A little rage before my vacation (and links to organizations doing good in the Gulf)

[stoney321]

Look. I get it. The vast majority of Americans see the Gulf States as the home of the Stupid People. The folks that say 'Merika. Bible belt, sister fucking, barefoot on dirty road morons. And hey, thanks for that generalization, by the way. Because I see everyone from the East Coast as a soulless, hateful, mafioso, and all of you West Coasters are crystal-loving, pot smoking hippies. Oh, wait, I don't think that. I get that a lot of these boards discussing the current oil disaster are filled with people that see all of the current horror as a theoretical discussion where it's this nebulous, far away place filled with people you don't like much, anyway.

But this is OUR HOME. This is where the food I feed my family comes from, for starters. There is a huge population of people that have relied on the waters to feed THEIR families and have never turned to the government for help, and now 80% of the fishermen (Vietnamese-Americans, mostly people who fled the war in the 60s and set up for a "better life" here) are devastated that they now HAVE to turn to the government for help. And guess how that affects everyone in the US? Let's not even discuss the horror show that is the marine life of the Gulf. Dolphins are washing up, bloated sacks of oil. They have literally become bags of oil. It's horrifying.

And I swear to the god of your choice, next time I see someone talk in theoretical terms and toss around ideas like "regulation won't change anything" I might have to choke someone. My husband worked in the O&G industry for a few years, my ex-husband's family was an oil family, and LET ME TELL YOU HOW THINGS CHANGED BECAUSE OF DEREGULATION. Because it's not good. And there are LOADS of suicides among oil workers, did you know that? No, you didn't, because they clamp that shit down. But it's pretty much known that you have to keep an eye on roughnecks after a certain period. Because they just... lose it. Those floating rigs are PALACES now to give those guys some kind of semblance of life while they're out there at sea.

I try to keep it light and playful around here for the most part, because we all have crap in our lives that bring us down. But PLEASE. If you're one of the types of folks that automatically writes off this region as filled with Bible Thumping, Incestuous Dummies, please remember THAT I LIVE HERE. And regardless of a person's outward appearance, we're HUMANS. Every goddamn one of us matters. Every freaking ANIMAL down here matters. Please. Stop insulting us with casual hand waves of stereotypical definitions. PLEASE. That kind of thinking led to Louisiana being left to its own devices and look where that got us!

Gulf Clean is an online forum for inventors to devise and share ways to clean up faster. They're awesome. Also, Wildlife Emergency is accepting donations to help catch animals and either clean them/give aid, or capture them and move them out of harm's way. They are also awesome.

In happier news, the BFF is flying in later to spend the weekend with us, then she and I and the kids are driving to FLAHrida (along the coast line, buying up anything being sold on roadside stands because it's now a lot of people's only source of income) to spend a week with the horses and to manatee watch/help in Wakulla Springs. The hope is that the oil spill won't get inside the river, and that's where the manatees will be hiding, waiting out this disaster. We'll be looking for ways to further assist in the disaster, too. I think it's going to be a great eye opener for my kids.

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. See y'all in a week, be safe and good to each other!

Comments

[jerusha]

My dad works in the natural gas business, and he worked the oil fields when I was younger. My grandpa did the same, and I worked as an admin for a couple of years for a large energy company to pay my bills during grad school. And now my dad is the director of codes and standards for this large natural gas company. I know exactly how hard those guys work to ignore regulations--which is why we need more of them, and we need better enforcement. When something goes wrong, either in the oil or natural gas business, people and animals die. It becomes a fucking disaster.

This whole thing with BP is a clusterfuck, and it just hurts my heart.

[dampersnspoons.livejournal.com]

It doesn't appear that Gulf Clean is accepting donations (I clicked everywhere) but rather posting sponsors that are helping them financially. However, they do post links on how you can help with your hands and brains. :D

National Wildlife, is however, accepting cash/paypal/credit card donations.

Also, you might bookmark this list of charities helping with the oil spill. I know the american bird conservatory has been making the most public cries for help (at least that I've seen online lately) and seem to be doing loads of good.

http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=1066

[dampersnspoons.livejournal.com]

Also, when I say "loads of good", that's obviously subjective because well, there's no way they can fix this overnight.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

<3

I'll update my post about the donations for the inventor's support site, thanks, Beff.

