Act of God or Revenge of Nature

Texas Governor Rick Perry told us the recent gulf oil disaster was an act of God. If that is the case, BP is the hand of God. Maybe Rick is too close to the petrochemical fumes in Texas and this proximately has prompted an effervescence that is is now bubbling in his brain; although his brain does appear permanently clouded with secessionist politics.

Some say if it was not for oil and the petrochemical industry, Texas would have only tumble weeds, cattle, GW Bush and Mexican Wetbacks. Dixiecrat Perry's Texas refines BP crude at a furious rate... a BP refinery blew up recently killing Texans – another act of God I suppose. If that is his belief, suggest another God. May I recommend Chango, an all powerful Santería God that has protected Fidel Castro all these years. Perry has to slaughter an elephant with his bare hands to make it happen; not really in Rick's foppish character.

The most recent BP flop to contain the hemorrhaging crude oil leak from the bottom of the gulf was a four-story cement contraption that was to stop leakage from the ocean floor and channel the oil to on-station oil tankers floating above the disaster. It seems BP was as interested in capturing the oil as it was stopping the rupture. It did neither; and as of this writing the oil contamination is spreading, killing industry and the environment on the gulf coast.

Perhaps the oilmen/engineers, geologists and BP greedy investors should consider a first aid metaphor when approaching fixes to their self-made disaster. STOP THE BLEEDING AND THEN START THE BREATHING. These wizards, most likely the best in the industry, should understand the more complicated the solution the greater chance for failure. Forget the profits, and fix the mess you made. That is a civilized priority.

This blasé, audacious attitude by BP stems from a self-assurance based on campaign contributions.
"The Center for Responsive Politics ranks BP as one of the top donors to political campaigns over the twenty years having given in excess of $6 million to congressional and presidential campaigns. The ten biggest recipients of BP contributions still in Congress are Rep. Don Young ($73,300), Sen. John McCain ($44,899), Sen. George Voinovich ($41,400), Rep. John Dingell ($31,000), Sen. Mary Landrieu ($28,200), Rep. Joe Barton ($27,350), Sen. Jim Inhofe ($22,300), Sen. Mitch McConnell ($22,000), Rep. John Culberson ($20,950) and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison ($19,500)."

The above quote is dated, but it provides a sense of who owes whom. This political financial support is augmented by BP passing out lucrative seats on their corporation and advisory boards to retired national politicians from both major parties. BP has enlisted powerful Washington players "like Leon Panetta (now CIA director), George Mitchell (now Obama's Middle East envoy), Christine Todd Whitman (the former EPA administrator), and Tom Daschle (the former majority leader) to serve on its various boards of advisers and independent panels. "

This is really a belt-and suspenders-approach for assured, continued influence. It is all legal... just squalid. Watch this play out as BP wiggles off the hook of responsibility. Rick Perry is just a minor BP pistolero. In BP's international scheme of influence, just a peashooter.

Earthquakes, floods, fires and Tsunamis now seem to reoccur so often. The world-wide and multiplying deadly mine disasters in China, Russia and the US, along with a volcano eruption in Iceland, combined with the most recent BP gulf oil calamity could appear as nature's response to too much exploitation – at least in the case of the volcano, no corporation stuck its finger into the smoking crater. With all the natural and man-made chaos, it is as if earth is trying to shake off its bloodsucking fleas. It is a case of civilization advancing backwards.

These are TIMES OF TROUBLES. And the Taliban just struck Times Square with an aborted truck bomb attack...Quo vadis America? Colonel Robert E Bartos USA ret