Don T., most of the time I agree with the viewpoints you express. But in this case, you are misinterpreting—distorting—what I said. I am not advocating anything like revenge for the Torrey Canyon incident. To claim that this is what I am saying is disingenuous, and it's unworthy of you.

I am pointing up the predilection many people, particularly companies, have to blame someone else so they can disavow their obvious responsibility when it is they who have screwed up.

The cause of the Torrey Canyon oil spill was an incompetent captain. Yet both the British and the French governments, sued Union Oil, which had no control over, hence no responsibility for, the shipwreck. Why? Because that's where the money was!!!

The Gulf oil spill is an entirely different situation. You, Richard Bridge, and a few others seem to want to blame anybody but BP for causing the disaster. True, there were subcontractors, whom you want to blame, when it was BP management who were complaining that the drilling was taking too long and costing too much money, so they order the drilling crew to speed things up. When the drilling crew objected, saying it was not safe to do so, the BP paper-pushing desk jockeys threatened to replace them.

In the light of this, I would say that if the subcontractor bears any responsibility, it is in that they should have refused and threatened to quit.

No revenge, Don T. Put the responsibility where it really belongs.

I resent your attempt to warp what I have said.

Don Firth

P. S. And thank you, Rev. Goose.