I met Marc Gauthier, a biologist/film maker last week in Grand Isle. Since then the place has become toxic. Hopefully the tragic lessons learned there will help us protect the rest of the Gulf Coast.

As we make our way down Hwy 23 the air is smokey and unsettling. While some of this is from Louisiana sweet crude burning off our shores the distinct smell of dispersant treated oil baking in the sun is enough to make Gauthier put on a respirator. We laughed as I made fun of him, but  what will this place be like in the coming years? Is the air safe to breathe?

I’m not sure when Oil Companies started controlling the actions of our government or had the power to keep our citizens from defending the homeland, but that is where we are at today. There is little time left to prevent this mess from getting through the marshes. Watching BP respond to keeping their mess off our coast is much like watching the clock run out on Les Miles during the LSU – Ole Miss Game. This time our lives are at stake and no apologies for their lack of competence and preparation will suffice. Worse, because the quarterback is telling the media the reality of this ugly situation they are kickin him off the team.

The Battle of New Orleans

Well, the only thing that people can agree on is the impact of the oil on our environment and economy.

Justice?…

Rumor has it that this may be the biggest oil strike in history. Word on the street is that BP did not close the hole sooner because of fear they would not get another permit to drill. Theorists on the other side would have you believe this accident was created to end offshore drilling. Shutting down oil wells in the Gulf will be devastating to our economy and give our fishermen no other way to earn a living. The truth is nobody has dealt with anything quite like this before and BP is working closely with the White House.

Now that this has been declared the biggest oil disaster in history why not make BP give all the oil under the well to those affected by the leak? They can prove how safe deep water drilling is, and once the coast is restored, have it back. We can’t afford to quit drilling anytime soon and this would be a great PR move (a chance to show the world what new safety measures have been put into place).

If BP refuses to help Nunguesser & the State of Louisiana deal with their disaster we got friends all over the world that will never buy another drop of their gas… and maybe get em out of Gulf Completely this time

We fired our guns and the British kept a’comin.
There wasn’t nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin’ on
Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

I haven’t been back to the old BVHS Gym since BP finished saftey training and presented fishermen with at least two different legal documents. Many of these people are still waiting for a call.  So far, all I have seen is more, “don’t call us we’ll call you”; incompetent infrastructure for two way communication, no way apparent way to guide or hire the hundreds of thousands of volunteers trying to help, and varying technologies are being ignored. This lack of preparation and apparent misuse of resources comes off as a lack of respect for our people and our State.

The Fall Guy

I first ran into Cpt Edwin Stanton almost a month ago. After a frustrating 3 days of trying to volunteer in Venice I had a heated discussion with members of the Coast Guard about the apparent, “lack of a plan”. Not realizing I was talking to the Commander of the clean up, he offered me a chance to see the plan. Two days later we visited BP headquarters and saw the expansive operation. He answered every question I had with candor, warned us about the ineffectiveness of boom, introduced us to the worlds leading experts, and let us know the plan from day one was to use COREXIT. Now that the effect of this chemical can be seen on our shores and BP has still not capped the well he is being thrown under the bus. A qualified man who worked through countless oil spills in the gulf and lost his home in Katrina and is being relieved of his duty.

*Grim new estimates are that a million gallons may be pouring into the gulf each day.

*Because of pressure from the media and new reports on the scope of the spill the Nunguesser/Plaquermines berm plan is a go

* Our State Rep David Vitter wants BP bailed out of paying for the cleanup (take off the diaper)

*  19-39 million gallons of oil have already leaked into the Gulf

* oil is now reported in 4  parishes

*National media is still being guided through BP press conferences  (nola.com & WWL are the better resources for real news)

*Government employees are not allowed to talk about the Leak

*Fishermen and anyone employed by BP or contracted to clean the spill must sign a gag order

* The President ordered a 6 month ban on offshore drilling and expansion

*Liz Birnbaum quit the Mineral Management Services (they oversee US offshore drilling).. Later CNN reported the administration said she was fired?

*Most fishermen are still out of work and a only a few hundred are working for BP

*Dr. John demands the Government use NASA scientist to aid with the response. Work is still on going for The Solution to Pollution Tour. His comments about BP’s part in the clean-up “Get the Perpetrators off the scene”… he prays nightly with the people of Mother earth

*Folks are in Baton Rouge making plans for an oily Hurricane Season

*BP has still not put me and most of the fishermen to work… I volunteered in May

*Thanks to Marc Gauthier for his service to our state and use of footage from his upcoming documentary

*Even if the Top Kill Method works we must not sit around and rejoice while our wetlands are being decimated. Swift, Competent, Effective Action must be Taken now.

*Because of OPA 90 BP (the primary owner of the well) assumes responsibility, but this is a Global Suit.  Switzerland-based Transocean, which provided most of the rig workers. Halliburton provided the cement, M-I SWACO the drilling mud, Schlumberger had a team on the rig to run tests, and Cameron supplied the Blow out preventer.