Who still gets gas at bp

[beerfish]

There are other ways to penalize BP besides hurting our neighborhood business owners. Okay, so lets not go extreme with the analogies. No killing involved. Doesn't everyone agree that it was not a good thing when Israel blocked the humanitarian aid ship from entering Gaza? Some of this aid would have found its way to help Hamas and because of that, Israel did not want to let it in. So the collateral damage is the poor helpless people that could use this aid...but we don't say so what, they can rough it.

So you're saying that humanitarian aid for people with nothing at all is the same as someone on Long Island only making $75k a year?

Everyone makes choices in life. You chose to have children, you chose to run your own business, and you're choosing to pay their tuition instead of letting them take out loans. People waiting for humanitarian aid aren't concerned with going to Yale, they're concerned with getting food and medical help.

I'm making choices as well. I'm choosing not to support a company until they make a real effort to clean up their mess. I'm choosing the people who live in the gulf area and have nothing, over the business owner on Long Island.

You can appeal to Tony Hayward if you have a problem with my choices.

 

[NYreefNoob]

BP gas stations are franchised, even though they do not own the store you do buy into the company, same as McDonalds, They are independantly owned and operated, but must buy their items from them, and paid a huge sum to hang the McDonalds sign up, personally i could give a crap if a few gas stations go under because of this, i am more concerned about the thousands who lost their jobs and family business's they have had for decades and all the people in the gulf effected by this. Just as much as the dis-taste for BP is my dis-taste for the government on this, certain thing's were not properly checked and safety rules not followed or enforced, i am just flabbergasted that OUR government is basically sitting by instead of saying we are taking control of the matter and will get it stopped and you will pay for the damages and what it cost us to get it stopped

 

[Imbarrie]

Ditto, Minerals Management needs to be held accountable also.

 

[AlohaTropics]

Thats fine. I guess I just hold all of my actions accountable. Some other people just don't care who they step on as long as they get their point across.

 

[cupcake]

A large part of my job deals with the regulation of gasoline terminals and gas stations, so I speak with a degree of certainty when it comes to the gasoline distribution issue. As I stated the only differences are the additives for each individual brand, which is added at the terminals.

 

[NYreefNoob]

 

[AlohaTropics]

aloha you guys as vendors do it to each other, stepping on each other, whats the difference ?

I personally do not believe in the shady stuff that goes on between vendors. Ask anyone that has worked with me or dealt with me. Maybe I'm a dying breed but for the most part, I try to work fairly, honestly, and above all, I don't ever intentionally screw anyone over to further my own agenda.

Anyway, I'm not saying BP doesn't deserve the worst of the worst. All I'm saying is that people need to consider collateral damage of what they do. You can't say well, there's people suffering down there so I'll make people suffer up here just to make BP suffer some more. Its a never ending cycle of damage. So maybe someone should lash out and do something bad to the boycotters because their boycott is hurting small business owners. This is how cycles of hate and damage begin. Something happens and people react. Impulsive reactions cause more problems that cause more reactions that cause more problems, and on and on. People need to take the higher ground at some point act a little more justly and overall, come up with wiser decisions that don't breed more problems.

 

[AlohaTropics]

What people need to do is instead of boycotting, start a class action lawsuit against BP. Obama's administration cannot force BP to do things like create an escrow account for future liability payments, but a court can do things such as seize assets, freeze assets, award damages.

All of these things will come in time, I'm pretty sure we'll see them all. This initial boycott is just anger and impulsiveness and will cause even more damage.

The concentration should be on how to help those who are suffering right now and how to solve the problem. Boycotting is only aimed at hurting BP. It solves nothing and does nothing to help those suffering right now. As a matter of fact, BP is the only people that CAN help right now. Yes they caused the problem, but we must count on THEM now to spend the money and time to SOLVE the problem. The way I see it, boycotting them will actually hinder the process right now.

Its simple. The natural human reaction to something done wrong, is anger and revenge back at the wrong doer. We have to look past that and first concentrate on whats best to help the victims. BP will pay in due time, thats a given. But first, they have to pay and fix the problem.

