Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster...

I have just as much of a distaste for Haliburton and drilling especially drilling in the gulf or anywhere near FL which is my home. If anything my discomfort of those activities and Haliburon is likely much stronger than most peoples feelings, but even if accidents have happened at haliburton serviced wells that is not by any stretch of the imagination any kind of proof or evidence or anything else that haliburtion actually caused any problems. Here is an example of that logic, Well Nellie (thats me) was out on a boat, then 20 minutes later said boat capsized, so Nellie must have been negligent or done something to be at least partially responsible. When in reality there are about infinity other reasons why a boat can sink or capsize.

The problem with drilling is not Haliburton or Exxon, or BP or anything else. Part of the problems are things like the time that I spent on the gulf coast as a child will not be the same as the time my kids get to spend on the gulf coast. Now depending on where you are at I have seen at least one platform personally from shore. I worry that a bunch more platforms will start to pop up and that will be our view the next time we go to the coast to try and catch a glimpse of the flash. Now instead of beautiful Sand dollars and huge stretches of beach on Sanibel Island, I worry there will be effects of an oil spill for my kids to enjoy instead. I worry that no longer will we be able to just go out and catch some fish to eat, and I worry that the reefs of the Keys which were my true childhood stomping grounds won't be there once my kids are old enough to take diving there (stomping figuratively speaking....do not step on the Coral!!!).

Despite my discomfort I really truly feel that even big mean companies like Haliburton are truly trying to be careful and safe. I'm sure that most of the employees are consciences people just like the rest of us. I bet they take their jobs and responsibilities very seriously. I seriously doubt that even the higher ups want to have a disaster. It is just bad business to piss off everyone from Texas to FL and that is if BP recovers and this spill gets cleaned fast with minimal damage. It will be even worse business for them if they end up ticking off everyone from south America all the way up the east coast to Canada (if the spawning tuna take a big hit). Even big mean companies don't want these things to happen because it isn't profitable for them to have entire states and countries mad. But nobody is perfect, no piece of equipment is perfect, and even if somehow people and our machines could be perfect things can still happen, thats just part of life....if you don't like being imperfect, then you had better hope you are the pope, god, or Q.

We are a one car family. We drive an efficient car only when necessary, the rest of the time we have bikes. We recycle, compost, garden in our yard, use cfl bulbs, dry our clothes on a clothes line, and I have been using canvas grocery bags for about a decade now. Plus this is the first winter that as an adult I have even turned the heater on. But even though my family tries hard to minimize our need for petroleum products we still need them. I would feel like a hypocrite saying I hate your line of work, but at the same time I depend on it. And even my family that works really hard to minimize our needs still needs some of these products.

Mahatma Gandhi said "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." So for anyone who really wants to do something about this spill and future spills, the best things we can do is put our money and activities where our mouths are. Ride a bike, grow some food, watch your energy usage, use a clothesline, compost, recycle, put in some solar panels, replace you water heater/other appliance with a more efficient ones, wash in cold water, and watch out about what detergents you use as many of them use petroleum products as well. I can tell that some people here obviously feel very strongly about petroleum and oil drilling. If everyone put their money and actions where your mouth was, the need to even be in the gulf drilling it to pieces would be much lessened. So rather than being upset and angry with Haliburton, or BP, or anyone else, I think it is much more productive to look at ourselves and in what ways we contributed to the problems and in what ways
we can be the change. Spend your money wisely, if everyone did that then the people who ruin our gulf will soon find themselves broke and out of business.

Originally Posted by Dinah

I have just as much of a distaste for Haliburton and drilling especially drilling in the gulf or anywhere near FL which is my home. If anything my discomfort of those activities and Haliburon is likely much stronger than most peoples feelings, but even if accidents have happened at haliburton serviced wells that is not by any stretch of the imagination any kind of proof or evidence or anything else that haliburtion actually caused any problems. Here is an example of that logic, Well Nellie (thats me) was out on a boat, then 20 minutes later said boat capsized, so Nellie must have been negligent or done something to be at least partially responsible. When in reality there are about infinity other reasons why a boat can sink or capsize.

