The Land and Sea Belong to Us All

The past two months have seen a pair of tragedies out at sea, both stemming from much larger problems that loom over humanity. On April 20, the BP-owned Deepwater Horizon oil platform suffered a blowout, causing a massive explosion that killed 11 workers and sent countless millions of barrels of oil gushing into the sea.

On the last day of May, Israeli warships and helicopters intercepted and violently commandeered a flotilla of aid vessels bound for the Gaza Strip while the ships were out in international waters. At least 10 civilians were killed and dozens wounded in the nighttime attack and forceful boarding.

These events, while horrific, merely unmask for us once again the ghastly twin visages of the modern corporation and the modern nation-state as they are in their purest forms: exploitation and oppression. These human-made tragedies are stark reminders of what happens when average people don't have control over the resources they need for their survival.

A larger version of the graphic is below the fold.