Excerpt:
According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, based on testimony given to the Coast Guard and interviews with survivors, the rig's chain of command "broke down" and its emergency procedures "made it difficult to respond swiftly" to a very fast-moving chain of events.
Less than 10 minutes after the first sign of trouble, the order was given to abandon the vessel. Many were already leaping into the Gulf to save their skin. In a final desperate act, a button was pressed that should have activated a massive device on the sea floor, the blow-out preventer (BOP). This 450-ton, 50-foot tall hydraulic leviathan was designed to crush the life out of the drill pipe and bottle up the high pressure oil and gas trying to escape from the well.
The BOP, the well's last fail-safe device, failed. Within 2 days, the unrecognizable slag heap formerly known as the Deepwater Horizon slipped beneath the waves. As I write this, oil continues to pour from the wellhead a mile underwater, despite ingenious, round-the-clock efforts to halt the flow by some very bright and motivated engineers.
They admit to being "scared." The leader of the world's most powerful government has been reduced to mouthing meaningless commands to his minions. "Plug the damn hole," he fumed. Not exactly a Churchillian moment.
The risks posed by technological failures are both more common and more spectacular than at any time in history. Amazing achievements in science have fooled us into believing that there is no problem we can't solve, given enough money, human brilliance and hard work. BP's problem was not inadequate technologies, but a disturbing lack of humility in the face of complex and powerful forces.
Continue reading HERE.
My comment there (may still be in moderation mode):
WOW Charlie! What an excellent essay! I learned so much from this post! Previously, I didn't even know about the blow-out preventer malfunction. How terribly sad and irresponsible it was not to have a plan B!
I'm not an engineer, but I read that setting up the oil slick booms and burning the oil immediately would have helped to contain it in a smaller area. But wouldn't it have to burn continually until it was eventually capped? That may have been an environmental hazard to the air, but isn't the oil slick a catastrophic disaster that is far worse?
You are correct about the lack of humility that lives in all people. What makes it really tough is when it's combined with extreme arrogance. That absurd "plug the damn hole" comment must have been an "off the teleprompter" one. As with many terrible comments that Obama has delivered in the past, that one showed his true character. His lack of empathy towards those suffering in the Gulf states showed a stone cold heart, too.
Obama's never-ending government takeover of EVERYTHING is truly arrogant, scary and devastating to WE THE PEOPLE who believe in our Founding Fathers' plan for our Constitutional Republic - not a Marxo-Islamo-Fascist regime that the far-left progressives think will finally create their own dream world of a Garden-of-Eden type of utopia. History has revealed the fact that such ideology has NEVER worked in a positive manner. Instead, the most inhumane and brutal regimes have developed as a result of their evil, power, and misplaced wealth.
Ben Franklin had many words of wisdom. The day he answered the question, "what type of government have you given us, sir?" He replied, "A Republic - if you can keep it."
The humility that you speak of has gradually been taken from our nation by leaders who claim to know "the Word" (like Nancy Pelosi claimed recently). However, those of us who genuinely DO know God's Word, study it, apply it to our own lives, teach it to our children, and share it with others through Christ's Gospel message have the ability to spot a fake instantly.
I am convinced that only Jesus can teach us what you wrote at the end of your essay:
...we're never as great as we think we are. When we live in humility, we allow ourselves to learn from others. When we embrace our limitations, we aren't tempted to charge off recklessly into the unknown. If we hold the reins tightly on our human vanity and pride, we will yield the head of the table to God and find our proper place in the created order.
What a beautiful, beautiful paragraph! And, when we find ourselves outside the "proper place in the created order," such arrogance leads to sin, evil and death.
The Lord's prayer instructs us to pray, "Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
Man often does the opposite. He wants his own will to be done on this earth - no matter how much damage it inflicts on this world. Therefore, man ignores God's Will for our lives as it is instructed for us through His Living Word - Jesus Christ, as well as in His Written Word, the Bible.
Ah...went off on a tangent! Thanks again for this great article. I will link to it at my blog today.
God bless you!
In Christ,
Christine
Hat Tip:
Another Think
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11 comments:
CJW: ”...those of us who genuinely DO know God's Word, study it, apply it to our own lives, teach it to our children, and share it with others through Christ's Gospel message have the ability to spot a fake instantly.“
So how long did it take you to determine that Rick Warren was a huckster, Christine?
July 2004: ”Have you ever read "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren? It is a fabulous book! I am reading it for the third time together with my teen daughter.”
November 2006: ”In four previous posts, I have written about Rick Warren. I started out feeling very enthusiastic about his book, church, and ministry. Unfortunately, as time went by, I had to admit that there were several things that bugged me about his ministry and politics.“
“...If all of what Farah alleges in his article is true, then Rick Warren may be turning out to be one of the false teachers that are prophesied in the book of Jude.
I, for one, hope not.
I sincerely hope not!”
September 2007: ”I originally loved the "PDL" book. In fact you will notice in this post that I went through several 'stages', so to speak, before I realized some of the dangers in Warren's 'movement'.
I'm no expert on the terms ;
'emergent' vs. 'emerging' church doctrine. I will continue to read about both in order to be more informed. However, after 20 years of studying Scripture I can discern truth from error as well as truth from "almost truth" (or half-truths) that are being introduced into Christianity at an alarming rate these days.”
Yeah, that sure sounds like humility on your part, Christine!
Onward:
June 2008: ”I have spoken up against Rick Warren's flawed theology (which, admittedly I once embraced and almost compromised on.) I did two studies on the book at my home.”
From the look of it, almost exactly four years were needed for you to discern the truth about Warren. You even recommended his book to me—and I, attempting to be fair, read it! Talk about the blind leading the blind...
Four years is hardly 'spot[ting] a fake instantly'. I would suggest actually PRACTICING a bit more of that humility you're so on about.
You are correct, GMPilot. I am a flawed human being. I did not instantly spot Rick Warren's heresy. However, in the case of Nancy Pelosi - I think that any Bible believing born-again Christian could spot her heretical ideology immediately.
BTW, in your little analysis of the time frame in which you placed my inability to discern Rick Warren's heresy, you neglected to include any citations of where you got those quotes. It might be important for readers to see what else I had shared over the course of time (like the fact that at our leader's training at the church I attended, the video introduction to the "Purpose Driven Life" study showed Warren praying a prayer that didn't include confession and repentance of one's sins in order to be born again in Christ. That's quite an important error - don't you think?) that it took for me to discern Warren's heresy.
CJW: ”However, in the case of Nancy Pelosi - I think that any Bible believing born-again Christian could spot her heretical ideology immediately.“
That may be, but unlike Rick Warren, Nancy Pelosi is working on behalf of the Republic, not the Kingdom. As far as I'm concerned, that's yet another reason to keep church and state as far apart as possible.
”...in your little analysis of the time frame in which you placed my inability to discern Rick Warren's heresy, you neglected to include any citations of where you got those quotes. It might be important for readers to see what else I had shared over the course of time...”
Somehow I thought you'd say that.
If your audience wishes to see what else you shared over the course of time, they can look up the threads, just as I did. The SEARCH button makes it easy.
At least you're not trying to claim that I made those quotes up.
But I'll point you to the exact posts:
Jul 04:
link
Nov 06:
link
Sep 07:
link
June 08:
link
”...at our leader's training at the church I attended, the video introduction to the "Purpose Driven Life" study showed Warren praying a prayer that didn't include confession and repentance of one's sins in order to be born again in Christ. That's quite an important error - don't you think?”
I might think so if I was a Christian. But I'm not.
I previously wrote: ”...at our leader's training at the church I attended, the video introduction to the "Purpose Driven Life" study showed Warren praying a prayer that didn't include confession and repentance of one's sins in order to be born again in Christ. That's quite an important error - don't you think?”
GMPilot wrote: "I might think so if I was a Christian. But I'm not."
That explains the difference between you and I. I believe in the Truth. You choose to reject it.
Thank you for providing the links. I went back and re-read the posts and some of the comments. I found this particular one quite interesting:
Christinewjc said...
The reason I point out Warren's mistakes in his evangelism efforts is because it matters to the salvation status of any of his followers in his church. Warning people that Warren is not preaching the genuine gospel anymore is a responsible thing to do, don't you think?
Here's an interesting letter from a former Saddleback church member that was posted on WorldNetDaily:
Severing ties to Saddleback
I called Saddleback today to resign my membership. I came to Christ there in 2001 and it is sad that the P.E.A.C.E. plan has decided that P is not for Planting Churches (the Great Commission), but for Partnering with Muslims (the Great Deception).