[roq.livejournal.com]

Matter of Trust (http://www.matteroftrust.org/) is taking hair and pet fur to help clean up the mess.

[gabzilla.livejournal.com]

It's heartbreaking and so hard to watch the news.. I heard something about the oil could travel around Florida and up the east coast, and I had to wonder if my not yet 2 year old son will remember going to the beach and chasing seagulls back when it was still clean. It's so depressing. God, I hope that something good happens soon.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Oil will be washing up on British Shores (back to BP) by day 83, according to NOAA.

[gabzilla.livejournal.com]

mmmYeah, that's not really falling under my definition of "good"... ;)

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

It could make it all the way to France.

It's all beyond depressing.

[elizardbits.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, the IRL simulations they've done are fairly inconclusive because they were done at a maximum depth of something like 20m, which doesn't account for the potential movements of the thick gloopy ribbons that are 200+m down.

Either way, suckage.

[entrenous88.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry you've had to encounter views so thoughtless and callous about this terrible situation. *hugs*

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

It's just... WOW. How about we focus on the problem and not use this as an opportunity to denigrate a region? Aside from the fact that the earth belongs to ALL of us? :(

[ladycyndra.livejournal.com]

*applauds* Thank you for writing this. Just for the record, I've never thumped ANYONE with the bible EVER! Southern stereotypes make me sad.

[chantal87.livejournal.com]

Amen sister!
I was in the pan-handle yesterday and personally I didn't see anyone marrying their sister or walking around barefoot. It was just too damn hot. Maybe they do it on weekends during Jesus camp.

and yay for you helping with the cleaning and educating your sprogs.
The BFF and I took our boys to Wakulla Springs in October. That place is awesome.
Hug up on a manatee for me.

[beyondtherubicon]

I may be every bit the soulless, heartless mafioso but I <3 you. HARD.

Seriously though I can't imagine the mind set of anyone who would bring regional stereotypes into this disaster. My not entirely black heart goes out to every human and animal that is suffering because of this right now.

Thanks for the donation links.

[stephanierb.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm with the others scratching their heads over people hauling out geographic stereotypes for this issue. That has what to do with this exactly? No matter where you live in the US, we're all using the oil that was being pumped out of the gulf.

This whole situation makes me extremely angry and disillusioned, if that's even possible. What a disaster.

[fabrisse.livejournal.com]

WORD on the stereotyping issues.

I'll be in Clearwater, FL next week on a business conference. And I'm worried about what I'll find. As you say, this is food for thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people. Everything interlinks too, if we lose the Gulf as a fish source, we may lose so much more worldwide.

Regulation helps. Heaven knows I never thought I'd agree with James Cameron on anything, but his remark yesterday that asking BP for the evidence was like asking a thief to provide evidence of a robbery [/paraphrase] is not far off.

What about protected areas like South Padre Island? What's happening to them?

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I want to see some BP execs in JAIL. That simple. They need to be in jail. This is all just unimaginably bad. It's horrifying.

And people might want to keep in mind that 75% of the shrimp for the entire US come from what BP has just destroyed.

Did I mention that I want some 800+/- "willful violations"-having BP execs to land their asses in jail? Because I do. I so totally do. The CEO 'wants his life back'? So do the oil workers that died in the fire! So do the shrimpers and fishermen who have lost their livelihood! So do all the hotel, restaurant, and resort owners along the coast!

He's an asshole.

[fabrisse.livejournal.com]

There's this little resort in Cuba I'd like to introduce them to. Clothing's optional, er, a privilege, I understand.

[risingtofall.livejournal.com]

It is so ignorant to see what is happening with the oil spill and shrug it off and think "well that's way down there, that doesn't effect me" I think it says something (and says something bad) that people aren't realizing the gravity of the situation. I mean the country has come together with things like 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, earth quake but where is the collective massive movement from people to do something about what is happening?

