All Articles Tagged "BP"
NAACP: BP Gives Minorities Worst Clean Up Jobs
(Black Enterprise) — The NAACP is seeking a meeting with BP CEO Tony Hayward to address concerns that minorities are being hired for the most dangerous jobs in assisting with the oil spill clean up, and “to ensure that all communities, including communities of color along the Gulf Coast are fully restored and receive needed support and assistance from BP.”
BP’s Chief Fights for Survival
(Daily Beast) — As oil continues to gush into the Gulf, the oil giant’s embattled CEO, Tony Hayward, is on an around-the-world tour to save his company and his reputation, but Tom Bower reports that he’s likely to be gone soon.
Blame Spreads in Gulf spill
(Politico) — The BP oil disaster is back in the spotlight.In recent weeks, a presidential town hall meeting on the economy, immigration reform talks, Elena Kagan’s Supreme Court nomination hearings, Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s resignation and congressional huddles on clean energy legislation all provided the Obama administration a small reprieve from relentless news coverage of the oil rig explosion and spill, now entering its 73rd day.
Ruling Won’t Deter NY State Fund’s Legal Action Against BP
(Pensions & Investments) – New York State Common Retirement Fund, Albany, will continue its effort to sue BP despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that has created a jurisdictional hurdle, confirmed Robert Whalen, a spokesman for New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, the sole trustee of the $132.6 billion fund.
“Last week’s ruling by the Supreme Court requires additional evaluation, but we are going forward,” Mr. Whalen said in an interview Thursday. “If necessary, we’ll seek a remedy through another venue.”
BP in Black Face
It was no surprise when BP’s Tony Hayward was forced to step down as the g0-to guy for day to day oversight of the BP oil spill. Hayward, who’d previously, remarked that he “wanted his life back”, was the epitome of an elitist class which made only the most perfunctory of efforts to connect with the masses, behavior emblematic of corporate profiteers.
His evasive testimony before Congress infuriated Members of Congress and solidified the impression of him as a snobbish Brit who is dismissive of, if not contemptuous to, the needs of ordinary folk. After such a brash showing of disregard for the environmental destruction and economic hardship which his company’s negligent actions caused the Gulf Coast, Hayward was understandably removed from his post, after which time, he immediately resumed his life snug in the lap of luxury.
The question for BP then became; who would be the anti-Hayward? Who could arrive on the scene with credibility, emote real feeling, and relax the tension which existed between BP and the American onlookers who were already cynical of BP’s motives, and critical of BP’s bumbling crisis management efforts?
Enter Darryl Willis, BP’s new claims manager. Willis, an African American, entered the scene with the feigned reassurance that we’ve come to expect from those in the business of handling claims. Queue actor Dennis Haysbert, the African American face of Allstate. You’re in good hands. It now seems that those in positions of power have rightly concluded that there’s a tried and true recipe for creating an air of trustworthiness; add one negro.
In America and the world, African-Americans are viewed with a certain deference which is not extended to our white counterparts. The unique experience of having suffered oppression means that those in similar circumstances look to our shared suffering, and feel comforted knowing that we understand their plight. And yet, our collective suffering is near its end as we’ve now been bestowed the full rights of citizenship in the richest, and most powerful country in the world.
Our evolution centers around the spiritual lessons learned from our dual citizenship. We hold both the collective knowledge of past suffering, as well as the present power inherent in American citizenship -the power to end suffering. We are a living and breathing dichotomy. Our history is our gift, but how we use it, or should I say, how we allow others to use it and us, is our choice.
In the ramp up to the Iraq War, Colin Powell was paraded before the United Nations as the face of the Iraq War. When Powell tossed that fake bag of anthrax onto the table, and fumed about how dangerous the Iraqi regime was – the world believed him. They shouldn’t have.
Secretary Powell was being used by power hungry neo-cons in the Bush Administration to put a kinder, gentler, and yes – blacker face on the impending war. Powell wasn’t package Cheney, George Tenet, or John Bolton, but was instead a hard working African-American soldier who’d come up from the ranks. He was one of us. And more importantly, he arose from a class of people who were all too familiar with being unfairly persecuted and as such, wouldn’t dare dream unleashing the fury of the American military upon another country without ample evidence. At least, this is how Powell was viewed by the world, and a key reason why the U.S. was given the go-head to invade Iraq.
Now, fast forward to the emergence of Darryl Willis as front man for BP. Did anyone notice that Mr. Willis emerged onto the scene just as authority to settle claims was being transferred from BP to an independent fund managed by Kenneth Feinberg? Hence, Willis’ power is auxiliary at best, and purely aesthetic at worst.
But Willis was placed front and center of the BP mess as a trinket of good faith. He is, as was Powell before him, being used to advance an agenda which directly contradicts the lessons of Tubman, Douglass, Malcolm and Martin.
Put a happy face on an ugly war. Add a virtuous face to a fiendish corporation. The moral capital of African-Americans is being depleted by the very same imperialistic factions who unwittingly bestowed upon us a crown born of sorrow.
Like Michele Obama, I am proud of my country. But it is one thing to assimilate and feel the pride that follows from appreciating what you and those before you have contributed to this nation; it is another thing altogether to be used by those whose aim it is transfer the unfairness once reserved solely for African-Americans to other groups and populations. Assimilation does not equate to dis-identification with one’s past. Can someone please make certain Mr. Willis gets the memo?
Yvette Carnell is a former Capitol Hill Staffer turned political blogger. She currently publishes two blogs, Spatterblog.com and GoGirlGuide.com.
BP in Black Face
It was no surprise when BP’s Tony Hayward was forced to step down as the g0-to guy for day to day oversight of the BP oil spill. Hayward, who’d previously, remarked that he “wanted his life back”, was the epitome of an elitist class which made only the most perfunctory of efforts to connect with the masses, behavior emblematic of corporate profiteers.
His evasive testimony before Congress infuriated Members of Congress and solidified the impression of him as a snobbish Brit who is dismissive of, if not contemptuous to, the needs of ordinary folk. After such a brash showing of disregard for the environmental destruction and economic hardship which his company’s negligent actions caused the Gulf Coast, Hayward was understandably removed from his post, after which time, he immediately resumed his life snug in the lap of luxury.
The question for BP then became; who would be the anti-Hayward? Who could arrive on the scene with credibility, emote real feeling, and relax the tension which existed between BP and the American onlookers who were already cynical of BP’s motives, and critical of BP’s bumbling crisis management efforts?
Enter Darryl Willis, BP’s new claims manager. Willis, an African American, entered the scene with the feigned reassurance that we’ve come to expect from those in the business of handling claims. Queue actor Dennis Haysbert, the African American face of Allstate. You’re in good hands. It now seems that those in positions of power have rightly concluded that there’s a tried and true recipe for creating an air of trustworthiness; add one negro.
In America and the world, African-Americans are viewed with a certain deference which is not extended to our white counterparts. The unique experience of having suffered oppression means that those in similar circumstances look to our shared suffering, and feel comforted knowing that we understand their plight. And yet, our collective suffering is near its end as we’ve now been bestowed the full rights of citizenship in the richest, and most powerful country in the world.
Our evolution centers around the spiritual lessons learned from our dual citizenship. We hold both the collective knowledge of past suffering, as well as the present power inherent in American citizenship -the power to end suffering. We are a living and breathing dichotomy. Our history is our gift, but how we use it, or should I say, how we allow others to use it and us, is our choice.
In the ramp up to the Iraq War, Colin Powell was paraded before the United Nations as the face of the Iraq War. When Powell tossed that fake bag of anthrax onto the table, and fumed about how dangerous the Iraqi regime was – the world believed him. They shouldn’t have.
Secretary Powell was being used by power hungry neo-cons in the Bush Administration to put a kinder, gentler, and yes – blacker face on the impending war. Powell wasn’t package Cheney, George Tenet, or John Bolton, but was instead a hard working African-American soldier who’d come up from the ranks. He was one of us. And more importantly, he arose from a class of people who were all too familiar with being unfairly persecuted and as such, wouldn’t dare dream unleashing the fury of the American military upon another country without ample evidence. At least, this is how Powell was viewed by the world, and a key reason why the U.S. was given the go-head to invade Iraq.
Now, fast forward to the emergence of Darryl Willis as front man for BP. Did anyone notice that Mr. Willis emerged onto the scene just as authority to settle claims was being transferred from BP to an independent fund managed by Kenneth Feinberg? Hence, Willis’ power is auxiliary at best, and purely aesthetic at worst.
But Willis was placed front and center of the BP mess as a trinket of good faith. He is, as was Powell before him, being used to advance an agenda which directly contradicts the lessons of Tubman, Douglass, Malcolm and Martin.
Put a happy face on an ugly war. Add a virtuous face to a fiendish corporation. The moral capital of African-Americans is being depleted by the very same imperialistic factions who unwittingly bestowed upon us a crown born of sorrow.
Like Michele Obama, I am proud of my country. But it is one thing to assimilate and feel the pride that follows from appreciating what you and those before you have contributed to this nation; it is another thing altogether to be used by those whose aim it is transfer the unfairness once reserved solely for African-Americans to other groups and populations. Assimilation does not equate to dis-identification with one’s past. Can someone please make certain Mr. Willis gets the memo?
Yvette Carnell is a former Capitol Hill Staffer turned political blogger. She currently publishes two blogs, Spatterblog.com and GoGirlGuide.com.
BP Chooses a Black Man to Head It’s Claims Process
(AOL Black Voices) — “BP is paying all the bills right now,” Darryl Willis, the vice president of resources for BP America, said to the U.S. Senate. By “paying all the bills,” Willis meant that the corporate giant is covering all costs and will work out later which of its drilling partners might also share some of the responsibility. “We are focused on making sure that the costs associated with this cleanup and spill in the Gulf of Mexico are paid and that the people who have been hurt along the Gulf Coast are compensated for their losses, and any federal costs that are associated with the cleanup are paid back to the American people.”
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BP Gulf Spill Costs Hit $2 billion, No End Yet
(AP) — BP has spent $2 billion in two months of fighting its Gulf of Mexico oil spill and compensating victims, with no end in sight to the disaster or the price tag. The British oil giant released its latest tally of response costs Monday, including $105 million paid out so far to 32,000 claimants. The figure does not include a $20 billion fund that BP PLC last week agreed to set up to continue compensating Gulf residents and businesses.
Spill Could Benefit Ga. Banks with Gulf Coast Exposure
(Atlanta Business Journal) — The BP oil spill is disrupting tourism, fisheries and scores of other businesses on the Gulf Coast, but at least one influential Wall Street bank analyst says the crisis could turn into something positive for SunTrust Banks and Synovus Financial.
BP CEO Tony Hayward Testifies Before Congress
(BET News) — A day after agreeing to a $20 billion victims’ compensation fund, BP’s chief executive is ready to tell Congress that he was “personally devastated” by the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig and understands the anger that Americans feel toward him and his company. CEO Tony Hayward’s contrition isn’t likely to save him from a bruising Thursday on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are preparing to channel constituent outrage over the worst environmental disaster in the nation’s history.
