15 Years and Counting

"We are dealing with," [Judge H. Russel Holland] wrote, "reckless corporate officials."

One issue I find troubling with the Times article, and especially the segment on the local news last night, is the description of Joseph Hazelwood. Sure, I laughed when I read about a bit of political theater years back concerning the Captain (a group in Madison amended a line in the old folk song What Will You Do With a Drunken Sailor. The new version became "put him in charge of a supertanker" ). Yes, Captain Hazelwood had something like two drinks before boarding the then Exxon Valdez (which I believe is now called the Condolezza Rice. Go figure). But he was not flailing about at the helm when his ship ran aground on Bligh Reef; he was, in fact, below decks. So, please Channel 9, don't get smug while describing something that didn't happen. Hazelwood's crime was negligence, not reckless operation.

If you want to hit him hard for negligence, by all means do so. It is the responsibility of the ship's captain to ensure safe operation, particularly for a boat this size operating in shallow waters. But alleging that he was drunkenly steering is simply wrong, and further diverts public scrutiny from the real problem: Operation of large single-hulled tankers in sensitive waters is like playing with gasoline and matches.

Just ask the folks who live or used to live in Prince William Sound.