Oil Spill Management Screwed Up From Jump......

The management of the now awful oil well blow out and spill in the Gulf of Mexico was messed up almost from the beginning. How quick we were to want to start the blame game instead of actually working to fix the problem. We've taken something that was a Critical Incident and instead of working on fixing it up the best we could, evaluating possible solutions, and doing careful analysis to find out why it happpened we have loaded it up with politics, finger pointing and lawyers to the point that it is FUBAR (Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition). While I have no desire to find fault, other then the pressing technical issues with the incident itself, I can find plenty of places to assign some fault for the sorry response to the incident.

It's BP's fault, because more and more is coming out that this well was a difficult well, and needing the best management and it did not get it. Critical short cuts were taken. Thus, the set up was for the well to blow. It was only a matter of time. After the shit hit the fan, BP chronically underestimated both size and degree of difficulty. They may have done this due to outside pressures applied that had nothing to do with the science of drilling for oil. Which brings us to...

It's the Fed's fault in general due to their introduction of stupid political considerations and hesitation by our woefully inexperienced Chief Executive and our incredibly self centered legislature. Best hindsight proposal I've heard to date, put forth by the latest Rush sub: A Manhattan Project all scientific hands on deck effort to first, cap the well, and second, contain and sop up the oil, started within 10 days of the initial blow/fire. We almost ought to make this part of a super duper disaster plan: All Hands--Public and Private--On Deck to Solve the Problem--No Blame Game. Did we do this? No, we did not. We went golfing and called for hearings, new laws, fines, and corporate take overs instead. And finally...

It's all media's fault, including opinionators from both the left and the right for making this a political thing, comparing it to Katrina, to Haiti earthquake, to Jimmy Carter's hostage rescue operation failure, blah, blah, blah. In addition, it's anyone's fault who has hauled out their first finger and pointed it at anyone instead of going into critical thinking mode in the very beginning.

I proposed somewhere in someone's blog comment section that we start dunking the culpable in oil. Nah, let's just send them out to remove oil from beaches, water and wild life. If they end up all oil covered, so much the better.

Meantime, it just breaks my heart to look at the oiled critters and listen to the coastal residents watching their environment be ruined.