So today June 4th, 2010 is the 46th day of this oil spill. They estimate that over 37% of the Gulf of Mexico is ruined and is not suitable for fishing. Clean up workers are getting sick and there is an overwhelming smell of tar where there should be the crisp smell of a clean ocean filled with life. Instead dead sea turtles, fish, crab and countless birds are turning up dead or clinging to life. In a region (The Gulf of Mexico/Louisianna) that is so important to us how was this allowed to happen? People are furious with BP-but I will go out on a limb and say they didn't "want" this. But when folks are angry and hurt and scared-we want someone to blame. There was an attempt to blame Obama (of course) but that didn't stick. But then I've have heard rumblings that it was the the fault of the previous administration that was all about deregulations which lowered safety standards setting the stage for something like this to happen. Well where ever the fault lies...the priority is a solution and a prompt clean up. The problem is nothing has ever happened of this magnitude before so our officials are all learning on the job. Which brings me to this theory. May be just MAY BE we shouldn't be tampering with things until we have thought of any and every consequence should it go wrong. I mean... we can send people to the moon... yet our very own oceans are more of a mystery than the red planet of Mars. So I say until we have a handle on all the "What IFs" then may be we shouldn't be allowed to dig up and drill in such deep water. The fact that a month and a half have gone by with millions of gallons of oil gushing into food rich oceans is RIDICULOUS. BUT no one has the solution. We are on a trial and error basis. I'm sure the problem solvers are frustrated. I wish there was a sure fire plan that had been proven to work in the past...but there are none. And that's why there is so much anger and fear. At this point... all we can do is HOPE and encourage our law makers to get as many people down to the Gulf to lend a hand and clean up all they can and ATTEMPT to prevent more oil into the marshes which are where there are lots of oyster beds and other foods. If we can learn anything from all of this is to really rally for fuel alternatives. As Obama campaigned and championed...we need clean fuel alternatives and we need them fast people. I mean-think about it... eventually this well will STOP spouting oil and will dry up just like other wells will eventually be tapped out. So if we start developing our alternatives NOW the need to do the damn near impossible (drilling over a mile deep into an ocean floor) will be less and less necessary as well as risking countless lives. I know this is a frustrating situation right now...and on top of all this let us NOT forget the 11 men working on that oil rig that lost their lives in the explosion. They have gotten NO attention for their sacrafice so I will acknowledge them right now and right here. I just wanted to vent a little...and express some thoughts. Please come back and visit my blog in the future... more coming... Accordin to Claudia. My condolences to the families of the
11 men missing since last month's oil rig explosion. Their bodies have never been found, but all are presumed dead.
Jason Anderson 35
Aaron Dale Burkeen 37
Donald Clark 49
Stephen Curtis 40
Roy Wyatt Kemp 27
Karl Kleppinger 38
Gordon Jones 29
Blair Manuel 56
Dewey Revette 48
Shane Roshto 22
Adam Weise 24
You can leave condolences for the workers' families by clicking here.
The Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded off the coast of Venice, Louisiana on April 20. 115 of the 126 workers were rescued. Two days later, the rig collapsed.
