Give POOR ExxonMobil a break, will ya???

Its been nearly 20 years since the whole Exxon Valdez fiasco, and this crap is still in litigation. For those too young to remember, the Exxon Valdez, a huge oil tanker, crashed under the command of an alcoholic, spilling millions of gallons of oil into Alaskan waters, killing hundreds of thousands of marine and shore animals, and effectively destroying the region's fishing industry. Now call me stupid if I'm wrong, but although fishing isn't Alaska's only industry, I can't really imagine there being much more beyond it (although I hear they got some crazy hydroponic...)

So now, tell me, why is ExxonMobil, a company that has posted record profits in recent years, (2005 - $36.13 billion, 2007 - $39.5 billion) being such asshats about paying up a measly $2.5 billion in restitution to the fishers, et al that suffered from the catastrophe? That figure is already cut in half by an appeals court from an original award of $5 billion. MARY, HOLY MOTHER OF JOSEPH!!! Its been nearly 20 years and these assholes STILL haven't paid the $2.5 billion? Can I get their lawyer? I got some speeding tickets I'd like to postpone payment to indefinitely!

For Christ's sake, they're making claims that the $2.5B is unconstitutional, that it is too high a fee, especially since they already paid loads of cash to clean up. What about those dead animals? What about the dead industry? What about those poor people left without jobs because of your idiocy? Clean up is your FCKING DUTY, not your choice.

They also claim that they shouldn't be held liable for Captain Joseph Hazelwood's (the idiot that rammed the ship ashore) actions, as he violated company rules. Last time I checked, if I worked at Starbuck's, and something compelled me to throw hot coffee in someone's face, the company could get sued, even if the company has "clear rules against" such action. Maybe I need to read my law books again.

One thing that bugged me most about this whole ordeal is that the case is now in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, and the justices are split 4-4. But wait, aren't there 9 justices in the SC? Yep. Except Justice Alito has elected to stay out of this because he owns between $100- and $250 thousand in ExxonMobil stock. You mean, the highest court in the land can have monetary ties to huge corporations??? I understand his decision to stay off as it would be a conflict of interest, but who's to say other decisions that don't directly name ExxonMobil are not in conflict of interest? Why are Supreme Court Justices even allowed to own stock?

I guess justice is blind in favor of those with the deepest pockets.

Jesus! I need a beer.