Is the BP Boycott Working?
By louisehartmann
A new report by an environmental group claims that BP may not be able to pay all of the damages from the BP oil spill without the giant oil company being dissolved and all its assets sold off. It found that BP could potentially owe between $330 billion and $1.3 trillion if the BP oil spill completely decimates the area, an amount that could equal or even exceed the entire value of the company. The White House official is focusing on BP setting up an escrow account to pay individuals and businesses damaged by this BP spill. And that those funds will be paid out under fair, efficient, and transparent procedures administered by an independent third-party panel established just for this purpose." Meanwhile many mom-and-pop small local business owners who bought the right from BP to use that company's name for their local gas station and convenience store are being thrown into financial crisis or even bankruptcy as increasing numbers of Americans drive past BP gas stations and buy their gas elsewhere. Only a small minority of BP gas stations are actually owned by BP, so these unorganized but very real consumer boycotts are wiping out a lot of small local family-owned businesses, since the gas stations aren't backed up by the deep pockets of the company whose logo they pay to use.
Comments
#2
Local businesses pay a franchise fee, depending on how the fee is levied and how often, they could refuse to pay it, seek a reduced fee [the brand they bought is damaged]. Maybe arrange a bootleg delivery of gas from a competitor [Citgo], and see if there are open slots in another franchise brand's market saturation and switch. Courts could challenge the tactics, and the franchisee could put up their own sign of where their product comes from.
They might be able to switch to one of the brands that BP bought, SOHIO was one- Standard Oil of Ohio- which also might be one the reasons for minority leader Boneheader's recent actions.
#3
Maybe we are concentrating our anger in the wrong or least constructive manner. We know that corporations only care about the bottom line and shareholders. Instead of boycotting the small business person, we get a movement going to support shareholders who divest themselves of BP stock and invest in companies who are supportive of real earth friendly technologies. Encourage union memberships to sell BP stock and get into something else. Have retirees sell their BP stock. Hit BP where it really hurts.
#4
The boycott of BP stock seems to be going quite well!
I wish to point out that in 1946 we resettled the Bikini Islanders so we could use Bikini atoll for nuclear bomb testing. Today, we suppliment and compensate generations of Bikini atoll islanders who have never seen the place because you still can't live there.
In the Gulf of Mexico, a weapon of mass destruction whose detonation occurred all because of corporate profit, and not war or military experimentation. It will be as long as the Bikini Atoll before it is put right again. Hundreds of years from now sediment core samples will still show a time line to this event.
Yes, a WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION has been set off in the Gulf. It was not a mushroom cloud you could see, but it's there. This is CORPORATE TERRORISM, no different than if other "EXTREMISTS" split the Hydrogen atom fifty miles from shore.
#5
I attended a protest last week in Bolingbrook, IL and I was amazed and inspired by the sheer numbers of people driving by honking and giving us the thumbs up. We did not picket a BP station but rather displayed signs while standing on a public sidewalk.
People need to feel empowered and they need to be able to display their anger and frustration in a peaceful manner and boycotting is one of those ways. I am sorry that innocent dealers with families to support may be harmed financially but consider the millions of people living and working on our gulf who are impacted financially because of criminal BP and their shills in congress, frankly if I am going to bleed, I will bleed for them first.
No amount of money will fix what's unfolding and what's coming down the pike.......
#6
I would think that this would be a good time for the people in congress to make a point of regulation. Just think if all the safety procedures would have been implemented like in Brazil and the Netherlands this would not have happened. Yet the Greed of the Corporations supersedes safety and common sense.
This company has proven that they are incompetent to even be in this field of operations. Right now each and every oil well that is in or near water needs a complete inspection. If they have chosen the way of profit over safety they need to have hugh fines placed on them. What BP did was criminal. Their total disregard for the people of this planet in my opinion should be viewed as a crime against humanity.
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I, respectfully, disagree with your argument on the following basis: The planet is running out of oil. This means that in an unknown, but finite time period, all locally owned (as well as corporate) gas stations will be out of business. Logically, we can assume that not all the companies will go under at the same time, so we can extrapolate that someone will be the first company to become insolvent. I argue that BP, based on their corporate behavior, should be the first casualty. I am sorry that many local owners will lose their business, but, as I've already stated, this is inevitable.