It is truly a disheartening and devastating situation unfolding, one with so many consequences that it may be years, surely generations, to truly understand the scope of it all. Under circumstances of such peril, loss and wrong it is only natural to expect knee jerk reactions. Never again, we hear. The caution, though, must come.
Corporations have ever right to lobby, for good or ill, just as people do. Exercising freedom of speech, as many great organizations, individuals and corporations do, for good or ill, should not be so causally disregarded. The whole concept of freedom of speech is not to protect that speech which we agree with, find tolerable or have no qualm with but with that very speech which may upset our centre. I may not care for the lobbying efforts made by certain corporations, organizations or individuals, but because they have the right to engage, I remain thankful that I do as well.
Finally, greed and profit are not synonyms. Perhaps, if this correlation is being made, it is an emotional response based upon a belief that if one profits another must suffer a loss. A profit being made does not always have to arrive from a zero sum game model, or winner take all. It has been my experience that more often than not a profit arises from a win win situation versus a win lose.
I only wish I belonged to a group of young, intelligent and enterprising engineers well versed in deep water drilling activities that discovered a realistic and efficient solution. Perhaps, a win win situation.
