Ledbury Portal Community Forum

Obama is right to demand compensation from BP over the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, although perhaps ALL of us petrolheads should put our hands up and claim some responsibility for the oily society we live in. However, it should be the mega-rich corporation BP that foots the bill. Their greed has obviously filled huge coffers. It appears they can afford it, and if they can't, who cares?

Over a quarter of a century ago a factory in Bopal, India experienced a gas leak (methyl isocyanate) that 1/2 million people were exposed to. 16,000 people were killed within the first month the land and water in the area has been poisoned since by 390 tons of toxic chemicals. People are still living with birth defects and dying prematurely because of this poison that has never been cleared up.

Who was responsible for this factory and its explosion? The American corporation Union Carbide. Did they clean up this mess? No. Did they compensate the people of Bopal? No.

Has any American president demanded Union Carbide compensate these innocent victims of elite American greed? Of course not.

I would expect sea-birds to get more attention and more money spent on them after a man-made disaster than non-American humans? Animal lovers and racists would probably agree.

If I was BP, I'd tell Obama to f**k *ff, hypocrite.