Apathy and Oil

The horrendous (and ongoing) disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has me thinking about several things, most come under the heading of “punishment” and “prevention.” But grief is slowly setting in about the whole mess. Grief about the response from our so-called leaders and the American people. For me, the recent ludicrous Supreme Court ruling codifying the idea that corporations have the same rights as people comes to mind after April 20th. If corporations now have the rights of people, what about the responsibilities? And if that is so, what about the death penalty for British Petroleum? Governments have the right, some would say the duty, to revoke corporate charters of any company that behaves in a reckless manner that is negligent of public responsibility. And by current accounts (a recent article by Jim Hightower chronicles their record: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/06/16-2), BP is the number one worst of company in what appears to be an entire industry that is among the most irresponsible.

…the Center for Public Integrity has revealed that the oil giant's current catastrophic mess should come as no surprise, for it has a long and sorry record of causing calamities. In the last three years, the center says, an astonishing "97 percent of all flagrant violations found in the refining industry by government safety inspectors" came at BP facilities. These included 760 violations rated as "egregious" and "willful." In contrast, the oil company with the second-worst record had only eight such citations.

The other thing that strikes me as especially ironic is that our culture is nearly awash in eloquent reminders of the preciousness and beauty of life. BBC and Discover and Disney have all come out in recent years with magnificent films and TV series that highlight, in high definition clarity, how utterly amazing and rare our planet is. We have inherited a living planet of stunning beauty and fortitude! So why are we not protesting in the streets everyday to punish BP and related corporations for their ongoing criminal madness? I’m beginning to think we as a species have been so anesthetized with the notion of our own political impotence that we are fundamentally unable to recognize self-destruction and frozen in fear to prevent it.

How drunk are we with apathy and despair that we cannot move to action? How addicted are we to the products of oil that we cannot demand a new vision of our leaders and even more difficult, of ourselves?

We need more, many more, protests like the one described here: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/06/19-2
…at the G20 Summit in Toronto.

I will repeat the mantra I’ve been saying to all those who care to listen: we are the leaders we’ve been waiting for! We don’t need another Chernobyl” or “Bhopal” or “Katrina” or “Deepwater Horizon” to realize that the very way civilization operates, on a regular basis, day in and day out, is simply not sustainable for human survival.

I’ve been a citizen activist all my adult life, in one form or another, and I can tell you that there are dozens of ways we can contribute to a better future; from prayers to letter writing to nonviolent revolution and everything in between. Precisely what you do or how you express your anger, dismay or despair is, of course, up to you. I can only urge you to do something. Joining a group of folks doing something already is a great way to start. Changing the way things operate has never been much fun done in solitude, for obvious psychological reasons. It is plain to me that, as awful as this disaster is and as painfully destructive as it will be, there is a brief window of opportunity for us to press to significant change. A society run on clean, renewable energy is as good a vision as I can imagine.

Peace,
J

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BP: a LONG history of criminal deviancy...

It case anyone had any doubts, it turns out BP has a LONG previous record of irresponsible, criminal disregard for Mother Earth and worker safety..."BP Is a Corporate Criminal" by Jim Hightower...

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/06/16-2

This post on FaceBook prompted a great dialogue about what to do in the face of this horrific disaster...the following is an instructive dialogue we can all learn from:

John: I'm so tired of hearing it referred to in the media as an oil spill!? This is a disaster on the scale of Chernobyl, people!

Felice: Tonight, I moved grief about this for the first time since it occurred. I think alot of us, deep inside, feel emotionally devistated but may not know what to do. I reccomend allowing a good cry for Mother Ocean, for the Ocean creatures an ultimatley, for us humans. This is..well...there are no words. Just tears. Lets feel them...release those salty tears back to the Ocean....and pray for hope and a solution...

John: Thank you so much, Felice, for your wisdom. There are a variety of responses we're each going to have and grief is certainly healing. I would also encourage folks to consider adding to the mix a little outrage followed by action. (See my latest post today.) Blessings to Mother Earth and Her children.

Jim: and organize a citizen's arrest with help of local law enforcement and trial of BP executives. All the praying in the world won't stop another disaster like this. But holding accountable (criminally) those responsible will stop it.

Felice: I agree with both of you. Underneath rage...however, always lies grief and sadness. It's healthy to get in touch with that too. And prayer does help...it has science to back it :o) but your right Jim, prayer needs action. They work hand in hand.

Jim: I think prayer helps people cope with tragedy but not deter criminal behavior.

John: Jim, while agree criminal trial is a very, very good idea to possibly deter future conduct on the part of oil companies, we need a fundamental shift in civilization and this horrible disaster is yet another public example to hold up and argue for real change in our society. It is an opening for forward movement. Let us grab it with both hands and cheer with love and hope in our hearts!

Felice: Spoken like a true skeptic Jim! LOL...hugs!

John: We all have something to contribute...in our own way, yeah?

Love, the blessed healer...

Love is the blessed healer of all wounds and pain. Love, turned into action with heart, makes us giants as we endeavor to conquer everday monsters in our insignificant mortal bodies.

Cell tower organizing in Ashland

This is a recent email report from the owners of Hidden Springs Wellness Center. Please look it over and see if you can make any meetings or write to the government leaders they suggest. Go democracy, go!

Report start----------

The Planning Commission met on June 8th and decided to defer their decision to the June 22nd meeting. They have also reopened the record for written testimony until next Tuesday, June 15th.

There are three ways you can help us save Hidden Springs:
Send an email to April at the Planning Commission: lucasa@ashland.or.us. Emails must be received before 4:30 next Tuesday, June 22nd.
Show up at the June 22nd meeting, 7pm at the same place, 1175 E Main.
Attend an informational meeting at Hidden Springs next Tuesday evening, June 15, 7pm.
Your email can be brief. The Planning Commission needs to know that the 352 emails that came in last time was not an isolated incident. We have not gone away! Ideally, 500 will come in this round.

Here’s a letter to the editor we just sent in today, which may help you decide what to write. Thank you so much for your help!

Rod and Brooks Newton

Hidden Springs

Our Letter to the Editor:

AT&T’s Response:

Question: Which do you think is a better location for a new cell tower in Ashland, given that either location provides the desired improvement in service?

A. By the freeway where there is an already existing cell tower.

B. On top of a family theater in a shopping center adjacent to health care facilities where there is no current cell tower.

AT&T chose the Cinema location, despite writing in their planning packet that the freeway location is “a reasonable location according to the search map” and that co location at the freeway site could work from an RF perspective.

After 352 people wrote letters of opposition to the Cinema location, the Planning Staff received a letter from AT&T. Staff were fully expecting it to be a request to withdraw the application, due to this overwhelming community opposition. Instead, AT&T flagrantly disregarded community input and requested that the records be re-opened, so they could restate their existing agenda and push forward.

Now citizens have a further week for input. The issue here is whether corporations can force their agenda on a community, or whether citizens’ input is seriously considered in the local decision making process. Your voice can make a difference. If you want to speak up, send an email to April at the Planning Commission: lucasa@ashland.or.us. Emails must be received before 4:30 next Tuesday, June 22nd.

Rod and Brooks Newton, owners

Hidden Springs Wellness Center (541) 488-8858