So turned off by the BP commercial...

[Scurvy]

Thanks for the link - I hadn't seen the ad. Now that I have, I don't see anything wrong with it. BP is apologizing and taking responsibility for the oil spill, and saying they will make it right. They even provide a phone number for inquiries. We'll have to see if they really live up to their promises, but I think the ad is a good thing. I only think the cost is an issue if they are spending money on the ad instead of the cleanup. But if it wasn't an either/or situation - and I have no reason to believe it is, since they have ample funds - then I don't have a problem with it.

It's obvious he really has no conscience about this. This situation is a major "inconvenience," making him work overtime, taking time away from his life.

Well, but it is an inconvenience and it is taking him away from his life. Of course that doesn't in any way compare to the effects that this has had on many other people - those that lost their lives, those who lost their loved ones and those who stand to lost their livelihoods - but it doesn't negate the fact that for right now, this guy's life is significantly different than it was before this happened, and not in a good way. That doesn't mean he's comparing his problems to those of the other people who have been affected by the oil leak, or that he thinks his problems are anywhere close to as bad as their problems. It was an incredibly thoughtless and insensitive thing for the guy to say, but it's the kind of comment many people make in times when their lives are thrown into upheaval. But most people don't have such a large audience when they say it. When my dad started undergoing chemo and I spent all my time either at the hospital or driving back and forth from my current home to my hometown, I made similar comments. I wanted my life back - the life I had before my dad got sick. My life went from ordinary and almost perfect to something like a nightmare, and I wanted my old life back. I'm sure people who don't know me would have found the comments to be insensitive, but those who do know me understood what I meant. I just wanted things to be normal again. I suspect that's what this guy meant, as well.

I agree with previous posters - BP is in a no-win situation. This was a horrible accident. They didn't do this on purpose and I'm sure they would undo it if they could. If for no other reason, this is a publicity nightmare for them. And I'm sure there are other reasons they regret this, as well - they aren't monsters who are intentionally ruining the Gulf Coast. They need to be doing everything they can to fix this, but they don't need to be endlessly vilified for every imperfect statement they make. They are human, after all, and humans don't always state everything perfectly.

 

[gate_pourri]

I don't know if I've seen the particular commercial the OP is referring to but the BP bashing is getting old. I agree with the PP who said that no matter what they do, at this point someone will vilify them.

Do they need to take a chunk of the blame? Of course they do. But if I am following the press releases correctly, not one but three safety systems simultaneously failed. No one has made a credible allegation that they skimped on safety or did anything that caused the accident. They simply did not have a plan for containing a deep water problem of this type.

The results of the spill are tragic and I fear they will be with us for a long, long time. But part of the blame must go to all of us with our insatiable demands for petroleum based products. If there was no demand for the products, the expense of deep water drilling would not be justified.

I am also sickened by the news film of dead and damaged wildlife. The damage to the shoreline is horrendous. But I don't think you can put the blame soley on BP. JMHO.

Yea... This.

 

[disykat]

Do they need to take a chunk of the blame? Of course they do. But if I am following the press releases correctly, not one but three safety systems simultaneously failed. No one has made a credible allegation that they skimped on safety or did anything that caused the accident. They simply did not have a plan for containing a deep water problem of this type.

The results of the spill are tragic and I fear they will be with us for a long, long time. But part of the blame must go to all of us with our insatiable demands for petroleum based products. If there was no demand for the products, the expense of deep water drilling would not be justified.

I am also sickened by the news film of dead and damaged wildlife. The damage to the shoreline is horrendous. But I don't think you can put the blame soley on BP. JMHO.

I'm glad there are so many others recognizing that there's plenty of blame to go around. We've all probably had a bit of the share in the high demand, sending them further off shore and deeper because we don't want to look at oil rigs, etc. This was a tragedy that was waiting to happen. A real tragedy for everyone - including BP.

The CEO had a selfish moment where in the midst of his exhaustion he was thinking of himself and spoke out of turn.

