Oil Spill Desperation

This will be a short post just to update our situation which took a turn for the worse. When I turned on the news this morning they were covering a protest in Bayou La Batre, a fishing community in Mobile, by quite a lot of shrimpers. They were blocking cleanup boats from getting out into the coastal waters. One man was arrested. They were protesting the fact that even though they signed up for the Vessels of Opportunity at the start of this, they had never been called to work. The problem is that out-of-state people from all over the country, recreational boaters, and sailboats were being hired. Very few of the local fishermen and charter boats have been hired.


These local fishermen know these waters like we know the layout of our homes. They know the currents, the depth of the water at various places, and all the places that are dangerous. They are all self-employed and not eligible for unemployment (at least I don’t think they are). They don’t have a way to make a living and feed their families. BP had promised them that they would be hired. BP doesn’t have much credibility here.

Our local employment agencies have only been able to place a few people on the cleanup. An agency out of Texas is doing almost all of the hiring. There are a lot of Texas people working here on the cleanup.

Reality is this thing will not be stopped before late August and probably September, if they are lucky with the relief well and divert the oil. Other countries require that relief wells be drilled along with the main well. The United States does not require that.

In addition to that the blade being used to cut the pipe today kept getting stuck causing delays, and allowing even more oil into the ocean.  Just a few miles off shore you can put a fishing net into the water and bring up oil the consistenty of cornbread batter. The tar balls are washing up on the beaches.  These tar balls are sticky and can collect objects in the water such as medical waste.  It just gets better and better.  DRILL, BABY, DRILL.

I sure am hoping for some good news to post soon. Please pray for these people who have lost their ability to make a living. These are people who have fished these waters for generations.

Oil Spill Blues

Thank for your kinds comments about the oil spill. I have not felt like posting for while now. I worked the oil spill for a few weeks.  As bad as I hate to admit it, I just could not keep up the pace.  Guess that means I really am old.  It is amazing how so many people from so many different organizations have come together and are working together. The hours are killers - 12 hour shifts for 7 to 14 days - and yet people are able to work with positive attitudes and consideration for others. Amazing how something like this can bring out the best in people. I met people from all over the world.


Unfortunately, it is much harder for those of us who live here to keep a positive attitude. If you look at the projected path, by Thursday it will be headed right into Mobile Bay and knocking on our door. It will be at Gulf Shores, Alabama (one of the most beautiful beaches in the world) and Pensacola Beach (equally as beautiful). Bernie said it best when she said “the beaches are like white sugar and the water was so blue”. We have been blessed that it has stayed away this long. Unfortunately Louisiana has not been that lucky. We know what we are in for. We have seen what it has done to Louisiana already. The sense of hopelessness is apparent in the eyes of people and the way they walk. We have known from the first day what this would do to our beautiful coast.  Knowing the waters here we knew it was coming. 

Yes, we are angry - angry because this should not have happened. Our elected officials let us down and greed is at the bottom of this. When will we learn that greed for money is truly an evil thing? We cannot let the oil companies police themselves. They only have one agenda and that is money. We have seen that they have not been honest about this from the start. Nobody can say with certainty just how bad the damage will be in the end. One thing that is certain is that innocent people’s lives are being destroyed right along with our beautiful coast and eco systems.

This entire country will feel the effects of this just as we have all suffered the effects of Wall Street and the amazing greed of those people. How can anyone justify this? Every time I listen to BP officials I remember the comment made by a top official from the safety of England. He said the amount of oil pouring into the Gulf was but a drop compared to all the water in the Gulf. I think this clearly demonstrates the fact that they don’t care what they have done. They care about how it will affect their bottom line. How is that an excuse? The damage is not a drop. It would not be a drop if it was in the middle of the ocean - it is still a killer.

I am sorry that this is neither a positive nor an uplifting post. I said in my first post that I was doing this as a way to record my feelings about things that I feel are important. I did not do it to gather hundreds of followers. I an very grateful and blessed by those that follow my  post. Their comments reinforce that there are many people that share my feelings. Their comments are a positive and healing force for my soul. When I visit your blogs I am blessed to see so many beautiful pictures that talented people capture of this wonderful creation we were given to live in everyday.  May God bless each of you.

At the end of the day there is only one that can fix this mess. How very angry he must be with us and with our lack of gratitude for the blessings we were given.