Corexit Poisoning is Killing Dolphins and People in the Gulf

Damn. I’m trying to wrap my mind around this turn of events, but honestly, a lot of us knew it would start happening.

This is a video put out by CNN that is a must watch. There is a “10-fold increase” in the number of  dolphins dying in the months of January and February. The majority of them are calves or baby dolphins. They are dying soon after they are born, according to this video. They are also being found everywhere from Mississippi to Florida.What you guys need to understand is that this is the first dolphin birthing season since the oil spill. The dolphins being born right now were conceived around February, March and April of last year. Dolphins have an 11 – 12 month gestation period. Think about it for a minute. If you or someone you knew was pregnant and their doctor asked them to bathe with Raid, RoundUp, and Pool Chemicals for their entire pregnancy…would there be the chance of a stillbirth or a miscarriage? Absolutely. Well, this is exactly what is happening with the dolphins.  The Corexit that these mama dolphins have been living in for a year has claimed the lives of their children.

However, the federal government is trying (for the millionth time) to blame this on cold water or red tide. I’ve been in the gulf for many years and I can tell you that I’ve been around for algae blooms, red tide and cold snaps. This is unprecedented. Here is a great article from Denise Rednour who wrote about the fact that even though samples of the dead dolphins are being taken, they aren’t being reviewed by the federal government because they are part of an “ongoing criminal investigation against BP”. Oh really? The feds want us to believe that they are really going to prosecute BP for some dolphin deaths? No, what they are trying to do is keep a lid on the continuing shit storm that is the BP oil spill in the gulf.

What I want (and most of us, I believe also want) is transparency. We want to know what the hell is really going on in our backyards. We want the truth. Do we get the truth? No, we get a pack of lies, a pack of false truths. Have you seen this video of a former BP cleanup worker who is struggling with Corexit poisoning? It’s very intense and shows the physical effects of what Corexit is doing.

This woman, Lisa Nelson of Orange Beach, Alabama passed away on March 7, 2011. This is a video journal of her battle with Corexit poisoning before her death.

Please click here to go to Dr. Rikki Ott’s website if you or someone you love is being affected by the affects of Corexit poisoning.

This isn’t propaganda, folks. People and animals are dying.  The effects of Corexit have been kept underground for too long and it needs to stop.  Many of us have been out here talking about Corexit for almost a year and nothing is still being done to help the victims of the oil spill.

President Obama, please pull your head out of your ass and realize that this oil spill is larger than you, it’s larger than your government, it’s larger than all of us. The gulf needs transparency about the affects of Corexit and we need qualified medical personnel in the gulf to help.

Gulf Oil Spill’s One Year Mark Approaching

It’s been a while since I’ve posted..it’s been a busy couple of months. I realized the other day that it’s been almost one year since the oil spill in the gulf. One year…can you believe that?!

I noticed that the Sierra Club has asked to be a part of the BP lawsuit. This is interesting, because a non-profit is joining forces with the Justice Department. Why would they want to be a part of a large federal lawsuit? Apparently they want to ensure that coastal communities are represented…why aren’t more non-profits stepping up and asking to be a part of this lawsuit?

Meanwhile, 5 more dolphins were found dead in gulf waters. Damn, no one is listening. The article questions whether this was a result of the oil spill. Seriously? What else would it be, people? The amount of oil and corexit in the gulf of mexico is staggering. It’s been one big federal science experiment for almost one year. One year! According to scientists studying the dolphin deaths, it’s a “mass mortality”.  Yes, I hope it’s due to algae blooms, but let’s get real. We all know what caused it, let’s not try to blame it on algae blooms for the millionth time.

At least the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has launched a massive, long-term study on the health affects of the oil spill. A little too late? Maybe. Maybe not. Where in the hell were these people almost a year ago?

At least someone has been telling the truth since the beginning and that’s Dahr Jamal. Here’s his latest article from the gulf entitled, “We’re Poisoned, We’re Sick”.

Alright gang, it’s time to come out of our winter hibernation and start kicking some ass again. I’ll be back soon and keep fightin’ the good fight.

