Gulf Spill Telethon?

Last night on the news I saw families in Louisiana receiving food boxes from Feed the Children. That really hit home. Normally, when I think of relief agencies I picture them outside our shores, in places like Haiti or Thailand or Indonesia. But the sight of those boxes brought home a cold reality to me. The destruction along the Gulf Coast is going to be more devastating than the earthquake in Haiti or the tsunami in the Indian Ocean.
Both of those were natural disasters and man comes back from natural disasters. We morn and bury our dead, rebuild our towns and get on with our lives.
But in the Gulf rebuilding may never be possible. If the oil continues unabated the Gulf wetlands will be destroyed forever. There will be no more shrimp, crabs, fish or birds. A way of life will be over for thousands of people. And that's only one side of it. The illnesses and destruction that the oil contamination is causing cannot be measured. How many people will be ill for the rest of their lives due to the oil and all it brings with it?
This Gulf oil spill is the worst man made disaster this country has ever faced. Valdez was bad and its effects are still felt along the coastline of Alaska, but the Gulf Spill is so much worse it cannot be measured at this time.
Which leads me to a question one of my coworkers asked this morning - where is the relief telethon for the Gulf Coast?
After Katerina the TV networks and celebrities came out for New Orleans. After the earthquake in Haiti "We are the World" got a second life. But what about this man made disaster on the Gulf Coast that may never end? What are the networks and celebrities doing to draw attention to the plight of those Americans in danger of losing so much and never recovering?
I learned today that CNN and Larry King sponsored a telethon Monday night. Not knowing anything about it, I did not watch. Why didn't the other networks at least share the word, even if they didn't want to broadcast it?
BP does not believe the relief wells will be on line until August. What will happen during the month of July? How many tropical storms and hurricanes can hit the Gulf and knock BP totally off schedule?
The Gulf Spill is worse than any natural disaster we have seen in our life times, and it is time for we the people to force the government to take a strong line, insist that BP put out thousands of skimmer boats, get the governors of the states involved the money they need to save their wetlands and beaches.
Thus far the Federal Government has been slow to act and has actually hindered the plans of many of the local governments. We need to get the Obama Administration and the gang on the Hill involved NOW!!
As you know from my two previous postings I have been writing to the folks in DC. One voice isn't enough, all of us need to get involved.
If we don't get the government to act forcibly with this man made disaster, God knows what will happen with the next. (And mark my words, there will be a next.)
Write and be heard.
Its Common Sense!!

Who's in charge in the Gulf?

After watching the news this evening and an commercial by BP that indicates it was their idea to pay out the $20 billion in relief, I felt I needed to get verbal and sent the following missive to the President. I doubt if it will do any good or if I will get a response but at least it allowed me to vent, and they haven't taken that right away yet.

The letter follows.

Dear President Obama,
When are you going to take charge in the Gulf? BP is looking out for BP they have no interest in the fate of thousands of Americans or the precious natural resources their greed is destroying. Watching the news tonight raises the questions - where are the skimmer boats, there should be thousands but the few seemingly available are spread out.
How effective are the booms? Why did it take so long for Louisiana to receive permission to send out the barges to protect the outer islands? What is being done to block the oil invasion of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida not to mention Louisiana? Please do not say everything is being done because if that is the case all is lost.
Your administration has to prevent our nation's Gulf States from losing their livelihoods, their history and their uniqueness, not to mention their natural resources and ecosystems. Lack of leadership will only lead to the USA becoming dependent on others for all matters of seafood, the destruction of an entire unique ecosystem, and once again showing the American people that the folks in D.C. are big on talk but slow on action. Its time to take the initiative away from BP and take control.
What immediate steps is your administration going to do to protect the Gulf? Thus far you have held back on the initiatives and plans of the governors and mayors of the area, what do you have to offer that they haven't?
I would greatly appreciate a response.
Thank you.
Michael Wolfe

Protect USA from Off Shore Drilling

As the situation worsens in the Gulf and one judge - who just happens to have oil stocks and investments - said the government's six month ban on off shore drilling is unconstitutional, I thought it was time to write to the President and my Senators to make sure they were doing everything possible to insure that no further disasters of this kind occur.

My letter to the Senators follows. As always feel free to use all or part when contacting your representatives.
If we the people keep silent, the Washington gang will continue to do whatever the hell they want.

Its Common Sense!

Dear Senator

As the tragedy of the Gulf continues to worsen and with the possibility of hurricanes making this tragedy a probable epic catastrophe, I want to know what you and your colleagues in the Senate are doing to insure that nothing like this occurs in the future.
Specifically, even though there is currently a six month halt to off shore drilling, the reality is that between the influence of the oil companies, their lobbyist and people in power - be they judges, in Congress etc - the drilling will continue. Is Congress going to make it a mandatory law that all primary drilling platforms have two functioning relief platforms ready to take over in case of an emergency, such as the one the nation has been watching for the past several months? Is Congress taking the necessary steps to insure that our coastlines will never again be placed in the jeopardy facing the coastlines of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and possibly Texas?
Please provide the specific measures Congress is enacting to protect our country from greedy oil companies, who care only for profit, not people or environment. The actions and statements of the BP leadership have clearly shown that what is taking place is the Gulf is clearly an embarrassment and financial drain to them, but I have yet to get a sense that they really care about all of the damage - short term and long term - they caused. They just want it over so it can be business as usual.
Is Congress going to protect the citizens of the United States from that greedy/profit mentality? Or, does Congress plan on simply offering words of consolation while doing nothing concrete?
What is being done? How will the measures be enforced? Will the Department of the Interior and the Department of Justice be given the teeth to attack these corporate terrorists who are destroying our country? Look at the damage to the Gulf - this is an act of terrorism because the lack of responsibility on the part of BP is clearly an attack on our country, making it a terrorist act - going to be allowed to continue?
Looking forward to your response.

Michael Wolfe