I finally took the time yesterday to read whatever I could about this problem. Like most Americans, I've watched the daily developments and nervously believed

I finally took the time yesterday to read whatever I could about this problem. Like most Americans, I've watched the daily developments and nervously believed a solution was imminent. Maybe not optimal, but close at hand. Multinational comglomerates the size of BP have such a large quiver of resources at their disposal that it seemed all it would take was the desire to act and it would get done. So I believed. Here's one fact that has convinced me the Gulf of Mexico is lost and that only the riskiest and most extreme measures (a nuclear device or other such detonation) will seal the leak: The oil is rushing into the Gulf at between 20,000 and 70,000 psi. Nobody's certain of the actual value, but that's the range usually cited. This is a very different problem than capping the wellheads in Kuwait after Sadaam retreated. Anyone familiar with a waterjet cutter knows they run at 55,000+ psi and are so powerful they can cut 6" steel like butter. Imagine raw oil with sediment and impurities (similiar to the garnet abrasive) streaming upward into the Gulf the same way the cutting nozzle projects downward into the water basin. All at one (1) mile below the surface. There is no conventional solution that is going to stop the flow at those psi's. None. If you factor hurricanes and tropical storms into the mix it quickly becomes apparent that this is an international crisis without parallel in our time. The lack of leadership from both the private and public sectors and the overall lack of accurate information on the potential long term ramifications is stunning. Screw the talk about alternative fuels or who's to blame. We need action now. Right now.