Here’s something troubling. It appears that the GOP now has some agreed upon talking points about the oil spill. Their intention, it seems, is to downplay the impact of the oil spill and spare their BP oil friends any further grief.
The talking point: The oil spill is very, very thin. It probably won’t even do much damage, if any. Don’t worry about it.
Here’s Gov. Haley Barbour delivering the line, via the Jackson Free Press:
Barbour told Canadian Business that most of the slick is “a very, very, very thin layer of oil residue,” and that the possibility exists that the oil could have minimal impact. On the other hand, there could be “disastrous” results, he said.
Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant delivered similar remarks before the Mississippi Economic Council during a Monday meeting in Madison. According to someone in attendance, he then lavished great praise on BP for taking responsibility for the spill and agreeing to pay for the damages. (We’ll see if they live up to this commitment. Hopefully they will.)
But here’s the point: Regardless of how “thin” the layer of oil covering the Gulf of Mexico is, it has already done severe damage. To “not worry about it” is absurd.
Here’s the cost of the oil spill so far:
- 11 people died
- More than 50 sea turtles and jelly fish have died
- Oil particles have started to sink to the bed of the Gulf, where they pose dire threats to the sea life there
- Fishermen have already said they will lose hundreds of thousands of dollars (if not millions to the entire industry) as a result of the spill
- Some environmentalists, scientists and fishermen said the impact could last as long as three years, though likely one or two
The only good that has come of this is that the news media and Americans in general are going to take a closer look at the dangers of off-shore drilling and the lack of safety requirements imposed on Gulf drilling. Hopefully this will lead to better regulations that will prevent disasters of this magnitude in the future.
As far as Barbour and Bryant are concerned, to say we should not worry about the impact of this spill is unconscionable. The impact is already great, and it is growing worse every day.
Not really a surprise that Barbour and others would think that we Mississippians are so uninformed or ignorant that they could simply say the oil spill is a minimal problem and we would believe it. After all the majority of the voters in Mississippi are the ones that have put this governor in office twice! Halley’s Comet can be seen only once every 75-76 years, but Haley’s comments (just as breathtaking but in a negavitve way) seem to be appearing almost daily!
The politician that I have heard giving that line most is our own Gene Taylor. Until Mississippians see real damage to their coasts, fishing and tourism they will not believe political propaganda.
Are our universities currently collecting samples of coastal species for aquaculturing so the species can be reintroduced into the Gulf when it is healthier. Is anyone attempting to move bits of reefs and netted fish into other coastal areas? Can we do this?
I don’t know, but that’s a good question. I’m sure environmental groups are looking at this, or at least I hope they are.