Monday, May 31, 2010

Domination through negligence


Here's the blueprint for world domination:

Blow up an oil well, starting a massive oil spill. Let the oil go and go, then spray gunk on it that makes things worse and makes cleanup workers sick.

Destroy the environment; destroy people's livelihoods. Make them completely dependent on the jobs you create to clean up the mess you made.

Abuse your new employees, deny them safety equipment, cover up when they fall ill, threaten them and their jobs if they speak out.


BUY OFF the government and -- voila! -- you're King of the World! Cable News Network explains all this on their website:
The restraining order requests that BP stop using dispersants without providing "appropriate personal protective equipment" to workers.

Corexit, a dispersant, is being sprayed into the Gulf to break down the oil. The safety data information sheet from the manufacturer states that people should "avoid breathing in vapor" from Corexit, and that masks should be work when Corexit is present in certain concentrations in the air.

BP has not supplied workers with masks when they work near the oil and dispersants.

"We're been carrying out very extensive air quality since early on in this exercise, to make sure that we have working safe conditions, and thus far not found situations where there are air quality concerns that would require face masks," MacEwen said.

He added that workers who want to wear masks are "free to do so" as long as they receive instructions from their supervisors on how to use them.

According to Guidry from the shrimpers' association, BP told workers they were not allowed to wear masks.

"Some of our men asked, and they were told they'd be fired if they wore masks," he said.

Tony Hayward, the chief executive officer of BP, offered another explanation for the fishermen's illness: spoiled food.

"Food poisoning is clearly a big issue," Hayward said Sunday. "It's something we've got to be very mindful of. It's one of the big issues of keeping the Army operating. You know, the Army marches on their stomachs."

An expert on foodborne illness cast doubt on Hayward's theory.

"Headaches, shortness of breath, nosebleeds -- there's nothing there that suggests foodborne illness," said Dr. Michael Osterholm, a professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. "I don't know what these people have, but it sounds more like a respiratory illness."
WHAT DOES it matter, Cap? It's not like their lives have any value -- they're serfs!

Thought experiment: If a government can't fulfill its basic role, protecting the welfare of citizens,
what then is it good for? And what legitimacy can it possibly have?

No comments: