As I sit....Exxon mobile is working to dismiss it's lawsuit against them filed by resident's of Prince William Sound, AK. A $5 billion lawsuit filed after the tragic accident. 18 years after the accident the sound is still polluted with remnants of petroleum. The latest argument is of accountability, whether the captain Joseph Hazelwood acted independently of Exxon. A recovering alcoholic. He has stated at the time he had been drinking.(1,2,3)
I began to question the lawsuit myself, so I began some research. Just using the Internet, I found several events quite disturbing. What is this? What is happening to this world as profits soar, human lives are lost inappropriately, dishonorably, without regard. The stock of the company is more important to the whole than the individual. Consumer Confidence must be high to be successful. When will it matter if the consumers are all diseased or dying. Oh yeah the health care companies will take care of us.
Let's take a look at Capt. Hazelwood. Here is a man of shall we say a “normal” life. Rather intelligent, with an iq of 138. He had a good career with exxon, working his way up through the company. Over the course of his career he underwent driver license suspensions for alcohol related incidents.(3) Now, here is where the questions come in. I can think of the conversation regarding the suspensions in reference to work. “So, Joe what are we going to do here?” “What do you mean?” “Well you are going to be navigating 20,000 gallons of petroleum through a barrier reef?” “yeah” “ So apparently you can't operate a car drunk, You want to manage a 40,000 ton freighter through a channel no wider than a football field? Several hundred million dollars of total value in this freighter and you can handle it?” “Yep!” “Alright then, here the keys, don't scratch the paint!”.
Where does the accountability lie. The guy that operated it, or the guy that knew he had a problem. I can think of a judge's response if I told him I gave the gun to the convicted armed robber...What were you thinking? There are always circumstances. We are all intimate with co-worker's, superior's, and underling's. Favor's are passed all time, that is how humanity work's I think. But how is one supposed to react to this. Exxon is trying to get out of $5 billion dollars, holding ol' Joe out to dry.
In Indonesia, Exxon underwrote a contract to a militia for protection of it's employee's.(5) This militia abducted several humans and stored them at Exxon facilities. This militia is responsible for over 1,000 deaths. The investigation continues now as the lawsuit is being heard. Again, what did Exxon know? They were innocent, just wanting protection for it's valued employee's like Joe. Meanwhile the “brain dead” conservatives, they aren't... Are toiling over global warming, as yes, another lawsuit has been filed against several power, oil companies named Exxon.(5) The erosion of ice caps and barriers is causing native Eskimos to face never before experienced sea storms of the coast.
You might say well at least it's not in my backyard...Another interesting lawsuit in Illinois of altering standards for groundwater to accommodate new petroleum industrial standards.(6) Lobbyists wrangled into a bill alterations for their designs. Who is accountable here? Our own elected officials worked this one out.
And if you want to say such frivolous lawsuits. Ill tell ya! Exxon ain't innocent on this one.(7) Filed against two parties. Exxon Mobil's lawsuit blocking the $7 billion sale of Atlantic Richfield Co's Alaska assets to Phillips Petroleum Co. Alaska is interfering in the case, but they will flood a courtroom with B.S. As much as the next guy.
I am convinced Exxon is accountable, on so many levels they are accountable. I think 5 billion is a light number in the total devastation they have enacted to this planet. So, next time you here about Exxon and how successful their profit report is. When you want to invest in that capital stock that will always rise. Joe will tell you how responsible they are.
1. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/257410_valdez28.html?source=rss
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exxon_Valdez_oil_spill
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Hazelwood
4 http://www.thenation.com/blogs/capitalgames?pid=74
5 http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/02/26/us.warming.ap/index.htm...
6 http://www.lawcash.com/attorney/4559/shell-oil-exxon-mobil-lawsuit.asp
Anyone or company associated with the disaster is liable. And honestly, the organization who stood the greatest gain should suffer the greatest loss.
Considering Exxon's mistake completely destroyed the lives of those in Valdez, I think it's completely fair for them to pay retribution. And since the amount that's being asked for is just a drop in the bucket when looking at Exxon's profits, maybe they should have done it in the first place, instead of hiring lawyers to fight it while the people are impoverished as a result.
~C
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Something else, I find it odd. The president of this country is a large share holder. Convenient, he has posted two new supreme court justices, and the lawsuit comes to maturity under his tenure. This year is the final year after all appeals for this case to be heard. Let me think, I couldn't then. Another reason for theft of the most powerful position in the world.