Comments on: Environmental Activist’s Family Takes Shell to Court Over Man’s Torture and Execution

By: Derek

Derek — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 06:42:08 +0000

Jon- I'm not sure what you're smoking, but let me catch you up here: You said "author blatantly advocates for a specific litigious conclusion to the pending case" Umm... nope. I said "If Shell is found liable, it will be a first for a multinational company to be found guilty of human rights abuses. It’s about time." (Not as you said, "it’s “about time” that the Shell Corporation pay heavy financial fines for the failure of Nigerian law.") If you want more information on the suit, see The Case Against Shell, or Shell complicit in execution of Nigerian rights activist, or US court backs anti-Shell lawsuit, or Shell: corporate impunity goes on trial. If you must leave your criticisms here, please at least read the article thoroughly and then take issue with me. As far as I can tell, the only piece of my opinion in there is "It's about time." I hardly see that as "lazy and arrogant." I do think it is about time that multinational corporations with shady tactics ought to be called on the carpet, just as individuals are. You can't argue the facts as stated in the article, and if you follow the links above, you'll see that I made nothing up. Since you are neither Nigerian nor employed by Shell, your offense must be purely personal. You take issue with most things we post here, so it really doesn't surprise me.

By: Jon Petherbridge

Jon Petherbridge — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:27:35 +0000

p.s. idiocism is not a word

By: Jon Petherbridge

Jon Petherbridge — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:25:36 +0000

I nearly spit my tea on the screen from laughing.

Ah, the anonymous ad hominem attack. Your right to hide your face and stay off topic, else I’d give you a drubbing and then some.

Come on out, Tiger, I dare ya.

By: Tigglebum Creeksnot

Tigglebum Creeksnot — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 18:50:48 +0000

Again Mr. Petherbridge spouts out his useless blathering idiocism. Go get em tiger! The only logical conclusion I can draw from his inanity is that he must have absolutely no one that will listen to him in his real life.

The funniest part is that he will never understand why other people feel this way about him.

By: Jon Petherbridge

Jon Petherbridge — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 06:39:48 +0000

The subject of this article is interesting but considering the gravitas of the case the author really owes his readership more information. This is especially true as said author blatantly advocates for a specific litigious conclusion to the pending case. The grim reality is that courts and court systems are imperfect. This is true of the American system and it is true of the Nigerian system as well.

The author of the article discounts entirely the validity of the Nigerian legal system without giving any specific evidence about the case of Ken Saro-Wiwa. He (the author) then goes on to tell us that it’s “about time” that the Shell Corporation pay heavy financial fines for the failure of Nigerian law. That a civil case seeking damages for a foreign incident can be put forward under American law is likely true. But dammit, Derek, if you must advocate for your own opinions you should at least give us a reason to believe your point-of-view. I left off this piece with the feeling that your editorial journalism had devolved into a lazy and arrogant style.

If I was a Nigerian or a Shell roustabout, I would have, strait-up, been offended by your article.