Still Leaking

I have blogged multiple times about the crisis in the Gulf. It is a story that has affected me deeply for all the political, environmental, and human consequences that will arise not only today but for many years to come. We now know the financial hardship being caused businesses. We now hear the desperation in the Governor's voice as he complains and begs for Federal assistance having criticized them for being too involved in state issues in the past. We now know that water fowl and fish in the area are definitely going to have the normal chain of mother nature's events impacted by this man made disaster. We now know the limits of science and the limits of big business and yes, the limits of government in handling such a crisis. For all of the self praise we give ourselves as technological geniuses because we can speed a computer chip by one hundreth of a second or put a piece of music on a disk, we don't know the first thing about stopping a human disaster. We know how to drill, but not to stop a leak. The pictures that we are seeing from this area as oil reaches the marshland are frightening. The video from below the sea with a non stop gusher of oil into the water are staggering. The absolute failure of every attempt thus far to stop it is scandalous. If you can dig a whole but don't have a way out, perhaps not dig? Sounds simple, and I am a consumer of oil like the rest of us, but this disaster should point the way toward a relentless and aggressive change in priorities toward alternative energy sources. Nuclear is safe. It is used to power 80% of France. Until such time as we say to the big oil industry that we don't need your product, disasters like the one we are all witness to, will happen again and again. Everyone must follow this story and feel the pain of those most affected. It can happen again. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?