Posts Tagged ‘bp’

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@$$hole!: Catastrophe

February 23rd, 2011 | by Trevor
Posted In: comics

Last year, we were all witness to what may be the largest geological and ecological catastrophe of our lifetime to date.

BP, in an effort to get to richer and richer veins of non-replenishable fossil fuel, dug too deep in the trenches of the Gulf of Mexico. As a result, the oil trapped at depths of the ocean so deep they were toxic to even try to get to, began spewing forth at an estimated rate of 55,000 gallons per day. This lasted for several months.

Despite the blatant error on their part, oil prices continue to skyrocket due to “shortages” or “increased demand.” Where we used to only see a spike in gas prices in the summer (prime travel season), we’re now seeing spikes in the winter, too.

The problem I have here (besides the irreversible damage to the environment by Big Oil) is that we as a people are 90% dependent on oil and gas as a fuel source. It heats our homes, it powers our vehicles and public transportation, and we don’t have an alternative available.

Sure, there are some electric cars in the works (or in market outside of the US), but implementing them on a grand scale means completely overhauling our economic structure around travel. I won’t bore you with the economics of it, but think about this: gas station, oil tankers, truck drivers, shipping boats – all of these things and more are used for oil transport right now. They all employ people. And the ripple effect from their loss would be felt in industries outside of Big Oil (manufacturing the vehicles and oil platforms, for example).

What irks me here as well is that once “the crisis was over,” there was no more news coverage. In fact, the government released a statement saying the damage “wasn’t that bad.”

Well guys, have you thought about the fact that the oil slick, originally concentrated around the spill, had started to dissipate into the very large ocean the Gulf feeds into?

It’s not gone, people – it’s just not all in the same spot anymore.

So anyway, I didn’t get a chance to rant about this much while the crisis was going on, but I felt the need to do so here with gas prices estimated to reach $5 per gallon this winter. Just wanted to remind everyone that we have every right to be angry about this situation, to demand better from our government and from the Big Oil industry, and to demand alternative (and replenishable, affordable, and non-pollutant) fuel sources to petroleum.

If you write your congress, your local government, your auto manufacturers, etc, this doesn’t make you a tree-hugger. It just makes you someone who wants to be able to swim in the ocean without getting an oil bath. Followed by cancer.

I could rant for hours on this particular topic, but I’d much rather go back to doing what I do best – making comics. This comic in particular is my outcry for change. What’s yours?

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@$$hole!: A Funny Strip

July 7th, 2010 | by Trevor
Posted In: web comics

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.

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