[maybe1ce.livejournal.com]

Oh, please. People are morons. Anyone who portrays Gulf Coast Residents as extras from Deliverance is the moral equivalent of Sarah Palin throwing around terms like "Real America."

Think the East Coast is full of urban intellectuals? Take a trip to Rural New England.

Think Texas is full of Right Wingers? Hie thee to Austin.

Think California is full of Hippies? Dude. You should see the Megachurches.

Think Alaska is a frozen wasteland? Check out inner-city Anchorage, the agricultural Mat-su Valley, or funky cultural centers in the Southeast.

Think Florida is full of strip malls and serial killers? Well, it is.



[giggle. I kid because I love, and because my brother lives in Tampa and I live to torment him about it.]

[rocketlaunching.livejournal.com]

Think the East Coast is full of urban intellectuals? Take a trip to Rural New England.

Ain't that the truth. <3

[maybe1ce.livejournal.com]

Dude. I went to college in rural Maine. (Where, by the way, there are thousands of refugee families from Bangladesh and Somalia on top of the centuries-old populations)

What's sad politically is that these rural New Englanders, once the lifeblood of the Republican party, have been ignored and marginalized politically in favor of a certain religious bent. There is something to be said for that borderline-Libertarian spirit of the old New England Republican. (Poors Sherry on the ground in memory of my Homies like Chafee and Buckley and Weiker and Smith)

[fishwithfeet.livejournal.com]

You should meet some of my family who live up in Vermont. One of them moved down to Arkansas. And fit right in =/

Went to his third wedding and the color theme was 'animal print'. I about died. Especially as the mother of the bride was dressed in leopard print and my new aunt had zebra stockings.

[elizardbits.livejournal.com]

Think the East Coast is full of urban intellectuals? Take a trip to Rural New England.

My favourite part of upstate NY is all the shirtless old men in overalls, sitting on their porches in rocking chairs holding their loaded shotguns.

Incidentally, I believe Binghamton has one of the highest rates of incest in New England. SUCK ON THAT, SOUTHERNERS!

[nijireiki.livejournal.com]

Hey!

...Florida also has a substandard public education system. Don't forget that.

[weaver42.livejournal.com]

I'd love for you to come back to tminds and talk about how deregulation had the deleterious (I love that word) effect.

Great post, as always, from you.

Also, for the record? We East Coasters *are* all soulless and hateful. Mafiosi, not so much. But without souls and hate shoved in the soul socket, absolutely.

-- c.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

LOL. I secretly believe it's true about you east coasters. And I know you're in the mob. The Pennsyltucky mob. HEY, I WATCH IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY, I KNOW THINGS. :D

With that one commenter and a few others on another board, I blew my top earlier and needed to pull the thorn out. I'll breathe deep and come back over.

[rocketlaunching.livejournal.com]

and all of you West Coasters are crystal-loving, pot smoking hippies.

You've obviously never been to Massachusetts :P

I agree with everything you've said in your post and can only hope that it gets better soon down there for people who's whole livelyhood revolves around the ocean. And reading that bit about the dolphins makes me RAGE.

[anelith.livejournal.com]

I am heartsick over this oil disaster. Can hardly bear to watch/read the news.

It's not only BP execs that should be thrown in jail, it's the people who worked in the government office that were supposed to do the bare minimum of regulation and instead, slept and partied with the oil execs.

I hope you have a fun time in Florida. Good for you for wanting to pitch in and help while you're down there. We saw some manatees during our last visit there and I hope they manage to weather this nasty time.

[lostakasha.livejournal.com]

Hey lookie! We don't got to go anywhere to be Ugly Americans anymore! We can just be ugly to each other.

You've got more patience than I, sweetie -- thanks for the passionate address. And have a good time in F.L.A. with the ponies and the manatees. ♥

[ruthless1.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the links. That is all I can say right because your post filled me with rage. How dare people talk like that and say that? Oh yeah. Right. Some people are asshats.

