Finn at 10 months old
If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in government to the utmost.
- Aristotle
- Aristotle
Scott Lax Blog
The Deepwater Gulf Oil Disaster
June 4, 2010
Right now, and perhaps for a long time to come - months, years, generations - an irresponsible company has caused the ruin of much of the Gulf Coast of the United States. The company, British Petroleum (not BP, not "Beyond Petroleum," as it has branded itself of late), but British Petroleum, is the latest in global mega-corporations gone wild and deadly. When the tally of its destruction by this fiasco is in, it will likely rival Chernobyl in magnitude, and in some ways surpass it. The effect on nature will be irreversible for decades, if not longer; the damage to fishing, tourism, livelihood, human, animal and plant health and quality of life in the United States and beyond will be incalculable.
What is the writer’s role in this? What can we do?
We can speak out. We can blog, we can write op/ed pieces, we can write our politicians, far too many of whom seem cowed by Big Oil, Big Banks, Wall Street and global corporations in general. We can stop being distracted by so much that bombards us, distractions that are much greater than in any previous age. Distractions that companies and governments depend upon to help them move past these kinds of misdeeds.
Writers and bloggers: will you consider a post about this disaster? If you blog and write about your daily lives, if you're inclined, please make your voices heard about this horrible, man made, greed-fueled disaster in the Gulf. Most of us are not beholden to corporate interests, and therefore can speak our minds.
Corporate greed -- be it in China, the U.K., America, Europe, elsewhere in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, South America, wherever - is a serious threat to the welfare of our planet. I believe in free enterprise; I believe in democracy. (I also believe in national healthcare, but nothing more or less than our national politicians get at our expense.)
However, corporate control is not democracy. It's what it sounds like: corporate rule over democracy, and democracy is inherently messier and less organized and powerful as corporations; it becomes subservient corporations are not reigned in and regulated. If you're a reader or blogger or writer that is into recipes, here's one: overriding corporate power is a recipe for no democracy. How serious is the threat? Look at the photos of the oil disaster and make your own conclusions.
The Deepwater disaster is but one example. Mine explosions, the devastation of the economy caused by Wall Street and Big Banks’ greed -- there are many more and will be many more implosions that cause human and environmental suffering.
Writers have always been on the forefront of civil justice. Now, with the advent of the Internet, there are more writers than ever. If you're inclined, speak out -- write, post, and protest this corporate abomination.
And no, Sarah Palin, it's not the fault of the environmentalists. It's the fault of British Petroleum -- the company that employed your husband for eighteen years.
. Read More
What is the writer’s role in this? What can we do?
We can speak out. We can blog, we can write op/ed pieces, we can write our politicians, far too many of whom seem cowed by Big Oil, Big Banks, Wall Street and global corporations in general. We can stop being distracted by so much that bombards us, distractions that are much greater than in any previous age. Distractions that companies and governments depend upon to help them move past these kinds of misdeeds.
Writers and bloggers: will you consider a post about this disaster? If you blog and write about your daily lives, if you're inclined, please make your voices heard about this horrible, man made, greed-fueled disaster in the Gulf. Most of us are not beholden to corporate interests, and therefore can speak our minds.
Corporate greed -- be it in China, the U.K., America, Europe, elsewhere in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, South America, wherever - is a serious threat to the welfare of our planet. I believe in free enterprise; I believe in democracy. (I also believe in national healthcare, but nothing more or less than our national politicians get at our expense.)
However, corporate control is not democracy. It's what it sounds like: corporate rule over democracy, and democracy is inherently messier and less organized and powerful as corporations; it becomes subservient corporations are not reigned in and regulated. If you're a reader or blogger or writer that is into recipes, here's one: overriding corporate power is a recipe for no democracy. How serious is the threat? Look at the photos of the oil disaster and make your own conclusions.
The Deepwater disaster is but one example. Mine explosions, the devastation of the economy caused by Wall Street and Big Banks’ greed -- there are many more and will be many more implosions that cause human and environmental suffering.
Writers have always been on the forefront of civil justice. Now, with the advent of the Internet, there are more writers than ever. If you're inclined, speak out -- write, post, and protest this corporate abomination.
And no, Sarah Palin, it's not the fault of the environmentalists. It's the fault of British Petroleum -- the company that employed your husband for eighteen years.
. Read More