Rick Warren's reputation is terribly blemished. To me, it's like dad cheated on mom ... you can never look at him the same. Warren sold out the principles of Christ in a Muslim land, and came back to sell them out again by inviting pro-abortion/pro-gay marriage/pro-thought crime Barack Obama to speak about AIDS.
I'm just blown away ... completely dismayed at the wreckage that has become the modern church ... Haggard, Warren, Pope Benedict praying to Mecca ... it goes on and on.
Anonymous
December 8, 2006 7:09:00 PM PST
I had forgotten about Warren's Syria trip and that he had Obama at his church back in 2006, long before O's announcement to run for president, to discuss AIDS.
I agree with everything that Anonymous wrote.
It looks like Warren is actually part of the "social justice" (a.k.a. the mixing of socialism with a faux and flawed kind of faith, which, according to history, leads to dictators and followers who adhere to Marxism, Leninism, Maoism) crowd like God's Politics leader (and Obama "spiritual" advisor), Jim Wallis.
Hmmmm....explains A LOT!
Hi Christine,
All ocean oil drilling should stop until these companies can create a way to stop these horrible accidents. If they can't prove they can fix problems, they should be shut down.
CJW: ”The reason I point out Warren's mistakes in his evangelism efforts is because it matters to the salvation status of any of his followers in his church. Warning people that Warren is not preaching the genuine gospel anymore is a responsible thing to do, don't you think?”
So, was Warren still 'preaching the genuine gospel' when you endorsed his book to me, or not? Is my alleged soul in danger now because you steered me toward a heretic, or isn't it? Or perhaps like Rahab or Salome, you are your god's tool for my destruction?
”That explains the difference between you and I. I believe in the Truth. You choose to reject it.”
Believing means I'm unsure. If something is true, then either I know it or I don't know it. Therefore, I don't need to believe in anything.
If your god actually exists, you already know what I 'believe' him to be...and yeah, I reject that.
Kevin,
"If they can't prove they can fix problems, they should be shut down."
And applying that same logic, we would shut down space travel, auto travel, bike travel, walking, any kind of energy production, any kind of exploration, medicine, etc.
I know of nothing worth anything on this world that can be pursued without an element of risk. If you can't accept that, you should probably just kill yourself now. That's the only way to obtain any kind of certainty.
Hi Gary,
I was expecting a reply from you! Travelling by auto is dangerous, but that is why there are seat belts, anti-break glass, bumpers, anti-lock brakes and so on. All those work. Risk is one thing, but wouldn't it be nice if a high risk project (like deep sea drilling) could have at least a working plan of what to do in case of disaster? I haven't heard the figures yet of what this oil spill is going to cost, but I'm sure it is going to go nuclear once that oil gets into the Atlantic Ocean (hopefully it won't!). BP may not make it out alive after all the lawsuits. I'm sure they are now wishing they had a plan for this mess. Hopefully the other oil companies are starting to look at their own risk for disaster.
To all,
Did any of your watch Hannity's show tonight? Why aren't the excellent ideas shared by 3 citizens (one, a 21-yr. old engineering prodigy) being utilized to:
1. Sop up the oil slick using hay and/or the fabric introduced by the entrepreneur who was on the show?
2. Try the idea of the tires plugging and being inflated to plug the hole in the pipe?
Watch the re-run tonight or go to Hannity's blog which has a link to the Youtube video that shows these solutions.
Kevin,
Your reply overlooks a few obvious facts: When automobiles came on the scene, they had almost none of the safety equipment you mentioned. In fact, the big three automakers went to extraordinary lengths to discourage the incorporation of such things and for a long time the government went along. For quite a while, auto deaths hovered around 50,000 a year. If you totaled up damages, insurance, and loss of productivity, that puts the annual toll in about the same ballpark as we are looking at for the spill so far. It was simply the way that it was. People accepted risk for convenience.
None of this is to say that I endorse not having an action plan, but to demand that any company prove it can solve any problem as a condition of operation is not reasonable. One solution would have been to allow drilling in shallow water or on land. The environmental wackos have blocked that pretty effectively. The current oil spill is a tragedy, no doubt about it, and it sounds like some people were playing fast and loose with the rules. They need to be punished and the situation corrected. Stirring up animosity against energy companies, however, will accomplish nothing. If the Prez was a tenth as proficient at coming up with solutions as he is at casting blame, his administration would already have been labeled an historic success. As it is, he simply looks petty and weak.
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