Gulf oil spill----how big is the disaster?

The Gulf is dead; there is no real problem; and every position between those two extremes are being touted by “experts” of all size and shape. There are hucksters, quick buck artist, and people with all political agenda’s. There are some making more money on a daily basis than they usually make in a week, and others that are not receiving a dime. Every politician from Washington to the mouth of the Mississippi River is trying to gain political capital, along with every “cause” under the sun. Unfortunately, the truth is really unobtainable because there is no event in our history to meter this disaster.

CNN had a clip showing Alexandra Cousteau, granddaughter of the famous Jacques. Ms Cousteau was speaking to the dead dolphin (porpoise to us old timers) and she seemed to indicate the species is endangered. I was not familiar with Cousteau so I googled her and was surprised to see she held a BS degree in Political Science and not a graduate degree in Marine Science. Now certainly that in itself does not disqualify her as someone who has had a lot of experience in the marine world, but it does give me pause for a 34 year old young woman speaking to the impact of this disaster. Let me make it very clear, I am no expert on anything. Let me repeat, I am NO EXPERT. I have sailed, run yachts from Texas to Key West to Mexico and fished the Gulf from the early 50’s. During the Sky Lab experiments, National Marine Fisheries asked a few of us early off-shore fisherman to cooperate in some experiments and when I asked “why us” they said we know you are not scientists but you have observer experience that we do not have. Once again, I am no expert on anything but like Ms. Cousteau I can have my opinion. As most know, dolphin are mammals, air breathers, maybe more intelligent than a chimp and they may just get the word and leave the area. Why not? We have always seen dead dolphin and the story has not yet been told. Let us hope for the best.

No one can possibly know how bad this thing will be and part of the stress that is being felt, is because we simply just don’t know and our worse fears take hold. The media has not helped and they are being aided, in some occasions by people with agendas. BP has been an easy target and the President close on the heels of BP. I have to believe that the Deepwater Horizon was being operated by some of the best people in the world of off- shore drilling, competent, hardworking, people just like you and me and maybe one company man that cared about nothing but the bottom line. Greed is at the bottom of all the bad decisions but to boycott the local BP station is wrong. A small business man has been hurt for something he had no control over. Maybe it is time to ask “US”, some questions like why is it that we emit more greenhouse gas than China, a country with 4 times the population. We were in China this past winter and were surprised to see all the solar and wind generation. The U.S. consumes more energy than the EU combined and the U.S. and Canada represent over 30% of total consumption with only 5% of the population. Pogo said years ago, “We done met the enemy and dey is us”. For those that have concern over mother earth let me say some 65 million years ago a meteor hit in the southern Gulf and life as we define it, all but ended. Only some one cell organisms in the ocean remained and the whole process we call “life” began again. This was the 4th time in geological history that something of cataclysmic proportions happened and it will happen again. . Not to worry, mother earth will figure it out but it may be with the absence of Homo sapiens In the meantime let us all keep positive
and as Boone Pickens said,” The best time to plant a tree was 20yeaars ago; the second best time is now”. Let us all start today and plant some trees.