Trevor A Mueller Presents…

It’s been a while since I’ve gone on a good rant, and this one’s been stewing for a while now. In the time that it takes you to read this strip, enough oil will have spilled out into the Gulf to have fueled your car for two weeks. Possibly more. And they can’t even fix this before August at the earliest? You have got to be kidding me.

Maybe I’m channeling my inner Dennis Leary, but I think that everyone involved with the Gulf spill and all of the big wigs at the company should be forced to clean up the mess without pay for the rest of their lives. And if they’re old or slow, then their family should be “strongly encouraged” to help. This is something that is going to affect that area of the world for the next several centuries. And when they raise the price of gas anytime within the next 3 years, I’ll be sending my bill to BP.

I watched the congressional hearing briefly, which was basically the government saying, “We’re doing something about it, we swear,” but then they let the guy off with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. “Don’t do it. Clean it up.” Boo hoo. Congress really doesn’t have any power or control over the situation, so all they can really do is put the guy on national TV and humiliate him for an hour. Makes the elected officials feel like they’re doing something, and makes the people who elected them feel like something’s getting done.

Meanwhile, back in the Gulf, enough oil is spewing out every day to fuel a fleet of trucks for a year.

I exaggerate slightly (only slightly), but the truth of the matter is this: it’s a serious situation, an ecological disaster that will affect the the world for centuries. And that’s not an exaggeration.

And if it hits the Mississippi and makes its way north, then it’s going to seep into the farm belt. And Lake Michigan, the largest fresh water supply on the planet. Granted this is worst case scenario stuff, and I’m hoping that someone gets it together enough to make sure it doesn’t get that far. But it has seeped into the marsh lands, where it won’t be able to be removed.

My rant has turned into bitching.

I guess the take away here is this: even if it’s in the news less, it hasn’t gone away. It’s a serious situation. And remember it when gas prices go up to $5 a gallon again.