I feel helpless, and am trying to help by sending prayers and good thoughts for all the victims in this - including those who work for BP as they work for solutions.

 

[Sammie]

If you want to personalize this horrific event, put your hometown in the location box on this map.

http://www.ifitwasmyhome.com/#x=-88.389722&y=28.738889&z=7

It makes an impact that is for sure.

As to accidents sure they happen, but when accidents happen due to greed on the part of big oil wanting to bypass safety, then it is little harder to take.

Would you be willing to excuse Disney for a horrific accident on a ride, if you knew they had taken short cuts to save money. They spend big money to lobby the government to allow them to do this, so they are as much to blame as BP is. Safety procedures are required in Norway and Brazil that the US does not require because big oil money has convinced them they are not necessary.

 

[DawnCt1]

I think people would find grievous fault in whatever BP did now, and with whatever BP didn't do now. If they apologize for the grievous harm they've caused, then people will bash them for it. If they don't say anything, then people will bash them for that. If the CEO apologizes for his insensitive casual comment, then people will bash them for that. If he doesn't apologize, then they'll bash them for that. And so on.

ITA. I had a choice of filling up at BP or the competitor across the street. I chose BP. I want them to do well, stay in business and make money so they can pay for the damages. No matter how you feel about BP right now, it clearly isn't what they wanted to happen. They lost 11 of their men in a fiery explosion, its costing millions of dollars and it will continue to do so for the forseeable future. I think the comment about "wanting his life back" may be his way of saying that he is consumed with solving the problem. We all hope so anyway.

 

[frndshpcptn]

Thanks for the details. I wonder if anyone but you and I would be interested in them though.

No problem

Details are always good - especially in a case like this!

 

[DawnCt1]

I don't know if I've seen the particular commercial the OP is referring to but the BP bashing is getting old. I agree with the PP who said that no matter what they do, at this point someone will vilify them.

Do they need to take a chunk of the blame? Of course they do. But if I am following the press releases correctly, not one but three safety systems simultaneously failed. No one has made a credible allegation that they skimped on safety or did anything that caused the accident. They simply did not have a plan for containing a deep water problem of this type.

The results of the spill are tragic and I fear they will be with us for a long, long time. But part of the blame must go to all of us with our insatiable demands for petroleum based products. If there was no demand for the products, the expense of deep water drilling would not be justified.

I am also sickened by the news film of dead and damaged wildlife. The damage to the shoreline is horrendous. But I don't think you can put the blame soley on BP. JMHO.

Oil drilling has been driven off, off shore, by supposedly 'well meaning' environmentalist. If this happened at 500 ft, it would have been capped by now. On land within hours. I also think that it is pretty pathetic that Chu, the secretary of energy didn't understand how the vents work on the current cap and was upset that it was "leaking". BP was also given waivers.

 

[C.Ann]

The biggest issue I have with BP is that they lied - right from the very beginning of this whole incident - and well into the incident when further information was being requested by the public and powers that be..

As sickened (physically) as I am about what this is doing to the ocean; the sea life; the beaches; etc. - it's important to remember all of the people who have lost their jobs due to this "accident".. A "commercial" - no matter how apologetic - is not going to feed these families; pay their rent/mortgages; pay their health insurance premiums; etc..

And the most horrifying aspect is that the damage from this incident will go on for years and years and years..

 

[goofyernmost]

After viewing the commercial...I cannot for the life of me understand what anyone would find fault with. It seemed sincere, informative and, in many ways, humbling. It's not often you see a CEO grovel like that.

Those of us that remember the "Valdez" incident also will not remember Exxon doing anything other then trying to make themselves look like the victims. It was the same sickening feeling in my stomach when I first went to Exxon's Universe of Energy in EPCOT Center. There was 45 minutes of Exxon trying to tell us that they basically were the saviors of life as we know it. It was self promotion at it's most blatant. (nothing wrong with that because that is what the spent millions on to promote themselves at Disney) Still when they kept telling us over and over about how wonderfully responsible they were and how they were making life so much better for all of us by promoting alternative energy sources...well after Valdez it just didn't seem all that true.

