Dracula Lives In Northern Indiana

Be careful of corporate smiles. Those smiles may hide fangs.

Ever see those cute television ads that British Petroleum (BP) is running? You know, the ones where you’re supposed to feel real earthy about buying gas at $3.50 a gallon, seeing as that BP is your cute little friend, working tirelessly behind the scenes to keep things, well, cute.

But, as I said, beware the fangs. The Chicago Tribune ran a story this past weekend, it’s on the front page of the July 15, 2007 edition, detailing some not so cute things. For instance, BP has worked out a sweetheart deal with the State of Indiana whereby BP gets exempted from environmental standards and will be allowed to dump more ammonia and heavy metal sludge into Lake Michigan. Wow, that’s make for same tasty fish frys and interesting water sports.

What can you do? Well, write your elected representative, especially if you live in Indiana, and ask how a company that’ll make a few billion dollars this year gets to destroy a precious natural resource. My guess is that the representative may not listen or will respond with a form letter about how BP is so cute and will add a few jobs. Don’t take no for an answer. Instead, don’t buy gas or anything else at BP. That’ll turn that corporate smile into a frown, and may expose those fangs for everyone to see.

The interesting observation here though is that corporate America is really trying hard these days to make itself appear more friendly, and in many cases, more green. Any big company actually doing something sincerely should be applauded. No one’s perfect, but trying to be better and actually making a difference should be recognized as a positive step forward in helping the environment and making business more efficient.

On the other hand, companies like BP may never be trusted. The damage they’ve inflicted is too great, and their potential for future damage is overwhelming. So, no matter what the slick ads and marketing campaigns may say, just remember that the real motivation is to refine oil into gasoline without regard for the environmental harm that will follow, and then sell it to you at an outrageous price.

Don’t be fooled, remember the fangs.