It’s the End of the World As We Know It

I’m not sure I need to write anything as the picture of the shell pretty much says it all. Is this how Shell Oil got it’s name?

The Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge STILL HAS NOT BEEN CLEANED from three days ago when I reported it. To find out I had to park in a trail parking lot (the beach parking lot was closed due to cleanup activity) and hike through sweltering dunes to the beach. After about 3 miles…1.5 through the relic dunes and then another 1.5 on the beach, I saw a few of Clean Harbors employees working IN FRONT OF THE FEW HO– USES at the refuge. NOTHING….NOTHING had been done in the refuge itself. When I exited the relic dunes and came over the primary dune line the sight was horrific. Huge pools of oil far down from where the pittance of Clean Harbor crew was working. By the way, Clean Harbor is a company from California. Glad that’s close to the Gulf Coast…wouldn’t wanna hire folks not from here. (you can check out my video from June 6th on youtube.com….search under simonelipscomb — no space). And they are the worst of the cleanup crews I have witnessed ‘working’ along the coast. BP–you are wastin’ your money on them.

At Gulf State Park, there was a sign posted clearly stating it is unsafe to swim in the water. I walked down the beach to the condos and people were swimming in the water there. I asked two women if they weren’t concerned and did their condo tell them about the danger of swimming in the Gulf. They said they were only there for a week so didn’t think just a week would kill them. I told them I hoped they were right.

Or what about the kids and families in the water….is anybody paying attention to the signs, the warnings? Have they not looked around them at the oil-soaked seaweed or jumped over cow-pattie sized oil melts to get to the water?
Where is this child’s parents? Do they know how to read?

I met a couple walking on the beach. He saw all my cameras and gear and walked over…he said, Is there oil on the beach? I said, Yes. See those blobs of brown melting to black? He says, Oh…so that’s what was on my feet when I came in the condo last night. I would argue that his University of Alabama hat predicted the behavior but nobody in his condo warned him of the oil-soaked beach. Are the condo owners/managers willing to risk people’s health to boost the economy? And why are they allowing the beaches to remain open to swimming? If people cannot act to protect themselves, then somebody must.
I used to like chocolate. Now I’m not so sure. But one thing I am sure of…it IS truly the end of the world as we know it. And it’s just the tip of the proverbial iceburg here in Alabama, of that I am sure.