BP oil 'spill cam'

It's not??
By not "playing the blame game", you are telling those responsible that there are no repurcussions to their *risky*, *reckless*, *greedy*, *unscrupulous* actions. It's like rewarding those responsible for what's happening to our economy (on Wall Street) with bonuses, instead of making them accountable. Or the fact that not one person surrounding 9/11 was fired.

We lock up people left and right over "crimes" they commit; yet when something catastrophic like this happens, we are so quick to let it go and move on.

 

My point is that people are spending tremendous amounts of time and energy pointing fingers when they could get off their butts and help with the clean up. Then, and only then, will I consider their points of view as valid. Because I live right where this is all happening, I just don't have patience for whiners who just sit back in their easy chairs and move their mouths, not their bodies.

 

Can you clarify what you are saying here? I'm confused...

 

I think what Swansong means is the same thought that I have. There is time enough to lay blame and point fingers later. Right now everyone needs to be focussed on solving the problem. That absolutely doesn't mean let BP get away with anything, just that there's a time and place for everything, and with hundreds of gallons pumping into the gulf, now is the time for problem solving, not pointing fingers.

 

My main point being that people have to be held accountable. In regular life, if a major ____-up happens at our job (on our watch), heads will/should roll. A doctor who causes something BAD to happen as a result of his/her negligence, would be held accountable. Same with a cop, a teacher, a bus driver, anybody.

With regard to 911, we obviously experienced massive failures in intelligence/defense/executive response. And as a result, three 50+ story buildings bit the dust. Think about that.

Now, did anyone get fired? Answer: No. In fact, in one case (Richard Myers) the man in charge got himself a promotion a month later!

You potentially could lose your job if any one of a 100 things happens on your watch. These guys, three skyscrapers bite the dust, and they get promotions. Imagine that.

 

But that's my point: they will get away with this. They will probably pay a fine (maybe a billion or two), and that'll be that. They may/probably portray this as some unforeseen circumstance... but that's nonsense. And even if it was, the contingency plan in place obviously was nil.

As for the problem-solving, the geniuses in charge are projecting an AUGUST time frame for stopping the leak.

AUGUST.

Hell, why not December? I mean, what in the world do you have to do to lose your job... how inept do you have to be, to have people up in arms against you? And for the record, I don't know why both things can't happen at the same time. Get on these guys while the case is front of us. Why can't you work on the problem, AND prosecute those to blame? Waiting only allows those to blame to better plan how they're gonna weasel their way out of it.

 

I don't feel its that simple John. Firing people will only allow for a bigger blame game. When does the chain of blame stop? Obviously the people in charge are at fault, but how far down the employee list does the blame go? I definitely feel someone should be responsible. But demanding people are fired may lead to too many people gone (who may not have played a large part in the failure), or not enough people.