When I perused the most recent news and photos on the Gulf oil catastrophe, I nearly cried. Helpless wildlife encrusted with thick, disgusting brown sludge is not acceptable and neither is the petty political and corporate squabbling and non-co-operation in getting the issue resolved and effective clean-up under way.
In one commentary on the spill, a writer argues in favor of a rescue effort of the creatures impacted by the oil. There is indeed a faction of people that believe the rescue of said animals is futile and too expensive. I have to assume those are the same individuals that think nothing of tossing their fast-food trash out of their moving vehicle (every time I see this, I want to commit a highway homicide).
If you can look into the eyes of a Pelican peeking out behind globs of sticky oil, and not feel any compassion or a twinge of responsibility (because I'm sure you fill your car/truck/suv/van/etc. with gasoline on a regular basis, perhaps you are one of the 4 percent of the population that does not have a conscience (which is a statistic I stumbled upon the other day that scared the crap out of me because it translates into the fact that 1-in-25 individuals has no conscience whatsoever to speak of).
The question in my mind is, why the hell can a corporation, nay an entire industry, exist and perform with such potential enormously negative repercussions from daily operations, with no proven emergency plan in place (let alone a protocol for the exact same situation the industry encountered a few decades earlier).
Maybe in the end, the disaster will bring beneficial change in the form of new, stricter regulations and a push toward FINALLY having the country get serious about investing in renewable energy production. However, given the history of our nation and its bowing to lobbyists, special interest and big business, that may be a futile and naive wish.
C'est la vie.
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