Like the tobacco executives - BP won't see jail or handcuffs....

The Obama administration announced yesterday that it has started civil and criminal investigations into the volcanic oil spill in the Gulf. AG Eric Holder says he will "prosecute to the fullest extent of the law" any people or companies that have broken the law. BP’s market value plummeted $21.1 billion yesterday as the Florida panhandle is bracing for oil slick expected to hit shore today. The oil slick arrival coincides with the Panhandle’s summer tourism season. While the White House is sounding tough about a criminal investigation, former prosecutors and other experts on environmental law suggest that BP executives probably won't see the slammer or wear handcuffs, but perhaps just pay some fines out of their multimillion dollar salaries. Like the tobacco executives who lied to congress then flew back to their private yachts on their private jets, the BP, Halliburton, and Transocean executives who each blamed the other for the homicides in the Gulf have already walked out of Congress as free men, back to their own private jets and private mansions. The giant pharmaceutical company Pfizer, for example, recently pled guilty to a huge felony and paid over a billion dollars - the biggest criminal fine in history - for taking actions that probably led to the death of people because of the illegal mis-marketing of drugs. But no Pfizer executives went to jail. If you're Martha Stewart and you support Democrats and you do a small-time crime, you hit the slammer; if you're an oil or drug billionaire and you kill people and destroy the world, you get to fly home to a private island while your company pays a fine that it gets from consumers by raising prices. Meanwhile, the Republican Five crazies on the Supreme Court say that if you're an average criminal - as opposed to billionaire criminals who have entire law teams to shield them - you must know the law before you can be protected from the police keeping you up to for twenty or thirty hours for prolonged interrogations, even if you're innocent.

Comments

JJVANC's picture
JJVANC 12 years 43 weeks ago
#1

Thom-

You often bring up the idea of a coagulant with regards to the oil spill. I teach Chemistry at a couple of the local community colleges (PDX area) ... and have no idea what one would use for a coagulant. (Now, a dispersant? That's easy.) The one hit I had on a search for an oil coagulant on the internet yielded only something made out of linseed oil that would be useless on this scale. Any references? I can easily tell if they make sense scientifically.

Oh yeah, hydrophobic (lippophillic) forces are MUCH weaker than those holding water together.

Also, any references for the undersea plume and them resulting from dispersants? I haven't seen any, but that doesn't mean they don't exist; final exams are next week....and then time to do a bit of searching. At first glance, density comparisons don't seem right.

Dispersants are supposed to break oil up into very small fragments, on the size of colloidal dispersions. Bacteria should be able to break these down. That's the theory, anyways., Effects on those not exposed to concentrated solutions would depend on dosage and time period, of course.

Now this on now guy talking about benzene in the rain and lightning ... he doesn't make any sense at all.

Regards,

JJ

RandyWinn's picture
RandyWinn 12 years 43 weeks ago
#3

Alex Epstein is functionally insane ...

... he is arguing that there are very few actual risks in life ... local people should band together to investigate local employers on their own. He obviously has never, ever participated in actual litigation in which the other side had any desire to win.

RandyWinn's picture
RandyWinn 12 years 43 weeks ago
#4

Good Side of the Oil Spill!!!

Gawker ran a copy of an email sent by CNN's Gary Hewing yesterday, looking for ideas about covering the "good side" of the BP oil spill disaster. In fact, the summary line of the CNN message specifically said, "The Good Side of the Oil Spill."

Summary: The Good Side of the Oil Spill

Name: Gary Hewing (CNN)

Category: Biotech and Healthcare

Media Outlet: CNN

Deadline: 04:00 PM EST - 2 June

Query: Looking for pitches: The Good Side of the Oil Spill - if there is any."

http://mediamatters.org/blog/201006020043

AZZO45's picture
AZZO45 12 years 42 weeks ago
#5

Seize BP.org? I heard you mention "Seize BP.org" on air... is that an actual live website yet? Perhaps I misspelled seize in my quick Google search.

Pablito's picture
Pablito 12 years 42 weeks ago
#6

Hey Tom

BP is the Government.

I am still waiting for someone to ask the Prez why did he consent to

spraying co-rexit. ?

LeMoyne's picture
LeMoyne 12 years 42 weeks ago
#7

The Good Side of the Oil Spill - seizing corporate assets gets some air time,, and thanks to Thom it's even on mega-corporation owned radio stations...Seize BP! is at seizebp.org

marcus_w71's picture
marcus_w71 12 years 42 weeks ago
#8

Of course these Corporate Anarchist won't see a Jail Cell.. Obama effectively appointed a good Corporatist "Eric Holder " as Attorney General.. The BP Exec's will probably get a Promotion, a Bonus and Custom Luxury Yachts in Dubai >>>>>> HEAVEN FORBID we jail BP's best "Talent"..

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