The accident happened...I truly believe that everything that can be done to fix that problem is being done. I have not heard a single word from a single source that has said that BP is shirking their responsibilities in this matter. So, lesson learned, let's not repeat it and lets cut them some slack until they give us a lot of reason not too.

 

[PatriciaH]

http://www.businessinsider.com/bp-h...s-has-an-awful-track-record-for-safety-2010-6

"BP's Horrible Safety Record: It's Got 760 OSHA Fines, Exxon Has Just 1

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/05/09/2737498/bp-has-history-of-safety-environmental.html

"BP has history of safety, environmental violations"

http://michiganmessenger.com/38164/bp-refinery-threatens-great-lakes-ecosystem

"BP refinery threatens Great Lakes ecosystem
Whiting, Indiana plant has history of environmental violations"

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/us/06rig.html?pagewanted=1

"BP had fallen behind schedule and over budget, paying roughly $500,000 a day to lease the rig from Transocean. The rig was 43 days late for starting a new drilling job for BP by the day of the explosion, a delay that had already cost the company more than $21 million.

With the clock ticking, bad decisions went unchecked, warning signs went unheeded and small lapses compounded.

On April 1, a job log written by a Halliburton employee, Marvin Volek, warns that BP’s use of cement “was against our best practices.”
"In testimony to government investigators, rig workers repeatedly described a “natural conflict” between BP, which can make more money by completing drilling jobs quickly, and Transocean, which receives a leasing fee from BP every day that it continues drilling.

An April 18 internal Halliburton memorandum indicates that Halliburton again warned BP about its practices, this time saying that a “severe” gas flow problem would occur if the casings were not centered more carefully.

Around that same time, a BP document shows, company officials chose a type of casing with a greater risk of collapsing.

Despite noticing cementing problems, BP skipped a quality test of the cement around the pipe. Federal regulators also gave the rig a pass at several critical moments. After the rig encountered several problems, including the gas kicks and the pipe stuck in the well, the regulators did not demand a halt to the operation. Instead, they gave permission for a delay in a safety test of the blowout preventer.

Douglas Brown, a Transocean mechanic on the rig, told investigators that an unnamed BP official whom he called “the company man” had instructed rig workers to execute a new plan for removing the riser and sealing the well. Mr. Brown testified that workers thought the plan was too risky.

An initial investigation by BP points to a range of missteps."

http://www.publicintegrity.org/articles/entry/2085/

"Two refineries owned by oil giant BP account for 97 percent of all flagrant violations found in the refining industry by government safety inspectors over the past three years, a Center for Public Integrity analysis shows. Most of BP’s citations were classified as “egregious willful” by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and reflect alleged violations of a rule designed to prevent catastrophic events at refineries.

http://thelensnola.org/2010/05/24/five-years-after-katrina-the-return-of-disaster-capitalism/

"And to those worried restaurateurs facing rising prices for shrimp and oysters? In the words of fellow BP rep Randy Prescott: “Louisiana isn’t the only place that has shrimp.”


http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/bp-feds-withheld-videos-showing-massive-scope-oil/story?id=10819367

"New videos show more clearly than ever how BP, with little resistance from the Coast Guard or other federal agencies, kept the public in the dark about just how bad things were beneath the surface of the Gulf of Mexico."

http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0604/bp-feds-videos-showed-magnitude-spill-secret/

"Federal officials and the oil giant BP effectively conspired to keep the worst images of the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico from the public, according to a report Thursday."

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/06/02/2010-06-02_the_hidden_death_in_the_gulf.html

"On Monday, a Daily News team was escorted away from a public beach on Elmer's Island by cops who said they were taking orders from BP."

