Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Heather McIlvaine-Newsad - June 1

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wium/local-wium-904889.mp3

Macomb, IL – I am angry. Actually, I am beyond angry. You know, the kind of angry that bolsters words that one cannot utter on the radio. But, I will do my best to tell you why I am angry and not get my local NPR station into trouble.

To use the words of author and anti-racism activist Tim Wise I am angry because, "I am tired of living in other people's funk." There have been lots of little and not so little things that have ticked me off the over the past month. Some of them are trivial while others are life threatening, but all of them are grounded in one basic concept: responsibility.

Let's start with one of the smallest things that makes me angry on pretty much a daily basis. Socks. Yes, you heard me. Socks. Socks which should find their way to the dirty clothes basket, followed by a sudsy bath in the washing machine and to then hang for a few hours on the clothes line to dry. In theory, when the socks are clean and dry they are then returned to the laundry basket and eventually find their way upstairs to the sock drawer. Unfortunately, this scenario is one that is seldom observed in my house.

The failure of the members of my household to be responsible for their socks results in two unpleasantries. The first is funk. I am surrounded by other people's funky socks. The second ramification is more perhaps more disturbing. Every morning my ears are pierced by the wails of my beautiful red-headed daughter proclaiming "Mama I can't find any socks!" Really? Please. I counter with my standard reply: "They are not my responsibility." Really? Who am I kidding? If I am tired of living in other people's funk, then I should accept the situation and respond to it in a productive manner.

Let's take a big leap from dirty socks to oil. Transport yourself to the Gulf Coast and ponder the overwhelming disaster that continues to unfold to the south of us. A little over four weeks ago eleven oil workers lost their lives when the Deep Water Horizon exploded. Seventeen others were injured and countless barrels of oil began to spill into the Gulf. What has followed over the past several weeks has been both agonizing and infuriating.

BP's initial response to the disaster was that they were not responsible. The blame lies in the hands of others. BP quickly realized that this reply was not going to be in the company's best interest. The initial statement was amended by CEO Tony Hayward on April 30, 2010. "We are taking full responsibility for the spill and we will clean it up, and where people can present legitimate claims for damages we will honor them." Legitimate. Really? Please.

In front of Congress on May 11, 2010 top executives of BP, Transocean and Halliburton elevated the game of finger pointing to a new level. BP CEO Tony Hayward continued to insist it wasn't BP's fault: "The drilling rig was a Transocean drilling rig; it was their equipment that failed, it was their systems and processes that were running it."

Transocean, unsurprisingly, sees things differently. "Offshore oil and gas production projects begin and end with the operator, in this case BP," says Chief Executive Steven Newman. As he sees it, it was BP that prepared the drilling plan, and it was BP in charge when the drilling concluded and the crew was preparing to cap the well.

Then there is Halliburton which was contracted to cement the production liner in the well casing, effectively sealing off the reservoir from the well bore. The rig explosion occurred about 20 hours after Halliburton finished its cement job, but the company says its workers tested it and everything looked fine. Halliburton executive Tim Probert is defending his company on similar grounds, arguing that its work was done in accordance with the requirements set out by BP.

Who is responsible for this mess? BP, Transocean, Halliburton? In my opinion, we all are. And yes, I said WE.

Look, I consume oil based products on a daily basis. I drive a car, use plastic, and heat my house with natural gas. While I may not be directly responsible for this disaster I need to own up to the fact that I benefit from these products. That also means that when something goes wrong, I should acknowledge the situation and respond to it in a constructive manner.

Does that mean that I am going to go to the Gulf shore and clean up the wildlife that is now threatened by the oil spill or bankroll a shrimper who has probably lost the only way of life he has ever known? Probably not. But what I will do is what I can do. I will call and write those who represent me and let them know that I think this entire situation is unacceptable. I will keep on top of the news and make sure that my voice is heard.

We all need to be responsible for ourselves and for others. I may not have left my socks on the floor or caused an oil spill, but I too am collectively responsible for what happens on this planet. This is my house too and I am tired of living in other people's funk.