To date there have been more than twenty nations which have offered equipment, technology and know how as well as trained personnel in assistance to deal with the GOM oil spill. Or should I say hemmorage! To date, the Obama administration has turned them all down. Why would the help and asssistance of knowledgeable oil people and governments desirous of assiting, replete with equipment and expertise be dismissed out of hand?

It may be that one wishes to segment the offers of assistance to individual companies with expertise in certain areas such as clean up and remediation, while others concentrate on assisting in remediation and stoppage of the problem at its heart. The stoppage of the continuing spill. All parties, the nation, the international community, the oil companies and not just BP, whose long term credibility is a legitimate issue, would benefit by the international cooperation and sense of participation in a truly worthwhile effort. It just might be a worth while effort for the world to cooperate and participate in.

Undoubtedly, organization, coordination, and leadership would be required to allocate and match up various country strengths and capabilities, as well as company strengths in an organized, logical and constructive mode. But such is a matter of effective management and resource allocation.

When the entire world is desirous of helping, a nagging question occurs to me. Why would the assistance of nations and the knowledge and skills of some of the most astute oil companies, nations and personnel be spurned? And is this indicative of an ulterior political motive?

The world so rarely works together. It would be uplifting for the world to in this time of economic distress to pitch in and cooperatively solve this problem. Who knows? It just might create an opportunity and raison d'etre for the international community to gain a sense that we as humanity need to work together in solving some of our problems.

The refusal of such assistance causes me to question the motives of the leadership which refuses such assistance!!

Brian