You wanna boycott and make them suffer? Fine, wait until they clean up the mess, take care of the victims. Then send out a mass letter to all BP Franchise owners as a precaution that they should end their relationship with BP, and get a different supply contract. Even close and change names of their business. Give all of them 3 months to do this so they are prepared. Then organize a massive boycott on anything to do with BP and put them out of business. THIS IS THE RESPONSIBLE WAY OF DOING THIS. Not just blindly running out there and starting a boycott that will hurt innocent people for no gain and no reason.

I mean, picture this. You just bought a $500 business suit because you have the interview of your life. Your walking down 3rd Avenue with your stomach in knots because your kids, your house, everything depends on getting this job. Now some person in a Fur coat comes walkin next to you and some schmuck who thinks their being so noble throws a can of paint that covers the fur coat, covers you, some people's cars, some courier's important letters, etc... Now you lose that job because you walk in dripping in paint. I mean, seriously, there are responsible ways of going about things and there are things you can do that don't help the situation and only create more problems.

 

[reefnhard]

Imo i blame the united states government and the human race not any individual company...we all make decisions that trickle down and effect all of this...the government doesnt do enough to protect the people and worries more about war and other countries for money....everything is about a dollar and the usa is about the dollar..all of this drilling and gas and oil is bs its about money with all of the science we have and know your telling me theirs no other means of energy...bp is a money making company that caused this disaster and didnt know how to prevent nor stop it...theres never a just in case plan..till its to late ...this is been going on for a long time like in 1979 they tried the same tactics its bs...the government if its gonna allow all this and destroy the human race at the rate its letting it happen needs to have a safety net first and think about the future instead everything is money greed and worry about the issue when it arises..i blame the government,poltics and oil companies...the constitution means crap now a days and everything is destroyed....peoples lives are ruined and mother nature is suffering all because of another money generating idea...this has happened a few times already oil spills are reoccurring because the government doesn't think about anything but money...i put the blame on them first...its been all about pointing fingers and passing the responsibility along but whos trying to stop it with very little effort and ideas...

 

[funkmaster]

im getting mad just thinking of it ....i saw on the news about A turtle that couldn't breath its so sad ....they should trow the bp ceo in the oil and see how he swims and see how it is to swallow oil .......and maybe just maybe some1 will want to save....but i doubt it doubt

 

[beerfish]

Felix, you have a friend in the industry, who is directly affected by this, and I respect that fact. However, if Aloha Tropics started dumping oil into the ocean, I would boycott you. I would also boycott anyone who supported you by purchasing from AT. In turn, I suspect your suppliers would drop you like a rock. In order to maintain your business, you'd likely stop what you were doing and run a better business. This is the point of the boycott.

NOTE: Aloha Tropics is not dumping oil and while I've never done business with them, I'm by no means claiming that they are unethical in any way. I am only using them as an example. I've heard very good things about AT.

BP is not likely to take the proper actions unless it is financially hurt. The general public has no case for a class action. A class action should be brought against BP by people like your friend, who are directly affected by their screw up. He can easily argue that they destroyed his business (and with all of the failures on BP's part, can possibly get around the "won't hold BP responsible" clause he likely signed in his contract).

I won't argue that the system isn't flawed. I won't argue that our government has been anything more than totally inept. I will, however, argue that the responsibility of a lawsuit should be left to the people that unfortunately decided to contract with BP.

 

[AlohaTropics]

Listen we are obviously at odds with this. I care about the people who this boycott could potentially hurt and you don't. I think there are better ways to handle the situation than hurting innocent bystanders and you think its perfectly okay. So thats it. There are some people who are willing to strap a bomb to themselves and hurt others just to prove a point and some who don't think points should be proven in that manner.

Throughout this conversation I have given many ways that BP can be held accountable. I didn't say the class action lawsuit should be filed by you or me. Thats the problem, you are too personally attached and have waged a personal war against BP. The victims here are the people down south. The people in the Gulf. The Class action lawsuit should be filed by them, and yes also the BP franchise owners. If you want to help, donate money to the victims down south. Help with cleanup efforts. These are the things that collectively the public can do that can have a huge positive impact on the situation. Not collective persecution.

