"Oily to Bed – Oily to Rise" – such is the plight of those trying to cope with the largest oil catastrophe ever. We are constantly made aware that BP (British Petroleum) is responsible for the costs and expenses on this contamination, as well as compensating those who have been impacted financially because of the ruptured oil lines more than 5,000 feet below the surface of the Gulf. Politicians posture themselves as being “in charge” but everyone knows they’re not! For them, “BP” has come to symbolize – “Boomerang Pretentiousness”! When it looked like the well might be successfully capped, our President was there to claim he was in charge from Day 1 and the “buck” stops with him. When the cap failed, then “BP” came into play again, namely: (a) its British Petroleum’s fault; and (b) the Boomerang Pretentiousness that allows one to think he can claim credit while bearing none of the blame! “Boomerang” (as a verb) means: “to come back or return; to cause harm to the originator; to backfire.” To be “pretentious” means: “being full of pretense or pretension; characterized by assumption of dignity or importance; making an exaggerated outward show; being ostentatious.”
Can this gushing oil be stopped? At some point, Yes! Can it be stopped immediately? So far, No! Every effort has been marked by failure and now some speculate that a nuclear detonation may be necessary to seal the pipeline. Posturing won’t do it! Rhetoric won’t do it! Frequent photo-op trips to the Gulf won’t do it! Increase of taxes won’t do it (they can sell their oil product to any number of other nations – China comes to mind). A Bloomberg report today indicates: “Since the April 20 explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon rig, which BP Plc leased from Trans-Ocean Ltd., administration officials have increasingly criticized BP, saying their faith in the company to contain the oil flowing from a mile-deep well was ill-placed. The blast killed 11 and triggered leaks that a government panel said spew an estimated 12,000 to 19,000 barrels of oil a day into the Gulf of Mexico…“The more the images of oil in marshlands, and dead birds washing ashore, the angrier the American people are going to get…Largely, it’s been directed toward BP. But as the weeks turn into months you can feel, almost on a daily basis, the public’s furor start heading toward the White House.” It does seem as though there’s adequate blame to be spread around. However, the “blame-game” accomplishes little. This is true for a ruptured pipeline. It is likewise true for a ruptured life. We live in an “instant” world – everything designed to be faster, quicker, sooner – people line up for hours and days to buy the latest technology at inflated prices so they can be first and faster. The lifestyle and philosophy of life has little room or desire for patience. We have become a people who follow a mantra: “I know what I want – and – I want it now!”
A passage in Genesis 1:26-28 has been referenced as The Cultural Mandate. It states: “ Then God said, Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.“Basically, God’s plan was that man would act and behave responsibly with His Creation – that they would subdue the earth and develop superiority over all beasts. Man was also made with the desire to explore. There are countless examples of man’s achievements as he has honed his skills and mind to bring about great inventions and practical uses for them. The fact that Oil is Gushing at will in the Gulf and contaminating wildlife refuges is tragic. However, man with his ingenuity will – in time – arrive at a determination of how that Oil Pipeline can and will be subdued. In the meanwhile, “BP - Boomerang Pretentiousness” is evident and, it too, is gushing freely. Can either the Pipeline or Pretentiousness be easily contained? No! There was no contingency plan for such an event with the pipeline; and there is no restraint for the pretentious. Time will bring about a solution. Meanwhile, patience and understanding are needed! For a while, those working on the pipeline will continue with their routine of “Oily to bed – Oily to rise” until resolve and remedy are realized. Consider these things with me!
Can this gushing oil be stopped? At some point, Yes! Can it be stopped immediately? So far, No! Every effort has been marked by failure and now some speculate that a nuclear detonation may be necessary to seal the pipeline. Posturing won’t do it! Rhetoric won’t do it! Frequent photo-op trips to the Gulf won’t do it! Increase of taxes won’t do it (they can sell their oil product to any number of other nations – China comes to mind). A Bloomberg report today indicates: “Since the April 20 explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon rig, which BP Plc leased from Trans-Ocean Ltd., administration officials have increasingly criticized BP, saying their faith in the company to contain the oil flowing from a mile-deep well was ill-placed. The blast killed 11 and triggered leaks that a government panel said spew an estimated 12,000 to 19,000 barrels of oil a day into the Gulf of Mexico…“The more the images of oil in marshlands, and dead birds washing ashore, the angrier the American people are going to get…Largely, it’s been directed toward BP. But as the weeks turn into months you can feel, almost on a daily basis, the public’s furor start heading toward the White House.” It does seem as though there’s adequate blame to be spread around. However, the “blame-game” accomplishes little. This is true for a ruptured pipeline. It is likewise true for a ruptured life. We live in an “instant” world – everything designed to be faster, quicker, sooner – people line up for hours and days to buy the latest technology at inflated prices so they can be first and faster. The lifestyle and philosophy of life has little room or desire for patience. We have become a people who follow a mantra: “I know what I want – and – I want it now!”
A passage in Genesis 1:26-28 has been referenced as The Cultural Mandate. It states: “ Then God said, Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.“Basically, God’s plan was that man would act and behave responsibly with His Creation – that they would subdue the earth and develop superiority over all beasts. Man was also made with the desire to explore. There are countless examples of man’s achievements as he has honed his skills and mind to bring about great inventions and practical uses for them. The fact that Oil is Gushing at will in the Gulf and contaminating wildlife refuges is tragic. However, man with his ingenuity will – in time – arrive at a determination of how that Oil Pipeline can and will be subdued. In the meanwhile, “BP - Boomerang Pretentiousness” is evident and, it too, is gushing freely. Can either the Pipeline or Pretentiousness be easily contained? No! There was no contingency plan for such an event with the pipeline; and there is no restraint for the pretentious. Time will bring about a solution. Meanwhile, patience and understanding are needed! For a while, those working on the pipeline will continue with their routine of “Oily to bed – Oily to rise” until resolve and remedy are realized. Consider these things with me!
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