The Spill- a different perspective

[BobSch]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AAa0...ature=playe...

[Uncle Cracker]

Try as I may, I can't look at the spill with any particle of humor whatsoever. It's an environmental disaster of biblical proportion, and as a FL resident, I'll be surrounded on three sides by the aftermath for years to come. The ecological impact this will have on my beloved outdoors defies description, and those responsible will never be suitably punished.

[chopnhack]

Try selling your property right now, Uncle C! I wonder if I can sue BP for the lack of buyers due to the oil spill? aholes

[RAFlorida]

I guess some may see some humor

in that vid. And I can not fault them if they do. But the impact of that oil out in the Gulf is going to be around for many,many years. Already wildlife has died, and it's going to be many more. The price is staggering.

[germdoc]

It is an old Jewish philosophy that if you don't laugh over your troubles, you'll cry over them.

So yes, I thought it was pretty darn funny. But it only points up how sad the real thing is.

I remember watching the first Space Shuttle disaster on TV and thinking, we know how to send them into space but we don't know how to bring them down if something goes wrong. I feel the same way about deepwater oil drilling.

[Uncle Cracker]

I remember watching the first Space Shuttle disaster on TV and thinking, we know how to send them into space but we don't know how to bring them down if something goes wrong. I feel the same way about deepwater oil drilling.

Saw it in RT through my own eyes... Difference with the shuttle was that most of the the victims knew it was a dangerous business, and accepted the risks of what they were getting into, whereas the victims of the gulf oil disaster were given no say whatsoever. It's a stake through the heart of the ecosystem, and to the lives of those in the region who depend on the sea, directly or indirectly, for their living. My prayers are with them.

[Stytooner]

I gotta say that I went down to the beach to see it for myself.
My heart really sank after seeing the beach results from Ivan. This stuff ranks right up there with the amount of possible damages. Likely even more. Normally white pristine sands are now laden with brown and black sludge and dead fish and birds everywhere. It has only just begun as well. Beaches normally packed this time of year are deserted. That is some impact on financials for you that you would not even think about. The summer time rentals and vacations pay for some businesses for the year. Gonna be lots of closings around here soon.
If we do have a big blow before that gets plugged, the stuff could go anywhere.

[germdoc]

Difference with the shuttle was that most of the the victims knew it was a dangerous business, and accepted the risks of what they were getting into, whereas the victims of the gulf oil disaster were given no say whatsoever.

I really feel for you folks in the Gulf. There are certainly a lot of innocent victims there.

However, having been somewhat of a scientist and observer of technology for almost 30 years, it is my conclusion that promoters of technology, decision makers and the general public allow themselves to be convinced that new technologies are safer than they really are, and that failsafe plans are really that.

In my field I see more and more things implanted in the human body with barely a thought about what happens when something goes wrong. I'll tell you, it can be a horrible and even deadly thing for a defibrillator or pacemaker or artificial joint or spinal hardware to get infected.

My opinion is that boosters of deep water drilling, like boosters of the Space Shuttle and implantable medical devices, are not as honest about the risks as they should be.

After this spill I hope no one, least of all the people who make their living from the Gulf, will be unaware of what can go wrong with this technology.

[Uncle Cracker]

My opinion is that boosters of deep water drilling, like boosters of the Space Shuttle and implantable medical devices, are not as honest about the risks as they should be.

That is because they are motivated by money, and the government cannot possibly mandate the level of oversight that would adequately protect the public (or the environment) from people who are determined to do as little, and profit as much, as possible..