Gulf Seafood Safety in Question

I realize that the safety of gulf seafood has been in question for a while, but there seems to be mounting evidence that it is not safe to eat. The Institute of Southern Studies released evidence today that testing of gulf seafood is not being done correctly and questions its safety. Based on this report, the toxic chemicals seem to be moving up the food chain. And who, by golly is at the top of that food chain? Well, lemme think about that one.  Hmmm….could it possibly be…humans? In fact, certain environmental groups are protesting FDA seafood standards, saying that they aren’t safe.

Recently, Obama told all military commissaries and mess halls around the world to begin selling and serving seafood from the gulf. I think it’s ironic that Obama is waging a war in Afganistan, but at the same time seeks to poison all military personnel along with himself and members of the White House. Oh, and I forgot to mention that prisons and public schools are also encouraged to eat gulf seafood.  Seriously??  This video, put out by Al Jazeera follows a few local fishermen as they speak openly about the fact that there is still oil in the water.

Play that video at the White House and then bring out the shrimp cocktails and the raw oysters.  As my grandma would say, “that’s enough to gag a maggot”.  Hey, I’m all for eating gulf seafood, as long as it doesn’t turn me into the Toxic Avenger. So, for now, I am not eating anything that lived or lives in gulf waters…and neither should you for that matter…and that’s a bold statement from someone who’s been eating gulf seafood her entire life.

Giving thanks…

It’s hard to think about the silver lining, sometimes.  Especially around the holidays, when we’re reminded of the people or things that we’ve lost along the way. For me, I remember going to the beach on a bright, cool Thanksgiving day and staring at the gorgeous blue water stretched out in front of me.  That memory is tarnished with the thought of crude oil laying at the bottom of it, Corexit floating through it’s veins…it’s sad. But, we have to remember that there is always a silver lining.  By that I mean those who have been working tirelessly on behalf of the people and the oceans of the gulf coast.

First of all, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to read my blog and share it with your friends, family and other concerned folks. You have been and are still an incredibly important part of getting the truth out about this disaster.

A big thank you goes out to other bloggers such as Summer Burkes from the Ladies’ Guide to the Apocalypse, Editilla from the New Orleans Ladder and Drake Toulouse from the Disenfranchized Citizen, who have been writing nonstop and constantly keeping us updated on the situation.

Thanks also to the community organizations and nonprofits who are relentlessly fighting for us, such as the Gulf Restoration Network, the Waterkeepers, Project Gulf Impact and the Surfrider Organization.

Thank you to all of those in the Twitter universe who are following the #oilspill, #corexit, #gulf, #bpcrud, #blacktide, and #BP hashtags and tweeting or retweeting (or both!) your hearts out to let folks know that this disaster is still going on.

And finally, thank you to the people on the front lines, the people like Drew Wheelan of the American Birding Association, Kindra Arnesen, and Dahr Jamail who have captured this disaster from day one and risked their lives to cover it.

I’m sure that there are folks that I’ve forgotten to include in this list of thanks, and in saying that, I’d like to thank them too…

Thanks to all of you for everything you do and please keep fighting for the truth, because one day…maybe not today or tomorrow, but one day, the truth will be told about the largest environmental disaster in this nation’s history.

People are sick and dying on the Gulf Coast

Have you ever walked down an aisle in the Garden Center at Wal-Mart or Kmart and smelled the chemicals? I walked  through that aisle a few days ago and felt like I was about to pass out. It only had a couple canisters of pool chemicals, insect killer and weed killer, but I had the most terrible headache when I left. For those of you who don’t live on the gulf coast and have trouble grasping what is happening with the oil spill and the chemical poisoning, the federal government has basically dumped millions of gallons of a toxic cocktail containing pool chemicals, insect killer and weed killer in the backyards of  Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. This article just came out today and highlights the illnesses that people are still battling due to the oil spill and the Corexit.

So, the federal, state and local officials want to keep this dirty truth quiet. They don’t want the rest of the world to pick up on the fact that people are sick, extremely sick, and dying because of the oil spill and the government’s response to it.

In fact, Aljazeera (yes, you read that right, Aljazeera) has picked up on the illnesses being caused by the Corexit and the oil spill in this article. It’s amazing to me that this type of journalism is happening halfway around the world and our own media has completely forgotten about the gulf coast.  Anderson Cooper, where are you now? Have you abandoned the gulf in search of more high profile stories? Are the people living and dying in the gulf not newsworthy enough for you?

