politics is how dirty it is right now even the most honest new and upcomming politicians have turned corrupt you just need to stay true to the cause on what's going on don't ever give up because when there's a will there's a way. I was actually thinking about makeing my own completely free newspaper and spreading it around town as much as possible because just if one person read it it would make a small diffrence but at least they would know.

    • 2 years ago
  • Almibry
  • captainplanet71
    • +1
      captainplanet71  

    • 7 activists arrested in anti-drilling protest

      http://current.com/green/92453056_breaking-7-activists-arrested-in-anti-drilling...

      I'll be humble and admit that I don't know how to comment substantially on America's overall response to this crisis... I do follow news coverage from a variety of sources very closely and I work for an environmental organization, but I don't know what to say about this. From my daily experience in the past few weeks, I'd say that it's true that most of my friends and acquaintances here in NYC don't seem to understand the severity of this ongoing disaster. People I know just aren't talking about this very much. It bothers me a lot of times that the people I know aren't paying attention more to this. It's clearly one of the worst disasters in our history.

      I do think that people in the Gulf states are taking a much more active role because they are directly affected by the spill. But we should all be disturbed and should band together to fight offshore drilling on every coast... because the way Obama's administration is going this kind of disaster could very well affect the entire East coast one day if drilling is allowed off the coast of Virginia as was previously approved by his administration.

    • 2 years ago
  • Omnomynous
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