You know what? The Gulf Spill doesn't really move me.

[northofdenali]

I lived through Exxon Valdez. I volunteered. I cleaned birds/otters/etc.

This will happen until we hold corporations (NOW "people" according to the Supreme Asshole) responsible for every action/reaction/responsibility.'


I lived Exxon/Valdez as a worker, volunteer and survivor.

Many didn't.

I have not bought an Exxon product since 1989.

I have had a car towed a couple of miles further in order to avoid buying an Exxon product.

I am boycotting BP. It's not easy up here where so many gas stations are only BP, but I think I can plan my trips.

BP just killed 11 human beings. Visibly and without remorse.

KILLED.

12 people.


Because they were too cheap to maintain safety.

For their stockholders -
and WHO OWNS BP??

[Ardent15]

1. the board of BP

http://www.bp.com/managedlistingsection.do?categoryId=9021801&contentId=7040608

[Rosa Luxemburg]

29. the board of BP, Transocean and Halliburton should be held accountable

[northofdenali]

30. Thank you, Ardent -

I didn't have the energy left to post that. I am SO tired, and nearly 4000 miles awy from being able to help..

So many came here to help, and I can't go there. It hurts a lot.

[Captain Hilts]

2. They've killed an inestimable amount of wildlife. nt

[primavera]

45. Thank you

BP's 11 rig workers at least had the chance to decline to work for BP. They elected to assume the risk of a dangerous profession in exchange for the higher wages they received for performing their jobs. In comparison, wildlife beyond anyone's ability to count have been killed and they never saw so much as a Christmas bonus in exchange for the peril BP and every other oil company placed them in.

[aquart]

3. That coldness you interpret as not being moved is rage.

Very icy rage.

I am so sorry you had to endure the Exxon spill. I only tried to clean one bird in my life and it died. I don't wish that for any.

[northofdenali]

5. The rage is always there -

as is their soul-sucking desire for profit. I blame everyone who holds shares in, or is on the board of, BP.

I hate this. I HATE IT.

My soul is sick.

I am reliving Valdez, and it's horrible.

[Karenina]

32. This will warm your heart.

It's a 20 year old documentary about how BP operates in Scotland.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLu-Hp9--RU

[XemaSab]

21. Icy rage can be good

Icy rage can be motivating in a way that mere sorrow cannot.

[tango-tee]

27. Very true, XemaSab!

Unfortunately, I'm one of those who are paralyzed in sorrow and tears. And I'm so far away... there is not a thing I can do to help. It is my helplessness in the face of an unfolding, ongoing catastrophe that makes all of this seem almost surreal. My God, where will it end?

[northofdenali]

33. tango -

just your ability to shed a tear, to share a piece of your heat, to send your good thoughts, to projct good will.

Makes a difference.

Makes BIG difference.

Like DU did after Katrina, all we can do is the best we can do

Offer what you have.
Give what you can.
Be here / there for others

We can only give what we can.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

41. that was good for me to hear.

been shedding a LOT of tears.....


and trying to create and spread light (kindness, support, just to add a little tangibility to that abstract idea of "light") here where I'm planted.

god, I'm so up and down, emotionally

:grouphug:

[tango-tee]

44. Hey, Blanche...

Could it be that disasters could bring us closer together than good fortune? Empathy, hope, sorrow, things that aren't immediately "graspable"? Things that make us realize our vulnerability and the need to be there for each other in the time of need.

I'm on a terrible rollercoaster, myself. Mainly going down. Fast.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

46. you know what, tang?

I'm hereby going to cruise DU much less... the heartrending news is nothing I can do anything about, and sending out pain vibes focuses on pain. Certainly, it doesn't change the people at the heart of this mess. For myself, I do as much as I can to lessen my footprint--way more than many--so....it's not a matter of major self overhaul in that department, for me.


I do believe that the "vibes" we put out affect the whole, but when I'm feeling doubtful of that, or for those who don't believe that, then if nothing else, for my own/one's own sanity, because I can't give love to my little Shrimpy or support to my hun or MYSELF when I'm lying in a heap, sobbing. You and I owe it to all that's positive in our own lives to try to refocus on anything and everything that fills our hearts.


:hug:
:grouphug:

[tango-tee]

47. Good point, my friend, about the vibes

we put out. As I keep reading the many passionate posts here on DU, there are names of posters, particular sentences and sentiments that remain with me. Powerful words filled with so much emotion that some of them have followed me into my sleep... deep sorrow for our fellow creatures and our world, helpless anger, hopelessness, but also glimmers of hope and suggestions for a solution to stop this disaster.

It is words like yours, Blanche, that make me keep coming back. Yours are words straight from the heart. Don't withdraw from us now, we need each other. I realize that most likely I'm being selfish... but perhaps it is the sharing of our deep sorrow which lets us go on; it lets us know that we are not alone in our sorrow as we grieve in the face of misery and destruction, it reminds us how important it is to keep our loved ones close. Thinking of many of the dear people I've met here and their messages have often made me take stock of how I conduct my life lately.

