Lowest Common Denominator

The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.
(John Kenneth Galbraith, economist 1908-2006)

It was vile beyond all vileness.
(Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada)

This was not our accident.
(Tony Hayward, CEO British Petroleum)

Impossible things (like unending economic growth) won't happen just because people want them to.
(Richard Heinberg, author, energy consultant, senior Fellow-in-Residence at Post Carbon Institute)

No mitigation measures other than those required by regulation and BP policy will be employed to avoid, diminish or eliminate potential impacts on environmental resources.
(BP submission to U.S. Minerals Management Service, prior to drilling in region of current oil catastrophe)

As the Gulf Coast oil disaster continues to unfold, it is patently clear that the only truly safe way to extract oil is not to drill for it, hardly likely in the foreseeable future. At this point we can but merely hope for the “best” in a very bad situation.

But beyond the immediate disaster lies our real problem, America's lowest common denominator. It is now guiding our corporate life, our political life, and seemingly our moral life.

From the worst of the climate deniers, to the banality of drill-baby-drill, to adept street hustlers like a Glenn Beck or a Sarah Palin a large segment of the American public and its elected representatives have chosen ignorance and simple greed over reason and logic when it comes to climate change and energy ... among other things.

As has been stated often enough, we need an “energy” Marshall Plan in order to develop far more diverse energy sources. We need a carbon tax to push us in new directions. We need a climate and energy policy not written by the fossil fuel industry. Yes we need a genuine conservation policy in the U.S. Most important we need a citizenry that ultimately understands that living “smart” is not a lifestyle choice. Finally, we need a sense of economic fairness in America and a determination to flush down the toilet free market zealotry. It's as ludicrous as the divine right of kings

Will all this come to pass? There's a good chance it won't anytime soon. But if you're ready to give up, just imagine the devastation that is now occurring in the Gulf to marine and wildlife, to entire ecosystems, and to ordinary humans trying to make a living. That should be incentive enough to keep going on and not give up.
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Largest Oil Donors to U.S. Senate

Chevron, Koch Industries, Exxon, Valero Energy, Marathon Oil

Largest Recipients in U.S. Senate

Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), David Vitter (R-LA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Robert Bennett (R-UT), John Cornyn R-TX

Largest Oil Donors to U.S. House

Koch Industries, Exxon Mobil, Valero Energy, Chevron Corp., Williams Companies

Largest Recipients in U.S. House

Joe Barton (R-TX), Chet Edwards (D-TX), Michael Conway (R-TX), Eric Cantor (R-VA), Peter Olson (R-TX)

Source: Follow the Oil Money (oilmoney.priceofoil.org )

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Resource Database for Gulf of Mexico