Joined Jul 2008
You can call me "Al"
Forum Thread
BP oil spill. People are paying attention NOW, aren't they? *mad face*
May 2, 2010 at
10:50 PM
in
Chat
Unless my "search" button is broken, I can't find any threads about this oil spill.
Aren't there some Loungers here from the Gulf Coast area, besides myself?
This thing is going to be bad. Really bad.
I grew up in Pensacola, FL and have spent my whole life on these beaches. Pensacola, Gulf Shores, Navarre, Destin ... they are beautiful. And they have already suffered so much devastation over the years from hurricanes and now they have to endure THIS?
If this goes on long enough and the oil makes it's way into the Florida Keys, that will be the end of the natural coral reef habitat. What about the dolphins and fish and turtles and birds?
Environmental disaster aside, I can't even imagine what the economic impact is going to be.
Aren't there some Loungers here from the Gulf Coast area, besides myself?
This thing is going to be bad. Really bad.

I grew up in Pensacola, FL and have spent my whole life on these beaches. Pensacola, Gulf Shores, Navarre, Destin ... they are beautiful. And they have already suffered so much devastation over the years from hurricanes and now they have to endure THIS?
If this goes on long enough and the oil makes it's way into the Florida Keys, that will be the end of the natural coral reef habitat. What about the dolphins and fish and turtles and birds?
Environmental disaster aside, I can't even imagine what the economic impact is going to be.
496 Comments
Your comment cannot be blank.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Evolution all over again.
I dunno really. The Fox station here really loves the doomsday scenarios.
Yeah, I'm not buying that whole "there will be no short-term impacts on prices" bullshit that the AAA person in Tampa spewed this morning on TV.
Main topic is located in the podium OP, at:
https://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Main topic is located in the podium OP, at:
https://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?
https://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?
But that's not my first concern. I am much more concerned with the human and environmental side of things right now. The first dead sea turtles washed up in MS last night and they're trying to determine what killed them ... dispersants or oil.
You see, unlike the quake in Haiti or when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, there will be no star-studded telethons for this. No one in Hollywood is going to ask, "Where can I send a check?" Why would they? They have no "connection" to this area. If they want to see a coral reef or swim with a dolphin, they hop on a plane and go to the Bahamas.
But that's not reality for the rest of us. I have 3 generations of commercial fisherman in my family and you won't find anyone that cares more about the marshes and the wetlands and the breeding grounds down here than these folk. They have been fighting off the oil companies and big government for as long as I can remember.
The people who come down here and spend their tourist dollars are appreciated ... but they also, do not make up the face of this region. They have pictures and memories of great vacations ... but no vested interest.
I was on a friend's FB page this morning and she mentioned that she was too pregnant to go to the beach and was sad that over the next several weeks, it might be changed forever. Two people replied, "what's going on with the beaches down there?"
Ummm, seriously, do they live under a rock?
i just watched "the road" over the weeked. movie kinda sucked but it was about the end of the world. some natural disaster which they didnt even talk about killed off every plant and animal on the planet. humans were left but would ultimately starve to death over time...i believe that mother nature won't even have to waste it's time with us. in the next couple hundred years the human race will become extinct. we're going to simply kill ourselves off and we wont even realize it until its too late.
i just watched "the road" over the weeked. movie kinda sucked but it was about the end of the world. some natural disaster which they didnt even talk about killed off every plant and animal on the planet. humans were left but would ultimately starve to death over time...i believe that mother nature won't even have to waste it's time with us. in the next couple hundred years the human race will become extinct. we're going to simply kill ourselves off and we wont even realize it until its too late.
Problem is, yes, I feel bad for the sea turtles and the fish and dolphins and the beaches - but it is only humanity that did this. Unfortunately, your car will not operate by putting a pureed sea turtle in the gas tank, so we continue to need more oil, and BP continues to fulfill our need. As much money as the gulf coast bring in due to fishing, shrimping, crabbing, tours, and gulf coast attractions, more is brought in by the oil industry and it is an absolute necessity.
BP has been doing what they can and I am not saying I am siding with them in any way - but so many decisions have to be run through 5 different people before anything can be approved by BP - it is costing valuable time. BP leased out the rig from Transocean, and BP is VERY strict on who works on their jobs and what their training and qualifications are. Hopefully - they will find the root of what caused this and make sure it doesn't happen again. Although the spill hurts BP - in the long run it hurts Transocean more - they have to log that it was a spill on THEIR rig with their employees.
Bottom line - it happens. It sucks, it is terrible, and I am sure BP will put more safety precautions into place and make sure people have a little bit more training, but as the rig was still burning they had at least two different companies with ROV's (remotely operated vehicles) continuously working to cap it off, and it just can not be done, and it is too dangerous to send divers to do it - so everyone is kind of lost.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.