[empresspatti.livejournal.com]

*Waves* Hi

Just want you to know that although I live on the East Coast and am a registered democrat - that I am heartbroken and horrified by what has happened to my fellow Americans in the Gulf States. I afraid a way of life will disappear forever and the ecological damage will last for a hundred years. I don't think the O&G industry was ever very regulated, and the Reagan-started-and-every-Pres since allowed continuing deregulation has led us RIGHT HERE to this tragic event. This event is a product of greed and stupidity - not just with BP and the government - but with US ALL - we waste a tremendous amount of energy every day.

Sersly, right now I'm running my a/c and my dryer. I'm a moron.

Even if we get a comprehensive energy policy out of this, the price is too high. I feel like this is punishment.....

[tabaqui]

Wait, i'm confused.

People are handwaving the utter and complete disaster that is the Gulf right now because only redneck/hillbilly/trailer-trash type people live there?

And therefore it doesn't matter if the Gulf state's coasts are poisoned with toxic sludge and the animals in and out of the water die because who cares about dumb Southerners?

I. Hate. People.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

I. KNOW.

Because people deserve this because of what the fuck ever, right? UM. NO.

[tabaqui]

Jayzus. And i thought humanity couldn't sink any lower.

[veracity]

I hate the stereotype. It. pisses. me. off. I'm not Gulf Coast, but damn Texas has some excellent shrimp! Let's all discus the government side instead of, you know, the major disaster that's hitting an already crappy economy. You know, where it's already hard to find a job and this one will last for ages because it's never a quick fix to make the waters clean(er) with this magnitude. It's not just the fishermen, either. Who's gonna want to come see a river of red instead of an ocean of blue on vacation? The implications are pretty. damn. big.

Yes, the government needs to do something and kick some major tail, on this front. But how about right now the rest of us pay more attention to the little things we can do? I cut my hair yesterday (like I have maybe 4 inches of hair left from just past my shoulders) and about half of that which wasn't color treated went to some kind of rope to use in the ocean to absorb the oil. I was all for it. Because marine life travels, generally speaking, and it'll be hitting other sources soon. Then what? And with sea turtles dying, that's very very bad if my Jekyll Island retention is correct. They're not the fastest reproducers around.

*sigh* The stupid at times can be mind-numbing.

BUT! Yay for you going manatee helping since they're so slow and need a little prodding along to safer areas. Sometimes it's just the little things we can do. You know?

[prophecygirrl.livejournal.com]

I'm an east coaster, and I find this situation horrifying and enraging, especially the woefully inadequate response. We vacationed in Sanibel last year, and absolutely marveled at the marine life and unspoiled beauty. Dolphins swam within five feet of us, and live critters were in every shell, exotic birds on every bluff.

It's absolutely heartbreaking to think of what's already been lost, and of the losses to come.

Thanks for posting those links.

[altyronsmaker.livejournal.com]

Amen, sister.

I'm in Florida and spent my summers fishing the Gulf waters with my grandpa. One of my students recently spent a weekend on the Gulf with his girlfriend's dad, and all he could say when he got back: "We didn't see any, but the air stank with it. Also, caught so many fish in the first twenty minutes we had to stop."

Because the fish were running closer to shore to escape the oil. This breaks my heart.

And if you're coming to Florida, the oil is washing up on the shored in the panhandle. Big ole globs. And the Men o' War are bloated oil sacs too. the western Coast of Florida is pretty darn famous for it's white beaches and pristine waters, and these clusterfucks have pretty much ensured the end of that.

[fishwithfeet.livejournal.com]

Welcome to Florida! (soon!)

I'm over on the east coast by the space center and we're already organizing volunteers to go on watch to patrol beaches for signs of oil. And our area is one of the few beaches where three species of endangered sea turtle nest. And it's nesting season. =(

But if you have the time, come over to the Brevard Zoo! I'll be there... working... at the play lagoon.

Every time I look at pictures from the oil spill my heart aches. It sucks for the natural resources we have that are being destroyed, it sucks for the livelihood of the people living in the area who are losing business and money, and it sucks for me because dammit I would have loved to have a job enforcing the bloody regulations. I'm flippin' qualified enough....

[zyrya]

G'day mate, toss another shrimp on the barbie. Crikey! What a little beauty!

Yeah ... stereotypes. Good times.

