The Gulf is NOT ok: What the Media Doesn't Want You To Know

On the one-year anniversary of the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history, the national media coverage is hot and heavy. Topics of conversation vary: how clean the beaches are, how delicious the seafood is; how only $4 billion of the $20 billion reimbursement fund has been paid out; how the new revamped Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (formerly Minerals Management Service) has approved new permits since the moratorium was lifted, how new safety regulations are coming down the pike and how the oil companies' profits are better than ever.

Meanwhile, Gulf Coast residents are getting the shaft. No one, absolutely NO ONE (in the media, that is) will report on the actual conditions in the "isolated areas" where oil is still washing up. It is up to ordinary people to take matters into their own hands and spread the ugly truth that gets no airplay whatsoever.

A recent Associated Press (AP) article headline reads:
SCIENTISTS SAY THE OVERALL HEALTH OF THE GULF IS NEARLY BACK TO NORMAL.

Since Google and every major media outlet runs and reports on feeds from AP, that is the headline being circulated to maintain the public's blindness of the real deal. While the article admits that "Scientists cite significant declines in key health indicators such as the sea floor, dolphins and oysters. In interviews, dozens of Gulf experts emphasized their concerns, pointing to the mysterious deaths of hundreds of young dolphins and turtles, strangely stained crabs and dead patches on the sea floor."

Answer me this, Associated Press: How in the hell can you then print the headline that the health is nearly at pre-spill level??? How do you people sleep at night?

Enter the Coastal Warriors, tenacious and ticked-off residents and their supporters who are delivering the REAL truth about current conditions. These reports of course, are limited to the internet, and it is up to us to share the information.

Two such areas where Coastal Warriors are showing the mess left behind a year later: Ocean Springs, MS and Long Beach, MS.

These photos were taken just two days ago in Ocean Springs, MS. They clearly show the remaining effects and damage to the once beautiful shoreline.

Photos courtesy of Renea Hulett

Another dedicated and courageous Gulf resident, Denise Rednour, has been filming the Long Beach coastline regularly since the spill. Here is just one of the latest videos, Sad Saturday Indeed

What about the "mysterious deaths of hundreds of young dolphins and turtles, strangely stained crabs and dead patches on the sea floor?" Just about every mainstream article related to the sealife deaths is quick to point out these animals show no signs of external oil. Perhaps the cause is related to the toxic COREXIT dispersant used by BP, even after being ordered by the EPA to stop the use of this poison.

There is scant coverage of the Gulf Coast residents whose livelihoods have been wiped out by this disaster.
Video: Gulf Coast Residents Still Waiting on BP

But followed by this limited coverage, the topic is quickly changed to some fabricated, hyped-up non-issue, such as the theatrical 'debate' on cutting the deficit. It is obvious to anyone with a functioning brain that no one in Washington is serious about tackling the ever-looming economic collapse of the United States.

So when you hear that "the fishing's never been better", "the seafood is great", and that things in the Gulf are getting back to normal, think again. There are miles and miles of coastline that are still oiled and a thousand miles of fishing areas that remain closed. Yet each and every day, the BP gas stations in the United States are still brimming with customers, oblivious or just plain ignorant to the grim reality in the Gulf.