On Not Defending BP

I actually regard BP as a criminal organization, and my recent posts regarding the oil spill in the Gulf should certainly not be taken as me defending them in any way. I merely am insisting on accuracy, when I point out that they were not operating the rig.

When subcontracting an operation, the major is as fully responsible for that operation as if they were doing it themselves, and it is incumbent upon them to monitor that operation to assure that it is being performed in accordance with the standards that the major itself would employ. The fact the the failure was that of a subcontractor, if anything, actually reflects greater discredit upon BP than would be the case if the failure had occurred in its own operation.

BP has had a long history of operating in a manner that reflects a disregard for the safety of its employees and the environment and this incident suggests, repeat suggests, that they have not changed. It is too early, however, to begin hurling accusations until we know what actually happened. A little bit of name calling is quite in order, though. Patterns do matter.