It seems like you just keep saying oh well, too bad for the small business owners. You talk about risk of starting a business, well what about the people who chose to live down south by the oil pumps? Do you think either party could have forseen this kind of risk? If we go by your rationalization that its okay to screw the business owners because they should have known the risk, then I guess BP can say that about the people in drilling areas right? Well, they knew the risk... Its a BS copout excuse to justify your boycott doing harm. If your boycott is harming innocent people then it is wrong, plain and simple. You cannot say you are trying to do good by inadvertantly hurting people and then shrugging your shoulders and say oh well.

My argument is trying to find an actual solution to the damage caused by BP. Not trying to find suitable punishment. Suitable punishment is not the publics job to do. Our job is to use our collective power and HELP, not persecute. Like I said, if you want to put BP out of business, then do it after they have fixed what they did. Driving them to file Chapter 7 is just unproductive right now as well as hurting innocent people in the process. I'm all up for boycotting BP once we have given enough notice and time for the innocent business owners to make a change. Once BP has paid for the cleanup and paid for damages to citizens and businesses down in the Gulf. Then boycott away! But clear the area before you fire your gun at the target. Its alot more efficient and you don't hurt people that don't deserve to be hurt.

Activism is good. Its good to get involved. Activism done with reckless abandonment that creates all sorts of collateral damage is Extremism or Radicalism. It doesn't have to involve killing or violence. It is a state of mind. If your willing to do harm to a group of people just to get at someone else then that is wrong. Business owners assume risk, yes. Risk of prices falling, risk of lawsuits, thats what insurance is for. No business can foresee and assume the risk of collective public boycotting of their entire business. When I started Aloha Tropics, did I sit there and consider the possibility of the entire country boycotting my entire business? It's just ridiculous to say that they knew it might happen so its okay for us to do this to them.

Plus, I'm sure the BP's down south are getting a hell of lot rougher treatment than a simple boycott. If the gulf stream brings the oil up here to Long Island (and its a strong possibility) then watch out for more than a little boycott. There WILL be rocks thrown and violence towards the BP gas stations. That is the unfortunate scary truth. Again, people who are angry are irrational and usually just looking to seek revenge by hurting the closest thing they can call the enemy. Angry people don't want to hear you say things like its not these businesses fault. They are angry and looking to make THEMSELVES feel better. Its too bad it will be at the expense and livlihood of these poor business owners. You know a bunch of them around here are 1st generation immigrants that can't do anything else. You think its their fault because they didn't assess this risk? Get real.

 

[AlohaTropics]

Okay, I'm done. I just wanted people to understand the gravity of this boycott. I have a friend that is directly affected, and that's just me. There are thousands more who are getting hurt and it's unfair and above all unnecessary!


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[Baja170]

BOB pretty much all the gas companies are just as safe for your suv as bp gas. I personally use Mobil on the most part, but if I see a Citgo I use them. My truck seems to like it better than any other brand I put in. I think all oil companies have had their mishaps- some way more devistating than others.

I actually blame TransOcean more than anyone on this. This is their second drilling rig to explode and cause a major leak in the gulf alone, nevermind other places in the world. The last one was in 1979 and was in 200 ft of water instead of 5000. It was caused by the blowout preventor valve- same as this one. It leaked for 9 months and EVERY SINGLE METHOD they used back then was identical to what theyre trying now, no advances on the safety technology by them. They called the operation top hat theyre using now- operation sombrero in 79 top kill, junk shot they used those exact techniques in 79 with different names. So yeah BP is at fault but so is TransOcean...JMO

+1

Everything I read, not what I see on the news points to TO as the actual outfit that is responsible for the mistakes that some people say led to where we are today. It is hard to know what the truth is honestly, definitely not much but propaganda in the news media reports...... It is frustrating.

I also know a local BP station owner here in the country. Lucky for him, people around here know him and he is a regular guy.(everybody knows most everybody around here) I see a lot of people still getting gas there, so I hope he is OK. It is the closest gas station to my house and also sells Diesel I used in my Truck and Lawn Mower, so I do still go there. I do think about what is going on in the gulf but I don't want to punish this local gas station owner over it.

