BP Oil Flood Protest

WDSU: Group Gathers For BP Oil Spill Protest.

The gathering was at Jackson Square (or technically Washington Artillery Park, on the river side of the Square). Pretty good turn out considering the weather ranged from light drip to occasional downpour; I'm sure that kept many more from attending.

My photo set on Flickr.

We had a little band play at the start and end of the event.

As seen on tv:
WGNO ABC 26 video

See Froggy (last third of the video), and hear him croaking out some lyrics out of tune. We modified the lyrics to the bridge of "Down by the Riverside" to "Ain't gonna spill no oil no more".

(We also modified "Ain't My Fault" lyrics to stuff like "You spilled it/ You clean it/ BP's fault".)

Today's Barrel of Oil

Picayune: Scientists warn of unseen deepwater oil disaster

"Independent scientists and government officials say there's an aspect to the oil spill disaster we can't see, hidden in the Gulf of Mexico's mysterious depths; the ruin of a world inhabited by enormous sperm whales and tiny, invisible plankton."

"Every fish and invertebrate contacting the oil is probably dying. I have no doubt about that"

If I were just a bit more cynical, I'd say that Big Oil's plot to make the Gulf of Mexico unfit for all those pesky alternative uses other than drilling oil is succeeding.
[edit: Driftglass goes there: BP's "GULF KILL" Procedure ]

Again: Like seafood? Enjoy it now.

"There's a school of thought that says we've made it worse because of the dispersants"

Ya think?

CNN: Fisherman files restraining order against BP

"A fisherman who was hospitalized after becoming ill while cleaning up oil in the Gulf of Mexico has filed a temporary restraining order in federal court against oil company BP.

"John Wunstell Jr., is asking BP to give the workers masks and not harass workers who publicly voice their health concerns."


BP CEO Tony Hayward has been speaking up. UPI story

"As far as I'm concerned, a cup of oil on the beach is a failure," Hayward said.

Fair enough. If one spilled cup is a "failure", how would you classify, say, 10 million gallons (to use one of the most conservative non-BP estimates)?

"There's no one who wants this over more than I do. I would like my life back," Hayward said.

Mr. Hayward: Rather than an extended diatribe comparing your situation with those of the people who have for generations made their living in South East Louisiana, I'll keep my reply short and simple: FY, YFF.

Huffington Post: Gulf Oil Spill: Media Access 'Slowly Being Strangled Off'

They don't want to let people know how bad its getting.

And remember, this is still just beginning.