Gulf Spill – More Than Out of Control
Written by Editor // 06/21/2010 // GABBY, GABBY DAILY // 10 Comments
(more photos below)
I just returned from Louisiana; New Orleans and Grand Isle to be specific. I don’t think there are any words to describe how out of control the oil spill really is. If you think there are trained professionals in Hazmat suits walking around “cleaning up”, think again. After seeing what little I saw I’m beginning to think that any photo with President Obama, and the clean up crews was just a simple PR stunt.
Not only does no one know what they are doing, or have a plan, but it doesn’t feel like BP has a real sense of urgency about it all. I realize I’m not writing anything new from what has been said or felt on this matter.
I started thinking in my idealistic fantasy mind why doesn’t Obama just go for it? Forget being re-elected, and just go hard for the four years. He could be a radical President that makes all these progressive moves and then say “see ya”, and go make a boat load of cash in the private sector. Instead it is all starting to just look like politics. Who cares if he made all these policies that someone could come into office and change? At least he would be giving them something they have to make different then things as status quo?
I admit I am not smart enough on any level to know how to make change. I do know it starts with me, my family, my neighbor, my community, and so on. Laird and I went down there to see it for ourselves since we are trying to be positive advocates for the humans who have lost their lives or livelihood, and positive advocates for the environment. Once you get there it is so easy to feel like “what can I do”, but I think if we all just do a little then we can make the change together.
It’s critical to learn from the Gulf spill, and protect future drilling sites. For example, in the Arctic now that boats can get thru, (since the ice has melted) you can bet that will be one of the next places they start trying to explore drilling. This isn’t just about how can we clean up the Gulf, but how can we get policies past in government to legally protect other places?
I realize I’m naive about big corporate money, and politics, but in the end I do know that the rain does fall on everyone’s roof, rich or poor. So when Tony Hayward says “I just want to get my life back” I think besides being insanely narcissistic he is missing the greater point. All those greedy executives who are in such a hurry to make an extra buck forget that if they screw the environment, the “small” people who make their living off of it, and kill the animals eventually that will catch up to them in their fancy London homes and G4 jets. I may be naive, but I am not foolish enough to not see how we are ALL CONNECTED on this planet. Oh, and by the way I don’t care how much money BP throws at resolving this Gulf spill, NO MONEY in the world can undue what they have done because of greed. Plain and simple!
Why don’t we all encourage President Obama to become a bad mama jamma and get radical. Hell, why not show us what it’s like to lead with some balls, and not the same old rhetoric. I love the idea of President Obama and that’s why it will be even more heart breaking if he just turns out to do it like so many of the men before him. They start out with great intentions, and get lured right into the b.s. dance of politics.
Pray, activate in your community, give, and let’s see what positive change we can do even if it’s inch by inch.
One parting image I have in my mind is a mother and baby dolphin swimming in the oil filled water, and you just knew that they were not going to survive. They would either die from the toxic water or lack of food.
Last time I checked survival was not about being a Republican, Democrat, Christian, or Catholic. How about that simple idea of humans who need love, shelter, clean air, water, and food?
I wish all of you my best, and encourage you to get pissed!
Gabby
(please view several videos from Gabby and Laird’s visit here)
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10 Comments on "Gulf Spill – More Than Out of Control"
I’m frustrated by the entire situation. I’ve done all the things that have been suggested we can do to help…donate money to help with animal rescue, boycotting BP and affiliates, and written to politicians, yet still it doesn’t feel like enough. It’s an environmental disaster of epic proportions. I can only imagine what it must have been like to see it firsthand, because the images on the news and web are disturbing enough. I too like Obama but I’m pretty sick of the PR end of politics. Quit talking and start DOING! I know I want to know more about what I can do.
Hey Gabby,
It’s Roxann from All Saints in STT! Thanks for posting this report. What’s happening in the Gulf is just nauseating and brings me to tears. I hope that this is a real wake-up call for all Americans to get involved, do what they can to prevent this from happening again, and to make a movement towards cleaner energy solutions so your kids and mine don’t have to clean up our disasters in the future. Cheers to you for making the trip!
thanks so much Gabby & Laird for coming down here and seeing for yourselves how huge this just is. I posted your info on my FB wall, the more people know the truth possibly the more answers will be found. And something will finally be done to help clean up this mess.
I will drive there this weekend, it will break my heart to see a struggling dolphin.
If I knew y’all were in New Orleans,I would have cooked you up some of Giada’s recipes!!!
Thanks again for visiting and making a difference.
peace to you two and your girls~ Amy Wolffe
This is one of the best articles I’ve read concerning the spill. It is honest, simple, and to the point. Thank you for taking the time to visit the gulf and giving us a true image of what is happening. It is 7:58am, and I am feeling fired up! I am going to write a letter to President Obama and attach a copy of your blog (hope that’s ok). Keep up the fight Gabby!
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Just heart wrenching!
Such a tragedy; Even the “Straw Fix” would be better than what is going on now; I saw how a couple of farmers used straw to sop up a lot of oil..Its a joke having just a few clean up crews out there…Where is everyone? employ some out of work people for goodness sake! C’mon Obama, get on the stick! This is right in our front yard. Thanks for going into the storm Gabby and Laird, we HAVE to fix this, no matter whos fault it is.
Thanks so much for sharing your trip. It’s nice to see what is “REALLY” going on, not just what we are being shown!
Absolutely incredible. This could of all been less of a disaster if President Obama would of done something much much sooner!!!!! Like the president says there are opportunities in such a crisis! My question is….”what opportunities as this will affect generations to come” Truly a sad state of affairs, where the oil industry is left to make their own rules on what is safe and acceptable! This is the result of not having proper rules and regulations in place, by people other than those in the oil industry!!!!!
Please contact your senator and congressman, and let them know, as well please contact them to “OPPOSE” the CARBON TAX BILL set to go through this July!!! If this bill goes through everyone will be lining the pockets of OBAMA everytime they flip a switch, and can expect your electric bill to double!!!!!! THIS TOOOOOOO IS OUT OF CONTROL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PLEASE GET INVOLVED AND LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD, UNLESS WE ARE WILLING TO LOSE THIS COUNTRY!
please check out teamorca.org these folks are doing the most to get the truth out. thank you for your help
IT DOES SEEM LIKE POLITICS AS USUAL.
WHEN WILL POLITICIANS AND BIG BUSINESS REALIZE IF YOU DON`T TAKE CARE OF THE PLANET,
YOU WON`T HAVE A PLACE TO BE ELECTED OR WORK FROM?
THE CIRCLE OF LIFE.
PRAYING FOR CHANGE.
TRYING TO DO MY PART.