Crude oil from washes ashore in Orange Beach, Alabama, where swimming is banned

As oil continues to spew into the Gulf of Mexico, I continue to follow coverage informing us that the quantity estimated to have been released has doubled and of the damage it is doing to people whose livelihood is dependent on tourism, fishing or other industries affected by the spill; the devastating impact it is having on the already fragile ecosystem and species found only there; the as yet not fully understood impact on the health of cleanup and containment workers and area residents; and who knows what else.  All of these seem like huge issues that need immediate attention.

And yet the other thing that repeatedly comes to mind is a few lines from the Stephen Sondheim musical Into the Woods.  In one scene the giant’s wife from Jack and the Beanstalk has come down from the clouds looking for her husband’s killer.  She is destroying everything in her path and makes it clear she won’t stop until she has the boy, Jack.  He is in the company of several other fairy tale characters who are protecting him, and they are arguing about who is responsible for the giant coming down and being so angry.  They refuse to give him up, and instead just argue about who is at fault for the giant coming down to begin with.  Finally the witch hushes them all and sings these lines that I keep hearing in my head when the accusations and recriminations start in relation to the disaster in the Gulf.
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