 

[C.Ann]

http://www.businessinsider.com/bp-h...s-has-an-awful-track-record-for-safety-2010-6

"BP's Horrible Safety Record: It's Got 760 OSHA Fines, Exxon Has Just 1

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/05/09/2737498/bp-has-history-of-safety-environmental.html

"BP has history of safety, environmental violations"

http://michiganmessenger.com/38164/bp-refinery-threatens-great-lakes-ecosystem

"BP refinery threatens Great Lakes ecosystem
Whiting, Indiana plant has history of environmental violations"

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/us/06rig.html?pagewanted=1

"BP had fallen behind schedule and over budget, paying roughly $500,000 a day to lease the rig from Transocean. The rig was 43 days late for starting a new drilling job for BP by the day of the explosion, a delay that had already cost the company more than $21 million.

With the clock ticking, bad decisions went unchecked, warning signs went unheeded and small lapses compounded.

On April 1, a job log written by a Halliburton employee, Marvin Volek, warns that BP’s use of cement “was against our best practices.”
"In testimony to government investigators, rig workers repeatedly described a “natural conflict” between BP, which can make more money by completing drilling jobs quickly, and Transocean, which receives a leasing fee from BP every day that it continues drilling.

An April 18 internal Halliburton memorandum indicates that Halliburton again warned BP about its practices, this time saying that a “severe” gas flow problem would occur if the casings were not centered more carefully.

Around that same time, a BP document shows, company officials chose a type of casing with a greater risk of collapsing.

Despite noticing cementing problems, BP skipped a quality test of the cement around the pipe. Federal regulators also gave the rig a pass at several critical moments. After the rig encountered several problems, including the gas kicks and the pipe stuck in the well, the regulators did not demand a halt to the operation. Instead, they gave permission for a delay in a safety test of the blowout preventer.

Douglas Brown, a Transocean mechanic on the rig, told investigators that an unnamed BP official whom he called “the company man” had instructed rig workers to execute a new plan for removing the riser and sealing the well. Mr. Brown testified that workers thought the plan was too risky.

An initial investigation by BP points to a range of missteps."

http://www.publicintegrity.org/articles/entry/2085/

"Two refineries owned by oil giant BP account for 97 percent of all flagrant violations found in the refining industry by government safety inspectors over the past three years, a Center for Public Integrity analysis shows. Most of BP’s citations were classified as “egregious willful” by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and reflect alleged violations of a rule designed to prevent catastrophic events at refineries.

http://thelensnola.org/2010/05/24/five-years-after-katrina-the-return-of-disaster-capitalism/

"And to those worried restaurateurs facing rising prices for shrimp and oysters? In the words of fellow BP rep Randy Prescott: “Louisiana isn’t the only place that has shrimp.”


http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/bp-feds-withheld-videos-showing-massive-scope-oil/story?id=10819367

"New videos show more clearly than ever how BP, with little resistance from the Coast Guard or other federal agencies, kept the public in the dark about just how bad things were beneath the surface of the Gulf of Mexico."

http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0604/bp-feds-videos-showed-magnitude-spill-secret/

"Federal officials and the oil giant BP effectively conspired to keep the worst images of the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico from the public, according to a report Thursday."

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/06/02/2010-06-02_the_hidden_death_in_the_gulf.html

"On Monday, a Daily News team was escorted away from a public beach on Elmer's Island by cops who said they were taking orders from BP."

This is exactly the type of thing I was talking about.. Kind of hard to work up any sympathy for them based on their actions - and lack of..

 

[Scurvy]

"And to those worried restaurateurs facing rising prices for shrimp and oysters? In the words of fellow BP rep Randy Prescott: “Louisiana isn’t the only place that has shrimp.”

This was going around Twitter the other day. I tried to find the actual story about it, but mostly what I found was a bunch of blogs and tweets by outraged people using this as another reason to boycott BP. I did finally find one story that offered the backgroud that he was responding to a question about restauranteurs who were afraid they would lose their businesses because they wouldn't be able to get shrimp. As insensitive as I'm sure that statement sounds to those affected by the oil leak, it's also true. Increased prices may be an issue for some places, but there will still be shrimp available.

