Oil NOT well. Oil is a dark and dense substance that hides under ground, and when it's underground it has a neutral impact on the environment. But whenever oil is brought to the surface it becomes a toxic contaminant spoiling every part of the environment it touches. We fail to understand how penetrating this poison is because we take for granted the use of soap to wash it clean away from our flesh. The next time your hands are covered in oil from cooking or working on your car, try removing it without soap. We also take for granted just how easy our flesh is to wash compared to other creatures in the plant and animal kingdoms.
All oil (fossil fuel) that breaches the surface of the earth is "spilled" and therefore destined to pollute the environment from the deep sea to the outer stratosphere. Oil spilled in water is perhaps the worst because the water can carry it far and wide destroying sea life along the way. But when oil is spilled from a vessel such as the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska, as bad as it is it floats on the surface and can therefore be contained somewhat easier than the current BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico. A mile beneath the surface of the gulf is a highly pressurized fountain of oil spewing raw crude into the water from the bottom to the top and beyond, maybe this is what they mean by "Beyond Petroleum".
This oil is in every layer of the water and it all comes out on top where it continues to openly roam the region creating havoc for all forms of life. We watch daily the live feed of the oil as it gushes from this hole deep below, we see eels swimming right through the oil as if they don't even know to avoid it. Oil being released into the atmosphere of these creatures is akin to a nuclear fallout in our home towns. There is no escape, there is no defense, there is no hope for millions of young hatchlings not ready for the deeper regions of the Atlantic. Though we can see this through the economic lens of the fishing industry and sympathize with the poor prospects for fishermen, surely we can focus too on the underwater holocaust for the fish.
Oil represents something within us, dark reserves of energy that can be burned to fuel our ego drives no matter how out of balance our goals can be with the balance of the natural world. Our egos seek greater power and influence on a constant basis and wish to head great works beyond the means of one man (or woman). The same motives that fueled slavery, indentured servitude, sweat shops, and slave wage labor, are the same motives that we tap into to put the power of many horses at the toe of our right foot. Without your car you could not commute as far to work, you could not carry as much water or food from the market, and a trip to the beach would be anything but a day at the beach. But as long as we want these things regardless of their true cost, we will it to be.
Of course millions (if not billions) want alternatives to this dark power, and in this analogy the sun is sounding pretty good right now. Solar, wind, and biofuel industries are sprouting all around us but the egos driving the oil, coal, gas, and nuclear industries are determined to choke these babies in their cribs. Now in the murky wake of BPs corporate crimes it's never been more clear that these executives in the reigning industries recognize no authority above them. Corporations in these industries have outgrown nations and show no respect for the will and well being of any living thing outside of their small exclusive circle. With the recent supreme court decision allowing corporations to contribute to political campaigns we have handed them the keys to every door in Washington and every resource on the planet.
If you live in California you are being inundated by PG&E propaganda telling you to vote yes on Prop 16. This proposition is completely funded by PG&E and it's entirely their baby. They call it "The tax payers right to vote act" as if tax payers don't already have the right to vote. What it will do if passed is make it so that any alternative energy plant (or competition for PG&E) has to be OKd by a two thirds majority of voters across the state before they can start up. First they need to acquire the necessary signatures to get a proposition on the ballot (an expensive ordeal) and if they do they have to win the election requiring a war chest big enough to beat the counter campaign from (guess who) PG&E. It's not enough to let the old entrenched powers dabble in alternative energy to "green" up their corporate images, these ultimately corrupted egos must be completely dismantled. Needless to say, I will VOTE NO ON PROP 16!
Oil NOT well. Oil is a dark and dense substance that hides under ground, and when it's underground it has a neutral impact on the environment. But whenever oil is brought to the surface it becomes a toxic contaminant spoiling every part of the environment it touches. We fail to understand how penetrating this poison is because we take for granted the use of soap to wash it clean away from our flesh. The next time your hands are covered in oil from cooking or working on your car, try removing it without soap. We also take for granted just how easy our flesh is to wash compared to other creatures in the plant and animal kingdoms.
All oil (fossil fuel) that breaches the surface of the earth is "spilled" and therefore destined to pollute the environment from the deep sea to the outer stratosphere. Oil spilled in water is perhaps the worst because the water can carry it far and wide destroying sea life along the way. But when oil is spilled from a vessel such as the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska, as bad as it is it floats on the surface and can therefore be contained somewhat easier than the current BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico. A mile beneath the surface of the gulf is a highly pressurized fountain of oil spewing raw crude into the water from the bottom to the top and beyond, maybe this is what they mean by "Beyond Petroleum".
This oil is in every layer of the water and it all comes out on top where it continues to openly roam the region creating havoc for all forms of life. We watch daily the live feed of the oil as it gushes from this hole deep below, we see eels swimming right through the oil as if they don't even know to avoid it. Oil being released into the atmosphere of these creatures is akin to a nuclear fallout in our home towns. There is no escape, there is no defense, there is no hope for millions of young hatchlings not ready for the deeper regions of the Atlantic. Though we can see this through the economic lens of the fishing industry and sympathize with the poor prospects for fishermen, surely we can focus too on the underwater holocaust for the fish.
Oil represents something within us, dark reserves of energy that can be burned to fuel our ego drives no matter how out of balance our goals can be with the balance of the natural world. Our egos seek greater power and influence on a constant basis and wish to head great works beyond the means of one man (or woman). The same motives that fueled slavery, indentured servitude, sweat shops, and slave wage labor, are the same motives that we tap into to put the power of many horses at the toe of our right foot. Without your car you could not commute as far to work, you could not carry as much water or food from the market, and a trip to the beach would be anything but a day at the beach. But as long as we want these things regardless of their true cost, we will it to be.
Of course millions (if not billions) want alternatives to this dark power, and in this analogy the sun is sounding pretty good right now. Solar, wind, and biofuel industries are sprouting all around us but the egos driving the oil, coal, gas, and nuclear industries are determined to choke these babies in their cribs. Now in the murky wake of BPs corporate crimes it's never been more clear that these executives in the reigning industries recognize no authority above them. Corporations in these industries have outgrown nations and show no respect for the will and well being of any living thing outside of their small exclusive circle. With the recent supreme court decision allowing corporations to contribute to political campaigns we have handed them the keys to every door in Washington and every resource on the planet.
If you live in California you are being inundated by PG&E propaganda telling you to vote yes on Prop 16. This proposition is completely funded by PG&E and it's entirely their baby. They call it "The tax payers right to vote act" as if tax payers don't already have the right to vote. What it will do if passed is make it so that any alternative energy plant (or competition for PG&E) has to be OKd by a two thirds majority of voters across the state before they can start up. First they need to acquire the necessary signatures to get a proposition on the ballot (an expensive ordeal) and if they do they have to win the election requiring a war chest big enough to beat the counter campaign from (guess who) PG&E. It's not enough to let the old entrenched powers dabble in alternative energy to "green" up their corporate images, these ultimately corrupted egos must be completely dismantled. Needless to say, I will VOTE NO ON PROP 16!
