Louisiana Americans burning British flags (1 Viewer)

[ColinEssex]

This was in todays newspaper. Looks like a slanging match is brewing between the USA and the UK.

The sight of American rednecks stomping on Union Jacks in Louisiana, chanting "British scum" and calling us "oil pigs" - simply because one of the world's biggest multinationals has British in its title - almost had me crocheting John Bull underpants.

BP has cocked up bigtime and deserves all the billion-dollar lawsuits heading its way for causing an ecological nightmare in the Gulf of Mexico.

But it's an industrial accident and they happen. (Remember the 15,000 Indians that US firm Union Carbide killed in Bhopal?)

And there will be more of them as companies dig deeper for the Earth's last few trillion gallons of oil to satisfy our insatiable consumerist thirst.

For Americans to blame foreigners for birds washing up on their shore like Al Jolson impersonators takes their blind hypocrisy to dizzying heights.

Yanks are hooked on oil like heroin junkies.

They believe their constitution gives them the right to fill their gas-guzzling Chevvies up for a few dollars less. They view cheap oil as their birthright, consuming 25% of the world's supply despite having only 5% of its population.

They condemn climate change data as an updated communist manifesto.

They were happy to impose lax regulations on firms like BP, encouraging them to dig for oil one mile below the seabed in the hazardous Gulf of Mexico, as long as they piped it to their gas stations.

They turn a blind eye to West Africa where American firm Exxon is overseeing spillages on a worse scale and regularity than the Gulf disaster, because it supplies almost half their oil imports.

They were happy to send their sons to die in an illegal war in Aye-Rack if it meant getting their paws on the second-biggest supply of oil in the world.

Oil production is now flowing so bountifully in post-war Iraq, America's puppet government has just awarded the contract to its biggest oilfield at Rumaila.

And which firm has been given the biggest chunk of it because of its unparalleled expertise at bringing up black gold? Those Limey Oil Pigs BP.

Americans are in denial. About their own lifestyles, about their reliance on oil to fuel those lifestyles, about the increasing risks needed to extract it and about what it's doing to the planet.

Don't take the British out of BP and blame us.

You live by the black stuff, you die by the black stuff.

And now those beached birds in body bags threaten to outnumber beached whales in swimwear on your shores, maybe you'll start to realise it's YOU who is killing the world.

Col

 

[Vassago]

Well that article certainly isn't biased in any way against Americans, now is it?

Do you have a link to this article? I couldn't find anything online about people burning Union Jack flags. If they are, that's certainly sad. I get so sick of the redneck conservative "holier than though" agenda. I'm thinking of moving to the Northern US, at least they have all of their teeth.

 

[chergh]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-st...oil-hypocrisy-makes-me-slick-115875-22305530/

Last time I saw the union flag getting burnt it was a bunch of celtic supporters in glasgow.

 

[Vassago]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-st...oil-hypocrisy-makes-me-slick-115875-22305530/

Last time I saw the union flag getting burnt it was a bunch of celtic supporters in glasgow.

Ahh, it's a tabloid. I figured it was either a tabloid or some kind of satirical blog or something. I still can't figure where in this article or anywhere else it states that Americans are burning Union Jacks as the topic title states. I also can't find any articles online that point to "American rednecks stomping on Union Jacks in Louisiana."

Sounds to me like maybe it was something one or two ignorant rednecks might have been doing and someone caught wind of it. I'm sure most of America is not blaming the entire British Union for what BP is ultimately responsible for as a private organization. This Brian Reade guys seems as ignorant as the 1 or 2 who would do the flag stomping, if they even exist.

 

[dan-cat]

The style of writing seemed somewhat familiar.

 

[chergh]

Sounds to me like maybe it was something one or two ignorant rednecks might have been doing and someone caught wind of it. I'm sure most of America is not blaming the entire British Union for what BP is ultimately responsible for as a private organization. This Brian Reade guys seems as ignorant as the 1 or 2 who would do the flag stomping, if they even exist.

The journalist probably bought the rednecks a few crates of booze, some petrol, a box of matches and a union flag.

 

[Adam Caramon]

I don't think most rednecks knew that the B in BP stood for British until it was pointed out to them.

Some of the points of the "article" are apt. We do use too much oil. We are a nation of fatties. We do a lot of things wrong.

We're not all bad though. I do recognize a lot of these shortcommings of our country, and I think many others do as well, its just not something that is in the media. No one wants to go on record as saying their country messed up.

I don't think this will affect US-UK relations in anyway. I mean, you guys are still our puppets aren't you?

 

[Vassago]

Some of the points of the article had no context for what the article was about either. It just seemed like some ignorant "journalist" writing down his personal opinions.

 

[boblarson]

It just seemed like some ignorant "journalist"

ignorant journalist? Probably no journalist, just an ordinary schmuck with no clue. Anybody seems to be counted as a journalist these days if they so much as publish a blog.

 

[ColinEssex]

I think one of the points he was trying to make was the fact that people in the US are blaming the British for this oil spill. Also they want BP to pay for the clean-up.

Yet when Union Carbide killed 15,000 Indian people in Bhopal, the compensation was very little, the US seemed to dismiss it as "just one of those things" - yet years later, people are still having deformed babies and suffering immense difficulties, the ground is still poisoned. It seems the US cares little for anyone except the US. (as usual)

The US law was that BP was responsible for only the first $50 million of the cost. Now I understand a retrospective law change makes BP responsible for all of it.

Obviously this post will be deleted, and I will be banned as I am the bad ColinEssex and dare to question the "great" USA.

Never mind, I have a copy.

Col

 

[Vassago]

I think one of the points he was trying to make was the fact that people in the US are blaming the British for this oil spill. Also they want BP to pay for the clean-up.