My state is being very adversely affected by this leak. I realize that it's a terrible, terrible thing. But again, it serves no purpose to constantly vilify BP for this. There is no reason to assume the worst about every statement they make. This is a publicity nightmare for them; they certainly aren't going to intentionally say something dismissive about the people who are losing their source of income. I strongly suspect that he was simply pointing out that there will still be shrimp available to those who wish to buy them.

There's plenty of blame to go around for this. The real question now is, what is everyone doing to fix the problem. And at this point, I haven't seen anything to indicate that BP is not stepping up and doing everything they can. Have you?

 

[Notatourist]

It is unfortunate BP is getting such undeserved bad press. Accidents happen. The reality is that oil spills are a fact of life, they are going to happen. They would happen far less often if we didn't have unreasonable drilling restrictions, but so be it.

Here's a fact: BP is far more important to our economy and our nation than a) Gulf Coast beach resorts, b) fishermen; and c) fish.

Yes, I said it.

Oh really? And what do you do for a living? What you're not realizing here is that this affects everyone. The tourism industry in Louisiana is gone. My hometown beach is now getting covered in tar balls. Fisherman are not allowed to go out and fish.

Now think about the oil and the currents of the Gulf. EVERY single beach in the world is going to see this oil thanks to currents.

Unreasonable drilling restrictions? You do realize that the eleven men were incinerated right? Drilling restrictions actually save lives.

And I hope you liked seafood, you're not going to be able to get any soon from the Gulf. You know in Alaska, the Herring is GONE. Never came back after the Valdez. Also, if you dig in that bay, about one foot in, you're digging in OIL.

This is a disaster for all.

 

[starstruck93]

Oh really? And what do you do for a living? What you're not realizing here is that this affects everyone. The tourism industry in Louisiana is gone. My hometown beach is now getting covered in tar balls. Fisherman are not allowed to go out and fish.

Now think about the oil and the currents of the Gulf. EVERY single beach in the world is going to see this oil thanks to currents.

Unreasonable drilling restrictions? You do realize that the eleven men were incinerated right? Drilling restrictions actually save lives.

And I hope you liked seafood, you're not going to be able to get any soon from the Gulf. You know in Alaska, the Herring is GONE. Never came back after the Valdez. Also, if you dig in that bay, about one foot in, you're digging in OIL.

This is a disaster for all.

ITA with this!

 

[bicker]

It isn't a matter of working up sympathy for BP, but rather just working up rational logic toward the situation. People should direct their available energy toward care, concern and advocacy for those adversely affected by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, instead of wasting such energy crafting new and innovative attacks on BP or its CEO. People living in the affected areas need to know we care about them -- they don't need us trying to exact revenge on their behalf.

 

[MAH4546]

Oh really? And what do you do for a living? What you're not realizing here is that this affects everyone. The tourism industry in Louisiana is gone. My hometown beach is now getting covered in tar balls. Fisherman are not allowed to go out and fish.

The tourism industry in Louisiana was already pretty much dead. The fact remains that, on a national level, the tourism industry in Louisiana is absolutely irrelevant. A

Unreasonable drilling restrictions? You do realize that the eleven men were incinerated right? Drilling restrictions actually save lives.

And do you realize that it is safer to drill closer to the shore? If it weren't for unreasonable drilling restrictions, lives would have been saved.

And I hope you liked seafood, you're not going to be able to get any soon from the Gulf. You know in Alaska, the Herring is GONE. Never came back after the Valdez. Also, if you dig in that bay, about one foot in, you're digging in OIL.

I don't eat seafood, so doesn't bother me. But that quote makes my point - it is very easy, safe and efficient to drill for oil near the shorelines, yet we are not allowed to, which is ridiculous.

This is a disaster for all.

No, its actually not, when we remove emotion from the equation. Americans will end up benefiting from cheaper oil prices, which will create cheaper costs for durable and perishable goods.

Its a disaster for the Gulf Coast, but not for all. And, the fact is that the industries hurt - fishing and tourism in the Gulf - are absolutely irrelevant to America as a whole.

