Spill baby spill

It is hard to write calmly about this utterly preventable disaster when your eyes are filled with tears. The reckless abandonment of safety procedures detailed by a survivor of the Deepwater Horizon, the attempts by BP to prevent photographers and journalists from documenting the effects of the spill, it's use of Google to manipulate public opinion, its complete lack of concern for and then denial of the health effects of the deadly fumes from the oil and dispersants on clean-up workers.... and now these photos.

There are many more spills all over the world we don't even hear about. We are told that unless "we" reduce our dependence on oil, we must share the blame for this crime against nature. And yet there's no alternative to oil. Why not? Billions have been spent on space programs to escape the planet we're destroying, trillions have been spent protecting oilfields in foreign countries, but where's the money for research into alternatives?

Idea: how about super-powerful solar cells the size of a dime? If Motorolla can shrink computer chips to 1/1000th of the size they were 10 years ago, how long would it take to do the same for solar cells?

If governments were to divert even 1 percent of the money spent on wars, summits and clean-ups of environmental disasters into truly clean energy we might have a chance. We must pressure our lawmakers to take the lead.

For ourselves. For our children. For our mother earth.
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