If you're interested, the Gulf disaster is generally being portrayed here as multinational oil giant vs. the ordinary man (and his family and job and manatees). The coverage starts with whatever BP has recently fed the media and then there are heartbreaking stories of the people and animals and plants whose lives depend on the ravaged ecosystems.

Maybe we don't distinguish enough between different Americans to pick on separate groups. Australia is often horribly anti-American, but when something like this happens all that gets set aside for a while.

[bitchygrrl.livejournal.com]

You Stoney what you be sayin', word.
Yes because as an Africam_American living in a major urban area that's who I speak wile smoking crack, having babies, and rapping. People are ASSHOLES. I can't believe they are bringing stereotypes into this. I don't care who live where they need to get mess cleaned up now, it's destroying lives, bot human and animal. Our government needs to put it's foot in BP's ass period. I want to see everyone responsible for this in jail.

[redbrickrose.livejournal.com]

*hugs* And yes. Thank you. I can't even deal with so much of the conversation about the oil spill; I get so upset.

I needed a moment.

[nijireiki.livejournal.com]

...Okay. Okay. *breathes*

WORD on the Otherization of Southerners as a means of non-Southerners distancing themselves from the problem being a BAD THING. And also? Even if it wasn't morally and ethically deplorable, the thing about the ocean? IT'S FUCKING EVERYWHERE, YOU GUYS. I don't mean to sound evil or anything, but the facts are, YOU'LL GET YOURS, just like WE'RE GETTING OURS.

And even if you (LIKE A MORON) think of the oil spill as only a problem affecting fishing and oilmen, UM, GUESS WHAT HAPPENS TO THE ECONOMY WHEN OIL AND FISH JUST UP AND QUIT? Not to mention tourism & travel, other sea (and coastal/semi-coastal!) life, water availability, and a little thing I like to call weather. It's the beginning of hurricane season, you fuckers. If water is PICKED UP in the gulf and BROUGHT ANYWHERE THERE ARE HURRICANES, IT BECOMES EVERYONE'S PROBLEM.

Oh, and I positively can't wait to hear from religious assholes that when/if my Louisiana family-- including my little sister, who is staying with them for the summer-- is evacuated for toxic-oil-sludge- and more-toxic-dispersant-chemica-tainted hurricanes that force them out of the home that had to be rebuilt after Katrina, that, somehow, God is smiting the entire area for sinfulness and not only is this horror deserved, but that it has been earned, and in turn, divinely prosecuted? I WILL POSITIVLY-FUCKING-LUTELY FLIP. MY. SHIT. On whoever says this to me, if they have the balls.

But, on a positive note (since I've just ripped out everyone's soul), I'd like to thank everyone for the donation and charity links. And for making me laugh by reminding me that my origins lie in soulless mafioso Catholic soul-sucking AND rural nor'eastern mountain folk who act inappropriately excited to be in a mall. Or on a road with streetlights! Also, that everyone currently living in Florida wants to kill you. While failing the FCAT.

Plus, OK! Magazine had a one-page feature on True Blood, where Nigel Barker from ANTM said he's Team Eric because he's "rather good-looking."

It may be off-topic, but I think Alexander Skarsgaard's something that can always boost a mood.

[realpestilence.livejournal.com]

A friend pointed me in this post's direction, and I thought how well-articulated it was-how it says so much that I wanted to say. Then I saw it was you, and I'm not surprised at all.


I wish I could reply with something eloquent, but all I can think is...We ALL use that oil, in varying degrees. We are ALL affected. We are ALL responsible, both for what happened, how it happened, and for fixing it!


I live in Florida, btw...thanks for that kind thought.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

*hugs* I think by this time (who would have thought that we'd be in the same mess for this long?!) people have changed their minds on how to view this problem.

I just can't believe we're still in the same mess after two+ months!

[sweptawaybayou.livejournal.com]

I lived in (and loved) Biloxi, Mississippi for slightly over 7 years. All my babies were born there and while the poverty was appalling, the people were soooooooooo incredible. Nice. Polite. Considerate. Kind. I miss the gulf, although I do not miss the weather.

Have an excellent working vacation, bb. And thanks for the linkage.

*hugs*