Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: angry

Uncovering the Exxon Lies

The following article shares some news about the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and the various obnoxious and illegal things the company did. The article is full of strong language, but well worth reading.

Stick Your Damn Hand In It: 20th Birthday of the Exxon Valdez Lie
It was already two years after the spill and Exxon had crowed that Mother Nature had happily cleaned up their stinking oil mess for them. It was a lie. But the media wouldn't question the bald-faced bullshit. And who the hell was going to investigate Exxon's claim way out in some godforsaken Native village in the Prince William Sound?
Tags: bleu, environment, history
Subscribe

  • Birdfeeding

    Today is sunny, muggy, and quite warm. I fed the birds. I've seen house finches, doves, and a male rose-breasted grosbeak. :D I picked half a bag…

  • Monday Update 7-5-21

    These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them: Recipe: "Shrimp and Baby Corn Stir-Fry" Birdfeeding…

  • Rose-breasted Grosbeak

    I saw a rose-breasted grosbeak on the hopper feeder. I don't think I've seen one in summer before. They usually appear in spring. We had some for…

  • Post a new comment

    Error

    switch
    default userpic

    Your IP address will be recorded 

    When you submit the form an invisible reCAPTCHA check will be performed.
    You must follow the Privacy Policy and Google Terms of use.
    Help
  • 7 comments
yotogi

yotogi

March 26 2009, 23:14:44 UTC 12 years ago

It makes a certain amount of sense; Hazelwood couldn't expect to credibly object that he was being joe-jobbed-- even if he was-- because nobody would buy it, since he really was a raging alcoholic who'd had his driver's license suspended previously for DUI. Which does make me wonder... why are you allowed to retain a master's license for a ship if you're not considered fit to drive a vehicle?
siliconshaman

siliconshaman

March 26 2009, 23:26:15 UTC 12 years ago

Known about that for awhile... evidently Exxon decided that it was far cheaper to simply lie and cover up the damage, than actually do anything about it. The EPA and the Government-of-the-day were obviously complicit in that, if only by negligence if not actively.

But I somehow doubt Exxon were the only company to come to that balance-sheet decision, and this was the only incident. I more worry about the spills of whatever that were successfully hushed up.

I suspect it might be a good idea if someone on the Obama administration decides to start going over the old EPA case files, from about the Regan era onwards.
raindrops

raindrops

March 27 2009, 01:13:48 UTC 12 years ago

This is why I say that revolution against a corrupt government will do nothing. They're not the ones in charge (ergo, we're not, not really).

Corporate personhood is a crime against nature, because it grants to immortal legal fictions the rights of living, bleeding and eventually dying actual people ("natural persons" in the legal parlance); yet, they have none of the obligations nor responsibilities that go with the rights we keep giving away.

As long as immortal legal fictions exist that have no vote yet control every piece of legislation that is passed, we are all fucked.
ysabetwordsmith

Hmm...

ysabetwordsmith

March 27 2009, 02:01:47 UTC 12 years ago

I agree that corporate personhood is a bad idea that has caused much damage.

Corporations have strong influence over the government right now ... but not total influence. And they've just made the mistake of being too greedy and breaking the economy; more and more people are realizing that, growing resentful, and looking for ways to take back their power. One thing the executives tend to forget is that very few of their companies cater only to rich people; most depend on average citizens. If everybody hates them enough, spending patterns will change, and the worst of the corporations will be destroyed.
raindrops

Re: Hmm...

raindrops

March 27 2009, 07:47:29 UTC 12 years ago

Obviously, this is one of those topics that gets under my skin in such a way that eloquence escapes me.

I hope we shall... crush in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations which dare already to challenge our government in a trial of strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country. - Thomas Jefferson

They don't pay their friggin' taxes, and, just as in this case, they can simply outlast any opposition to what they're doing.

Look at what Ayn Rand has to say about morality in the context of immortality... basically, if you are immortal, you have no real reason to consider morality. You will outlive anyone who might try to hold you accountable for your actions.

Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad Company is still screwing us over, and with the SCOTUS we have today, it'll only get worse.
eniastoa

eniastoa

March 27 2009, 05:19:07 UTC 12 years ago

Legislation doesn't control everything that natural persons do, and can never control much of what's most meaningful about what people do, so there's that, but what you say is still all too true.
datalore

datalore

March 27 2009, 16:33:17 UTC 12 years ago

That is maddening.