What's the Difference between British Petroleum and Terrorists?
By Tim Kline (about the author) Page 1 of 1 page(s)
Saturday morning I got a call from my friend in Boston, a zany PhD student finishing his studies at MIT. We recounted our lives since the last call, and conversation drifted to current events and the BP oil spill. We compared the physical damages from the spill to a terrorist attack. Quite suddenly,
my friend asked, "What's the difference between British Petroleum and Terrorists?"
I thought for a moment. "Intent," I answered.British Petroleum did not intend to spill gobs of oil into the Gulf: they care about people, and would never maliciously hurt anyone. Or would they? Long after I hung up the phone, I began thinking about the words a roommate had said while working Valero, the largest oil refiner in the United States.
"If there is one company bound to have another accident," the roommate assured, "it's British Petroleum. They have no regard for safety, and have a poor track record." This was 2005. Down in Texas, a major explosion on March 23 killed 15 workers and injuring over 170 others. Since the accident, BP has paid $50 million in environmental fines, yet made over $80 billion in profit, after taxes.
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What a great racket. Rape the earth and make obscene profits, but expect occasional disaster. Pay a penance, repeat the process. Worried about your company's name? Hide dirty deeds in subsidiaries like Enron, or change the name altogether like Philip Morris to Altria. American will forget and forgive.
more:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/What-s-the-Difference-betw-by-Tim-Kline-100510-946.html