The Presidential Speech USA Isn't Ready to Hear

My Fellow Americans --

I wish I had better news for you.

Due to the reckless quest for profits by a global corporation, the Gulf of Mexico has suffered unprecedented ecological damage.

Even sadder, the best minds in government, academia, and the oil industry do not know how to fix this.

The damage from the oil spill may not be fixed for years, or decades -- and perhaps not ever.

I will hold BP responsible. But let's face it, some things can't be put right, no matter how much money BP spends and how much effort all of us put forward.

But make no mistake about it: It is not just BP oil and the government that are responsible for this disaster.

It is your fault, too.

You don't want to give up your SUVs, your fancy gas-guzzling sports cars, flying off to vacations here and there around the globe, air-conditioned homes, or even to cut down on use of high-speed internet connections.

You don't want to walk or bike to where you need to go. You will drive 10 or more miles to pick up a carton of milk, instead of waiting until the next time you are on that route.

You don't want to deny yourself the tiniest comfort.

The result is a nation that is overweight, at risk for heart attack, strokes, diabetes, and other preventable illness.

This tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico is all of our responsibility.

The time is now to walk, to bike, to take the bus, to go to a park near your home instead of a far-away vacation, to run fans whenever you can instead of the air-conditioning, and to admit that the only reasoning BP was drilling a mile under the sea was to satisfy our endless addiction for oil.