For Whom the Rig Blows

Almost two weeks ago (April 21, 2010) the Transocean oil rig, Deepwater Horizon exploded killing 11 workers and sinking the rig into the ocean. This rig was leased by British Petroleum (BP), the fourth largest oil company in the world. The oil rig has been leaking 5,000 barrels a day.

An enormous oil slick is now heading toward the shorelines of Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida and is killing birds, turtles and a variety of other wildlife in it's wake.

Who's to blame for this disaster and the tragic death of 11 workers? Is it BP which is known for other disasters such as, the Texas City refinery explosion and the Cherry Point explosion. BP also has one of the worst rates of human death of any oil company. Is it Transocean which has had it's own troubles with accidents? Just after the accident Transocean CEO, Steven L. Newman released the following statement:

"As the nation and everyone in the Transocean family mourns the tragic loss of these people, our deepest sympathies are with their families and friends today," said Mr. Newman. "Transocean is doing everything we can to meet their needs during this difficult time, and our family response team members are in close contact to provide all necessary support. I would once again like to express our gratitude to the U.S. Coast Guard, BP and everyone involved for their exhaustive search and rescue efforts, despite this very sad outcome."

Obviously the statement was crafted by a lawyer in conjunction with some public relations person. How many times have we seen this exact statement from other companies? Notice nowhere does Mr. Newman take any responsibility for the tragic (not difficult) accident, nor does Transocean say exactly what they're going to do for the families. Furthermore, Mr. Newman does not even express regret for the disaster, only mourns for the family. Are those crocodile tears I see?

No matter how apathetic or greedy these corporations are, I suggest that most of the blame neither rests upon BP or Transocean, but with "Drill Baby Drill". It's America's insatiable appetite for gasoline. We encourage companies to drill in deeper waters and in delicate environment. We give money to countries that promote terrorism and kill our soldiers with sophisticated, armor piercing explosives in Iraq and Afghanistan. As the cartoon character, POGO once said, "We've found the enemy and he is us."

We have met the enemy and he is us

"We have met the enemy and he is us" is the title of a 1950's comic book by Walt Kelly. Pogo was a conscientious possum filled with good will. Always (in a child-like manner) searching for truth.Nothing seems more appropriate this morning than that statement.

Yesterday, September 12, 2009, eight years and one day after terrorist flew planes into the World Trade Center buildings in New York and the Pentagon in Washington DC, there was a gathering of several thousand people on the National Mall.

They were not there in remembrance of the 911 victims, nor the brave men and women who gave their lives defending our freedoms. They did not honor our nation or it's people.

These American citizens gathered together out of a common fear of government. At the event, wild conspiracies were shouted along with the words, "Liar", "Hitler" and "Nigger".

Fear, anger, jealously, maliciousness, idolatry, greed, selfishness, stubbornness and hate - these were their motives.

The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either — but right through every human heart — and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained. And even in the best of hearts, there remains… an un-uprooted small corner of evil.

[Gulag Archipelago, vol. 2, "The Ascent"]

The believer says we are all under God's eye and has commanded us to be of one mind and one heart. The believer also says Christ is the King of Peace.

As an agnostic, I sometimes wonder what God must think of us. As the richest nation on Earth we worry about secret military camps and birth certificates - We spend a whole day raising a fist that an illegal immigrant might get healthcare and never notice that 30,000 children died yesterday or starvation and disease.

I would revise Pogo's line in this way. "We have met the damned and God has damned us."

This post was inspired by a talk given by Jim Forest

Taste the Healthcare

This happens all the time to my wife and me. Our friends will go to this brand new chain restaurant and then come back just raving about how good it is. They're like - "Oh, you gotta try Buca di Beppo. It's so authentic. You eat your food 'family style'."

And then we have to go with them to Buca di Beppo and just as I expected the food tastes like a monkey crapped on spaghetti and then covered it with tomato sauce. Okay, Buca isn't that bad, but just because they call the cheese - "formaggio" does not mean it came from Italy. More likely it was canned in Pittsburgh.

Not that I don't eat at McDonald's from time to time. I'm just saying there's good food and there's crap food and part of living as a human being in knowing the difference.

Why am I telling you this? Because, it's the same with movies, art, music, books - does not matter a bit. People cannot tell shit from Shinola. Unfortunately, this law is so very true for insurance and healthcare.

A few years ago I worked for a large manufacturer. One year, the company decided to let the employees choose what kind of healthcare insurance they wanted. I thought this was a great idea. The company offered several options from "good luck you're on your own" to "Don't worry everything's covered" The company shared a percentage of the costs, so it would have to pay more for the more expensive plan.

The whole company voted and guess which option they took? Yep, you guessed it. They choose the cheapest and crappiest. Sure enough - we met the enemy and he was us. The HR rep said that most people wanted to save the extra $50 a month.