We're in this together, for better or worse. All of us. :hug: :hug: :hug:

[BlancheSplanchnik]

48. aww, thanks!

you said that eloquently.



:hug: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tango-tee]

49. Let's keep in touch,

please? Hugs right back atcha, dear Blanche.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

50. I'm up for that!

IM me here! Heh, I don't know that I can completely pull away from good ol' DU. But definitely I need to distance myself from the upsetting news, since it only makes me very upset and focuses me on all the pain in the world. There are also many many good people, but that gets really easy to forget when I'm looking at the non-stop disaster news.


We totally need to support each other, whether that's in person or through the intertubes! Especially because it all feels too big and overwhelming. Right now, I live in a pretty isolated place; there aren't any activist groups nearby.


Yes, we need a change in human beings now, at the heart level.... as a Buddhist practicing with the Soka Gakkai, we try to practice Human Revolution, another term for changing one's karma and one's self, which then spreads out to those in our lives, and onward, through sincere dialogue and friendship.

A quote regarding social revolution and inner, human revolution, including a quote from Henrik Ibsen I just found,

"Along many centuries various types of radical changes or revolutions took place in many fields such as society, politics, science, medicine, information technology and others. All these radical changes, however, did not alter the repetition of the basic problems facing humanity, such as wars, violence, lack of security as well as the serious problem of deterioration of the environment. “The 19th century Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) remarked on the failure of “external revolutions” in solving problems facing the individual: “People want only special revolutions, in externals, in politics, and so on. But that’s just tinkering. What really is called for is a revolution of the human mind…” " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Revolution_in_SGI_Buddhism




On Human Revolution:

Human Revolution and Overcoming Obstacles...

...In today's world where global issues are so important, many people feel a sense of powerlessness and resignation; a feeling that no individual's efforts can change the way things are. But the Buddhist viewpoint is that the world should be seen from the perspective of the individual, and that the human life contains the entire universe. That is why changing our own lives one by one will bring a change in our family, our community, and the society in which we live. It will change the age we live in, our history, and indeed all aspects of our world.

If we look for the true causes of war, we see that it is essentially caused by the human mind. War stems from the desire to control and conquer others, to have power, and from hatred and antipathy. Such is a human being in the grip of the negative force of life. World peace starts with the inner transformation of the individual, and the struggle to elevate our state of life, and free ourselves from the domination of the negative force of life.

A single sunflower contains the seeds for more than a thousand new plants. Similarly, when one brave person stands up for peace, his or her resolve spreads out into the environment in thousands of ways. Courage always brings a response. One person's human revolution can therefore eventually change the destiny of the entire human race.
http://www.sgi-uk.org/index.php/buddhism/humanrevolution

more on Human Revolution
http://www.sgi-usa.org/newmembers/resources/faqs/what_is_human_revolution.php

[tango-tee]

51. Will send you PM, if that's okay

Have to get ready to go to work. Just took a quick peek here, while drinking first mug of coffee...

Hugs, friend.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

52. Great!

:)

[Betty]

4. at a BP station outside Boston today

I drove by it twice a few hours apart, it was in a very busy intersection.. not one car stopping to get gas there either time. Just one station, but I wonder if this is the case at most BP stations.

[northofdenali]

7. Betty, I hope so

I hope everyone boycotts BP, and says in loud voices - YOU ARE DESTROYING US.

[aquart]

18. It isn't the first we've heard of this kind of spontaneous boycott.

As the child of retailers, I can't help but feel the heartbreak of those independent gas station owners who tried to provide a product in good faith, and are being destroyed. I hope they sue BP's ass off, too.

[northofdenali]

36. aquart, your people are good.

That automatically makes you good. As if I did't already a fellow du'er..................

I love retailers. They are salt to us.

Blessed be.

You are fortunate to have them and they, you. :hug:

[Scuba]

39. +1

[Ardent15]

6. Some things are just so evil, so despicable, and so horrific....

...that you feel like outrage would be useless.

You just feel cold.

I know the feeling, because I feel the same way about all this.

[Blue_In_AK]

8. And, of course, we must remember

that BP, as the major stakeholder in the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, was unprepared for the EVOS cleanup, which was largely their responsibility.

They're ALL corporate criminals, and I wish to God we'd get off this stupid petroleum-based lifestyle. I'm really quite sick of it.

[northofdenali]

9. Amen, Blue, amen.

I'm alaskan and I love my state and my relatively free lifestyle granted by our state constitution. ButI despise what has happened to it, and what the people who arrived here to take advantage of it have done.

BP is not a US company. They should be sued to the ground and should be denied ANY access to our resources forever.

The bastards deserve every retribution we give them.

I hope BP execs rot in hell. Along wih everyone in our political structure who associates with them.

Hey, Blue? We're almost at 24 hour daylight~ Want to come up & go to Eagle Summit on Solstice? :hug:

[Ardent15]

10. none of the multinational corporations care about borders

You can thank free trade and globalization for that.

