Onto the next...oil spill
Yup, folks. We've got another major oil spill on our hands. This one's in U.S. Catholic's own backyard, Marshall, Michigan, about a two or so hour drive from Chicago.
The Detroit Free Press reports that the leak was reported at a pumping station located along the 1,900 mile pipeline on Monday, but by Tuesday evening oil had reached Ft. Custer State Recreation Area, located between Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, which most Chicagoans know as the home of the very fine Bell's Brewery. The cause of the spill is still unknown, and the amount of oil leaked so far is "enough to cover a football field to a depth of more than 2 feet."
Good news though: "Industry experts said the pipeline closure wouldn't disrupt supplies or affect gas prices."
Phew. Because that was my initial concern, whether or not I have to pay an extra 25 cents per gallon when I fill my car up this week. Nevermind the oil-drenched fish and wildlife. No big deal about a river that flows into Lake Michigan now containing at least 840,000 gallons of oil.
Nope, my biggest concern was gas prices.
In all seriousness, why does this keep happening? Why is the most profitable industry in the world (remember Exxon Mobile's record breaking quarterly prophet margins in 2008--$11.7 billion?) failing to take the necessary precautions to prevent these sticky, stinky, lethal messes? Shouldn't oil leaks be the least of our worries? Shouldn't these oil giants be running such tight ships that our biggest problem is, not leaky pipelines, but what happens when we refine and burn oil for energy?
Comments (6)
ASDAF
By nike (not verified) on Sunday, September 5, 2010Jerry says: I['m] grateful
By Anonymous (not verified) on Thursday, July 29, 2010Jerry says: I['m] grateful to the companies andengineers who have made my life so much more at ease than prior generations while allowing us to improve environmental protections the more affluent our society becomes.
First of all, our society is not getting more affluent. The gap between the have and have not in this county is widening every year. Add to that the US economy is based on the principle of limitless expansion, limitless growth, limit acquisition. This is both an incredibly unChristian position and untenable for creating a lasting/sustainable society.
Second of all, to say that the oil industry or the car manufacturers or the industrial food complex has made "my life so much more at ease than prior generations" is an incredibly simplistic view. Freud said it best: If there had been no railway to conquer distance, my child would never have left town and I should need no telephone to hear his voice.
Affluence is not equality
By Jerry D (not verified) on Thursday, July 29, 2010Your well intentioned and I pray that you can be converted from your Socialistic brainwashing.
The goal of Socialism is force equality of results. You say we are not getting more affluent because you claim the gap between the rich and the poor is getting wider. Let's pretend it is getting wider: THAT IS NOT WHAT MATTERS MOST!.
Around the turn of the 20th Century, Rockefeller had running hot water, indoor plumbing, electricity, a car, and a telephone. The vast majority of Americans had none of these things. Futhermore hunger was a very real issue, people had to scrub their meager wardrobe after they wore the same clothes for a few days on a washboard.
affluence - continued
By Jerry D (not verified) on Thursday, July 29, 2010Today, the poors’ biggest problem is not hunger, but obesity. The poor virtually everything described above available only to the wealthiest a century ago and almost all the poor have televisions and cell phones that Rockefeller did not have. The poor may not have equal medical care today, but it is light-years better than what was available to Rockefeller.
If socialism would have prevailed, Rockefeller would have been brought down and everything would have been equal. You would be happy because even though we would all be dying from the measles, it would be equal.
Your Freud quote shows your propensity to want to control and be controlled rather than have freedom. Freud's son had the freedom to take the train, but you see the freedom as a curse in disguise. What profound negativity rather than gratitude!
READ RERUM NOVARUM AND ITS COMMENTS REGARDING EQUALITY!
Utopianism
By Jerry on Wednesday, July 28, 2010Meghan, whether you realize it or not, you are steeped in socialist utopianism.
WE LIVE IN AN IMPERFECT WORLD! Oil extraction and delivery will never be perfect!
What is amazing is the relatively small amount of spills given the massive scope and complexity of the oil industry. I grateful to the companies andengineers who have made my life so much more at ease than prior generations while allowing us to improve environmental protections the more affluent our society becomes.
You imply the lack of perfection is caused by private industry greed. If the government controls everything, things will not be perfect!
May I also note your lack of concern about economics. Private industry delivering goods efficiently has contributed more to lifting the poor out of poverty than socialist utopianism. The price of gas going up 10% is a concern for many people and the economy even though it may not be much of concern for some rich people.
The writer of Revrum Novarum recognized the benefits and morality of private industry versus Socialism. Based upon the understated goals for the improvement of the lot of workers in Revrum Novarum, he did not envision in 1893 how massively society would benefit from free enterprise.
collateral damage. you go to
By Anonymous (not verified) on Wednesday, July 28, 2010collateral damage. you go to war and the innocent die. you go for oil and the innocent die. the question isn't - why isn't this industry well managed and safe? it's - why do we need oil so badly we're willing to risk everything to get it? if there are no limits on our desires there is no limit on what we will destroy to fulfill them.