Obama and the rest of those that are keeping this story under wraps are negligent. They are killing people. They are killing our beautiful oceans. They are murderers. I’m sorry, those are some harsh words for a Monday morning, but they are killers.

If BP, the Obama administration and all of those who are keeping this story quiet were put on trial, would it be involuntary manslaughter or would it be murder in the first degree? I firmly believe it’s murder in the first degree, because they know what they are doing and they aren’t doin’ a damn thing to stop it.

Takin’ care of business in the Gulf

At the six month mark of the worst environmental disaster in American history, many gulf coast residents feel abandoned by federal, state, local governments and the general public.  So, in light of this, they are rallying together to make change happen. In fact, this is an article that Rocky Kistner wrote that focuses on how gulf residents are now issuing a call to arms. One of Elvis Presley’s favorite sayings was “TCB”, which stood for “Takin’ Care of Business”.  I’m an Elvis fan and I have to tell you that there are several organizations who are takin’ care of business in the gulf and gettin’ down to it.

For instance, the Gulf Restoration Network has joined forces with several nonprofit and community based organizations to put together “The Weeks Bay Principles for Gulf Recovery”. This is an amazing effort which is outside of the federal government’s initiative and really addresses issues that the feds are ignoring such as seafood safety and Corexit dispersant poisoning amongst gulf coast residents.

Also, faith-based organizations have come together and created “After the Spill”. If you remember, many faith-based organizations served as the backbone of support after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the gulf coast. This is a great article that spotlights their efforts to bring multiple denominations and religious beliefs together in support of one common goal.

I’m so proud of these efforts and want to get the word out there about the great work these folks are doing.  Please support them in any way that you can, even if it’s sharing this blog post with your friends and family.

Takin' Care of Business

Walton County, Florida Beaches Contaminated with Oil + Corexit

A friend of mine that lives in Walton County, Florida recently posted this article and I wanted to share it with ya’ll. The tourism boards, BP and local government officials are calling it “all clear” on the beaches within Walton County and surrounding areas, encouraging more people to come to the gulf for their vacations.  According to University of South Florida researcher Rip Kirby, this isn’t the case at all. In fact, in this article by The Walton Sun, Kirby says “This beach is as contaminated as all the rest…I took the local government officials’ word that these beaches were not impacted…”.  Walton County officials didn’t return any calls from The Walton Sun on Kirby’s findings. Not surprising.

If anything, this is more evidence that independent testing needs to be done on the waters and beaches in the gulf.  BP along with the local, county and federal government officials are not telling the truth.  The oil and the Corexit dispersant are in the water and on the beaches. This is impacting both locals who live in the area and folks who are traveling to this area for their vacations. In fact, many who live in the area are going back into the water and back onto the beaches.  This is especially troubling because these are the people who live in the gulf on a daily basis.  Alot has been said about the tourists, but what about the locals? Should they be swimming, surfing, snorkeling or building sandcastles? 

Since there hasn’t been much of an answer on this topic and most of the answers have been “There’s no oil, the beaches and waters are fine”, many people are unsure what to do.  Walton County, Florida is home to the famous Seaside community and within a stone’s throw away of Destin, Florida.  In fact, they’ve opened up the waters and the Destin Fishing Rodeo is taking place this month.   If this article by the Walton Sun shows us anything it’s that BP, local and federal officials do not know what’s going on and they are trying to keep a public health disaster quiet.

Gulf coast residents (along with the rest of the country) are being misled and lied to, and the saddest thing about it is that no one seems to care.  As I’ve said before, we need action and we need it now.  The beaches and waters are CONTAMINATED. I mean, what does that word CONTAMINATED do to you? Does it scare you? It sure as hell scares the crap outta me and something needs to be done about it for the health of our country.  We need independent testing.  We need task forces. We need Superman. Seriously.

Is our Southern nature killing us?

The South is known for its genteel nature, or it’s “southern charm”, if you will. Sweet tea, barbeque, and mint juleps line the pages of magazines such as Southern Living. Not a whole lot of people in the South really want to “rock the boat”.

