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24
Jun
I’m going to start out by saying that I think this oil spill is a great tragedy. It makes me insanely sad, and gives me a sense of utter helplessness. If the smartest scientists and engineers are having trouble figuring out how to plug this “hole”, I know that there isn’t anything I can contribute really (aside from money). I mean, simple math is about is far as I can get with out getting myself a headache.
Animals are dying, people are, people are losing their livelihood over this. That is always an utter shame and a loss for the people. But, frankly…. I’m really tired of hearing people say things like “BP is awful, they suck, blah blah blah, negative negative, let’s boycott”. Unless you don’t use petroleum of course, then say it all you’d like. But, I think you are going to be hard pressed to find someone that doesn’t use petroleum.
The obvious is for gasoline for our vehicles. Most of us drive, and a lot of vehicles require petroleum….But, there is SO much stuff made with petroleum that I didn’t have a clue about.
So let’s take a look, shall we…
| Solvents | Diesel fuel | Motor Oil | Bearing Grease |
| Ink | Floor Wax | Ballpoint Pens | Football Cleats |
| Upholstery | Sweaters | Boats | Insecticides |
| Bicycle Tires | Sports Car Bodies | Nail Polish | Fishing lures |
| Dresses | Tires | Golf Bags | Perfumes |
| Cassettes | Dishwasher parts | Tool Boxes | Shoe Polish |
| Motorcycle Helmet | Caulking | Petroleum Jelly | Transparent Tape |
| CD Player | Faucet Washers | Antiseptics | Clothesline |
| Curtains | Food Preservatives | Basketballs | Soap |
| Vitamin Capsules | Antihistamines | Purses | Shoes |
| Dashboards | Cortisone | Deodorant | Footballs |
| Putty | Dyes | Panty Hose | Refrigerant |
| Percolators | Life Jackets | Rubbing Alcohol | Linings |
| Skis | TV Cabinets | Shag Rugs | Electrician’s Tape |
| Tool Racks | Car Battery Cases | Epoxy | Paint |
| Mops | Slacks | Insect Repellent | Oil Filters |
| Umbrellas | Yarn | Fertilizers | Hair Coloring |
| Roofing | Toilet Seats | Fishing Rods | Lipstick |
| Denture Adhesive | Linoleum | Ice Cube Trays | Synthetic Rubber |
| Speakers | Plastic Wood | Electric Blankets | Glycerin |
| Tennis Rackets | Rubber Cement | Fishing Boots | Dice |
| Nylon Rope | Candles | Trash Bags | House Paint |
| Water Pipes | Hand Lotion | Roller Skates | Surf Boards |
| Shampoo | Wheels | Paint Rollers | Shower Curtains |
| Guitar Strings | Luggage | Aspirin | Safety Glasses |
| Antifreeze | Football Helmets | Awnings | Eyeglasses |
| Clothes | Toothbrushes | Ice Chests | Footballs |
| Combs | CD’s & DVD’s | Paint Brushes | Detergents |
| Vaporizers | Balloons | Sun Glasses | Tents |
| Heart Valves | Crayons | Parachutes | Telephones |
| Enamel | Pillows | Dishes | Cameras |
| Anesthetics | Artificial Turf | Artificial limbs | Bandages |
| Dentures | Model Cars | Folding Doors | Hair Curlers |
| Cold cream | Movie film | Soft Contact lenses | Drinking Cups |
| Fan Belts | Car Enamel | Shaving Cream | Ammonia |
| Refrigerators | Golf Balls | Toothpaste | Gasoline |
That’s insane right? So many everyday household items have petroleum in them. I was shocked when I looked at this list. Seriously. While, I’d love to boycott the petroleum industry, as it stands right now I simply cannot, well I suppose I could boycott on the gasoline front. Since I really don’t drive too often. My husband car pools daily to work, so that’s saving a bit I suppose. But, if my husband doesn’t work, we don’t have money for food, a roof over our head, etc. A vicious circle, isn’t it? Hopefully companies will eventually come up with a way to manufacture these items with out being dependent on petroleum.
I hope that this situation will be fixed, and this will be a major lesson learned for the world. That there will be laws put into effect to assure this kind of thing never happens again. But, the demand for petroleum is there, obviously. Don’t you think something like this was bound to happen? I sure did. It already has, on a far less scale but, it has.
So how ’bout we quit are bitchin’ and get pro-active about this situation. Before more people lose their lives, before more animals lose their lives, and before more people are jobless or homeless because their livelihood has been ripped from their hands by this mess of a situation.
Click this link to make a donation the Red Cross for Gulf Relief
Click here to read 10 ways you can hopefully make a dent in this disaster.
**The list of above petroleum made items can be found here: http://www.ranken-energy.com/Products%20from%20Petroleum.htm **
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3 Responses to “My thoughts on the BP crisis”
I think flexing your voice and writing and calling your local government officials is a good way to help. Someone tweeted me today asking me what stake he had in PA with the spill in the Gulf, and that makes me really sad. Everyone has stake in this. At this point other states aren't feeling the affect, but it will happen. Did you know that by a technicality in law that BP is able to continue off shore drilling projects, like new ones? The one in Alaska, where BP build an island so that they could classify it as on shore.
While I don't think boycotting will work, I do think that saying something and making sure the people voted to represent us are hearing what we have to say can make a difference. And if they aren't listening…well you'll at least know what they think about what you have to say come election season.
I've lived in all the states along the Gulf besides Texas, and it breaks my heart to know all these places and people and towns are being destroyed and no one is holding anyone truly accountable.
Amen, girlfriend!
I'm not going to go on and on about how heartbreaking it is and whatnot. We all know that already.
A personal pet peeve of mine is (not just with this either) is when people go on and on about how much they hate something or something makes them so mad but , they do not do ONE thing to try and make a difference. Shit, donate $1 dollar to the cause and then I'll listen to you talk about how much it sucks. YOu know what I mean?
I'm glad to see you taking your stance in this shitty situation. We need more people like you!!!! For all kinds of causes.
This makes me so incredibly sad, and if you get down to it, it's not just about the products that are made from by products of petrol, its all the things we NEED that rely on petrol to make thier sweet way to our stores, our homes, our country.
The spill is far away from me, but it is still so devastating.
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