The problem with drilling is not Haliburton or Exxon, or BP or anything else. Part of the problems are things like the time that I spent on the gulf coast as a child will not be the same as the time my kids get to spend on the gulf coast. Now depending on where you are at I have seen at least one platform personally from shore. I worry that a bunch more platforms will start to pop up and that will be our view the next time we go to the coast to try and catch a glimpse of the flash. Now instead of beautiful Sand dollars and huge stretches of beach on Sanibel Island, I worry there will be effects of an oil spill for my kids to enjoy instead. I worry that no longer will we be able to just go out and catch some fish to eat, and I worry that the reefs of the Keys which were my true childhood stomping grounds won't be there once my kids are old enough to take diving there (stomping figuratively speaking....do not step on the Coral!!!).

Despite my discomfort I really truly feel that even big mean companies like Haliburton are truly trying to be careful and safe. I'm sure that most of the employees are consciences people just like the rest of us. I bet they take their jobs and responsibilities very seriously. I seriously doubt that even the higher ups want to have a disaster. It is just bad business to piss off everyone from Texas to FL and that is if BP recovers and this spill gets cleaned fast with minimal damage. It will be even worse business for them if they end up ticking off everyone from south America all the way up the east coast to Canada (if the spawning tuna take a big hit). Even big mean companies don't want these things to happen because it isn't profitable for them to have entire states and countries mad. But nobody is perfect, no piece of equipment is perfect, and even if somehow people and our machines could be perfect things can still happen, thats just part of life....if you don't like being imperfect, then you had better hope you are the pope, god, or Q.

We are a one car family. We drive an efficient car only when necessary, the rest of the time we have bikes. We recycle, compost, garden in our yard, use cfl bulbs, dry our clothes on a clothes line, and I have been using canvas grocery bags for about a decade now. Plus this is the first winter that as an adult I have even turned the heater on. But even though my family tries hard to minimize our need for petroleum products we still need them. I would feel like a hypocrite saying I hate your line of work, but at the same time I depend on it. And even my family that works really hard to minimize our needs still needs some of these products.

Mahatma Gandhi said "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." So for anyone who really wants to do something about this spill and future spills, the best things we can do is put our money and activities where our mouths are. Ride a bike, grow some food, watch your energy usage, use a clothesline, compost, recycle, put in some solar panels, replace you water heater/other appliance with a more efficient ones, wash in cold water, and watch out about what detergents you use as many of them use petroleum products as well. I can tell that some people here obviously feel very strongly about petroleum and oil drilling. If everyone put their money and actions where your mouth was, the need to even be in the gulf drilling it to pieces would be much lessened. So rather than being upset and angry with Haliburton, or BP, or anyone else, I think it is much more productive to look at ourselves and in what ways we contributed to the problems and in what ways
we can be the change. Spend your money wisely, if everyone did that then the people who ruin our gulf will soon find themselves broke and out of business.

These are good points and obviously well thought out.

But I wonder, as I agree with almost all you've said, what about the fact that on several other boats you've been on, and left while still afloat, there were subsequent sinkings? What if others, trained by you as WellNellies, had also been on boats, doing whatever it is that WellNellies do, had gotten off, only to have those boats sink? Not many of them, but enough to notice, more than some other Wellies, as it were, if you see what I mean.

haliburton was working on the well head 20 hours before it blew. Maybe I'm totally off base. Maybe they had nothing to do with it. But, given their history, maybe they did. Perhaps not intentionally, I would seriously doubt that, but maybe they are responsible for the well head malfunction.

Seems some of you would rather smash and bash than ask why and how.

Maybe Haliburton sabotaged the well on purpose. Maybe they hired illegal immigrants to save money on labor and had completely untrained people working on the well head. Maybe Obama Bin Laden hired Haliburton to do it to help raise the price of oil. Maybe subversives from PETA infiltrated and caused the problem to bring attention to the hard life shrimp in the Gulf have to lead. Maybe it was the Coast Guard that caused the blow out because they weren't getting enough good press. Maybe it was Pres. Obama so he could come in and save the day. Maybe it was Mighty Mouse, so HE could come in and save the day. Maybe it was Rich Z so that it would up the posts on his site. Maybe it was Wes so he could point out all the things we are not doing right. These are the questions I want answers to. I am asking why and how.

I am very smart and I can also lift heavy things.

Originally Posted by wilomn

haliburton was working on the well head 20 hours before it blew. Maybe I'm totally off base. Maybe they had nothing to do with it. But, given their history, maybe they did. Perhaps not intentionally, I would seriously doubt that, but maybe they are responsible for the well head malfunction.

Seems some of you would rather smash and bash than ask why and how.