As I see it, so many people in the gulf are layin’ low with regard to the oil spill and the Corexit poisoning.  There are only a few brave souls like Kindra Arnesen, who are speaking out and saying “enough is enough”.  Why aren’t more people speaking out? Surely, their children and families are being poisoned by oil and Corexit as well. Is their southern nature killing them?

If this was happening in Boston or San Francisco, you’d probably see riots, burning cars…you name it.  I’m not sayin’ that we should be burnin’ gas stations, but think about it. Why is the South different? Are we the sweet, southern doormats of the nation? We just lay down and let BP and the federal government run over us…doesn’t that piss you off? It pisses me off and that’s why I started this blog.

The media keeps sayin’ “Oh, those people in the gulf, they’re so resilient”…in fact, the recent gulf recovery plan is called “One Gulf, resilient gulf: A plan for coastal community recovery”.  Are we truly resilient or are we just really good at smilin’, puttin’ our heads down, gettin’ to work and keepin’ our mouths shut? I wrote about hangin’ in there last month, but I swear, the keepin’ the mouths shut part is what gets me. 

I appreciate the sentiment of “resiliency” and I appreciate that there are organizations trying to help the gulf, but there needs to be action and it needs to happen now. Not five years from now, but ASAP.  The people of the gulf don’t need your sympathy or pity. They need you to believe them when they say that the oil is still in the gulf and that they are being poisoned by Corexit exposure.

Listen fellow Southerners, you’ve got to stand up and give Obama, BP, and the rest of ’em your middle finger and tell ’em it isn’t right.  They have poisoned our friends, families, waters and seafood and they could care less.  In fact, Erin Brockovich spoke to folks in Pensacola, Florida at the beginning of the spill about just that, and here’s the article.  This is one of my favorite Johnny Cash pictures:

Corexit Poisoning Continues in the Gulf

Wow…I just watched this video of Kindra Arnesen talking about the Corexit poisoning that has been and still is going on in the gulf coast due to the oil spill. This is a bit graphic, so if open sores don’t get you going in the morning, you might want to fast forward those parts. It was put out by Project Gulf Impact:

Damn. This is crazy. After watching that video you might think “Oh, well I live in Minnesota.” Or, “I live on the East Coast”. Or, “I live in California, it won’t affect me”. Wake up, people. This is serious stuff.  The Obama Administration wants you to believe that the oil is gone, they want you to believe that it’s all right to eat gulf seafood.  They also want you to forget about the largest man made environmental disaster in our nation’s history.

It would be a disgrace to humanity if we let this slip under our radar. Seriously. A disgrace.  It will affect you, I guarantee it. It will affect you or someone you know in the next few years. Remember, there are only 8 degrees of separation. This is a great article put out by Deborah Dupre, entitled “Too Sick and Scared of Obama’s Thugs: Austrailian SBS Reports Gulf Truth”.

So, the Obama Administration strikes again. If you haven’t checked out these articles by Jerry Cope, they are also worth reading: Crime of the Century Part I and Crime of the Century Part II.  

Jerry Cope recently approached BP officials in Dauphin Island, Alabama regarding the Corexit in the area:

Guys, this is serious stuff. This is not a case of a few people with “scabies” or “depression”.  People are becoming very ill in the gulf coast due to the use of Corexit. Please spread the word. This is a national emergency that is not being taken seriously.

Bloody Mississippi Bayous

This is a YouTube video of oil and Corexit in the bayous of Ocean Springs, Mississippi that was posted today by Lorrie Williams. She has a YouTube channel where she posts video updates of the oil spill’s affects on her hometown.  I initally found it on the Ladies’ Guide to the Apocolypse blog (which is an awesome blog, by the way) and had to share it with all of you. Man, this video is intense. It totally blows my mind that the federal government continues to tell us that the water is “clean” and the oysters, fish and shrimp are fine to eat.

Take a look at this video and tell me if you’d eat an oyster, a shrimp or a strawberry shortcake outta this water…

What kind of crap are the feds tryin’ to pull? Seriously? What the hell?

Oh, and BP has waltzed out of town with it’s drawers still in tact. In fact, their shares went up a point today. But, the residents of Ocean Springs, Mississippi’s housing values went into the toilet along with their health. Am I still living in America?