Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Protesters Invite BP to Join Oil Addicts Anonymous

As I was riding home - fortunately, just before it started to rain hard - I came to this scene at New Seward Highway and Benson in front of BP Alaska's  headquarters in Anchorage. 


Since I was on my bike, it was easy to stop and ask what was going on.  They pointed to Josh as their spokesperson.



[Viddler was having trouble so I uploaded to YouTube today.]

5 comments:

  1. How did Josh get to the BP HQ? By bike I hope.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes Anon, Josh DID ride a bike.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Something I really became aware of while living in London is how first-wave industrialization got its kick-start: coal. The immense seams of coal in England, Germany and the USA stimulated these countries readiness to develop industrial capacity through use of that day's technology: steam engines.

    So now we've moved to oil where the US had the hometown advantage and European powers had to scramble for pieces of global empire. As that oil runs low, tensions rise to gain access to available reserves. This is why China now develops its coal supply.

    Oil addiction is really an effect of power addiction. New technologies are still about consuming power we've compulsively assumed we must supply. Coal = Oil = what? Hydro, wind, solar, fuel cell, nuclear, perpetual motion -- the equation remains constant; this is why things don't change. We only change the source of our power addiction. It will always make winners and losers.

    Changing assumptions of power needs is critically needed. Steve's discussion about drying laundry outdoors is that one small example. So many areas of the world live with less, consume less power and all the while hope some day to merge into the power-use fast lane. How do we shift this expectation if we don't demand (and pay for) solutions to reduce today's demand?

    Well, because we want our power now, as is, thank you very much. Power is power. Big Oil is simply today's pusher. We buy it for our addiction well aware of the costs as we shudder to imagine our world without it. Fill 'er up!

    ReplyDelete
  4. It is worth watching: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYYIzMQLHyA

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ropi, What is it about this Youtube that you think is so worth watching?

    After the initial cuteness of the concept, I see it as yet one more anti-Obama attack that is based on the negative image of Obama that the right wing of the US has created that has nothing to do with the reality of the President.

    More significant legislation has passed Congress in the 18 months Obama's been President than we've seen since after Kennedy was assasinated probably. The health care overhaul - which created something that you yourself said you and other Europeans take for granted - was thwarted for 50 years here until Obama got it passed.

    That was huge by itself. And yesterday a financial reform bill was passed to help prevent the kind of bank caused crisis that Obama inherited when he came into office.

    The Republicans say these bills were forced on the country with no Republican support, but they passed in the Senate with 60% to 40% majorities, which used to be called a landslide. But the Republicans portray this as a close vote.

    So I find the bumper sticker video you recommend to be part of an insidious, negative propaganda campaign to damage a President who has accomplished more than any accomplished in 30 years or more, despite a Republican minority that refuses to cooperate in any way.

    The Republicans left the country in near financial ruin after the 8 Bush W years and now they are unsuccessfully trying to keep Obama from accomplishing anything.

    ReplyDelete

Comments will be reviewed, not for content (except ads), but for style. Comments with personal insults, rambling tirades, and significant repetition will be deleted. Ads disguised as comments, unless closely related to the post and of value to readers (my call) will be deleted. Click here to learn to put links in your comment.