Thursday, June 10, 2010

Disconnecting the BrainZ

TH5CS6JS38DZ
BP's oil spill in the Gulf region continues to dominate the news.

Knee-jerk reactions and wild-eyed hyperbole continue on all fronts. From the demand by Sen. Robert Menendez to raise the federal Oil Pollution Act of 1990 damage liability cap from $75 million to $10 billion, to the feeding frenzy of the lawyers gorging on the well-chummed waters in the Gulf and surrounding areas, hysteria and strident calls to "do something" abound.

The line of folks standing with their hands out, wanting BP to compensate them(give them money) stretches beyond the event horizon. Everyone wants a piece of the action. Demands by many to "do something" are shouted at every opportunity.

The trouble is, "doing something" without getting the facts, and carefully considering the effects of any actions taken, is a recipe for failure.

The fact is, BP doesn't have a bottomless wallet. They can't pay everyone who makes a demand without performing due diligence to ensure the claims are valid and just. They have a fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders to insure that the company survives and moves beyond this event.

They also owe the public the task of ensuring that future risks of environmental damage are minimized in the future. I think they have done a good job so far, being responsible and doing their best to mitigate the damage. It's a complex engineering problem, as well as a severe blow to their reputation as a respected company. They have a lot of work to do.

That will take a long time. Exxon is still dealing with their spill in Alaska, and that was 20 years ago.

Of course, that doesn't faze any politician bent on maximizing the exposure he/she can get by spouting off at the mouth. The media gleefully pours gasoline on the fire.

Many in the media, especially in the coverage of the spill in the Gulf, have become actors rather than reporters. The story yesterday of the intrepid, brave journalist swimming in the spill with just the top of his head showing was really funny. What was this supposed to accomplish, besides showing us how stupid he was to be swanning around in a toxic sludge?

That was acting, Sir, not journalism.

I'll bet he sues BP if he gets ill. What do you think?


On our southern border:

The furor continues over the death of the young man on the border in El Paso, TX.

The killing of the Mexican by U.S. authorities — the second in less than two weeks — has exposed the distrust and rage of the Mexicans. They believe this was an act of murder.

Chihuahua state Gov. Jose Reyes Baeza blamed the two killings on racism fueled by Arizona's law.

"We believe that this killing, the second in recent days in the border between the two countries, is due to xenophobia and racism, derived from the approval of Arizona's anti-immigration law," Reyes said.--Fox News

The race card is played again....isn't it getting a bit worn?

We almost had an act of war occur regarding this incident:

Shortly after the boy was shot, Mexican soldiers arrived at the scene and pointed their guns at the Border Patrol agents across the riverbank while bystanders screamed insults and hurled rocks and firecrackers, FBI spokeswoman Andrea Simmons said. She said the agents were forced to withdraw.

"It pretty quickly got very intense over on the Mexican side," she said, adding that FBI agents showed up later and resumed the investigation, even as Mexican authorities pointed guns at them from across the river.--Fox News MSNBC

To the rescue, ride the noble heroes in the White Hats:

Amnesty International has joined the ranks of those criticizing the U.S. Border Patrol, calling for a "full, impartial and transparent investigation" into a shooting this week that left a 14-year-old Mexican boy dead.--CNN

Isn't that special? Of course, AI long ago lost any credibility they might have once had, having degenerated into a self-serving pig trough of big salaries and perks for their "workers". Where does their funding come from? How "transparent" are they?

Too many questions, but few answers.

ClearYourBrainz !

Try to ignore the "noise" coming from the media, and get the facts. It won't be easy. We are mostly spoon-fed what the media wants us to hear, and what will boost their readership/viewership. We should try, however.

Ignore the loudmouths with the small brains. They are too numerous already. Hopefully they won't reproduce too much.

Look at the data, consider the consequences of any actions we might take. Face reality.

No shouting. Calm analysis of the facts. That will produce the optimum results.

Your comments, please.

TH5CS6JS38DZ

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