[CountAllVotes]

11. You are not alone

I have been boycotting Exxon since the spill too. I will continue to boycott them and have added British Petroleum (BP) to the list.

God damn them all - greedy pigs!

:dem:

[JI7]

12. 11 people were killed and Tony Hayward is crying about wanting his life back

[northofdenali]

13. JI7, let's give it to him -

in spades.

Along with TonythePhony.


Anyone who knows what has just occurred as an absolute armageddon in the Gulf should have been here for the Exxon Valdez. It's more than horror, it's more than grief, it's more than despair.

I wish I had the money to fly there and help; I have the energy and the motivation.

It'll be the worst.

And BP won't be made to pay. One of my own Senators (REPUKE Lisa Murkowski) mads sure of that. $75 mil cap? Hello? That won't even touch the initial response).

Obama WILL step up.


Maybe.

Eventually.

[flamingdem]

31. I'm glad he said that so everyone can see what we're dealing with nt

[femrap]

14. Murdered them. nt

[Hempathy]

15. Who was number 12?

"BP just killed 11 human beings. Visibly and without remorse.

KILLED.

12 people."

[northofdenali]

17. I'm not sure. I was emailed that one of the "on site observers"

was injured to the point of death.

I am quite probably mistaken - given the source - but not in doubt.

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Quantess]

19. This is a gigantic disaster of enormity.

I am in utter disbelief at people who trivialize this catastrophe (northofdenali, because I read your OP I know you are not trivializing this at all), but even here at DU we have to read posts pooh-poohing the gravity of it all.

To any DUers who trivialize this disaster, in any way, I would like to extend a hearty FUCK YOU!!! And, you deserve to be coated in crude oil. And your home, too.

[snagglepuss]

22. If I saw anyone on DU trivialize this disaster, they would be permanently on

IGNORE.

[Quantess]

23. Snagglepuss, I'm guessing they are already on your ignore list....

since you aren't seeing them! :)

[snagglepuss]

25. I haven't been able to spend too much time on DU so I've missed a lot.

I'm certainly glad to have missed any ignorant comments about the disaster because I have no patience to deal with such vile idiots. The other day several women were interviewed on a Florida beach that was about to be hit by the oil and I got steamed simply because each just said how sad they were and didn't express any anger. I found their reaction mystifying and irritating and I still do.

[Quantess]

28. There is a suprisingly large number of comments here at DU minimizing the disaster

which to me, just speaks of a FR troll infestation.
Mainstream media doesn't cover this horrible incident as adequately as they should be, but also, people look away.

[TransitJohn]

43. that'll show 'em

:eyes:

[northofdenali]

35. Quantess, you have got it right.

There is no way to qualify/quantify this.

I've done the birds, mammalls, people.

20 years ago

They HAVE and HAD the means to prevent this.

But it cost money that the CEO, CFO, COO did not want to spend, becuse it might have caused their nanny/nurse/private instructor/chiroprator/masseuse/physical therapist/aromatherapist to miss an appointmrnt.

[Quantess]

37. It is heartbreaking. Those photos make me cry.

Seriously. I do cry fairly easily, but it's not often that a news item makes me start crying. This one does. Those are the saddest images, ever!

[Chulanowa]

20. Both the Valdez Spill and this one strike close to me, however

The great majority of my extended / adopted family earn their livelihood by fishing the sound. Most of the men of this group are suffering various sorts of degenerative diseases, some as mild as psoriasis (yes, I know there's nothing "mild" about it to its sufferer) to one fellow who's spine basically turned to chalk. All because of the spill and their efforts to help clean their home up.

Now I look at my home, the little patch of Mobile, AL where I grew up, and Dauphin Island just off the coast, and I see pictures of oil coating hte beaches. I remember every year after mardi gras wrapped up, me and my family would go to the island to catch the migration festival as thousands upon thousands of songbirds used the island as a stopover point. I remember sitting far out on the island's west end, and just being surrounded by terns, breeding, feeding, swooping and diving.

We've been boycotting Exxon since 1989. We'll be boycotting BP now.

I've watched my loved ones die and suffer from Exxon's crimes against them and their home. In a perverse way I am thankful that most of my family that remains on the Gulf Coast has seen their best years and will not be waiting long for their time to come naturally, so that they do not have to suffer through what I have seen in Alaska. But I know that at least one place in the world that had come to my mind whenever I thought of the word "pristine" is now destroyed, and many, many others with it, destroying more peoples' livlihoods than Exxon-Valdez could have at its worst.

[metapunditedgy]

26. Not for the *stockholders* so much as for the *executives.*

I don't know BP's situation, but it seems like stockholders are just ordinary folks these days. The real players get the preferred shares and other bennies. And the execs skim all the good stuf off the top.

[Name removed]

34. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Quantess]

38. Sweet... I got a message deleted!

I guess I said something too close to the bone or too close to home.
:thumbsup:

[northofdenali]

40. ROFL, Quantess - i can't think of anything you'd do to get "deleted".

But if you did, it was more than likely well worth reading! :hug:

[xchrom]

42. Recommend