British Petroleum: human life worth $20 million

The Financial Times reports:
“BP was not only willing to put a value on human life, something its predecessor Amoco refused to do – it listed it at $20m (£10.5m) for a single fatality incident, with the cost escalating for multiple deaths in the same accident, the Financial Times has learned.The details, revealed in sworn testimony, come as the first civil trial begins this week arising from the fatal explosion at BP’s Texas City refinery in 2005.”

So, Mr. Bush

George W. Bush’s presidency is on the verge of collapse, and going around without a tie is probably not enough to save it. Even the candidate to succeed his brother, Jeb Bush, is snubbing him. As the AP via Yahoo News reports:

“On Monday, Bush jetted to a conservative corner of Florida‘s Panhandle, about as far as he could get from the state’s three in-play House districts. To the White House’s embarrassment and irritation, Republican Charlie Crist, whom Bush came to help in his bid to succeed the president’s brother as governor, decided at the last minute to skip the chance to be by the president’s side.”

The Democrats have not always stood up to Mr. Bush nearly as much as they should have, but they have been demonized enough for being “obstructionist” by Republicans and “indecisive” by the media to make it clear that they present some sort of alternative for the authoritarian rule of George W. Bush and his radical regime. The power grab that began with the “authorization” to torture people and spy on citizens without warrants justified by memos issued by ideological fascist lawyers at the Justice Department can come to an end with the election of a strong Democratic majority in the House and Senate.

The 2006 midterm elections offer the chance to start a change, some sort of change, from the war-mongering and war-profiteering Bush regime. And taking a majority of governorships can help lay the groundwork for a Democratic, non-Hillary Clinton candidate for president in 2008. Between now and then, the full range of possible crimes by the Bush administration, the CIA and their corporate associates should be investigated thoroughly by Congress.

[photo: AP]