Various Articles about BP Oil Spill

This is a collection of links to articles I've read recently on BP's Oil Spill. Most are opinion pieces about the Federal Government's reaction to the crisis and the appropriate role of government in situations like this. The biggest thing that stands out to me is how many people side with Big Business over their own interests and how weak the regulation is in this department, mostly due to Big Oil dominating the interests of U.S. citizens for their own benefit. Instead we are left with a hamstrung government trying to make up solutions as they go along and mostly forced to ride backseat to a corporation more concerned about its own profits than about anthing else.

We need much better regulation in this area going forward. This should be crystal clear by now.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/opinion/30rich.html?hp

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/05/30/brazile.big.government/index.html?hpt=C2

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0530/BP-oil-spill-top-kill-failure-means-well-may-gush-until-August

This one discusses the impact of the oil spill and BP's use of dispersants on marine life. Essentially, the use of dispersants destroys the red blood cells of any animals that come in contact with it, so yeah, that's probably a bad thing.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/oil-spill-creates-huge-undersea-dead-zones-1987039.html

I am shocked! Shocked! to learn that Halliburton was involved in taking billions of dollars to be incompetent and cause harm to life on this planet! Thanks a lot, Dick (Cheney)! Your legacy lives on!
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/what-was-halliburtons-role-in-us-oil-spill-1987038.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/us/30rig.html?hp

Big Surprise! Mitch McConnell wants the American taxpayer to bear the brunt of cleanup costs rather than stick to the Polluter Pays principle. A bailout of big business with no chance for the American taxpayer to get any return on their money? Awesome!
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/feature/2010/05/28/oil_industry_bailout/index.html

"In the long run, we can and must have some good debate about the way the anti-regulation politics of the last 10-20 years led us here. Actually, there's nothing to debate. It's fact."
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/joan_walsh/politics/2010/05/29/top_kill_fails/index.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/30/ed-markey-bp-lying-or-inc_n_594800.html

This one's a bit Conspiracy happy, but it makes a lot of interesting points that I am interested to research further. Oh, and you have to love the logo from the end, actual BP ad from 1999.
http://blog.buzzflash.com/editorblog/312

"BP, and the oil industry in general, has managed to get away with a lot," she said. "But the reason I go back to the government is oil companies' jobs — their focus is to make money. If they're allowed to take shortcuts, of course they will. And it's the government's job to make sure that they're not allowed to do that. Bottom line, our government shouldn't let the oil companies do what they're doing."
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/05/29/95064/oil-spill-is-taking-a-toll-on.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_term=news

Please read, think, and discuss amongst yourselves or here on this blog.