Misguided Frustration Over BP Oil Leak

It's bad enough that the American public is fed all sorts of misrepresentations about "all the positive effects" from the new health care reform bill , what a wonderful job President Barack Obama is doing as is evidenced by our "recovering economy" just adds insult to injury. I haven't seen any evidence of either but that doesn't keep President Obama from scheduling regular press conferences telling us that it is so. One could say that these two topics of heated political debate are subjective. The facts regarding gasoline consumption vs crude oil consumption, however are not. The public's frustration is only fed by misrepresentations of these facts. Ridiculous events like the recent "Hands Across the Sand" only punctuate my point.

On June 26, 2010 people world-wide were encouraged to drive their cars to local beaches affected by the oil leak so that they could "hold hands" with strangers to raise public awareness. What exactly they were raising public awareness about is still a mystery since the entire free world already knows about the disaster caused by the BP oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. It seems counter productive to ask concerned citizens to drive their cars to the beach when this organization is stressing finding alternative energy resources. This seems even more wasteful given the following facts:

"One 42-gallon barrel of oil creates 19.4 gallons of gasoline. The rest (over half) is used to make things like:

Solvents

Diesel fuel

Motor Oil

Bearing Grease

Ink

Floor Wax

Ballpoint Pens

Football Cleats

Upholstery

Sweaters

Boats

Insecticides

Bicycle Tires

Sports Car Bodies

Nail Polish

Fishing lures

Dresses

Tires

Golf Bags

Perfumes

Cassettes

Dishwasher parts

Tool Boxes

Shoe Polish

Motorcycle Helmet

Caulking

Petroleum Jelly

Transparent Tape

CD Player

Faucet Washers

Antiseptics

Clothesline

Curtains

Food Preservatives

Basketballs

Soap

Vitamin Capsules

Antihistamines

Purses

Shoes

Dashboards

Cortisone

Deodorant

Footballs

Putty

Dyes

Panty Hose

Refrigerant

Percolators

Life Jackets

Rubbing Alcohol

Linings

Skis

TV Cabinets

Shag Rugs

Electrician's Tape

Tool Racks

Car Battery Cases

Epoxy

Paint

Mops

Slacks

Insect Repellent

Oil Filters

Umbrellas

Yarn

Fertilizers

Hair Coloring

Roofing

Toilet Seats

Fishing Rods

Lipstick

Denture Adhesive

Linoleum

Ice Cube Trays

Synthetic Rubber

Speakers

Plastic Wood

Electric Blankets

Glycerin

Tennis Rackets

Rubber Cement

Fishing Boots

Dice

Nylon Rope

Candles

Trash Bags

House Paint

Water Pipes

Hand Lotion

Roller Skates

Surf Boards

Shampoo

Wheels

Paint Rollers

Shower Curtains

Guitar Strings

Luggage

Aspirin

Safety Glasses

Antifreeze

Football Helmets

Awnings

Eyeglasses

Clothes

Toothbrushes

Ice Chests

Footballs

Combs

CD's & DVD's

Paint Brushes

Detergents

Vaporizers

Balloons

Sun Glasses

Tents

Heart Valves

Crayons

Parachutes

Telephones

Enamel

Pillows

Dishes

Cameras

Anesthetics

Artificial Turf

Artificial limbs

Bandages

Dentures

Model Cars

Folding Doors

Hair Curlers

Cold cream

Movie film

Soft Contact lenses

Drinking Cups

Fan Belts

Car Enamel

Shaving Cream

Ammonia

Refrigerators

Golf Balls

Toothpaste

Gasoline"

A moratorium on off-shore drilling (which has been going since the 1890's) wouldn't help any Americans, especially not the families of oil workers. The ramifications to all of these workers who support their families via the oil industry would be staggering.

Nor would it help the eco-system or the US economy to vandalize privately owned independently operated BP gasoline stations that have nothing to do with British Pretoleum CEO, Tony Hayward. This type of senseless criminal activity hurts everyone in the communities where they are carried out.

The recent self-aggrandizing events like "Hands Across the Sand" where people drove their cars (foolishly consuming the gasoline that they think is the main reason for the world's dependence on crude oil due to misinformation) to beaches so that strangers could "hold hands to raise awareness" was nothing more than another media driven publicity stunt that served no useful purpose. I sent an email several days ago to even organizers asking exactly what they had accomplished. The entire free world knows about the disaster the gulf coast oil leak has caused. What exactly where they raising public awareness about? No one had any reports that organizers asked participants to volunteer to help clean up the pollution nor did anyone report that they had given the public accurate information regarding the true reasons we are so dependent on crude oil.

The British Petroleum deep-sea oil leak happened in waters that belong to the United States however, it is an ecological nightmare for the entire planet. Everyone with the faintest grasp of ecology is horrified regardless of their nationality as this oil leak will impact everyone from the richest to the poorest.

So now that the American public has been furnished facts about gasoline consumption vs consumption of crude oil perhaps they can engage in more useful topics of discussion and better channel their energies into more useful projects that may actually have some impact. This constant rhetoric about the need to find alternative energy resources to decrease our dependence of crude oil because of our gasoline consumption is mind-numbing already. Let's instead talk about how increasing our use of mass transit, bicycles and other forms of transportation (like walking) would directly and immediately benefit us personally seeing as how we are the leader in the world regarding morbid obesity. Let's talk about becoming more physically fit as America is the most obese country on the planet. If you need some guidance in this department I am at your service

http://www.ranken-energy.com/UsefulInfo.html

http://www.countyofsb.org/energy/information/summerland.asp