I AM very happy BP got rid of that looser they had representing how not to do PR for a company in trouble. They might as well have just gone ahead and shot themselves in the foot every time he had an appointment with the media, and given him the day off to go sailing or something fun in his life.

 

[beerfish]

Listen we are obviously at odds with this. I care about the people who this boycott could potentially hurt and you don't. I think there are better ways to handle the situation than hurting innocent bystanders and you think its perfectly okay. So thats it. There are some people who are willing to strap a bomb to themselves and hurt others just to prove a point and some who don't think points should be proven in that manner.

You're comparing a boycott to a suicide bombing?

We'll agree to disagree on this issue.

 

[AlohaTropics]

I'm talking about doing things without care to who your hurting. You can apply it to anything. Killing people is the extreme but you hurting them either way. You have different levels of wrong doing well fine, that's how you live an justify your actions. I think destroying someones business and entire financial life amounts to hurting them pretty bad, almost crippling them. That's why I use extreme analogies. Principles are principles, you cant say it's okay to kill rabbits but not okay to kill dogs because dogs are bigger. It's a principle that should be carried no matter the degree of severity.

If you think about it, you are actually punishing these business owners in an even worse way than BP themselves. At least BP will recover or close their doors with millions. These business owners will have nothing much left. So how is their penalty justified in severity compared to what your trying to do to BP. None of this makes any sense and that is why this boycott is just an emotional outburst and not a sensible thing to do.


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[beerfish]

I'm talking about doing things without care to who your hurting. You can apply it to anything. Killing people is the extreme but you hurting them either way. You have different levels of wrong doing well fine, that's how you live an justify your actions. I think destroying someones business and entire financial life amounts to hurting them pretty bad, almost crippling them. That's why I use extreme analogies. Principles are principles, you cant say it's okay to kill rabbits but not okay to kill dogs because dogs are bigger. It's a principle that should be carried no matter the degree of severity.

If you think about it, you are actually punishing these business owners in an even worse way than BP themselves. At least BP will recover or close their doors with millions. These business owners will have nothing much left. So how is their penalty justified in severity compared to what your trying to do to BP. None of this makes any sense and that is why this boycott is just an emotional outburst and not a sensible thing to do.

Like I said, we'll have to agree to disagree. We've both made our points without getting ugly, so I'm going to bow out before emotions get things heated.

I'll continue to do what I feel is right, as you should do what you feel is right, and lets just hope that the whole crisis gets resolved before the situation gets any worse than it already is.

 

[CHEMCHEF]

I did not read thru this entire thread but it seems to me that people are worried about the franchise Owner getting hurt by this.
Well you can tell the franchise owner to GET IN LINE BEHIND the fishermen in the gulf and all the other Americans Getting hurt!!!!!! by this senseless tragedy.
Say goodbye to Seafood for the near future. It will soon be like buying gold bullion.

 

[Imbarrie]

The oyster market may never recover.


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[NYreefNoob]

You know a bunch of them around here are 1st generation immigrants that can't do anything else. You think its their fault because they didn't assess this risk? Get real.

can't do anything but own a gas station ?

Principles are principles, you cant say it's okay to kill rabbits but not okay to kill dogs because dogs are bigger. It's a principle that should be carried no matter the degree of severity.

dogs and rabbits arent a comparision, wild rabbits are food, dogs arent, wild rabbits arent mans best friend, dogs are, you have used some of the most off the wall comparisons to compare people choosing not to go to BP .
Walmart had people boycotting them because they had things from 3rd world countries who had kids for laborer's, is it fare what people did to walmart ? Walmart didnt make them kids go work. Felix if you didnt have a friend who owned a BP gas station you wouldnt be arguing this point.
and reguardless how few of us decide to no longer buy gas from them million others still will, mine choise isnt spitefull or truelly meant to hurt anyone, but a choice i made myself. I choose not to buy my gas from that company, No one was concerned when i was cut days at work because of the financial situations in america. So why should i be concerned with a few gas stations making a little less money because some people choose not to buy gas from those stations ? this could be called selfish or what ever, but my personal choice i made.
and any of the BP gas station owners that would go bust from this could just become a shell or a exxon or any other gas station, not like the crabbers and oyster collectors who's whole business is destroyed and any other business that this killed.