BP Oil Spill

In a few days, I'll be making the journey east along I-10 on my way to Santa Rosa Beach, along the Florida Panhandle. As you know, unless you've been living under a rock for the past month and a half, there's been an oil spill threatening to wipe out the white, sandy beaches of the Gulf Coast (among other things).

Perhaps more frustrating than their inability to cap the leak (really, you mean they never had a back-up plan for if this sort of thing were to happen?) is how they've handled the media by restricting access. If you're restricting access to prevent people from getting in the way of your ensuing effort to stop the problem, that's one thing. But when you're doing it just to avoid giving yourself a bad name, then it just shouldn't be allowed.

Here's the article I found from Newsweek and a couple of quotes from it...

"The problem, as many members of the press see it, is that even when access is granted, it's done so under the strict oversight of BP and Coast Guard personnel ... So the company is able to determine what reporters see and when they see it."

It's hard to believe that BP even has the Coast Guard 'on board' with their current cover up.

The article also points out...

"The ability to document a disaster, particularly through images, is key to focusing the nation's attention on it, and the resulting clean-up efforts."

Here's to hoping the oil stays clear of Santa Rosa Beach for the next couple of weeks. I don't know how I'd feel about playing catch with a tarball.

51 days and counting....

-Daniel