Recently BP has been in the news, and not in a real good way. Environmental activists are once again up in arms over how BP is “destroying the environment”, “killing the animals” and is, in general, a hemorrhoid on the butt of the world, and should probably be fined or shut down or maybe just SHOT, and we don’t need their stinkin’ energy anyway. And they are mostly sitting in air conditioned homes and offices while they type this tripe on their not-solar-powered computers. My heart bleeds. Really.

I just posted some words I wrote several months ago on this topic, and I believe if you search my archives, you might find a rant or two about media bias, and how one ought to read several news sources to begin to get a grasp on the multiple sides of any issue. Here’s what’s true in this case:

• BP will be dumping more ammonia into lake Michigan. What you aren’t likely to hear from the screech committee is that BP is still well within federal guidelines.
• BP wants to process heavy crude from Canada. Get that? Ca-na-da. A stable and reliable next-door-neighbor source. Not the Middle East. The heavy crude requires more extensive process and BP has planned $3.8 billion expansion to allow that. In the meantime, they need this still-within-federal-guidelines leeway.
• BP has been part of the community in Whiting for 117 years. They have voluntarily reduced polluting discharges, they have supplied jobs in the community and they are supplying gasoline, diesel and jet fuel which we need. Oh, and they also operate a wastewater treatment facility.

So here’s what I think: much ado about nothing. If we are going to continue to rely on fossil fuels to power our increasingly luxurious lifestyles, it’s time to just admit that and do the best we can with it. If we don’t want to pay the price in the form of a damaged environment, then we need to be willing to draw that pristine water with a hand pump, and haul it from the creek. And also, buy a horse, and let that Mercedes rust out in the garage. We’ll figure something out for dealing with the pony pies, I’m sure, and the increased demands on the food supply, and all the inconvenience that comes with that choice. Also, leave the city, because horses require pasture. You can’t keep them in apartments. And one more thing: turn off the air conditioner, and also the furnace. You may use a fireplace if and only if you practice replacement planting. And if you can’t agree with all that?? shut up.

Now then. I have to put this silly badge on this post: . However, if you’ve been reading this blog for very long, you know that I haven’t said anything here that I haven’t at least hinted at before.