Oily Hypocrisy

American Oil companies, with the aid of the U.S. government, have been circling the globe like vultures since the dawn of the motorized society, in search of that black gold, crude oil. One need only look at the damages done in the jungles of Ecuador, Peru and Colombia, as well as all other locations where crude has been extracted, with the subsequent ecological disasters left behind. Never mind the Santa Barbara catastrophe, the Exxon Valdez, and more recently the Gulf of Mexico disaster, where they are all so busy trying to blame each other that the victims are overlooked and abandoned by Big Soil.Now enter Cuba, the small island nation just south of the Florida Straits, which has the potential to become an oil-exporting nation if prognostications of the size of the deposits sitting offshore are to be believed. The deposits have the potential to earn sizeable amounts of money for the communist nation that has so long been a thorn in the side of the U.S., reducing Cuba’s reliance on the subsidized oil coming its way from crazy old Uncle Cesar from Venezuela.
Now here is where the U.S. could learn a lesson from Cristina Fern?ndez de Kirchner, the delusional president of Argentina, who believes that because the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands are located so close to the South American mainland, they must be “returned” to Argentina. It is by the same reasoning that the United States may make that same claim regarding Cuba, which sits less than 90 miles from Key West, Florida. I am sure that, unlike in the case of the Falkland Islands, most of the residents of Cuba would probably gladly become U.S. subjects, warts and all. And don’t forget about the Bahamas and maybe even Bermuda!But of course, the mammoth Chinese-built Scarabeo 9 oilrig that just passed in plain view of Havana, Cuba is a giant provocation to the Cuban American legislators from South Florida, you know, the ones who can’t get over the fact that their parents and grandparents lost all the huge fincas where they kept their workers in slave-like conditions. So anything that may be good for the evil dictatorial regime is of course bad for them and their dreams of returning to reclaim their lost fortunes.The U.S. government was invited to inspect the rig prior to its entering the waters off the U.S., and inspect it they did, finding it to be up to standards and ready to operate as safely as something of that nature ever will be. The fear mongers in the United States of course find that to be inadequate, as they remember all too well the catastrophe caused by BP’s giant disaster, with the aid of the heroic Dick Cheney’s Halliburton Corporation, which now conveniently resides out of the reach of U.S. legal authorities in Kuwait.By the time Cuba will develop these pie in the sky oilfields, the U.S. will probably be their best customer, buying anything Cuban they can get their hands on after the thaw between the nations, which presently is like the glaciers melting from all the carbon released into the atmosphere.[image: Scarabeo 9 platform, being lifted by world's strongest crane, Taisun, in Yantai , Shandong Province, China] I encourage you to write to me, jamie@expatdailynews.com with any questions or suggestions you may have, and if necessary, we can establish a voice communication via Skype. Disclaimer: I am not in any travel related business. My advice is based on my own experiences, and is free of charge. (Donations accepted). It is always my pleasure to act as a beneficial counselor to those who are seekers of the next adventure.Jamie Douglas is an Adventurer, Writer and Photographer with an amazing array of Nikon equipment, and a lifetime of experience traveling and documenting. To contact him for assignments, email: jamie.douglas [at] yahoo.comSee more expat articles by Jamie at

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