Yet when Union Carbide killed 15,000 Indian people in Bhopal, the compensation was very little, the US seemed to dismiss it as "just one of those things" - yet years later, people are still having deformed babies and suffering immense difficulties, the ground is still poisoned. It seems the US cares little for anyone except the US. (as usual)

The US law was that BP was responsible for only the first $50 million of the cost. Now I understand a retrospective law change makes BP responsible for all of it.

Obviously this post will be deleted, and I will be banned as I am the bad ColinEssex and dare to question the "great" USA.

Never mind, I have a copy.

Col

There's nothing wrong with your post that would cause you to be banned. I actually find it quite refreshing as you are sticking to "facts" in a sense.

I have not once heard anyone blaming the British for the spill, and I live in Florida. I'm not sure how much of a "fact" that is. To me, he still seems to be some guy who took one or two redneck's opinions and slapped them down as the opinion of all of the U.S.. That's not the case at all.

I also don't hear much about people thinking BP should be responsible for EVERYTHING. Now, they are definitely responsible for the cause, but a clean-up of this magnitude should be the responsibility of everyone, not just BP, or the U.S., as the magnitude will affect everyone who shares this Earth, including Britian.

I saw a report earlier that said they don't think the oil spill will be completely stopped until December based on projected numbers. This would allow 4 Million barrels to spill into the ocean. That sounds like something EVERYONE on this Earth should be concerned about, not just BP or the USA.

 

[MrsGorilla]

I think one of the points he was trying to make was the fact that people in the US are blaming the British for this oil spill.

I haven't heard anyone blaming the British as a whole. I've heard a lot of blame going around and finger pointing between British Petroleum and TransOcean, the owners of the rig, but that's about it. Like Vass said though, everyone should be concerned and partly responsible for the cleanup. It's going to affect everyone.

 

[Vassago]

There is talk that it should reach the Atlantic sooner rather than later too, which would put it at my beach. I'm all for helping in whatever way I can.

 

[Alc]

Ahh, it's a tabloid. I figured it was either a tabloid or some kind of satirical blog or something. I still can't figure where in this article or anywhere else it states that Americans are burning Union Jacks as the topic title states. I also can't find any articles online that point to "American rednecks stomping on Union Jacks in Louisiana."

Sounds to me like maybe it was something one or two ignorant rednecks might have been doing and someone caught wind of it. I'm sure most of America is not blaming the entire British Union for what BP is ultimately responsible for as a private organization. This Brian Reade guys seems as ignorant as the 1 or 2 who would do the flag stomping, if they even exist.

The article was also written in an opinion column, by someone best known as a sports writer. Hardly reliable journalism.

I'm not saying it didn't happen - the US is a damn large place and every country has its share of idiots, after all - but where is the actual credible report that this event occurred, as opposed to just this writer saying that he doesn't like it. Is it all over the British media? Possibly, as I don't get to see that any more.

I've tried searching for 'Louisiana UK Flag Burning' on the BBC site and it found an article about the spill but the only mention of a flag was the one Greenpeace had at BP headquarters. If it's big enough news for this person to comment on, shouldn't the BBC be aware of it?

Google fared no better. Of the first 20 sites located, the only one that mentions it is this forum.

I don't have time to look through more, but I'm willing to accept that there may be a credible source somewhere. Anyone have any links?

 

[dan-cat]

I don't have time to look through more, but I'm willing to accept that there may be a credible source somewhere. Anyone have any links?

A credible journalist would provide references to the material that their opinions are based on. Without them the reader is unable to judge whether the writer's opinions are well grounded.

I'd say given the nature of the publication, it's all quite deliberately inflammatory.

 

[Alc]

A credible journalist would provide references to the material that their opinions are based on. Without them the reader is unable to judge whether the writer's opinions are well grounded.

I'd say given the nature of the publication, it's all quite deliberately inflammatory.

That last sentence goes without saying . I was,however, surprised to see he wrote for The Mirror and not The Express (a paper whose dream headline somebody once described as 'Illegal immigrants with AIDS cause drop in house prices').

I was just wondering if he was trying to wind people up over something that had been widely reported or not.

 

[dan-cat]

I was just wondering if he was trying to wind people up over something that had been widely reported or not.

I think the lack of references in the article itself answers that one

 

[madEG]

If it is any consolation, that story is getting no coverage here across the pond. Most people who think realize that the multinational corporations are as much "British" or "American" as the air we commonly breath.

I'm pretty sure my retirement plan includes some shares of oil barons such as BP... I guess I am partially to blame.

Also, not to quibble over a $25MM, but I think the max fine to oils spills is $75MM, and if this is true ( http://www.westegg.com/inflation/ ) that number should be more like $85MM now... based on some loose thinking about Exxon Valdez spill in 1989).

It also seems that, based on this "...Exxon Valdez would ironically cost Exxon about $1.28 billion dollars to clean up." - and that was "only" 10MM gallons of crude. (http://www.boisestate.edu/history/ncasner/hy210/valdez.htm)

The whole thing sucks.

 

[Pauldohert]

Lets not get too offended - we know the real target of the protest - no matter how clumsily its done.


Fake offense. If you choose to be offended - you can be all the time.

 

[Vassago]

I knew he wasn't a real journalist, hence the use of quotations. I too couldn't find anything online through Google, BBC, or any other news platform I could search from the UK that described what he was stating happening and certainly nothing about flag burning as mentioned in the topic title (it's not even mentioned in the "article").

Like I said though, the mere idea that Americans, or at least the majority of us, are blaming the British is just ridiculous. I don't even hear much outcry blaming BP. I think most of us are more concerned about getting it fixed and the cleanup efforts that are required and what we can do to help.