The big news of the Summer of 2010 is no doubt the continuing tragedy of the oil gusher at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. An entire ecosystem is being destroyed;a way of life has been uprooted for at least a generation. It’s easy to play the blame game – BP was negligent, the Federal Government was slow to act….everybody is pointing fingers. I even saw a car pass me on the highway with a hand painted sign on their rear window that stated “BP SUCKS!” Certainly,BP,as the operator of the oil well that exploded,and is now leaking, is culpable for the subsequent pollution and eco-system damage.
But BP did not intentionally blow up the oil well – it was a tragic accident.An accident that came from their desire to produce a product that we all want and need – gasoline. Shouldn’t then, some of the blame be pointed inward, at ourselves? After all,BP would not be drilling for oil out in the Gulf of Mexico if nobody wanted their product. But the fact of the matter is,we all want,and need,what BP sells.