So I’m finding it hard to talk about the BP oil spill. It is horrible in the most literal sense — it instills within me a sense of true, deep, abject horror. It is creeping and (for the moment, at least) unstoppable. It is killing everything it touches, and it is huge, and it is trying to touch everything.Jesus Christ. We broke the ocean.
(Yes, we. All of us who drive when we could walk or ride our bikes or use public transportation; those of us who pick up the marginally cheaper product when it comes to these things and many others when there are often more responsible options available. All of us who haven’t been paying attention while the protective laws and regulations have been gutted, eliminated, and ignored. We did this. We made these oil companies rich. We gave them the power to do this. And therefore, we too are responsible — and if that sounds terrible, good. It ought to.)
It's a great post by someone who has a long history with that region. Priest isn't often given to writing about political issues on her blog, but it's a really powerful thing to see her let loose when she feels strongly about an issue.
(In other political sci-fi news, Iain Banks is calling for a boycott of Israel. It's unclear if Iain M. Banks supports Iain Banks's proposal of boycott.)