Well, Wes, why don't you simply tell US what you think is going on and stop beating around the bush to chase your thoughts out of OUR heads into the open?

Originally Posted by wade

I am very smart and I can also lift heavy things.

Obviously not smart enough to recognize my warning, though.

To the showers, please. See you in three days for that personal jab at Wes.

Originally Posted by wilomn

These are good points and obviously well thought out.

But I wonder, as I agree with almost all you've said, what about the fact that on several other boats you've been on, and left while still afloat, there were subsequent sinkings? What if others, trained by you as WellNellies, had also been on boats, doing whatever it is that WellNellies do, had gotten off, only to have those boats sink? Not many of them, but enough to notice, more than some other Wellies, as it were, if you see what I mean.

haliburton was working on the well head 20 hours before it blew. Maybe I'm totally off base. Maybe they had nothing to do with it. But, given their history, maybe they did. Perhaps not intentionally, I would seriously doubt that, but maybe they are responsible for the well head malfunction.

Seems some of you would rather smash and bash than ask why and how.

Seems you would rather smash and bash Haliburton than actually provide evidence that this has happened under their watch before.

Originally Posted by wilomn

You know, when some of you post, the IQ of this thread is smaller than it was before you posted. You know who you are.

I have never ONCE said haliburton owned the well. Those of you who ASS umed I had need to practice your reading comprehension.

haliburton worked on the well 20 hours before this problem.

Now I'll ask once again, how many times has a well that haliburton has worked on, NOT OWNED, had this problem?

Is this the first? Not from what I've gleaned. I could be wrong, but I don't think so.

So, Water Tester, you're there, you seem like a good guy, an honest guy, how many times has this happened to haliburton serviced wells?

Wait you gleaned the web, please tell us your sources and numbers.....

Ive never heard of a spill this big in the gulf and I lived in Tampa for 14 years up until 2 years ago. Please paste a source...

Well first if you are alleging that there are other drilling accidents that Haliburton has had, then I'm sure we would all be happy to hear from you about them. What happened during those incidents? When did they happen? Where they Haliburton rigs or someone else's? Was it the same problem or something else? What where the circumstances surrounding those incidents? What rigs did they take place on and when so we can google it ourselves? Where they gulf rigs? Where the rigs all designed the same way? Where the natural structures of the sea floor similar? How did they manage to keep all us folks in the dark about all of these accidents?

Even if more than one boat capsizes after I leave, that still doesn't mean I had anything to do with it. Conditions of the sea/weather conditions/ the condition of the vessel/training of the crew/mother nature/freak accidents/equipment failure/ mechanical failures. Anyone who has spent any time near or on the sea knows that even with the best training, equipment, and even on a well maintained vessel stuff happens. It just does. Wilomn you are from a coastal state I'm sure you understand that even in the absolute best of circumstance the ocean can be an incredibly unforgiving and cruel Mistress. You can have generations of ocean going in your family, and you can have been on and around boats and ships your whole life. You can know and follow every regulation and safety rule and you can still have a problem, you can still lose a boat, and you can still lose your life to the sea.

Now I will be the last person to say that Haliburton (or any company really) is a model company that always does right and that is completely free of any dark secrets, but I do need some basis to go on, some reason other than circumstantial ones before I am going to point any fingers at them.

There's someone who should know, he works on a rig that is in sight of the rig that went down. He's a smart guy, seriously no doubt smarter than I am. Not a jab.

Has haliburton worked on other well heads that have had this problem? I've heard one news report that said they had. This did not surprise me. Now, since I don't know for sure, which has nothing to do with my lack of surprise should it prove to be true, I'm asking someone who I believe not only should know, but would tell the truth.

Nellie, I understand your point. It's ok if you don't get mine and that's not a jab either.

Originally Posted by wilomn

There's someone who should know, he works on a rig that is in sight of the rig that went down. He's a smart guy, seriously no doubt smarter than I am. Not a jab.

Has haliburton worked on other well heads that have had this problem? I've heard one news report that said they had. This did not surprise me. Now, since I don't know for sure, which has nothing to do with my lack of surprise should it prove to be true, I'm asking someone who I believe not only should know, but would tell the truth.

Nellie, I understand your point. It's ok if you don't get mine and that's not a jab either.

Some verifiable facts and details would be nice, Wes. This is not a Perry Mason environment here, so step out of that role, please....