Stephen Colbert makes Bing donate $100K for oil spill
blog.seattlepi.com
blog.seattlepi.com
I don't mean BP should be crucified, but they have the responsibility and they certainly have the means.
It'd be great IF bp were going to be held fully liable. From my understanding there is a limited liability clause that is going to hold BP to some unimaginably low number.
And of course, there will be a question of what cleanup means. Cleaning up the coasts, cleaning up the animals, cleaning up the sub sea plumes? I am sure some big oil lobbyists have already tempered the language of what ever legislation is in place to hold BP accountable.
So charity is going to clearly have to step in a close the gap.
Bing, Bing, Bing!
Is it clearly defined what BP is covering? If not, how do charities know that the money they're putting into action is filling the gaps instead of just reducing BP's checks?
As I said, I understood it that BP is liable up to some amount (in dollars). How that amount is assessed and so forth, I have no idea.
It's not about blame so much as the fact that with BP on the hook for the bill, money isn't the thing that's in need.
You know what will be a million times better than sending clean-up money? When the clean-up is done, book a vacation and go patronize the tourism spots that are currently deserted.
Media keeps repeating the $75 million cap story because it makes for controversy and controversy sells newspapers (so to speak).
Some effect, that!
Leave the retributions for the courtroom. We are all partially responsible for the oil spill with our demand for petroleum based products at the lowest price possible.
I always find it fascinating that people uninvolved in the going-ons for random markets are blamed for unwanted side effects. BP could have just raised their prices, but they chose not to (therefore taking responsibility) and failed. Shame on them.
It's not as if there was never any indication that oil drilling could threaten the environment.
Who will give the permission to drill for oil in the artic, and why will the permission be given?
Moreover, as has been noted elsewhere in this thread, the buck does not stop at BP. If you're going to be consistent in the way you assign blame, you've got to follow the trail to the independent company that was actually operating the drilling rig. If you're going to pass the responsibility away from the consumer, through the gas station operator, and on to the refiner, it only makes sense to take the next step to the driller.
I did not choose for them to drill offshore - I would have recommended heavily against it in fact. Therefore I am not responsible. BP is responsible because they made the decision to drill - and all of the companies that decided to help are also responsible. I am, however, accountable for increasing the demand for oil that spurred their decision.
That's a great line.
Alternatively it might be just trying to make Bing feel like a new brand... who knows.
If you look at bing.com the only overly obvious reference to MS is the MSN link at the top left, and the microsoft copyright.
Alternatively, it could be a judgement call on MS's part based on their knowledge of the Colbert audience.