 

[Tiggeroo]

Do they need to take a chunk of the blame? Of course they do. But if I am following the press releases correctly, not one but three safety systems simultaneously failed. No one has made a credible allegation that they skimped on safety or did anything that caused the accident. They simply did not have a plan for containing a deep water problem of this type.

There was an interview on tv with a gentleman on the ship. He made some definite claims that bp did just that. The knew there were problems with the safety systems. They went against the drilling companies recommendations and insisted that they speed up the process, which the drilling company warned increased risk. There were chunks of rubber coming up that would have been from a safety seal and bp dismissed it. The gentleman who did this interview had a good deal to loose by criticizing bp. So I tend to believe him. His interview was very damning. Then after it they had a gentleman who analyzes disasters for the federal government. He felt the interview confirmed that bp was to blame and did many things that contributed to the mess. It was more then just an accident.

 

[skater]

I can feel the pain in your post brmom. I'm praying for everybody in the gulf area. The whole thing sickens me. I'm not against drilling for oil (and in fact support it), but shouldn't BP have had a way to fix this situation before it happened? I think this is an epic diaster - particularly for people who live in the gulf and yes, nationally. Anything that destroys such a huge part of our country's environment is a national disaster.

I don't think anyone is convinced that BP cares about the diaster. Maybe they're as bad at PR as they are at fixing the spill .

 

[eliza61]

As to accidents sure they happen, but when accidents happen due to greed on the part of big oil wanting to bypass safety, then it is little harder to take.

Would you be willing to excuse Disney for a horrific accident on a ride, if you knew they had taken short cuts to save money. They spend big money to lobby the government to allow them to do this, so they are as much to blame as BP is. Safety procedures are required in Norway and Brazil that the US does not require because big oil money has convinced them they are not necessary.

AMEN!! This is the problem I have with BP and the owner of the mines where we lost those miners a few months ago. These "accidents" did not simply occur, they are the direct result of safety violations.

Dh works for a large oil refinery located in south Philadelphia, every day he is concern by what he sees as the companies push for bigger and bigger profits,
while refusing to maintain equipment, cutting staff and taking shortcuts.

Imagine if that refinery had an explosion or a toxic gas leak. In the middle of South Philadelphia. A residential area, 1 mile from citizens ball park, philadelphia airport and less then 10 miles from downtown Center City.

 

[bicker]

Expanding on some of my earlier comments . . .

I don't think anyone is convinced that BP cares about the diaster.

That's an indefensible claim, and is the kind of thing that could make things worse rather than better.

First and foremost, BP is a multi-national corporation with owners living in countries all over the world. To assert that BP doesn't care about the disaster, without further qualification, is to include in that categorical accusation thousands upon thousands of people who live in the affected area, and that a reprehensible implication, even though not intended.

Beyond that, to try to psycho-analyze even an individual, from afar, is utterly without merit. While such an accusation isn't reprehensible, the fact is that such accusations are easily dismissed as baseless ranting. They serve no constructive purpose, except to give the person making the accusation, and those who resonate with it, a short-lived visceral thrill. However, what's most important is that such ranting typically ends up leaving even the critic and the bandwagoneers worse-off, when the reality of the ineffectiveness of the criticism sinks in.

Maybe they're as bad at PR as they are at fixing the spill .

Actually, they're doing a pretty good job. If they were bad at PR, I wouldn't be motivated to put reckless criticisms in perspective.

Again, I put the question: How is this helping the people adversely affected by the oil spill in the Gulf? How is it helping anyone or anything? If the purpose isn't to help, then let's make that clear. My comments are directly motivated to try to get people to stop wasting time and energy on such pointless exercises, hoping that instead people will turn their attention to participating in outreach to help those adversely affected, instead.

Here are some ways to help:

http://www.nationalparks.org/
http://www.crcl.org/
http://no-hunger.org/News/Gulf Oil Spill.aspx
http://www.ibrrc.org/gulf-oil-spill-how-to-help-2010.html
http://www.unitedwaynola.org/gulfoilspill/#help